Episode 25 – Sleater-Kinney

Taking inspiration from the Riot Grrrl Movement, Corin Tucker(vocals, guitar) and Carrie Brownstein(vocals,guitar) came together in early 1994 to form Sleater-Kinney with drummer Janet Weiss joining soon afterwards. The band has no bass player and that contributes to their defining sound - intricate guitar lines and vocal harmonies held steady by Janet’s energetic drumming. Bringing together a unique punk sound with powerful lyrics, Sleater-Kinney helped shape the underground Indie Music Movement.

While Green Day released American Idiot in 2004 which made them “Rebels With A Cause”; Slater-Kinney pioneered the very idea! Politics, Feminism, Gay Rights, Capitalism are just some of the topics Sleater-Kinney brought to the forefront through their music. And they started this way back in 1994 with the release of their self-titled debut album... Staying true to the Indie DIY spirit, the band has consciously stayed away from major record labels.

After touring non-stop for a decade and releasing 7 studio albums the band went on a hiatus while they were at the peak of their career in 2006. And now they are back with a new album –“No Cities To Love” released in 2014 with sold out tour dates throughout 2015.

What I find interesting about this band is the very special sound of two guitarists and their vocal harmonies all enveloped by tight drumming patterns. The absence of a bassist didn’t discourage them at all. They didn’t say, “Oh! We don’t have bassist; let’s sack the whole band idea.”

Contrast this with our scene in India. When I contact a bassist, the first question is, “who’s the drummer, do you have a rhythm guitarist and a keyboardist?” (As if I have a whole orchestra on speed dial) Rarely am I ever asked “what is the material that you have?” From recent jams with musicians from the local scene, I’ve learnt that individual musicians are more in demand than bands. Everyone is jumping from band to band, gig to gig and the result is nobody has time to develop a distinct sound as a band. The tragedy is, there many talented musicians here, but they are scattered because they are not together in a band which will propel them and their music... Now tell me where would Keith Richards be without the Rolling Stones? Get the picture?