“We are still considering L****** C* if we are denied our trademark again.” 7 Questions with Whitney Petty and Molly Sides of Thunderpussy.

January 5, 2020 — 1 Comment

When I started going to live concerts frequently in the area, the first non festival show I went to headlined by local performers was Night 1 of Thunderpussy’s 2016 New Year’s Eve Party at Neumos. I had heard part of their set at that year’s Capitol Hill Block Party and was very eager to see a full performance. That New Year’s Eve show not only kicked off my fandom of Thunderpussy, but also kicked off my fandom for local music. Since then I’ve attended 20 plus Thunderpussy shows, have attended their New Year’s Eve show each year for the past 4 years, and have become a proud member of their local fan group. I was very happy to get the chance to interview lead vocalist Molly Sides, and lead guitarist Whitney Petty. Here’s my short interview with members of the band Thunderpussy:

1.) Let’s start with the name. I’ve been a fan of the band since Capitol Hill Block Party 2016. I heard you folks killing it at the main stage and once I heard the band name I was hooked. Where did the name Thunderpussy come from? Were there any failed or “possible” band names you guys had thought of before deciding on Thunderpussy?

Whitney: Well, we are still considering Lightning Cock if we are denied our trademark again. Also thinking of starting a side band called, “Feelie Dan,” for weddings and bar mitzvahs, that type of thing. I think the only one that ever came close to competing with Thunderpussy was, “Hottie Couteratti,” but Thunderpussy is just too good. It really stuck hard and fast when I first threw it out to Molly as a joke for the first time.

2.) Regarding the outfits, where does the band’s fashion sense come from? The outfits have always been fantastic. Is there a theme for each show or does one band member find an awesome outfit and the bandmates (kind of) coordinate accordingly?

Molly: That’s something I really enjoy doing. I come up with a theme, color scheme and draw up sketches to send to our costume designer, Pakio Galore. We meet often and talk fabrics, designs, alterations and then he goes wild. We spend a lot of time at JoAnn’s! On tour, I bring a bedazzling kit, because I love to source fabrics and outfits and then alter them on the road. Or I’ll being those treasures home and take them to Pakio where he can reuse the fabrics for something more elaborate. Tour is basically an excuse to go vintage shopping 😉

3.) Having been a fan for a few years, I feel like every time I hear some Thunderpussy News, it’s always something impressive, be it the first time KEXP played your songs on air, Mike McCready mentioning the band during Pearl Jam’s Hall of Fame induction, the “Danger Diva” film, SXSW, etc. What do you feel has been the most “Oh my Gosh!” moment of this journey?

Whitney: Jeez there are so many. Most recently, I would say getting to meet Tanya Tucker at an event in Seattle. Holy shit. I have been a big fan since I was a little girl and she is a fucking legend. Before that it was going in the studio with Chad Smith. What an incredible person and one of the greatest drummers ever.

Something I like to do to create a through-line for all the folks I interview that I ask the prior interview subject to provide 3 blind questions for the next interviewee with no knowledge as to who I would interview next. These next 3 questions were provided by my last interview subject local drummer, Andy King. Andy asks:

4.) What’s your favorite tour food?
Whitney: Popcorn

5.) What seat do you like in the tour van the best?
Whitney: The way back

6.) Do you listen to music or do you like quiet on the drives?
Whitney: Music!!

7.) For my final question, I’ve attended the Thunderpussy New Year’s Eve show for the past 4 years. The line up this year looks insane and I know it’s going to be another great time. If you were going to pitch the show to someone who had no idea who you or anyone on the line up were, what would you say, what should they expect, and what set this year’s show apart from other years?

Whitney: Well, speaking of costumes, I am especially excited for mine this year 😉

We are experimenting with color, lights, and fog a bit more. I’m very excited for what our lighting designer is working on!! Also, musically, we are playing a LOT of new stuff which is always very exciting for us. We consider these New Years shows to be the one time each year that we can really put together the stage show the way that we want it, all the elements that we can’t afford to take on the road (yet!), so it’s like an incubator for future ideas. We always try to push ourselves on NYE.

