- Tobi Vail
Infobox musical artist
Name = Tobi Vail
Img_capt = Vail singing in Bikini Kill, photographed byPat Graham at a Rock for Choice benefit in DC's Sanctuary Theatre, April 4, 1992
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Background = khaki
Birth_name =
Alias = Sabrina
Born = Birth date and age|1969|7|20|df=yAuburn, Washington ,United States
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = drums,guitar , bass,piano , Vocals
Genre =
Occupation = Musician, publisher
Years_active = mid-80s-Present
Label =K Records ,Kill Rock Stars , Bumpidee, Chainsaw,Lookout! ,Wiiija , YoYo, Simple Machines, Catcall Records,Ebullition ,Outpunk ,Chicks on Speed
Associated_acts =Bikini Kill ,The Go Team ,Some Velvet Sidewalk ,The Frumpies
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Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Tobi Vail (born
July 20 1969 ) is amusician , influential DIYpunk zine ster,activist , andfeminist theorist fromOlympia, Washington . She formed one of her first bands as thedrummer forThe Go Team when she was 15, ["She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll (Live Girls)" by Gillian G. Gaar] later collaborating in several other groups likeBikini Kill , as well as being involved over the years with a prolific assortment of project bands, figuring prominently in theOlympia music scene . Currently she fronts the psychedelic-garage-punk band Spider and the Webs, plays drums in The Old Haunts, as well as running her own indie cassette label,Bands Against Bush , theKill Rock Stars mail order department, and publishing variouszine s.Biography
Vail was born on the day of the first
moon landing and named afterToby Tyler , who ran away to join thecircus . [http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/BandQuestion/answers/ALL.shtml Miscellaneous Q & A ] ] Growing up in a very musical family, she started playing music early.Her younger sister Maggie Vail also plays drums,
guitar , bass,clarinet andcello , [ [http://discorder.citr.ca/features/02septbangs.html DISCORDER Bangs ] ] and has played in such bands as Bangs, Gene Defcon, The Geoducks, The Slatternlies, The Stowaways, Frenchie and the German Girls, and Bonnot Gang (named after the famous French anarchist group of the same name). She currently plays in both Romancing and Leti Angel, as well as being the vice president and head of West Coast operations for theindependent label Kill Rock Stars as of the current president Portia Sabin's move toNew York City in 2006 with her husband, label-founderSlim Moon . [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/39271/Exclusive_Video_The_Divine_Comedys_Muse_R/page_4 Hold Steady's Nicolay, Talib Kweli Play Peace Fair | Pitchfork ] ]The Go Team and Doris
One of her first bands was
The Go Team , an experimental punk project started with Calvin Johnson in 1985. The group released several cassettes and 9 singles on theindependent label K Records , mostly on the7" vinyl format - a practice Vail continues to this day. Billy "Boredom" Karren was one of the rotating musicians who played with The Go Team, and it was in this band that he and Vail played together for the first time, later collaborating in several other bands like Bikini Kill, The Frumpies, the upallnighters, and Spray Painted Love. Other guest musicians included Rich Jensen, David Nichols, andDonna Dresch . They toured the West Coast as a two piece, adding Billy Karren for two U.S. tours.Vail was also working as a DJ for
KAOS (FM) and playing in an all-teenage girl band called Doris with Cheryl Hooper and Tam Orhmund at this time (1986-1988), which played shows around the Northwest withBeat Happening , Spook and the Zombies, Rich Jensen, Oklahoma Scramble, and Snake Pit. They made a demo tape, which was recorded by Steve Ross (Cactus Love,the Briefs ) but never released. After the demise of The Go Team, Vail played in various project bands and made a record as the drummer forSome Velvet Sidewalk .Bikini Kill
Vail is best known as the drummer of Bikini Kill, which lasted from 1990 to 1998. The band was often met with resistance and misunderstanding due to their chaotic live performances, controversial lyrics, and political zines which dealt with various
activist -punk topics likeanti-racism ,vegetarianism ,anti-corporatism ,anti-capitalism , anti-heterosexism , and in particularfeminist issues such asrape ,incest ,domestic violence ,abortion , sexuality,body image andeating disorders ,stalking ,patriarchy ,sexual assault , andsexism in general - all with a strong emphasis on community andDIY culture .Vail recalls:
Despite frequent mainstream media misrepresentation [ [http://www.papercoffin.com/misc/riot%20archives/riot%20docs/bkis.html "Biki Kill Is" from Jigsaw fanzine ] ] [ [http://www.emplive.org/exhibits/index.asp?articleID=670#mbb3 empsfm.org - EXHIBITIONS - Featured Exhibitions ] ] and serious violence at shows"Don't Need You: the Herstory of Riot Grrrl" directed by Kerri Koch] (usually against singer
