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Formed in 1994 from the ashes of Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17, a pair of groups that rode the first wave of the riot grrrl movement, Sleater- Kinney became one of the most important feminist punk rock bands of the '90s. Singer/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein first met in 1992, when Tucker was one half of the duo Heavens to Betsy. Brownstein, a classically trained pianist, was so inspired by Tucker and other grrrl musicians like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile (not coincidentally Tucker's own influences) that she formed her own band, Excuse 17, a year later. Sleater-Kinney, which earned its name from a local freeway off-ramp, initially began as Tucker and Brownstein's side project. Things changed in late 1994, though, when Australia-born Lora MacFarlane signed on as the group's first permanent drummer. Over the course of the following two weeks, the trio recorded its self-titled 1995 debut for Chainsaw, a label run by Team Dresch bassist Donna Dresch.
Upon its release, the album earned widespread acclaim for its visceral intensity as well as the group's passionate vocals, intricate melodies, and provocative, politically charged lyrics. With 1996's Call the Doctor, Sleater-Kinney garnered even greater media exposure and critical applause on the strength of their incisive rants against gender inequity, consumerism, and indie rock's male-dominated hierarchy. Their Kill Rock Stars label debut, Dig Me Out, recorded with new drummer Janet Weiss from Quasi, followed in 1997, and was again among the most acclaimed releases of its season; The Hot Rock appeared two years later, and in the spring of 2000, Sleater-Kinney resurfaced with All Hands on the Bad One.
In August 2002, the group returned with its most musically accomplished record to date, One Beat. Sleater-Kinney upped the ante again with 2005's The Woods, a powerful, inventive album that was released by Sub Pop, produced by Dave Fridmann, and inspired by, among other things, the political climate of the mid-2000s and the freedom of the improvised parts of their gigs supporting Pearl Jam on a 2003 tour. During the summer of 2006, though, the group announced they were going on an "indefinite hiatus" after finishing the remaining dates on their tour. Brownstein went on to create the Spells with Mary Timony, and Corin Tucker launched a solo career in 2010.
from Wikipedia:
Sleater-Kinney ( /ˈeɪərˈɪiː/ slay-tər-kin-ee) was an alternative rock band that formed in 1994 in Olympia, Washington. The group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a noted part of the "riot grrrl" and indie rock scenes in the Pacific Northwest. The band was known for its feminist and left-leaning politics.
History
Sleater-Kinney was formed in early 1994 in Olympia, Washington, by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. Tucker was formerly in the influential riot grrrl band Heavens to Betsy, while Brownstein was formerly in the queercore band Excuse 17. They often played at gigs together and formed Sleater-Kinney as a side-project from their respective bands. When Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17 disbanded, Sleater-Kinney became their primary focus. Janet Weiss of Quasi was the band's first drummer, though Sleater-Kinney has had other drummers, including Lora Macfarlane, Misty Farrell, and Toni Gogin.
Upon Tucker's graduation from Evergreen State College (where Brownstein remained a student for three more years), she and then-girlfriend Brownstein took a trip to Australia in early 1994. Their last day there, they stayed up all night recording what would become their self-titled debut album. It was released the following spring. They followed this with Call the Doctor (1996) and Dig Me Out (1997), and became critical darlings as a result.
Their next few albums pushed the band towards mainstream listeners, culminating in 2002's One Beat. The group opened for Pearl Jam at many North American shows beginning in 2003, and the band cited the experience of playing to large arenas as part of the inspiration and motivation for the music found on their last album, The Woods. The Woods was released in 2005, and was a departure from the sound of their previous albums. In its place, The Woods featured a denser, heavily distorted sound that drew on classic rock as its inspiration. In 2006 they helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.
Renowned critics Greil Marcus and Robert Christgau have each praised Sleater-Kinney as one of the essential rock groups of the late 90s/early 00s. Marcus named Sleater-Kinney America's best rock band in a 2001 issue of Time magazine.
