Status: Updates every Sunday and Wednesday!

We're Not Listening

Woe Oh - Violence Ladies, pt. 5

Eventually, there were certain things that had to come out in the open, from two Violence Ladies members in particular. Though their friends and families knew it for a while, the public didn’t, and their fanbase didn’t. Brianna came out as a lesbian, and Hayden came out as pansexual. They did it at the same time, although a large part of everybody knew that this would beg the ridiculous question – “OMG, are you guys like lesbian lovers?”

The short answer: no. It was very possible to go on various rants and call everybody out on the crap they were trying to insinuate, but it was easiest just to leave it at that.

It’s…odd, how a fanbase can react. There are people out there who are dedicated to thinking that two members of a band are gay because they sit next to each other in interviews, and they will write fanfiction about it under the guise of being open-minded and progressive. Yet, it seems like nobody seemed to react to Brianna and Hayden’s gestures. In a way it was a sign of the times – being queer is nothing to be ashamed of. In another way it was a bit rude. Some folks said, “Yeah, and who cares? Keep it to yourself,” not understanding the importance of queer role models, especially for girls who looked up to the ‘Ladies.

In the end, they shrugged off any negative criticism as usual, and they went on with their rockin’ lives to do what they did best – make great music.

Early 2009 was when they released “The Wings That Keep Me High,” probably their most mature album to date. They embraced the indie-pop craze that was taking over everybody’s SkyPods at the time in a way that was still fresh and still sounded like themselves. The lyrics this time around were a little less self-deprecating and a little more self-motivating – something that might not be as funny, though it was a lot happier to listen to.

2009 was also the year that Brianna graduated from FSU with her degree in astrophysics, thanks to her abundance of advanced classes shaving a year off from her college credits; eventually her taken-off semesters didn’t even matter in the scope of things. She could call herself a genius and a rock singer, something not many people can do.

After they released their second full-length, it was time for the biggest tour they’d ever done, with label mates Olli Lolli and post-rock peers This Sky Abundant following them around the world through places like Europe and Australia, Canada and the USA. They’d visited places they’d only dreamt of seeing in real life – was it all a dream? Who knows, and who cares?

Despite seemingly humble beginnings and common difficulties associated with becoming successful as an all-girl band – it wasn’t uncommon for other labels to approach the group with well-paying record deals that would force them to sacrifice their autonomy – Violence Ladies has been doing exceptionally well. They’ve been building off of the growing victories of Not Listening itself, even if the label only hosted five (soon to be six) bands as of that time in 2009. With every act, there seemed to be more success, and nobody ever knew if it was just signs of the times or the bands themselves.

They rival their peers in alternative music, knowing how to hold their own in what can definitely be a hostile scene. If you’re a band made of girls, you’ll always be known as a “girl band.” You’ll forever be compared to No Doubt and Avril Lavigne, and you’ll always be accused of being a Paramore ripoff. It’s unfair, it’s sexist, it discredits a band’s unique talent and influences, and all it does is lump them in with other bands that got shrugged off before proving everybody wrong.

Violence Ladies don’t particularly live up to their name; they don’t fight fire with fire and get into fistfights with the naysayers. Of course you don’t fight fire with fire – you fight it with great amounts of water and fireproof blankets to smother the flame. You call out the critics on their bullshit and shut them up by playing awesome music, shredding through guitar solos and high notes, drum solos and killer basslines, and you do everything live even better than how you did it on the album.

Put simply, they’re still kicking ass and taking names. It’s safe to say they’ll be around for a while.
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Thus marks the end of Violence Ladies' saga (as of this story)! Next up is Olli Lolli, with whom I've batted around numerous ideas for bigger stories. ::shifty:

Also, what's the deal with every female-fronted band getting compared to Paramore nowadays? Can't stand that shit. (I love Paramore, but jeez, not every band with a girl in it is a ripoff. Reminds me of when they first came onto the scene and they were comparing them to No Doubt. -___-)