Kathleen Hanna ), they continued for several years and today are largely credited (along withBratmobile ) with startingRiot Grrrl , a movement that merged Do It Yourself punk culture withfeminism . The actual word 'grrrl' was coined in Vail's seminal journal, [http://zinewiki.com/index.php?title=Jigsaw "Jigsaw"] (1988-present), one of the first Northwesternpunk zine s to address gender issues explicitly. Prior to this, many influential female-centric bands likeThe Slits ,Girlschool , [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ENvE0BrHZ8 YouTube - Interview and performance clips - the Slits ] ] andBush Tetras [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW4EHwHfQbg YouTube - bush tetras ] ] had long resisted the notion of being thought of as "girl bands" and almost always avoided the word "feminism ", with the occasional exceptions of bands likePoison Girls ,Frightwig , and Au Pairs.Vail had started working with schoolmates
Kathi Wilcox andKathleen Hanna atThe Evergreen State College , together producing a zine called [http://zinewiki.com/index.php?title=Bikini_Kill "Bikini Kill"] - the name of which came from a phrase coined by indie-godmother and fellow KAOS DJLois Maffeo , which Tobi asked if she could use. [ [http://www.the-declaration.com/2000/04_06/departments/scene.shtml The Declaration | 6 April 2000 | Scene ] ] Along withBratmobile 's "Girl Germs " and [http://zinewiki.com/index.php?title=Riot_grrrl_%28zine%29 "riot grrrl"] , these zines are credited as the firstmanifesto s of the movement, reclaiming feminism for the punk scene in an attempt to disrupt the straightwhite male bias thereof, and rebelling against such annoyances as having the women at their shows fall victim to sexual assault when attempting to enter the mosh pits or even get closer to the stage, their bodies often groped, their clothes deliberately torn off. In one instance in particular, a man was caught rubbing his penis on a female fan in the audience at a Rock for Choice benefit. [ [http://www.msmagazine.com/aug00/shesays.asp Ms. Magazine | She Says: Kathleen Hanna ] ] In response to such attacks, not only against the girls in the audience but often against themselves and their friends, [ [http://weeklywire.com/ww/07-27-98/boston_music_3.html Music: First-Person Punk (The Boston Phoenix . 07-27-98) ] ] Bikini Kill was one of the first bands to declare their mosh pits "women only". [ [http://www.emplive.org/exhibits/index.asp?articleID=669 empsfm.org - EXHIBITIONS - Featured Exhibitions ] ]The general feeling of wanting to encourage more girls to start bands, zines, make their own culture and create their own homemade and fiercely independent media grew rapidly in popularity through a largely underground network of similar-feeling fans, artists, musicians and writers, and soon regular meetings started taking place, usually in
punk house s likePositive Force . Bikini Kill had started working there with friends likeNation of Ulysses and Fugazi after moving to Washington DC in 1991.Much like her influences
Billy Childish andMoe Tucker , [ [http://www.myspace.com/spiderandthewebs MySpace.com - Spider and the Webs - OLYMPIA, US - Psychédélique / Punk / Power pop - www.myspace.com/spiderandthewebs ] ] riot grrrl emphasized a strong advocacy for the DIY indie-punk philosophies and "you can do anything" attitude of amateurism.The band itself released several LPs and singles on their friend Slim's then-new label
Kill Rock Stars , of which Vail is now a chief editor, and toured extensively across the US,Europe ,Japan , andAustralia , which helped spread the word further.The Frumpies
In 1992 Tobi started
The Frumpies in DC with bandmatesKathi Wilcox andBilly Karren ,Molly Neuman of Bratmobile and The PeeChees, and laterMichelle Mae . They wrote and recorded several7" single s, most of which are compiled on the Kill Rock Stars release "Frumpie One Piece", and many recorded in the basement of Vail's parents' home. [ [http://members.tripod.com/~SuicideSpice/BKarticles.html I only Fuck You cause i know u wanna make me ] ] The "Frumpies Forever" single has on its cover a polaroid still of "A Taste of Honey", a favorite movie of Vail's, who likes a lot ofFrench New Wave and 60'sBritish cinema . Distinctly less overtly political in nature than either BK or Bratmobile, and refining a much different sound (no bass player, 3 guitar players), they toured the U.S. withHuggy Bear in 1993 andItaly with "yes wave"-electro-avant-punk -noise band [http://www.myspace.com/dadaswing Dada Swing] in 2000. They also developed a mini-rock opera called "MohawkToupee ". [ [http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/frumpies/index.html Frumpies Forever ] ]Other projects
Apart from the 5 other above mentioned bands, and occasionally releasing under her own name and various pseudonyms, Vail has played in quite a few
underground band s before and after the friendly break-up of Bikini Kill in 98, including:Inactive
*The Feebles
*Frenchie and the German Girls
*My New Boyfriend
*Severed Lethargy
*Spray Painted Love
*the upallnighters
*The Bathtub is Real
*Panic of the Square
*the Fiasco
*Listen to the ElephantsCurrent
*Chopped Liver
*The Retirement Band
*Spider and the Webs - with James Maeda and Chris Sutton of [http://www.myspace.com/hornetleg Hornet Leg] andDub Narcotic Sound System .
