Frightwig

Frightwig
Frightwig
Origin	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock
Years active	1982–1994, 2012–present
Labels	Subterranean; Caroline; Boner; Southern; Label 51 Recordings;
Members	Deanna Mitchell; Mia d'Bruzzi; Tina Fagnani; Rebecca Sevrin;
Past members	Rachel Thoele; Susan Miller; Tana; Paula Frazer; Lynn Perko; Bambi Nonymous; Alistair Shanks; Anne Harney; Robert Castenada; Dana Ross; Cecilia Kuhn; Eric Drew Feldman;
Website	http://frightwig.org

Frightwig is an all-female punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1982 by Deanna Mitchell and Mia d'Bruzzi.^[1]

Frightwig's current lineup is Deanna Mitchell, Mia d'Bruzzi, Tina Fagnani, and Rebecca Sevrin.

History[edit]

Since forming in San Francisco in 1982, feminist punk pioneers FRIGHTWIG have been wielding joy and smashing the patriarchy. With life-changing live shows that spread revelry and revolution, Frightwig became a formative influence on the Riot Grrrl movement and paved the way for the likes of Hole, L7, and Lunachicks, among others. The band’s cult-favorite albums Cat Farm Faboo (Subterranean Records 1984) and Faster, Frightwig, Kill! Kill! (Caroline Records 1986), plus the EPs Phone Sexy (Boner Records 1988) captured the hearts of fellow freaks and outcasts. Songs like “My Crotch Does Not Say Go,” “A Man’s Gotta Do What a Man’s Gotta Do,” and “Crazy World” upended the masculine hardcore scene by infusing it with the vicious wit of women on a tear. Tours with Flipper, Butthole Surfers, and Redd Kross saw Frightwig screaming and shredding their way through glass ceilings and unapologetically leaving behind a pile of shards. Co-founders Deanna Mitchell (bass, vocals) and Mia d’Bruzzi (guitar, vocals) discovered a soul sister in Cecilia Kuhn (drums, vocals). The trio obliterated the stages at The Farm, Mabuhay Gardens, and the Fillmore with a level of intensity that flabbergasted audiences, critics, and fellow artists. Over the years, the lineup featured different casts of characters — including the addition of Eric Drew Feldman (Captain Beefheart, Snakefinger, Frank Black, Pere Ubu, PJ Harvey, Knife & Fork), in 2012 — but the core tenets of the band never wavered. More than just a punk rock coven, Frightwig is a vehicle for art as activism and has certainly contributed to the American counterculture rooted in their hometown. On May 4, 2017, band member Cecilia Kuhn died of cancer.^[2] After Kuhn transcended this world, her bandmates decided to honor her wishes that Frightwig forge ahead. In 2023, Mitchell, d’Bruzzi, Feldman, and veteran Frightwig guitarist Rebecca Sevrin returned with a new album, released on Label 51 Recordings- We Need to Talk...including a bonus single honoring their long-time drummer. A collection of 11 songs (four of which were previously released) recorded with Kuhn on drums, vocals, and accordion and produced by Eric Drew Feldman, We Need to Talk... was cited by KQED in their list of Best Bay Area Music 2023, and Grammy.com lists Frightwig as one of the 10 Bay Area Punk Bands to Know (1/17/2024). The addition of new drummer Tina Fagnani completes the lineup and continues a legacy 40 years in the making.

Most recent lineup[edit]

Deanna Mitchell (Vocals/Bass)
Mia d'Bruzzi (Vocals/Guitar)
Tina Fagnani (Vocals/Drums)
Rebecca Sevrin (Vocals/Guitar)

Former members[edit]

Rachel Thoele
Susan Miller
Tana
Paula Frazer
Lynn Perko
Bambi Nonymous
Alistair Shanks
Anne Harney
Robert Castenada
Dana Ross
Eric Drew Feldman

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Cat Farm Faboo (1984; Subterranean Records)
Faster, Frightwig, Kill! Kill! (1986; Caroline Records)
We Need to Talk... (2023; Label 51 Recordings)

Singles/EPs[edit]

Phonesexy EP (1990; Boner Records)
Hit Return EP (2013, self-released)
War On Women 7" Single (2014, self-released)

Compilations[edit]

Teriyaki Asthma Volume III (V/A compilation) (1990; C/Z Records)
Teriyaki Asthma Volumes I-V (V/A compilation) (1992; C/Z Records)
Wild Women Never Die... (compilation of first two albums) (1993; Southern Records)

References[edit]

^ Alexandra, Rae (September 26, 2023). "Legendary SF Punk Band Frightwig Returns With 40th Anniversary Album". www.kqed.org. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
^ Jones, Kevin L. (May 8, 2017). "Cecilia Kuhn, Drummer for Influential Feminist Punks Frightwig, Dies at 61". KQED Arts. Retrieved October 9, 2019.

External links[edit]

[1] Alexandra, Rae (September 26, 2023). "Legendary SF Punk Band Frightwig Returns With 40th Anniversary Album". www.kqed.org. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.

[2] Jones, Kevin L. (May 8, 2017). "Cecilia Kuhn, Drummer for Influential Feminist Punks Frightwig, Dies at 61". KQED Arts. Retrieved October 9, 2019.

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