She can be riotously funny, dead serious, or a mix of both at once, as she is while discussing some of Bikini Kill’s more maddening obstacles in the ’90s, or digging into the intricacies of call-out culture. Similar to her legendary singing style, Hanna’s tone in conversation pivots seamlessly. The band will continue doing just that in 2020, with new tour dates across Europe and North America, including a benefit for the Interfaith Works homeless shelter in their hometown of Olympia, Washington. (They also sold enough tickets to their short run of shows this year to fill Madison Square Garden almost twice over, something that would have been unfathomable in the ’90s.) Bikini Kill’s anthems of opposition, empathy, and solidarity feel newly relevant and resonant in the Trump era, which spurred on Hanna’s interest in playing them again. Their sets have been intergenerational celebrations of one of the all-time great feminist songbooks, a fact that could get lost during their tumultuous first iteration. ![]() The shows that the iconic 1990s riot grrrl band-comprised of Hanna, drummer Tobi Vail, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and new guitarist Erica Dawn Lyle-played in New York, L.A., Chicago, and London earlier this year felt less like a reunion and more like a timely continuation, a historical corrective. But before the retro festivities begin, she’s ready to discuss a firmly-2019 matter: the return of Bikini Kill. “It just brings you back to the ’70s,” says Hanna, clad in a lemon-yellow sweater and bubblegum-pink lipstick. She’s celebrating with a party at a local roller rink, where she’ll take over the sound system with a disco-heavy mix including Kool & the Gang, Donna Summer, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Foreigner. On a recent Tuesday morning, she FaceTimes me from her home in Pasadena, California, and it just so happens to be her 51st birthday. Lyle explains, "Working on these songs everyday with Vice-and the hope that others would work with us-was like an anchor for me during that really difficult era.Kathleen Hanna is about to head to Party City. The duo then reached out to other artists to collaborate, including Hanna, Kim Gordon, Kelley Deal, Rachel Aggs, The Linda Lindas, Katie Alice Greer, Palberta and many more. Cooler said, "Like everyone, I was extremely confused about how I could use my limited skill set and resources-which mostly exist in the music and video worlds-to help others from this place of isolation."Īfter deciding to work on an album to help fundraise, the duo worked remotely, with Cooler sending Lyle the drum parts from his home studio in LA, and letting Lyle improvise guitar riffs from her home in upstate New York. ![]() The benefit album came together when Lyle and Cooler wanted to use their time in lockdown to help others. LAND TRUST: BENEFIT FOR NEFOC features 16 tracks in total and will see all proceeds donated to the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. So I grabbed a L'Oreal all day lipstick off my desk and jammed it under the strings of my guitar and got this. I wanted to leave space for the breathiness in Kim's vocals and to make something that sounded fresh, different from the big guitars associated with Sonic Youth. Lyle added, "Vice sent me these blown out synth and drum tracks that were just so sick and full of dread. Her lyrics really resonated with me because I’ve been displaced from three homes as an adult and I hold a constant anxiety that I won’t be able to obtain stable housing at all – let alone be able to afford a home." They pay far beyond a house's value, putting home ownership even out of the range of the middle class – much less working class."Ĭooler continued, "Kim created a very powerful lyrical statement on real estate and land, and the companies that have been purchasing (and laundering) properties at the expense of low-income and working class housing. Gordon said, "I’m a bit obsessed with what’s happening with these big financial corporations like Blackrock and Blackstone buying up houses, becoming landlords. ![]() After announcing LAND TRUST: BENEFIT FOR NEFOC ( Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust) with the Kathleen Hanna collaboration " Mirrorball" earlier this month, Lyle and Cooler have teamed up with Kim Gordon for the benefit album's second single "Debt Collector".
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