Bratmobile

by Jason AnkenyAlong with Bikini Kill, Bratmobile spearheaded the riot-grrrl revolution of the early 1990s, battling the long-standing dominance of men within the punk rock community to help empower a new generation of female musicians and fans. Comprised of singer Allison Wolfe, guitarist Erin Smith and drummer Molly Neuman, Bratmobile made their debut at 1991s International Pop Underground convention, a landmark indie music festival mounted in Olympia, Washington by Beat Happening frontman and K Records honcho Calvin Johnson; after a handful of singles — with members spread out between California, Washington and Maryland, recording was a logistical nightmare — the trio finally released an LP, Pottymouth, in 1993. 1994s The Real Janelle EP was Bratmobiles final studio date, although a July 1993 BBC broadcast was issued the following year as The Peel Session EP. In the wake of the groups demise, Neuman joined the Peechees, while Wolfe and Smith reunited in Cold Cold Hearts. Bratmobile reformed in March, 1999 to play a series of dates as the opening act for Sleater-Kinney; the new album Ladies, Women, and Girls was released in fall 2000.