Similar Artists Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile

Artist History catatonic lydia was born one fiendish night, as kirsten and suzi, two hyped up happenin' hepcats sat around on their asses complaining about how colorado has a terrible shortage of girl bands. naturally, this led to the conclusion that the two babes should start a band, but it remained something a little abstract as kirsten could barely hit a power chord at the time. yet with time, suzi began to bring her bass over to kirsten's house and taught her everything she knows about the guitar. the first song we played together was bikini kills' "feels blind". ah, the memories. so suzi and kirsten worked on some songs for a while, and then thought they had found the perfect lead guitarist in a certain beast, who we shall call "twizzler". so twizzler had a had a habit of, well when she did decide to show up to practice, having us teach her a song, then going out and getting stoned and claiming we never taught her anything at the next practice. within this time, suzi went to an against all authority show, where she met an odd bird by the name of sophia, as was instructed of her, in our conquest for a drummer, she asked if sophia played any instruments and :surprise:, she was a drum rockin' babe. so after expressing interest in being in our band, sophia came over, and kirsten and suzi played th music for "the jerk", which was being called "the song without words" at the time, and sophia gave them her ringing declaration of approval and agreed to be in the band. it was a descision that would lead to her ultimate demise. so as "twizzler" repeatedly ditched practice, claiming that she was sick, we eventually kicked her out. catatonic lydia thrived for a while without a lead guitarist, but always holding the idea of a goth-rock-storyteller lead close to their hearts. meanwhile, in a galaxy farfar away in wisconsin, becky dreamed of having a band that would someday cover "capri pants" by bikini kill, yet slowly giving up on her childhood dream as she learned she would have to move the the wild, wild west of colorado. the dream was dead.... or was it? it was one fateful night as sophia walked up to a strange, masked man sitting on the porch of her apartment complex, and began to converse with him of dungeon and dragons. it was while discussing the noise produced by her drums that the masked stranger admitted that his daughter played the guitar, before he darted off into the darkness. well, one sin leads to another, and becky showed up to the next practice. and thus, through the good times and the bad, catatonic lydia has held strong, and created a new blend of jungle and chamber music which never would have been dreamed of. how did we obtain such a furosious name as "catatonic lydia", you ask? we only know the story that has been passed down through many generations: kirsten and suzi went on a long and trechorous journey across the seas of kirsten's house. this journey eventually led to a strange and mysterious cove- kirsten's room. when they entered unknowingly into the depths of the room, a striking image sat before them. it was kirsten's doll, lydia. lydia evoked the voices of suzi and kirsten into conversation, which led to them discussing lydia's state of existense. was she dead? was she alive? no, she was catatonic.

Group Members Suzi: bass, vocals * Becky: guitar, vocals * Sophia: drums * ? - guitar * past members: Kirsten: guitar, vocals

Albums ..despite the ruins...

