The Butchies
Encyclopedia
The Butchies are a punk rock
band from Durham, North Carolina
, that existed from 1998 to 2005, and are currently on a hiatus. The frequent focus of their lyrical content concerned lesbian
and queer
themes.
Made up of Team Dresch
guitarist and frontwoman Kaia Wilson
, bassist Alison Martlew, and drummer Melissa York
, The Butchies has been referred to as "queercore crusaders." The band has been performing together since the recording of their first album
, Are We Not Femme? in 1998. Since then, the trio has recorded three subsequent albums, Population: 1975
in 1999, 3 in 2001, and Make Yr Life
in 2004. They have also appeared on a number of compilations of note, including Being Out Rocks
, produced by the Human Rights Campaign
(Centaur Productions, 2002), and Fields And Streams
(Kill Rock Stars
, 2002). In 2005 the band announced a hiatus.
The first three albums were released by the now-defunct Mr. Lady Records
, run by Kaia Wilson and Tammy Rae Carland
. It was named after Wilson's first solo LP, Ladyman, created after leaving Team Dresch
. The label also released the first two Le Tigre
recordings. Make Yr Life was released by Yep Roc. The track, "Sex (I'm a Lesbian)" appeared on Mr. Lady's 1999 sampler album
, New Women's Music Sampler
. In 2001, a live rendition of the track, "Disco", appeared on another sampler album, Calling All Kings & Queens
.
Kaia Wilson had previously performed in Adickdid
and the queercore
band Team Dresch
, appearing on their first two albums, Personal Best and Captain My Captain
; Melissa York was also in Team Dresch, playing drums on the second LP and, prior to that, performing in two hardcore punk
bands, Vitapup and Born Against
, before the two women joined with Alison Martlew to form The Butchies.
The Butchies also played on the 2001 Amy Ray
(of the Indigo Girls
) album Stag
on Daemon Records
and backed her up on tour.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band from Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, that existed from 1998 to 2005, and are currently on a hiatus. The frequent focus of their lyrical content concerned lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and queer
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
themes.
Made up of Team Dresch
Team Dresch
Team Dresch is an American punk band from Portland, Oregon, originally formed in Olympia, Washington, which was initially active from 1993 until 1998. The band made a significant impression on the do-it-yourself movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and...
guitarist and frontwoman Kaia Wilson
Kaia Wilson
Kaia Wilson is a musician from Portland, Oregon, best known as a founding member of both Team Dresch, a revered 1990s queercore punk band, and The Butchies, a pop-rock spin-off from her solo work. In addition to singing, songwriting and guitar, Wilson co-established and operated Mr...
, bassist Alison Martlew, and drummer Melissa York
Melissa York
Melissa York is a rock drummer. She currently lives in Durham, North Carolina.York first began drumming with the New York-based hardcore punk bands Born Against, the Manacled and Vitapup. After this, she moved to the West Coast to drum for Team Dresch. Following that, she was a member of the power...
, The Butchies has been referred to as "queercore crusaders." The band has been performing together since the recording of their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Are We Not Femme? in 1998. Since then, the trio has recorded three subsequent albums, Population: 1975
Population: 1975
Population: 1975 was the second album released by queercore band The Butchies in 1999.-Track listing:#"Insult to Injury"#"It's Over"#"More Rock More Talk"#"Movies Movies"#"Population 1975#"Eleanor#"Ms Doolittle#"Love in the Hour"#"Intro"...
in 1999, 3 in 2001, and Make Yr Life
Make Yr Life
Make Yr Life is the fourth and final album released by lesbian queercore band The Butchies and the first to be released on the Yep Roc Records label, rather than the group's previous label, Mr. Lady Records...
in 2004. They have also appeared on a number of compilations of note, including Being Out Rocks
Being Out Rocks
Being Out Rocks is a compilation album released October 11, 2002 by the Human Rights Campaign, in collaboration with Centaur Entertainment. Its release coincided with National Coming Out Day; "Being Out Rocks" was also that year's theme....
, produced by the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
(Centaur Productions, 2002), and Fields And Streams
Fields and Streams
Fields and Streams is a double CD compilation album released by the label Kill Rock Stars on May 7, 2002.-Track list:CD 1# "Memo From The Desk of the Quails - The Quails# "Sex Object - Manda & The Marbles# "Waste of Time" - The Coolies...
(Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, 2002). In 2005 the band announced a hiatus.
The first three albums were released by the now-defunct Mr. Lady Records
Mr. Lady Records
Mr. Lady Records was a San Francisco-based lesbian-feminist independent record label and video art distributor. Artists on the label included Le Tigre and The Butchies. OutSmart magazine noted that Mr...
