Word: sleater
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Boston's premier places to see indie bands. The Donnas, Sleater-Kinney, Pavement, Bis, Juliana Hatfield and even the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have played here. Two separate stages (upstairs and downstairs) means twice the music at the Middle East, though upstairs tends to be smaller, more obscure bands. T.T.'s features alternative concerts in a small, intimate venue. Dress is flexible and casual, but for many concerts attire is strictly indiekid hip; bring out your Converse Hi-Tops and faded '80s t-shirts to go with your dark-rimmed glasses...
...Sleater-Kinney...
After being labeled as the new indie rock saviors, Olympia's Sleater-Kinney has done something truly amazing with The Hot Rock: they actually made a great record. While the pure reckless power of its predecessor, Dig Me Out, has been turned down a notch. In its place is a new sense of musical restraint and variety. Though they've gained press for one of the leaders of the girl rock movement, don't count on Sleater-Kinney showing up at Lilth Fair anytime soon. The album opens with "Start Together," showcasing Corin Tucker's hair-raising wail over Sleater...
...essentially a product of alternative culture's Riot Grrrl movement, an effort by new female bands in the early '90s to reclaim the brash, bratty sense of self-control that psychologists claim girls lose just before puberty. And in many ways, the movement succeeded, as any fan of Sleater-Kinney and even the Spice Girls will tell you. But even in the world of pop music, with the spirit of girl power behind it, the concept of feminism is often misapplied. Look how the label is tossed about: female singers like Meredith Brooks and Alanis Morissette are installed as icons...
...outta my head." Tucker's wailing vibrato will annoy some listeners (Brownstein's voice is a bit calmer), but it's an apt vehicle to convey the trio's anarchic passion. Several of the tunes are old-fashioned paeans to rock, including the stomping Words and Guitar. But for Sleater-Kinney, rock is more than keg-party entertainment; it's a way of transforming one's personal problems into something useful and assertive. "Take take the noise in my head," Tucker sings. "C'mon and turn turn...