I have to thank Whitney and Molly for taking the time to answer my questions. Check out Thunderpussy’s debut album Thunderpussy and their latest EP Milk It. For more Thunderpussy news follow them on social media and keep an eye out for future Thunderpussy events near you

Bringing in the New Year with Thunderpussy, BEAR AXE, Constant Lovers, and Trash Fire!

January 3, 2020 — 1 Comment

For the fourth year in a row, I attended the Thunderpussy New Year’s Eve Party at the Showbox. The theme of the night was “The Glow of Neon Sax” and attendees were encouraged to wear their neon best for what was sure to be a memorable night. The lineup was stacked with some of Seattle’s most entertaining performers headlined by the night’s hosts, Thunderpussy. I’ve always loved these Thunderpussy New Year’s Eve shows. They’re always high energy and a great way to welcome the New Year. This year’s show was no exception.

Trash Fire
When I heard Trash Fire was going to open for Thunderpussy, I was excited. This was my fifth time seeing them perform live. Normally their sets are punctuated by some fun onstage antics like grabbing drinks and splashing the crowd with alcohol, using props like inflatable cats or a cash shooter, or the lead singer jumping into the audience to bring the show directly to crowd members. This set had the feel of a classic Trash Fire performance, but a little more toned back. There wasn’t much drink throwing, but there was still the audience engagement. Highlights of the set saw the lead singer give the light up LED shoes directly off his feet to someone in the audience, the lead singer run to the bar during a song, order three shots and proceed to drink shots with the bass player and the lead guitarist, and in a particularly unique moment the lead singer laid down on stage his head going into the hands of nearby audience members, stand up quickly only to get some bracelets stuck in his hair, and rather than pull the bracelets out, he continued the performance with these elastic bracelets hanging from his hair. As always they were fun and spontaneous. If you get the opportunity, I recommend checking out Trash Fire.

Constant Lovers

This was my first time seeing Constant Lovers perform and I was pleasantly surprised. I would describe their set as a dynamic mix of rock and hard rock featuring a lead singer switching between vocals, percussion, and saxophone. The lead singer’s ability to switch between instruments while also providing vocals was impressive. If I didn’t see it live, it’s almost hard to believe how well he was able to pull this off. Constant Lovers more than provided the necessary “Glow of Neon Sax” the night was themed after.

BEAR AXE

If there was any Seattle band I would put money on breaking out of the Seattle music scene within the next year or two, it would be BEAR AXE. I’ve seen BEAR AXE perform four times and all four times, I was left in awe of the performance led primarily by lead vocalist Shaina Shepherd. Her ability to command the stage is one thing, but the power of her vocals will make anyone a fan. The rest of the band are nothing to sleep on as well. The lead guitarist’s ability to play off the driving beat of the bass player and drummer really add a very jazz inspired quality to what I would otherwise describe as a soul/ funk/ hard rock amalgamation. Throughout their set BEAR AXE welcomed several local standouts including Terry Monstrosity and Kathy Moore To join their performance. If you haven’t already, check out BEAR AXE.

Thunderpussy

Personally I’ve seen Thunderpussy perform over twenty plus times. This past New Year’s Eve show the band accomplished to create something that felt new and fresh. When you go to a Thunderpussy show, there’s no question that you’re seeing a Thunderpussy show. There’s going to be hard rock with an emphasis on great musicianship, strong vocals, innate sexiness, and of course high energy. What made this performance stand out was what felt like a real emphasis on staging. The use of lighting, and how their wardrobe can play off that lighting, really added another layer to their performance. It’s because of this lighting and focus on staging, the audience was treated to a performance different from most other Thunderpussy shows. In terms of the set list, I like that they incorporated a lot of new songs into the mix. Hearing songs debut for the first time is one thing, but hearing some of their standards played in a sort of montage mid set as well as hearing the songs featured on their latest EP “Milk It” shows a band that’s willing to let their sound evolve. The set closed with members of the opening bands and several special guests (including Eva Walker from the Black Tones) taking the stage to perform in one massive jam session beginning with a cover of “We Belong” and closing out with a cover of “Jump Into the Fire”.

Overall, I felt very happy bringing in the new year with Thunderpussy. You would think seeing a band perform on New Year’s Eve four years in a row would get kind of stale, but really it’s become a pretty awesome tradition. I always try to bring a friend who’s never been to a Thunderpussy show along with, and every time the freind is blown away looking to snag merch and trying to find out when the next show is. I think that’s why I’ve been a Thunderpussy fan for so long. They have a captivating quality that leaves the audience wanting to see them perform again.

