Here are 3 more! I asked everyone why they started playing, why they are still playing, and their dream set up for their particular instrument. Also what bands they were in/are in.
Katy Otto
Hiya!! Welp, I started playing drums at age 17 after I saw Patty Schemel play drums with Hole at Lollapolooza 95!!!!
right now i am in trophy wife and callowhill
in the past, bald rapunzel, del cielo, problems, helsinki, the lonely american
vistalites forever are my dream
but i like my cherry ludwigs too
Rahne Alexander
I'd love to participate in your call for musicians! I'm a trans woman who started teaching myself to play guitar at the start of my public transition (20+ years ago) and to figure out a way to put music to the songs I was already writing and perform them in public. I picked up the guitar -- a classical acoustic that belonged to my mother -- because I had no money and it was free to me. I picked it for its convenience. As time has gone on, and I've been forming/leading bands, I've begun to feel that my performances are the way I exercise and promote my feminism/queerness/trans-ness. I like to break down boundaries and use my art & music to develop understanding and empathy across otherwise entrenched identities, but since I'm usually working in a garage/pop/rock milieu I don't think it's always as obvious what my agenda is.
I like my empathy building to be kind of sneaky. Like, my dream is for some straight dude to come to my show and go away singing a phrase and then later on realize oh I'm singing this big queer song; in the same way that I've been singing Baby it's Cold Outside for years only to go, uh, that's a little creepy/rapey. My first album with my band the Degenerettes was all about writing really simple pop songs, innocuous Buddy Holly kind of songs except queer. Because no one was doing that. I was like, I don't need to be Fast & Frightening, because L7 already did that way more convincingly than I could.
AMY SEVILLE
Hi - Was referred to you by Jared Midgen, who knew me when I was fronting a couple of different indie bands in the 90s in NJ. I was always obsessed with music and hanging out with my boyfriend's band in high school. When he quit, he suggested I audition for his place as the singer. So I did. It was 1988 at the time. I tried playing bass and then guitar and felt better with a guitar in my hands and so I just kept playing and performing. This is so funny - I can't really come up with a coherent "why" answer. The reason why is because it feels good. Writing and performing music makes me feel powerful and it lets me say things I can't say in any other way. It makes me who I am. I know those answers are both vague and a little profound but that's really the truth. Best of luck with your story/piece.
I was/am the front person for Prosolar Mechanics. I was also the front person for ExVegas (both New Brunswick, NJ bands), and I did a short stint in The Urchins (also from New Brunswick) as a guitarist and backing vocalist. My dream set-up is the one I have. A Fender Twin with a custom extension cabinet, two Japanese Jazzmasters, my Guild Starfire and I'd like to have a nice Gretsch Double Anniversary with a bigsby on it. Sometimes I think I'd like to play through an Orange head and cabinet.
