Team Dresch

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Team Dresch
Team Dresch performing at The Vera Project in Seattle on September 20, 2009
Team Dresch performing at The Vera Project in Seattle on September 20, 2009
Background information
OriginOlympia, Washington, United States
GenresPunk rock, queercore, riot grrrl
Years active1993–1998, 2004–present
LabelsKRS, Chainsaw, Candy Ass, Jealous Butcher
Associated actsThe Butchies, Hazel, Adickdid, Calamity Jane, Vitapup, Born Against, Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Trees, Fifth Column, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Lois, Mary Lou Lord, The Go Team, The Spinanes, Built to Spill, Phranc
Websitehttps://www.teamdresch.com/
MembersJody Bleyle
Kaia Wilson
Donna Dresch
Marcéo Martinez
Melissa York
Past membersAmanda Kelly

Team Dresch is an American queercore punk rock band originally formed in 1993 in Olympia, Washington.[1] The band made a significant impression on the DIY punk movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and concerns of LGBT people in the punk scene. All of Team Dresch's members are open lesbians.

History[]

In 1993, Donna Dresch formed Team Dresch with herself playing guitar and bass, Jody Bleyle on guitar and vocals, Kaia Wilson on guitar and vocals, and Marcéo Martinez on drums.[2] Dresch and Bleyle met in the early 1990s, and together decided they wanted to form “an all-dyke band."[3] Dresch has roots in the queercore movement, contributing to the zines J.D.s and Outpunk, as well as writing her own, called Chainsaw.[2] Dresch's involvement in queercore influenced the band's style and involvement in the scene from the beginning.

Team Dresch's first release was "Seven" on Rock Stars Kill in 1994, which generated enough attention for them to book multiple shows "all around the country,"[4] including the first Yoyo a Go Go in 1994.[5] Today, Donna Dresch admits "people didn’t know who we were... [they] didn’t know what to make of a bunch of ’queer freaks’ onstage."[1] In 1995 the four released their debut album, Personal Best, co-released by Chainsaw Records and Candy Ass Records, Dresch's and Bleyle's record labels respectively.[3]

After the release of Personal Best, drummer Marcéo Martinez was replaced by Melissa York,[1] and the quartet put out Captain My Captain in 1996, another co-release from Chainsaw and Candy Ass.[6] Captain is often discussed as a more outwardly queer album than Personal Best, with the former including lyrics such as "I'm a flaming S&M rubber dyke" and "queer sex is great."[7] The album is also praised for its themes of mental illness and reassurance.[7] Additionally in the late 90s, Team Dresch performed in and was interviewed for the 1997 documentary film She's Real (Worse Than Queer) by Lucy Thane, which showcased the 90's riot grrrl and queercore scenes.[8] Team Dresch disbanded in 1998 to work on individual projects.[1] During this break, Jody Bleyle was interviewed for the 2001 German documentary Step Up and Be Vocal, Interviews zu Queer Punk und Feminismus in San Francisco by Uta Busch and Sandra Ortmann.

In 2004, Team Dresch reunited to headline the Olympia queercore festival Homo-a-Go-Go, put together by the band's friend Ed.[4] They discuss their activity since 2004 as "taking things day by day and enjoying ourselves."[9] They performed sporadically, embarking on brief West and East coast tours throughout 2006 and 2007, including at California's Outfest.[10] They played in Portland and Seattle in September 2009, as well as in Brazil for two Ladyfest shows in May 2010.[11] They played some shows in the Pacific Northwest in 2014[9] in addition to some in 2017.[4] Also in 2017, they appeared in Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution, a documentary by Yony Leyser.