Thanks for the great time, Trash Fire, Constant Lovers, BEAR AXE, and of course, Thunderpussy!

Thunderpussy, Red Fang, and The Black Tones Slam the Door on 2018

January 3, 2019 — Leave a comment

2018 felt contentious. It’s like the narrative of the whole year was culture clash. News outlets pushing for unification in the face of some cause that would shift daily if not hourly. Everything from the presidency, to local issues like the possible closure of the Showbox, it felt like everyone had to take a side this year, and there was no gray area. You were either one or the other. It was draining.

With an eye to tomorrow, I think everyone was ready to leave 2018 behind them. Put that negativity, that black and white attitude, and any other energy drains in the past, and look towards 2019 with hope and positivity. Where most would probably want to ease into 2019, I wanted to jump into the year with one of my favorite bands. A band that wouldn’t simply close the door on 2018, but slam it shut. A band that didn’t want it’s audience to just chill, but instead wanted us to rock. I got to watch Thunderpussy.

I’ve seen Thunderpussy perform live at least 10 times since 2016. This was my third year in a row bringing in the New Year with Thunderpussy. I’m a Thunderpussy fan.

The Black Tones
The first act of the night were The Black Tones. Seattle Met magazine named the trio one of the “Next Wave” of artists to keep an eye on in the area. Having seen them perform before, I was interested what they had in store. To say they left a memorable mark on the audience with this special “stripped down” set, would be an understatement. “Stripped down” in that upon taking the stage, Cedric (the drummer) looked over to his sister Eva (guitar, vocals), and immediately began to strip to his underwear. Seeing this, Eva said out loud, “So we’re really doing this.” and she and the bass player began to strip as well. The Black Tones were now in their underwear playing several of their bluesy grunge songs live on stage. Being in their underwear, became a running gag for the remainder of the night. For example, the lead singer of Bear Axe joined them on stage at one point and exclaimed “I didn’t get the memo about dressing down for this performance.” (haha)

A great (if not slightly awkward) moment was when Eva welcomed their mother and sister to the stage to assist in the remaining few songs. Once her mother and sister had taken the stage and they performed one song, Eva first apologized to her mother, and then took off her bra revealing pasties, while her mother jokingly covered her eyes. (haha) The set was fun and memorable. Seattle Met magazine was correct in naming them a “Next Wave” artist/group.

Red Fang
This was my first time seeing Portland favorites Red Fang, and I was impressed. I had seen videos of their prior sets, and honestly I was itching to get into a good mosh pit. Right from the beginning, Red Fang delivered head banging tunes that had people dancing. I looked over my shoulder and there was a small pocket of people shoving. I looked at a friend that came with to the show and gestured that we should get in there. As we jumped in, the mosh pit started to form. At first there was maybe 5 people and slowly it ballooned, until there was a fairly large cluster of people slam dancing in the middle of the crowd. Everyone was fairly respectful (the ones who were trying to be respectful, outnumbered the folks who weren’t). If someone went down, they were helped back up. If someone was getting overly aggressive with another, they were split up. It was just a good pit. Red Fang did great motivating people to action as well, with their high energy songs. They’re a band I wouldn’t mind seeing again.

Thunderpussy
I’ve seen a Thunderpussy perform several times so much so I could kind of predict the song order, or with the first few chords tell what song was coming next. This set was different. This performance felt new and fresh. It felt like the band was so much more seasoned than previous performances. The songs sounded different. Like there was just a little more intricate flourishes, or different aspects of the songs were accentuated and it made the songs shine in new ways. In particular, I liked the renditions of “Badlands” and “Velvet Noose”. I felt like Shreddy Petty in particular did some different stuff to make those two songs stand out.

It’s hard to call out who shined more during this performance as it felt like each member’s skills really advanced in this show. It’s crazy, really. I liked watching this band because each member was already so proficient. Seeing Ruby go wild on those drums, Leah grooving on that bass, Shreddy Petty destroying on that guitar, and Molly making singing while dancing look easy, the idea that they are only getting better is almost mind blowing. Not only getting better but during this set they even showed prowess playing each other’s instruments when, right before midnight, each member swapped instruments. Molly helming the keyboard, Petty sitting in on drums, Leah strumming the guitar, and Ruby playing bass. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. They’re just that talented.

