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By: Andy Little
Le Butcherettes, spearheaded by Teri Gender Bender, have re-released their third album 2015’s A Raw Youth with additional acoustic and live tracks. An album which took a slightly altered direction from their two previous albums, successfully incorporating a vibrant quirky pop sensibility to their indie punk energy vibe. However, don’t be fooled, lyrically Teri continues her quest to highlight the callous, cruel prejudices and injustices to children and women around the world. Songs about female kidknapping, alienation, bad relationships, spat out with a no holds barred passionate delivery. Since its release they have been constantly touring and have announced an European tour including a few shows across the UK. Teri kindly took time out to happily answer questions on a diverse range of topics for Echoes and Dust.
(((o))): You have just finished a heavy touring schedule of North America mixing some headline shows with support slots for At the Drive In, before coming over to Europe later in the year. How did it go?
Teri: It was incredible. A roller coaster of new high and low found emotions. It’s great to be alive and in love with life. Plus, I was able to tour with my brother! At The Drive In and my bandmates were not only okay with having my little brother on board for half of the North American ATDI tour, but they brought him out of his shell. Everyone was very nice to him and I got to know him a little better.
He is 16 years old. A very trivial time in his life. He wants to see the world and is interested in music making and filming. On tour he was surrounded by music makers, tour managers, music carriers, film producers, cinematographers and art lovers. He also learned more about me and what touring is like (on a good scale, cause touring isn’t always playing to crowded and decent venues) and at the end of the run I felt that we bonded much more.
In reality since there is a lot of touring (Thank God, it’s tough for many) I have not seen much of him and he is also always busy with high school. So I am happy as can be. Everyone in the crew was supportive about having him with us.
(((o))): How do you and members of the band pass the time while travelling on tour?
Teri: Riko likes to make music. He travels with his Virus analog synth and records his music if the greenroom is big enough. Chris likes to go on walks and explore the city while also hunting for good coffee. I like to write in my journals and lose myself in sleep whenever is convenient and if there is time and little sun I like to explore museums. (Example: The Guggenheim in Bilbao was the bee’s cake for me.)
(((o))): The band dress on stage in all red. Red symbolises passion but listening to your socially aware lyrics I assume the band use it to symbolise something else?
Teri: Red is a personal reminder that I will always have a yearning desire to find some sort of connection with someone just as lost as me. Hunger unites people. We are learning to harmonise the hunger with an objective, a goal… uncontained hunger equals total chaos, and Red is a warning in my brain to not turn my back towards the enemy… lately it feels that one’s self can be the worst enemy. So keep yourself in check and expect the best from yourself hopes of coming across a genuine human and even animal connection. We uniform ourselves in red (in this era of Le Butcherettes) to remind ourselves of unity… serve the music. Serve the stories. It is very much needed, during all phases of mankind’s history. Red is re-birth. A violent reminder that blood paved the way for our present delights.
(((o))): Last year (2015) you released your third album A Raw Youth, which features Iggy Pop on ‘La Uva’ and John Frusciante on ‘My Half’. How did these guest appearances come about? Were they joint song writing collaborations or did you write them with Iggy and John in mind?
Teri: Iggy and John are my friends. They are very supportive people. I wrote the songs, but later felt it needed their magic. I felt that it needed their magic and in a dream I saw it all happen. Almost like a premonition.
(((o))): For those (like this writer) who don’t speak any Spanish what are the lyrics to ‘La Uva’ about?
Teri: Embracing death in the name for a bigger cause. Look at Mexican history. Aztecs sacrificing their own to their Gods in hopes for rain and harvest. ‘La Uva’ is a being full of violet juice and it is lonely, feeding off of faraway fairy tale love written by the greats, it wants to find himself… it is sick of feeling dissociated and split in the middle spiritually, it comes to realises that it’s not the only one that feels like this but there is a whole magnitude of grapes that are connected to its shared feelings. They are ultimately squished and the grape juice flows and turns into the wine, making God drunk with delight.
BUT, in reality, it’s all about how the listener wants to interpret the song. I am just the messenger. It’s up to the listener to interpret the message to his or her own desire.
(((o))): Are your lyrics and ideas a mixture of personal stuff e.g. the lyrics to ‘Stab My Back’ with the line “Your two faced love ain’t no good for me”, sounds it comes from a personal experience?
Teri: Of course. It comes from heart to gut experience and sadly it’s not uncommon and many people can relate to treason and disappointment. I am the kind of person to give myself entirely to a cause, a friend, a lover, a brother… it is also a fault all of my own… so sometimes it feels like I am actually demanding or even daring people to spit on me and laugh. It’s a two-way street. I am sure I have made people feel betrayed as well. We all can be quite two faced sometimes, it’s all a matter of learning from it and bettering yourself as a person.
(((o))): While the quirky pop of ‘Sold Less Than Gold’ has some very dark, serious, brutal lyrics about child kidnapping, rape of young females. Is this specifically about what is happening in Mexico? Is the government/authorities have any strategies in place to deal with this?
Teri: There is nothing the government/authorities can do. There is nothing in it for them to do something about it. This is entirely up to our youth to try and make change. Mexico is a beautiful country that has been bastardised from the roots of its beginning. Corruption and blood is the fuel for the government. Things are backwards and it is just the way it is. It has taken me a long time to accept such disgust.