In March 2019, Team Dresch announced they would be reissuing their entire catalogue via Jealous Butcher Records in honor of the band's 25th anniversary.[12] The reissue allowed Marcéo Martinez, who came out publicly as transmasculine in 2019,[13] to have their name corrected in credits, which was "so important and necessary" for them to feel seen.[9] They also released previously unheard music through Jealous Butcher Records with Choices, Chances, Changes: Singles & Comptracks 1994-2000. This all came alongside the release of a new video for the band's classic track "Fagetarian and Dyke." The new visual featured never-before-seen live footage of the group, offering a glimpse into the wild mosh pit-filled shows of their heyday.[14] Along with the rerelease, they announced a US tour[15] as well as a release of a new single, "Your Hands in My Pockets," the band's first new music in 19 years.[12]

Most recently, Team Dresch released the single "Story of the Earth" in July 2020.[16] The "fast, raw, and simple"[17] song was written in 2007 in response to a rise in colony collapse cases.[16] On Bandcamp, the group stated that all proceeds from the single would be donated to the Trans Justice Funding Project.[17]

Discography[]

Albums[]

Singles[]

  • Hand Grenade / Endtime Relay / Molasses In January 7" (1994, Kill Rock Stars)
  • The New Team Dresch V 6.0 Beta 7" (1998, Outpunk Records)
  • Your Hands in My Pockets digital (2019, )
  • Story of the Earth digital (2020, Jackpot! Recording)

Split singles[]

  • Take On Me split tour 7" with Bikini Kill (1996, Banda Bonnet)
  • What Can A Lover Do? split 7" with F-80, Shove, and Dahlia Seed (1996, Marigold Records)
  • It's A Conversation split 7" with Longstocking (1998, Sub Pop)
  • Temporary Insurance split 7" with The Automaticons (2000, Mental Monkey Records)

Compilation appearances[]

  • "Fake Fight" on Periscope (1994, Yoyo Recordings)
  • "Seven" on Rock Stars Kill (1994, Kill Rock Stars)
  • "Song For Anne Bannon" on Free To Fight (1995, Candy Ass Records / Chainsaw Records)
  • "She's Amazing" (live) and "The Lesbionic Story" on Yoyo A Go Go (1996, Yoyo Recordings)
  • "Hand Grenade" on Some Songs (1997, Kill Rock Stars)
  • "Deattached (A Maximum Volume Interpretation)" remix by Christoph de Babalon on Join The Queercorps (1998, Queercorps)
  • "Fake Fight" and "My Voice" on The Shiner Cassette (Slo-Mo Records)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Manzella 10/5/2019, Sam. "In 1993, Team Dresch Started a Riot. Now the Queer Punks Feel More Vital Than Ever". LOGO News. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "about". TEAM DRESCH. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Team Dresch: Personal Best / Captain My Captain / Choices, Chances, Changes: Singles & Comptracks 1994-2000". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Portland Queercore Legends Team Dresch Are Coming Back Just When the World Needs Them Most". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  5. ^ "yoyo a gogo". web.archive.org. 2001-11-24. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  6. ^ "DISCOGRAPHY". TEAM DRESCH. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Minsker, Evan. "Team Dresch, Queercore and Riot Grrrl Pioneers, Announce Reissue Series". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. ^ "She's Real Worse than Queer (1997)". BFI. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Queercore Pioneers Team Dresch on Reuniting: 'We Just Love the Sh-t Out of Each Other'". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  10. ^ June 15, BrooklynVegan StaffPublished:; 2007. "Team Dresch – 2007 Tour Dates, new record in 2008". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2021-09-09.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Thurman, Rachel D. (October 29, 2010). "Catching up with Kaia Wilson". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Portland Riot Grrrl Legends Team Dresch Are Reissuing Their Entire Catalog and Going on Tour". Wweek.com. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  13. ^ Martinez, Marcéo. "Team Dresch Instagram post". Instagram.
  14. ^ "Team Dresch Is Back and Gayer Than Ever". Papermag.com. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. ^ Exposito, Suzy (2009-06-04). "Team Dresch Make Mighty Comeback With New Song 'Your Hands My Pockets'". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Nast, Condé (2020-07-09). "Team Dresch Share New Song "Story of the Earth"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Story Of The Earth, by Team Dresch". Team Dresch. Retrieved 2021-09-09.

External links[]

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