*The Old Haunts
*Love Can Lose
*Repetition VisionAs a guest
*
Mary Lou Lord
*Phranc
*Bangs - one of her sister Maggie's many bands
*Earth
*Davies vs. Dresch
*Gene Defcon
*Rice
*Rancid once covered a Frumpies song "Intertube Tomorrow" in which they sampled her voice on an unreleased demo [ [http://66.224.103.152/BandQuestions/Answers/Frumpies Frumpies Q & A ] ]
*Nation of Ulysses [ [http://members.tripod.com/~hexenzsene/pretty.html Plays Pretty For Baby ] ]Bands Against Bush, Ladyfest, and FAB
Although she continues to enjoy playing in some predominantly male bands, Vail still keeps with her DIY efforts to encourage more women into the independent punk scene as a founding member of
Ladyfest , avolunteer -based music and artsfestival for femaleindependent music ians,performance artist s,spoken word poets,visual artist s, andauthor s, for which most of the proceeds are donated directly tonon-profit organisation s. The festival also holdsworkshop s for girls on everything frommusic lessons , to how to make azine , toself defense courses. [ [http://home.comcast.net/~erikalari/ladyfestolympia/work.htm Ladyfest Olympia 2005 - Workshops ] ]She is also one of the founders of
Bands Against Bush , an international resistance network of artists and musicians dedicated to promoting and organizingactivism anddirect action againstGeorge W. Bush , his administration and the rest of thePNAC . It was inspired by the very first show she ever attended: a Rock Against Reagan benefit in 1983. [ [http://www.bumpidee.com/From%20Rock%20Against%20Reagan.htm From Rock Against Reagan ] ] A recent New York Times article claimed BAB was under surveillance by the U.S. government. [ [http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/25/80/ NYC City Police Spied Broadly Before GOP Convention - CommonDreams.org ] ]She also founded FAB (Feminist Action Brigade), a feminist book club based in Olympia that attempted to start an activist network using zines and the internet. Her current publications are "Spider Magic", "Feminists Against Bush" and "Pogo for Peace".
Bumpidee
In 1994, Vail started her own
DIY cassette label called Bumpidee (named after the Portland-based Sunday morning children's show and eponymous characterBumpity ) and released music by Worst Case Scenario, the Corrections, the Bonnot Gang, and the Slatternlies. Recent releases include demos by Spider and the Webs and Marissa Magic and a compilation called "Spider Friends". Each tape comes with a newsletter called "The Bumpidee Times" which contextualizes each release, and many are often free in the anti-capitalist DIY punk spirit of sharing. Currently there is also a web site, [http://www.bumpidee.com bumpidee.com] , of the same name.Although many KRS artists have since signed to
major label s (Sleater-Kinney ,Kathleen Hanna ,The Gossip ), Vail's output has always remained consistently independent of corporate ownership. A letter she wrote appears in the liner notes of a KRS compilation called "Stars Kill Rock":Later, in
Mark Andersen 's book "Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capitol", she continued:Personal
From July to October 1990, Vail dated her friend, Nirvana frontman
Kurt Cobain , with whom she had collaborated during her tenure in The Go Team on another side project called The Bathtub is Real. They remained friends after they broke up, their bands hanging out and often playing together at shows, and they were on good terms until fame,drug addiction and depression obscured many of Cobain's connections with old friends, including Vail. The end of their relationship occurred during the period when Cobain was writing material for Nirvana's foundational album "Nevermind " and some of the songs seem to contain veiled references to Tobi, including
*Smells Like Teen Spirit - Teen Spirit was Tobi's choice of deodorant at the time, and Kathleen Hanna had spray-painted "Kurt smells like teen spirit" on his wall one night.