Overall, I was happy to bring in the year with Thunderpussy. It felt like the Thunderpussy I saw perform was a band ready to grow beyond Seattle, but still carry that Seattle attitude. The performance solidified my fandom, and also made me look forward to seeing what they might have in store for us next time.

My New Years was great. I was there live as The Black Tones performed a memorable “stripped down” set, I got to get out some controlled aggression with Red Fang, and I got to see one of my favorite bands, Thunderpussy, perform a great set.

I don’t know how else to describe the experience other than, we slammed the door on 2018, properly welcomed 2019, and it was a night I was more than happy to talk about at the office. (haha) Happy New Year!

Bringing in the New Year with Thunderpussy.

December 5, 2018 — Leave a comment

Thunderpussy. It’s a word that without context would confuse and have people thinking it was something dirty, but for people who are in the know, it’s something awesome.

The first time I bore witness to the high energy action that is Thunderpussy, it was 2016. I was wandering the crowd at Capitol Hill Block Party when I saw a band playing songs reminiscent of classic rock drawing a crowd to the main stage. This band’s sound was sexy, fun, and technical. Each member was impressive. It was almost like they were competing on stage for who could draw more attention (Molly won that day, haha). In that set I remember hearing a Led Zeppelin cover, and I remember seeing on the screens the lead singer contorting herself on stage while the lead guitarist ran around with the bass player, and the drummer play hard enough to make you wonder how she wasn’t just running through drum sticks. There electrifying energy motivated me to get closer. By the time I made it within viewing range of the stage (not the screens) they were getting ready to go into their final song. As the song began, the lead singer kept saying the word, “Thunderpussy” and that got me. From that day on, I was a Thunderpussy fan.

Thunderpussy is on my list of “must see” live bands. I’ve seen them perform a total of 10 different times. I’ve seen them debut songs. I saw them perform in a movie theater, at block parties, at Bumbershoot, and I even saw them fill a basement at Upstream Music Fest. I’ve been in a mosh pit with them (Elysian Search Party). I’ve collected merch. I feel like I’m an active part of one of Seattle’s best fan communities.

The Thunderpussy fan community is something special. When you go to that many shows, it’s hard not to make friends with the other regulars. I remember one couple introduced themselves to me, by walking up and saying, “I don’t know your name but you’ve been on our desktop screen for the past year.” With a confused look all I could say was, “Okay… why?”. The couple laughed and explained they had a picture of me standing next to the female of the couple while at a Thunderpussy show, and that’s how they recognized me. That same couple had a song dedicated to them by the band at last year’s New Years show (“Torpedo Love”). I have similar stories about how I met other members of this crazy, enthusiastic, and very supportive community, but they all stem from our similar love for these hard rocking ladies. You could say we’re all freinds with a passion for good music and Thunderpussy.

This New Years I’m going to be in the crowd (most likely near the front) for Thunderpussy performing live at the Showbox with Seattle favorites “The Black Tones” and Portland favorites “Red Fang”. This will be my third New Years with Thunderpussy and I’m excited. I feel like it will be hard to top last year’s show. The dancers and the always amazing costumes created the perfect atmosphere to bring in the New Year with energy and excitement. With the release of a great full length debut album and this show serving as the culmination of a tour, I doubt this will be a show that will soon be forgotten. If anything, even without knowing what will happen, I’ve been to enough Thunderpussy shows to know it’ll be loud, sexy, and of course, an electrifying dose of girl power.

(All Photos were taken by me. The baby one is my favorite, haha)

CakeInTheRain206

Having Fun in the Seattle Music Scene

Thunderpussy

“We are still considering L****** C* if we are denied our trademark again.” 7 Questions with Whitney Petty and Molly Sides of Thunderpussy.

Bringing in the New Year with Thunderpussy, BEAR AXE, Constant Lovers, and Trash Fire!

Thunderpussy, Red Fang, and The Black Tones Slam the Door on 2018

Bringing in the New Year with Thunderpussy.