Press Reviews Catatonic Lydia at Small Gatherings 7/26/01 by Tom Murphy. ------ Almost four months ago, I saw this incredibly gutsy and talented punk band open for Sin Desires Marie. They had powerful songs in a Riot Grrl vein about how sexism isn't funny and how there's more to life than just having children. Songs that explored complicated personal issues in a sensitive and intelligent manner. And a funny song that was filled with a simple but effective condemnation with a hint of compassion for the condemned. In short, they were one of the most charming and amazing bands I had seen in a while. Most punk bands are simply incapable of this sophisticated a degree of honest anger, angst and delicacy.Catatonic Lydia went on around ten o'clock and, despite some technical difficulties with the microphones and the sound equipment, they proved themselves, yet again, to be a cut above most punk bands. They opened with "Is It Funny." Suzi, their singer and bassist, alternately screamed and sang the lyrics to the song with a raw passion I just don't see much of in any singer. It sounds, like a few of their songs, very much influenced by the guitar sound of Sleater-Kinney but they make the sound their own and, let's face it, you can count the bands influenced by Sleater-Kinney and capable of sounding that way on one hand. Their next song was "Plexiglass Eyes"-- a song of brutal self-examination with appropriate desperate vocals. For the third song, Catatonic Lydia did one of their two covers--their kick ass rendition of "Capri Pants" originally done by the legendary Bikini Kill. How they learned to do such a powerful, fun and dead-on cover is simply amazing. Bikini Kill's music is easy enough to play (I learned almost all of their songs a few years ago), but it takes a great band to capture the energy and spirit of their songs. Catatonic Lydia veritably leap forward into the song and drive forward to the end with a verve worthy (and equal to) the original. "Schuldig" begins with quiet and lilting lyrics in German from Becky. I don't understand the words much, but they have a strangely uplifting and ethereal quality with Becky singing. Kirsten sings the brooding "Mother To Be" and lends her cool and defiant energy to a song about daring to dream for more out of life than what seems to have been pre-ordained. For the next song, "Alive," Suzi is alone, accompanied by her own moody bass playing. It's an incredibly gutsy gesture considering the plaintive, anguished, vulnerable tone to the song. But that's one of the great things about this band--the laying bare of deep emotional pain. After all, if emotions aren't honestly laid out in the open, they remain locked up inside only to be a reminder of one's own failure to deal with one's psychic pain. After such a powerful song, Catatonic Lydia played "Haunted Little Girl," a pop-punkish (as pop as this band gets) and fun song--contrasted with the title. For "Hole in the Ground," a Helium cover (from the All Over Me soundtrack--very cool movie with great music), Kirsten puts down her guitar and and sings a version of the song to rival the original. She dances around and emotes dramatically in time with the flourishes of the song. And her own delivery is as razor sharp and biting as Mary Timony's original, right down to the implied sneer. Of course the rest of the band plays the song perfectly. When you're used to seeing punk bands just be loud, it's a little off-putting to see Becky take out her violin for "Sorry?" It's one of their best songs and when Suzi sings "I am your emotional drug dealer," I'm as blown away as I was the first time I heard the song. Lyrics this good are usually seen coming from someone much older. The set ends with, what I'm sure will be, the classic, "The Jerk." The song is a rocker and a hell of a lot of fun--you can even sing and dance along without seeming silly. If nothing else, this show convinced me that this is definitely a band to watch because they have a lot of heart and charisma. They're a refreshing addition to an all-too-often monochromatic punk scene in Denver. It's about damned time we had more than one or two bands influenced heavily by the only really interesting and important punk movement of the last ten years. -----------ONLINE INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR OF "HER-STORY"------- 1. What is your band all about? **Sophia (drums): I think about just getting together and making music. **Kirsten (guitar/vocals): although i don't believe we started our work on the basis of a specific motto or goal, i believe we explore all sorts of subgenres and genres of music, combine them or leave them whole, so as not to find just one niche we like and get stuck writing the same song over and over again. **Becky (guitar/violin/vocals): our band is about having fun, making music, and conveying a message lyrically as a way to express ourselves that the listeners can relate to. **Suzi (bass/vocals): making cool music, giving all of our musical ideas a chance, even if they seem fiendish, and it's an outlet for our ideas and emotions 2. Why did you get into this? **Sophia: For the MUSIC!!!! **Kirsten: to do something about my complaints of the small number of strong female bands in colorado (which is not to say that they are completely absent, just fewer in numbers) **Becky: because i love music and always wanted to be in a female-fronted band. **Suzi: i'm passionate about playing music, and i felt that there was somewhat of a lack of female bands around here. i also had some songs that needed a home, and just couldn't seem to find one anywhere else. 3. Describe your band/music **Sophia: It's pretty much drums, bass, guitar, and some emotion all combined into a song. **Becky: haha we are a mix of punk and emo with some extras thrown in there **Suzi: i'm not really sure how to describe us. punk/emo/riotgrrl/fiendishness? 