Val Vale Re/Search Magazine News:
PUNK HOMECOMING 2013, Sat-Sun Sept 21–22 at The Verdi Club:
”We will note that our personal high point was the Frightwig concert wherein some spectacularly-dressed-and-costumed people “crashed” the stage and participated in an anarchic Iggy Pop-like singalong.”
The Boulevard Ear 9/21/13: Raging in a Quiet Corner:
“Where bands (and fans) from the past are concerned, one can count on a picturesque crowd. The question is always the music: do the players still have something to say, and can they bring it with gusto? Frightwig was one of the SF punk scene’s most aggressive and eccentric bands. Barely acknowledged in their time, they are now credited with providing the spark for rriot girl and subsequent significant musical currents.
Before they played a note, their words of greeting made clear that the years have not dulled Frightwig’s edge. They bench-pressed their set, punching out their fluid mixture of garage punk, metal and art grunge with a relentless blend of joy, humor and rage…the explosive triumph of Frightwig…”
San Francisco Examiner Oct. 11, 2013
SF Garage Punk Pioneers Frightwig Back for More
By Tom Lanham
Frightwig, famed for 1980s-era albums including “Cat Farm Taboo,”
have recently recorded “Hit Return.”
When she formed Frightwig three decades ago, Deanna Mitchell had no idea how crucial her all-girl garage-punk combo would become. But with two great albums —“Cat Farm Faboo” in 1982 and “Faster, Frightwig, Kill! Kill!” in 1983 — the band blazed a trail for female musicians and helped launch the riot grrrl movement. By 1994, after countless lineup changes (including a stint by Paula Frazer, of Tarnation renown), Mitchell and co-founders Mia d’Bruzzi and Cecelia Kuhn were so sick of touring they called it quits. Now Mitchell, who works part time for the San Francisco Department of Elections, feels it’s time for a Frightwig renaissance, which kicks off with a new EP, “Hit Return” (produced by latest member Eric Drew Feldman), and an upcoming album for Southern Records, which already reissued “Cat” and “Faster” as the two-disc “Wild Women Never Die.”
Looking back, can you sense the Frightwig legacy now? Well, we had L7 come to San Francisco for their very first show, to play our second record-release party. So what we did — and I know it now — is, we made it OK for those girls in all those bands. They saw us play and I think they probably felt like, “Wow! It’s OK, we can do this, too!” But it’s been interesting, sitting back and watching the rise of the girls, like Courtney Love. I feel like we set some bricks down in the past, so I’ve enjoyed seeing the women come up in the music business.
What’s your new single, “Crawford,” about? Well, technically, it’s not new. Mia and I wrote that back in ’82. There was this girl back then named Crawford who played in this band G.O.D., Girls On Drugs, and she used to get wasted on alcohol, drugs, whatever — I’m not sure. But she would be passed out at parties. And we were at this party one night, and she was passed out, and nobody really thought anything about it. But she was dead. So Mia and I wrote that song, but it was so depressing we just put it away.
How has the music business changed since you left? Record labels aren’t paying for people to record unless it’s somebody big, and there are a thousand times more bands now. So the only leg we have up is our history. I’ve spent this past year asking questions of people I respect — people in bands, people at labels. And I’m pretty realistic — there’s a set group of people who know of Frightwig, not a large audience. So we need to get our name out there, become more visible, and grow an audience all over again.
Previous Press:
“Me, Kat and Jennifer Finch all watched Frightwig on the same night and all decided to start bands the next day. Frightwig are the true grandmothers of riot grrl and everything Without them there would be no Hole, no Babes in Toyland, no L7, no PJ Harvey, no riot grr.”- Courtney Love, Hole
“I saw the first Frightwig show and was so impressed and inspired, I made it a point to never miss another. In all its incarnations, Frightwig WAS the San Francisco music scene. Their sheer intensity horrified and inspired a whole breed of musicians. Bands like Flipper and The Dead Kennedys were threatened by their talent, and because they weren’t so into playing with boys or keyboards at the time I had no choice but to settle for playing with Faith No More.” – Roddy Bottum, Faith No More
“One of the coolest, scariest bands ever. They were grungy while Mudhoney was still in diapers.” – Donita Sparks, L7
“Frightwig are one of the originals. They were raw, real and very rocking. Definitely worth checking out.” – Mike Bordin, Faith No More
