While fans have dubbed their music “lesbocore” and “queercore,” these Durham, North Carolina, riot grrrls have more on their mind than just their out-front homosexuality: They want rock without the cock. “Who wants it like it was before / who wants it like Traffic / like Zeppelin?” singer, guitarist and sapphic sex symbol Kaia Wilson challenges on “The Anything Anthology,” one of the best tracks from Three, their (natch) third release on Wilson and girlfriend Tammy Rae Carlson’s Mr. Lady label. And for most of Three the trio (which also includes Melissa York on drums and Alison Martlew on bass) sticks more to a punk/pop sound than Winwoodian wanderings or Bonzo bashes. Think No Doubt with an extra shot of testosterone. While some songs directly address the pitfalls of being a woman and/or lesbian in today’s society (“Junior High Lament,” “For Kay”), the polemics aren’t off-putting for breeders.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2001.