Musical style
Sleater-Kinney's musical style sprang from and was rooted in Olympia, Washington's fertile punk and independent rock scenes of the early- to mid-1990s, forming around the last years of the riot grrrl movement, and with Tucker and Brownstein coming from veteran acts from the beginning of the movement. Their sound incorporates personal and social themes along with stripped-down music that was influenced by punk and the free-thinking ideals of 1980s-1990s alternative and indie rock. They experimented with this foundation by bringing in different instruments and arrangements. Sleater-Kinney have named influences such as Bikini Kill, Mecca Normal, Bratmobile, Throwing Muses and Sonic Youth. Corin Tucker's emotional vocals and the band's lyrics alternate between personal and political topics, rebelling against war, traditionalism, gender roles and consumerism from feminist and progressive perspectives. Sleater-Kinney contributed the protest song "Off With Your Head" to NOFX leader Fat Mike's Rock Against Bush compilation.
In a documentary about riot grrrl, Tucker revealed that her vocal style has always been intentionally harsh to suit the band's message and to demand focus from the listener, and her vocals have been described by Allmusic critic Heather Phares as "love-them-or-hate-them vocals." At the beginning of the band's career, lead vocals were often performed by Tucker, though as the band progressed, Brownstein began to appear more as a vocalist. Both Brownstein and Tucker played guitar, with Brownstein usually handling lead and Tucker performing rhythm. Although Sleater-Kinney had no bass player, both Tucker and Brownstein tuned their guitars one and a half steps down ("C# tuning"), and Tucker's tone and style enabled her to fill the same role as a bass guitar.
Hiatus
On June 27, 2006, the band announced an indefinite hiatus, stating there were "no plans for future tours or recordings". Sleater-Kinney's last major public show was at the 2006 Lollapalooza music festival. They did not play an encore. The band's last appearance was at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, on August 12, 2006. No explanation for the hiatus was given, but it is widely believed to be because Tucker wanted to concentrate on raising her child. In a May 2005 interview, Janet Weiss stated, "Corin's hurdles were my biggest hurdles. Her pulling away from the band was the hardest thing for me as far as writing music. She said in a recent interview that she thinks about quitting every week - and that's heavy for me, 'cause this is all I want to do."
Tucker had previously hinted in interviews that Sleater-Kinney might become inactive soon. In a 2005 interview with Bust magazine, she was asked how she would handle touring when her young son started school, and she replied that she didn't even know if they would make another record after The Woods.
In an interview from March 17, 2010, Carrie Brownstein claimed that Sleater-Kinney may reunite and release an album "sometime in the next five years."
Collaborations
In 1998, the band recorded "Big Big Lights", the first split single (with Cypher in the Snow) in the series of recordings dealing with women's self-defense entitled Free to Fight, and released on Candy Ass Records.
In 1999, Carrie Brownstein recorded a four-song vinyl EP titled The Age of Backwards with Mary Timony in a duo called The Spells.
In 2000, all three members of Sleater-Kinney assisted Robert Forster and Grant McLennan of the now-defunct Brisbane indie band The Go-Betweens to record the album The Friends of Rachel Worth.
In 2003, the band recorded the song "Angry Inch" with Fred Schneider of The B-52's for the Hedwig and the Angry Inch charity tribute album Wig in a Box. Proceeds for the album went to the Harvey Milk School, a school for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
Along with performing in Sleater-Kinney, Tucker also was a member of the band Cadallaca with Sarah Dougher and sts (both formerly of The Lookers). In a recent interview, however, she told people "not to hold [their] breath for a new Cadallaca album." Tucker also featured on Eddie Vedder's (Pearl Jam) solo album Into the Wild, where she performed vocals on the track "Hard Sun" along with Vedder. In 2008, Tucker collaborated again with Vedder on a cover of John Doe's The Golden State on Doe's Golden State EP.