*Aneurysm - Cross' biography of Cobain incorrectly claimed that this song was written in an attempt to win Vail back, the line "love you so much it makes me sick" referring to the fact that when they first met, she made Cobain so nervous that it once made himvomit . ["Heavier Than Heaven" by Charles Cross] The song was actually written during the relationship, not after.
*Lounge Act -Krist Novoselic is quoted as saying that "Lounge Act " is about Tobi and Kurt wrote in an angry (unsent) letter to Vail that "Lounge Act" was the only song written about her and wrote that he never played it, unlessCourtney Love wasn't around.fact|date=April 2008A fair amount of fallacy has been circulated about their relationship due to Nirvana biographers and rock journalists relying largely on second-hand misinformation, rumors, and erroneous conjecture presented incorrectly as fact, as neither Vail nor Cobain ever spoke of their relationship publicly. For over 15 years, as
Jenny Toomey relates, "Tobi refuses to speak publicly and participate in the exploitation of the Cobain myth by hack journalists trying to make a career, record companies trying to sell records, and feeble attempts made by ex-"friends" to mark their place in history." [ [http://www.nirvanaclub.com/news/spin0102.jpga letter] byJenny Toomey ] The only interview she's ever given on the subject of her old friend was forEverett True , another old friend of hers and Cobain's. True is the only biographer who was actually close with them during this time, and he has derided Cross' book as the "Courtney-sanctioned version of history." [ [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=184892 Smells Like Everett True - Books - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper ] ]Discography
The Go Team
ingles
*"Sand/Jigsaw" (January 1989)
*"Outside/Stay Ready" (February 1989) withBilly Karren ,Louise Olsen ,Dave Nichols
*"Breakfast In Bed/Safe Little Circles" (March 1989) withThe Legend!
*"Milquetoast Brigade/She Was Sad" (April 1989) withJeffery Kennedy
*"Ribeye/935 Patterson" (May 1989)
*"Go Team Call/Three Ways To Sunday" (June 1989) withQuang H. , Billy Karren,Brad Clemmons
*"Scratch It Out/Bikini Twilight" (July 1989) withTamra Ohrmund , Louise Olsen,Donna Dresch ,Kurt Cobain
*"Tummy Hop/Maverick Summer" (August 1989) with Brad Clemmons
*"The Pines Of Rome" (September 1989) with Brad ClemmonsCassettes
*"Recorded Live At The Washington Center For The Performing Arts"
*"Your Pretty Guitar" with Steve Peters
*"Archer Come Sparrow"
*"Donna Parker Pop"Bikini Kill
Albums
*"
Revolution Girl Style Now! " self-released cassette (1991)
*"Bikini Kill (EP) " onKill Rock Stars (1991)
*"Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah " split LP withHuggy Bear onCatcall Records in theUK , Kill Rock Stars in the US (1993)
*"The C.D. Version of the First Two Records ", compilation (1993)
*"Pussy Whipped " on Kill Rock Stars (1994)
*"Reject All American " on Kill Rock Stars (1996)ingles
*"New Radio/Rebel Girl" 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1993)
*"The Anti-Pleasure Dissertation" Single on Kill Rock Stars (1994)
*"I Like Fucking/I Hate Danger" 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1995)Compilations
*"Kill Rock Stars" on Kill Rock Stars LP/CD (1991)
*"Throw: The YoYo Studio Compilation" onYoYo Records (1991)
*"Daddy's Lil' Girl" on Give Me Back LP,Ebullition Records (1991)
*"Suck My Left One" on There's A Dyke In The Pit,Outpunk Records (1992)
*"Bikini Kill: The Singles" (1998)The Frumpies
*"Babies & Bunnies"
*"Frumpies Forever"
*"Eunuch Nights"Albums
*"Frumpie One-Piece"
Footnotes
References
* "Cinderella's Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground" by
Maria Raha
* "Girls Make Media" by Mary Celeste Kearney (Routledge, 2006)
* "Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop and Rap" Ed. by Evelyn McDonnell and Ann PowersExternal links
* [http://www.myspace.com/spiderandthewebs Spider and the Webs Myspace]
* [http://www.bumpidee.com Bumpidee Online]
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