4. What does the world need to know about your band? **Sophia: ???? **Becky: we love playing and writing. **Suzi: our website: www.vinylstars.net/catatoniclydia 5. Why an all-girl band? **Sophia: I guess it just happened that way. **Becky: there are so many all-guy bands out there and i wanted to prove that girls can rock out too. 6. What do you hope to accomplish with this band? **Sophia: To be the best we can be. ( gross, that sounds army like ) **Kirsten: once again, we have never sat down and created a specific agenda, but one of the thing i have seen happen with our band and i would like to have continue is an opening of some of the viewer/listener's minds. we've had people who have said "i usually hate girl bands, but i liked you guys", and while it can be frustrating to have any positive adjective describing us followed by and inevitable "...for girls", maybe the speaker would not be so quick to judge the next time females took the stage. **Becky: i'm not sure, i guess i'll see where it takes us. 7. Your goals? **Sophia: Same... Just do what I can do and always try to learn and better my skillz. **Kirsten: to leave the colorado music scene changed (preferably for the better) because we were in it. **Suzi: writing more songs, eventually touring, and spreading our music 8. What do you have in the works at this time? **Sophia: New sounds **Kirsten: what we constantly have in the works- the exploration of new sounds (as sophia said) **Becky: we have a song or two up our sleeves that need to have some finishing touches put on, otherwise we've been pretty 'catatonic' lately and not doing too much because of everyone's schedules. **Suzi: new songs, maybe more violin from ms. becky, ohh and stickers. 9. What are your obstacles and how are you going to overcome them? **Sophia: Being nervous, I escape in the music. **Kirsten: i'd like to improve my playing, which is obviously accomplished through lessons and practice. easy enough. **Becky: obstacles are getting together because we all live so far away, and finding a time to practice together. we've had a lot of criticism and even harassment from different people that's been hard to deal with. **Suzi: it's hard coordinating our schedules. 10. What makes you different from other bands? **Sophia: Our songs don't all sound the same. **Kirsten: I second Sophia's answer. **Becky: we have quite a mix of music- we have 3 different people writing and singing so there are lots of different styles that come through in our music. **Suzi: well we don't really have a set style or genre, so we just play whatever we think sounds cool. also, our songs vary more than some band's songs do. 11. Biggest accomplishment/most memorable moments? **Sophia: Falling on stage. **Kirsten: i'm really happy we released our cd, releasing a record has been one of my lifetime goals, and has been accomplished at 17. **Becky: making our first cd **Suzi: playing our first show, putting out "..despite the ruins...", and seeing that a lot of people have listened to our mp3's on mp3.com 12. What does it take to be a member of your band? **Sophia: Fiendish. **Kirsten: you have to know the password. **Becky: have a love for music, some talent, and have fun **Suzi: you must be in a catatonic state, or yr name must be lydia. or you can wheel squash around town in small carts, that's how sophia joined. 13. What if anything piss's you off about your music scene or in general? **Sophia: Just the whole view of women's bands still, like the whole superiority factor. **Becky: the stereotypes placed on females in the music scene and the harassment we've dealt with. **Suzi: some people's bad attitudes towards female musicians, people deciding what they think of our music depending on whether they think we're attractive or not. also, it's sad when local bands playing shows together are not supportive and respectful of eachother. Anything you want to change? **Sophia: Get everyone involved and fuck the gender roles. **Becky: just for everyone to have an open mind about music. **Suzi: yeah, the bad stuff that i listed in the last answer. 14. Band Name: ***Catatonic Lydia*** 15. Why did you choose this name…What is the meaning behind it? **Sophia: I will let Zusi describe. **Kirsten: because it sounds like "catatonic clitia". doy. **Becky: i wasn't in the band when they chose it, so i'm not sure, but i know that lydian has to deal with femininity. **Suzi: top secret. muahahaha. sorry zophia. 16. What do you think people misunderstand about your band? **Sophia: Who cares. **Kirsten: well some times we'll get out on stage and people will ask "do you guys hate men?" oh yes. "aren't you the feminazi band?" but of course. "what do you guys sing about? your periods?" nothing else. but who cares. maybe they'll learn something by the end of the night. **Becky: because we are females in the music scene, we are automatically 'femi-nazi manhaters'. Anything you want to add?? **Sophia: No. **Kirsten: a teaspoon of sugar. **Becky: ***we are not femi-nazi manhaters. **Suzi: the other band members are not single, so stop asking me Advice to other girls who want to play in a band? **Sophia: Just fucking go for it and don't look back. **Kirsten: start a band with people who interest you, who aren't exactly like you, and who will challenge you. this should prevent you from getting bored with their writing or ideas, and keep you constantly looking for self improvement. **Becky: - just go out and do it, buy an instrument and start teaching yourself. most of us in the band are self-taught so it's doable. **Suzi: have fun and invent. definitely go for it, there needs to be as many girls involved in music as possible. Any other topics your would like to include? **Sophia: MEAT IS MURDER!!!!

Location Denver, CO - USA

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