‘Sold Less Than Gold’ can be applied to almost every country in this world, like for instance Mexico. The sex trade in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador is not being displayed on mainstream media but it is still occurring and there is a hush hush tone to this because of the underworking involving high scale government officials. Corruption is a modern demon in the flesh. This song was mainly inspired on a journey I took to Tehran, Iran back in 2006. It was an eye opening experience both negative and positive.
(((o))): The song ‘They Fuck You Over’ is that from personal experience or is that about many things?
Teri: Yes. It was very hard and sometimes demeaning to grow up in the music “industry” in Mexico. It’s so surreal how things were back then and it feels like it is getting worse. You just need to get your objectives set straight from the start before you open yourself up to other people… people will try and change you. It’s almost like getting screwed over is the name of the game. But in all honestly it makes you stronger because then you have a greater appreciation for people that give you their all.
(((o))): Immigration is a hot topic at the moment in both the UK due to the forthcoming vote to remain or leave the European Union, and in the USA with Donald Trump and his idea of building a wall between the USA and Mexico. As your parents are Mexican who emigrated to USA, how does all these attacks effect yourself and your family back home?
Teri: It’s comical. We can’t get mad at something so comical. Ironically, it’s so comical I almost admire the man. The whole election is comedic genius, like a reality TV show. Sadly, it will be at the expense of the working class, at the expense of the family… but at the same time… it may be what this country needs, a slap in the face, a rude awakening… a revolt. It’s always at the expense of the underdogs.
Clinton will only manage to pacify the mass for another 4 years. Yet, we are giving so much attention and credit to Trump, calling him dangerous and risky. Don’t forget; people like danger and like taking risks. The Clinton campaign and the left wing media need to stop making him look like a “loose cannon”. Plenty of people like placing their bets on a controversial-like character over a monotonous two faced one.
Shall we go with the clown? Or shall we go with the snake that kisses the lips of the Devil? Like, I said, it’s comical. People need to get together and do something about our future. Our fore fathers are throwing up in their graves right now.
(((o))): I take it you are not going to vote for Trump?
Teri: I honestly can’t really say who I will vote for. Or if I’m voting at all. Bernie Sanders says it himself… the system is rigged!
(((o))): Would you say you have two different personas; are you a different person off stage to the one on stage? If so, is that easy to juggle to be both or do they both come naturally to you?
Teri: It comes from years of injected neurosis and of trying to keep it together in front of strangers. It is a pity that I have a dual personality and therefore I am in constant battle with myself. It runs in the family and I am working at curving this and merely trying to keep the crazy on the stage for venting and to save whatever is normal left of me to my domestic life… whatever is left of it. I hope I don’t pass this on to my future child. God bless her or his heart.
(((o))): A Raw Youth album has just been re-released with a few additional tracks. Can you tell us a bit more about them? For example, is ‘We No Owe’ a song recorded at the same time, but didn’t make the original album? And, were the acoustic tracks of ‘Shave the Pride’ and ‘They Fuck You Over’ demos recorded before the album tracks?
Teri: ‘We No Owe’ was taken out of its shell thanks to The Melvins. It was released first on a split 7inch vinyl called Chaos As Usual. Buzz gave me his blessing on using this track for the Deluxe version of A Raw Youth… I felt this track had that convicted, spiteful feel to it that would tie in nicely to the rest of the record, plus it features Buzz Osborne. One of my favourite entities of music. A true honour.
The acoustic versions of the singles are just versions that incarnate within themselves. Ricardo recorded key parts I wrote for the tracks, and Chris lent me his father’s lucky acoustic for these songs and I think Chris did a stellar job at the variation of the drums on these tracks. But yes, these were recorded after the record was put out. Someone on our team suggested we record acoustic versions for these songs because of an acoustic Amoeba set that left a lot people in desire for acoustic versions. JAJAJA! That is what I was told. Feels good that acoustic music is alive and kickin’.
(((o))): Have you had the time to think or begin writing new material? Have you any plans to write, record for a new record? Do you have in mind a particular sound or direction it may lead to?
Teri: Oh, yes. Being able to write and collect demos on the road is my mistress-love. It keeps me sane. There is recorded material in the works, I am in the process of selecting the best tracks so I can present the work to my bandmates and begin rehearsals so we can shit on lock down. Only time can tell what the sound will evolve to, but I must admit it is in constant transformation and there is no ONE sound. Keeping a wide range of musical styles present… and the colour red reminds me of my hungerous-anger I keep pent up inside, all these untold stories lingering in the air. It’s good to tap into them.
(((o))): What are you currently listening too? Any new bands you have discovered? Who are your major musical influences?
Teri: I am currently listening to Demian Licht, Vanessa Zamora, Supermoon, Renee Moi, Yokozuna, Mon Laferte, Elis Paprika, Francisca Valenzuela, Camila Moreno, Lila Downs and Hello Seahorse!. My major musical influences are The Beatles, Cream, Otis Redding, Selda Bagçan, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Mogollar, The Melvins, Iggy Pop, Yoko Ono, Janis Joplin, Paul Banks etc.
To experience Le Butcherettes heart and soul performance, catch them when they head over to Europe in September and October. Check out the full tour details on their Facebook page.
