“We’re a super group duh,” Childbirth proclaims to the world in their Facebook bio – and with three rocking feminists like Julia Shapiro, Bree McKenna and Stacy Peck, we are inclined to agree. Trust me, once you’ve seen Childbirth rock out in hospital gowns, you’ll be a convert. Even non-punks can appreciate their humorous song narratives. You’ll laugh at lyrics like “I’ll let you explain feminism to me/ if I can use your HDTV” (talking about dating IT douches), but you’ll find yourself revisiting the comical situations they describe with your analytical mind…because that’s what art does yo!
It’s been a year since we talked to this sassy-Seattle- punk trio and we’ve missed their crass explorations of offbeat subjects like sister-wife-hood and menopause. We caught up with them on the internets, fresh off the release of their new album Women’s Rights, and, don’t worry, they’re still funny AF and political AF. The ladies are on tour with other projects at the moment but they took a moment to talk to us about their inspirations, being women in the punk-music scene, and their new album out now on Suicide Squeeze Records.
BUST: What artists have influenced you the most, personally and musically?
BM: I felt very inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement when I was a teenager, but after that it was local Seattle musicians that influenced me to actually pick up an instrument. A few ladies that I found very cool and inspiring before I started playing music were Kellie Payne and Lacey Swain from the Snacks and Charming Snakes, and Kimberly Morrison from the Fallouts and Duchess and the Duke (I think BUST recently covered Kimberly for being one of the badass founders of #ShoutYourAbortion.)
SP: Kim Gordon, Kim Deal, Luke Beetham.
JS: I got really into Elliott Smith when I was 13, and he’s still one of my favorite songwriters.
BUST: Who would Childbirth want to play with?
SP: Hole, Babes in Toyland, Ex Hex
JS: It would be cool to open for Hole.
BUST: What’s the band dynamic, how do you write songs?
BM: A lot of shouting out ideas during practice. It is a very fun songwriting process.
SP: We are very collaborative. Everyone contributes to songs but we also do our own artwork, videos and photos for the most part. I think we are all very good at being in a band.
BUST: What’s up with the name Childbirth?
BM: I thought that the name was really tough because nothing seems more bloody and painful to me than childbirth.
SP: Nothing more punk than childbirth.
JS: I think it encompasses our feminine essence.
BUST: What’s it like being a woman in the punk music scene?
BM: It was way worse 8 years ago when I first started playing in Tacocat, so much blatant sexism. The punk scene can get pretty bro-ish, but the ladies that were playing in bands in the Seattle basement show community made me feel super inspired. Things are much better now, but you can check the threatening comments section of any female band being covered on Brooklyn Vegan to realize there is a lot of work to do.
JS: It’s pretty cool most of the time, except for the occasional asshole sound guy. I remember moving to Seattle and feeling really motivated by all the women making cool music. A couple of the first bands I remember being psyched about were Bree’s other band Tacocat and Stacy’s old band The Gals of Redbook.
BUST: Are you a feminist?
BM: Yes, for sure.
SP: Yes.
JS: Yeah.
BUST: What does feminism mean to you?
BM: Men and women having equal rights.
SP: It means I deserve human rights like everyone else.
JS: Equal rights for all genders.
BUST: How would you describe your upcoming album Women’s Rights ?
BM: It is super punk, funny, feminist and I believe that its presence in music right now is very important.
SP: I would say it verges on a comedy album.
JS: Extremely mature.
BUST: Is there anything else you’d like to share about the band or yourself?
BM: Besides buying our new album Women’s Rights, I would probably like to put it out there that I hope everyone is aware of the frightening developments happening with Planned Parenthood right now. As Stacy so eloquently put it on the Childbirth Twitter, “Speaking of women’s rights, it is every woman’s right not to experience childbirth.”
SP: I barely have any money so please buy our record, thanks!
Images via: Facebook.Com/chilbirthseattle, The Band, suicide-squeeze.myshopify.com
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