, run by Kaia Wilson and Tammy Rae Carland
Tammy Rae Carland
Tammy Rae Carland is a zine editor, artist, filmmaker and owner of the independent lesbian music label Mr. Lady Records.In the late 1980s she co-founded an independent art gallery in Olympia, Washington with Heidi Arbogast. The two teamed up with Kathleen Hanna, who often did spoken word...
. It was named after Wilson's first solo LP, Ladyman, created after leaving Team Dresch
Team Dresch
Team Dresch is an American punk band from Portland, Oregon, originally formed in Olympia, Washington, which was initially active from 1993 until 1998. The band made a significant impression on the do-it-yourself movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and...
. The label also released the first two Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...
recordings. Make Yr Life was released by Yep Roc. The track, "Sex (I'm a Lesbian)" appeared on Mr. Lady's 1999 sampler album
Sampler album
A sampler is a type of compilation album generally offered at a reduced price to showcase a selection of artists signed to a particular record label...
, New Women's Music Sampler
New Women's Music Sampler
New Women's Music Sampler is a sampler album of alternative rock songs by artists on the San Francisco, California based lesbian-feminist independent record label, Mr. Lady Records. It was released in October, 1999...
. In 2001, a live rendition of the track, "Disco", appeared on another sampler album, Calling All Kings & Queens
Calling All Kings & Queens
Calling All Kings & Queens is a sampler album of alternative rock songs by artists on the San Francisco, California based lesbian-feminist independent record label, Mr. Lady Records...
.
Kaia Wilson had previously performed in Adickdid
Adickdid
Adickdid was an all-female American indie punk band started in the early 1990s in Eugene, Oregon by Kaia Wilson Nalini Deedee Cheriel and Sara Shelton Bellum . Their first single "All American Girl" b/w "Columbus" was put out by Imp Records in 1993...
and the queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
band Team Dresch
Team Dresch
Team Dresch is an American punk band from Portland, Oregon, originally formed in Olympia, Washington, which was initially active from 1993 until 1998. The band made a significant impression on the do-it-yourself movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and...
, appearing on their first two albums, Personal Best and Captain My Captain
Captain My Captain
Captain My Captain is Team Dresch's second and last album, released June 11, 1996 by Chainsaw Records.-Track listing:#Uncle Phranc - 3:23#107 - 4:05#My Dirty Hands are Mined - 3:00#The Council - 3:20#Don't Try Suicide - 3:11...
; Melissa York was also in Team Dresch, playing drums on the second LP and, prior to that, performing in two hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands, Vitapup and Born Against
Born Against
Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989–1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as problematic within the punk subculture of their time.-History:The group was founded in...
, before the two women joined with Alison Martlew to form The Butchies.
The Butchies also played on the 2001 Amy Ray
Amy Ray
Amy Elizabeth Ray is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released four albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daemon Records....
(of the Indigo Girls
Indigo Girls
The Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
) album Stag
Stag (Amy Ray album)
Stag is the debut solo album by Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, released in 2001 on her Daemon Records label. On it she is accompanied by The Butchies, who contributed a punk rock influence to some of the songs.-Track listing:...
on Daemon Records
Daemon Records
Daemon Records is an Atlanta, Georgia based, not-for-profit independent record label started by musician Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The label is run mostly by the musicians who record on it....
and backed her up on tour.
Discography
Albums- Are We Not Femme? (1998, Mr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady Records was a San Francisco-based lesbian-feminist independent record label and video art distributor. Artists on the label included Le Tigre and The Butchies. OutSmart magazine noted that Mr...
) - Population: 1975Population: 1975Population: 1975 was the second album released by queercore band The Butchies in 1999.-Track listing:#"Insult to Injury"#"It's Over"#"More Rock More Talk"#"Movies Movies"#"Population 1975#"Eleanor#"Ms Doolittle#"Love in the Hour"#"Intro"...
(1999, Mr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady Records was a San Francisco-based lesbian-feminist independent record label and video art distributor. Artists on the label included Le Tigre and The Butchies. OutSmart magazine noted that Mr...
) - 3 (2001, Mr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady Records was a San Francisco-based lesbian-feminist independent record label and video art distributor. Artists on the label included Le Tigre and The Butchies. OutSmart magazine noted that Mr...
) - Make Yr LifeMake Yr LifeMake Yr Life is the fourth and final album released by lesbian queercore band The Butchies and the first to be released on the Yep Roc Records label, rather than the group's previous label, Mr. Lady Records...
(2004, Yep Roc RecordsYep Roc RecordsYep Roc Records is an independent International record label based in Haw River, North Carolina and owned by Redeye Distribution . The label has put out albums by artists like The Go-Betweens, The Fleshtones, Gang of Four, The Reverend Horton Heat, and The Minus 5, as well as the work of important...
)