Riot Grrrl Band, Vial, Talks About Abortion and the Minneapolis DIY Scene
Back in August, Elsewhere in Brooklyn held a Riot Grrrl Fest presented by Weird Sister Records to rage for body autonomy. The event featured music acts Eevie Echoes, Mint Green, Madge, and Vial and included special guests Abortion Access Front, who educated the crowd on abortions, and Bad Static, who held a zine swap.
After the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court leak, feminists collected together voicing their outrage about having their rights infringed upon. This was seen through the nation-wide protests, the abortion rights information circulating online, and through meet ups just like the one at Elsewhere. We needed a safe space to talk about our anxieties and fears about the impending doom uterus having individuals were about to face.
At Riot Grrrl Fest, we were able to express these feelings through listening to music, through community bonding, and have some of our fears coaxed by the information presented to us by Abortion Access Front. But nothing could compare to the energy of release that occurred when Minneapolis Riot Grrrl band took the stage, and yelled out the lyrics to their latest release “Embryo“.
“ I wrote the lyrics to “Embryo” a week or two after the news leaked about Roe v. Wade possibly being overturned and I was really angry and upset and it felt like I needed to get out my emotions in a way that would be healthy and would make other people feel similar catharsis through the music,” said KT. “Embryo” came together very quickly as the band saw KT’s lyrical vision. They had jumped in head first with the instrumentation, and when they played it through the first time it all clicked.
“We wanted to release [it] to feel like we can do something to make our voices heard and can make a contribution to different abortion funds,” said Taylor.
In a post Roe world, plenty of aspiring feminist acts are emerging to express their activism through a medium that can transcend and be heard. Vial shared some advice on how you can crave your own space within the Riot Grrrl scene.
“I think one of the best things is finding a group of people that all believe in each other. If you all believe in each other and like what you’re doing and having fun and creating art that you want to make—you might have a rough day or you might have people that don’t believe in you—you’re still going to be making the most validating art that you can. So, find your friends and make art with them,” said Kate, former bandmate.
Besides finding a group of like-minded individuals that have an urge to get educated and well-versed on current issues that extend outside your own personal struggles because you need to be inclusive in your feminism.
“ I would say to make music that you are a fan of and like. So that if you play at a place where Riot Grrrl is not the vibe or if other people aren’t vibing with it as much then you’re still making the music for you. As long as you’re making the music for you and you’re a fan of the music then that’s all that matters,” said Katie.
Vial has faced certain instances in the midwest where they were met with misogyny.
“ I feel like we get dismissed a lot for our age and for our gender identity, and for what we have experienced thus far. And that would be another advice that I’d give to up-and-coming Riot Grrrl bands: You will experience some pushback from people that struggle with misogyny and with internalized misogyny and just know that you are valid in your art and creation and that what you create has worth,” said Taylor.
“We were very lucky to find a couple of these bands that had the same ethos and that were working towards the same thing and created our own little pocket in the scene. That was very helpful and if Riot Grrrl isn’t accepted in your scene where you’re trying to make it happen get a few other people that want to hear it and just start your pocket. Start throwing your own shows. Don’t stick around misogynic [people] who don’t care anyways,” said Kate.
Overall, they hope to see more youth enter the DIY scene and build communities where they can uplift each other. Vial is currently working on some new songs, as well as releasing a cover of Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings'“ on March 3, and touring.