Breaking up can be a bitch.
After appearing together in John Cameron Mitchell’s 2006 film, Shortbus, The L-Word star Daniela Sea and dreadlocked alt-rocker Bitch became the media’s favorite indie dyke power couple. But when their relationship came to an end, a development not so widely covered or easily Googled, Bitch turned to her music.
Released on her own Short Story Records, Bitch’s second solo effort, Blasted!, served as a lyrical catharsis for her break-up and internal reconciliation. Melodic and sonically dynamic, it traverses rock, punk, and folk, a la the work of Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray, with prominent doses of electric violin (she was classically trained).
Raised in Pittsburgh and Michigan by British expats, Bitch studied acting at Chicago’s Depaul University before moving to Brooklyn, N.Y. Her first albums, with former band mate Animal, were released on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe label. In 2006 she saw her solo debut, Make This/Break This (Kill Rock Stars), and in 2008 Bitch produced and released Ferron’s Boulder.
Trademark dreadlocks now clipped (“They’re fucking heavy!”), Bitch is energetic and playful, laughing frequently while discussing her album, Daniela, her tour that stops at Gemini Lounge in St. Petersburg on March 10 and an upcoming project with Margaret Cho.
WATERMARK: Let’s get the elephant out of the room. Why the name?
BITCH: You know, my mom was a cunt. (laughs) It’s so much better than the real answer. The name is a part of me. We all go through times when we ask, “Is this the right thing? Is this crazy? Am I giving myself an extra burden by having a cuss word for a name?” But it’s absolutely a plus; it helps me remember my own strength and it carved out a place for me in a way I can’t quite articulate.
Second elephant—the breakup with Daniela.
I guess it went fairly peacefully. The album was definitely a part of me working it out. It wasn’t big, dramatic, screaming and throwing boxes on the street. It’s just painful like any breakup. You’ve got to sit there in your pain for a while, and the album is like a letter to myself in a way.
What’s the most liberating song on the album, and why?
“Bugs,” because there’s more rage in that song. For some reason it’s easy for me to get in a more angry place than a wistful place. I try to get myself out of a wistful place. I’m an Aries—fire is one of my elements.”
What other issues do you touch on lyrically?
“Staying Alive” is a song about hope. “Cats Kills” is an old breakup song about Animal, my old band mate. “Wisdom” is a prayer for me.
Does this album represent an artistic evolution for you, and if so, how?
It’s definitely an evolution for me as a producer. It’s the first time I’ve produced my own music, so I feel like there’s a filter gone. There’s a certain confidence and directness about it I haven’t experienced before. It’s like an unveiling. Putting myself more into the world.
You raised the money for Blasted!’s release through the internet and Bitch’s Bitches section on your web site, BitchMusic.com. Can you talk about that process, and what was its biggest challenge?
When people search for “Bitch” a lot of stuff comes up. I had just stepped into all those new mediums for connecting with fans, so it was interesting to see how much contact and energy really was there. They basically funded my being able to put it out on my label. I made videos with me tap dancing with my mom and it forced me into a playful energy about it—it was successful.”
How was early life in Michigan and Chicago and what influence did it have on you?
I had moved to Michigan from Pittsburgh, Pa. I lived there until I was about 11. My parents are from England so I had a bizarre take on it. Mom was running a tap dance school and I would help, so we were always involved in musical theater and stuff. I moved to Chicago at 18 to go to acting school and it was kind of a shock to everybody because I had been a classical violinist and really studied it. I feel like I went to acting school to learn how to be in my body, and now when I look back on it, it makes sense. My live show is very performance-themed instead of about guitar solos.
Why the violin?
I have no idea. Sometimes I think it was like a past life thing. I saw [a violin] on Sesame Street and relentlessly begged my parents to play it and they finally let me. Nobody else in my family played instruments.
You also have a few side projects. Tell us about them.
I made a 39-track album called Sound Bites. It’s an experiment and you can download it (at BitchMusic.BandCamp.com) for a sliding scale, from free to a million dollars. The tracks are 10 seconds or less, mini orchestras and poems and should be shuffled through peoples’ iPods. I’m also working on a track with Margaret Cho. She’s doing a music album, writing the lyrics and her musicians of choice write the songs. My song is a duet between Margaret and her parents. Her actual parents! I am going to L.A. to record her parents singing! She’s putting it out next fall. I love her.
