Frightwig is an all-female punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1982 by Deanna Mitchell and Mia d'Bruzzi. The current lineup of Frightwig consists of Deanna Mitchell, Mia d'Bruzzi, Tina Fagnani, and Rebecca Sevrin.

History

Formed in San Francisco in 1982, Frightwig has produced several songs criticizing patriarchal norms. In an interview with SFGate, D’Bruzzi stated that the band's name came from a slang word that was popular at the time, which meant, "a woman who has been out drinking cocktails, and she started out looking pretty good. Then it’s just the end of the night. Her tights are ripped, her lipstick’s smeared. Mascara’s down the face, and she’s still tipsy." Frightwig has released cult-favorite albums including Cat Farm Faboo (Subterranean Records 1984), Faster, Frightwig, Kill! Kill! (Caroline Records 1986), and the EP Phone Sexy (Boner Records 1988). Frightwig has had different lineups, including the addition of

Eric Drew Feldman Eric Drew Feldman (born April 16, 1955) is an American musician. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Pal ...

(

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

, Snakefinger,

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...

, Pere Ubu,

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

, Knife & Fork), in 2012. Throughout the 1980s, Frightwig toured America, Canada, and Europe, and opened for

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

and Redd Cross. On May 4, 2017, band member Cecilia Kuhn died of cancer. Her bandmates honored her wishes that Frightwig would not disband. In 2023, Mitchell, d’Bruzzi, Feldman, Sevrin returned with a new album, released on Label 51 Recordings. 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.

Legacy

Frightwig was a significant influence on the Riot grrl movement, inspiring

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group originally consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pio ...

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, L7, and

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described seeing a Frightwig show on the same night as

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of L7 and

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of Babes In Toyland. She said they "all decided to start bands the next day. They are the true grandmothers of riot grrl." Frightwig has also influenced bands such as

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and

Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...

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wore a Frightwig T-shirt under his cardigan during Nirvana's performance on

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

Most recent lineup

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

Former members

*Rachel Thoele *Susan Miller *Tana *

Paula Frazer Paula A. Frazer (born April 24, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and Arkansas and moved to San Francisco in 1981. Her music is frequently described as melancholic alternative country, but with ...

*Lynn Perko *Bambi Nonymous *Alistair Shanks *Anne Harney *Robert Castenada *Dana Ross *

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Cat Farm Faboo'' (1984;

Subterranean Records Subterranean Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco. Founded by Steve Tupper and a then partner, Michael Fox in 1979, it focused on that city's underground punk rock, punk and industrial music scene. Subterranean and fellow ...

) * ''Faster, Frightwig, Kill! Kill!'' (1986;

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label that was founded in 1973. Founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976 and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label rel ...

) * We Need to Talk... (2023; Label 51 Recordings)

Singles/EPs

* ''Phonesexy'' EP (1990;

Boner Records Boner Records was an American independent record label in Berkeley, California, owned by Tom Flynn (musician), Tom Flynn. Between 1982 and 1993, Boner released recordings by Fang (band), Fang (Flynn's band), Verbal Abuse (band), Verbal Abuse, MDC ...

) * ''Hit Return'' EP (2013, self-released) * ''War On Women'' 7" Single (2014, self-released)

Compilations

* ''Teriyaki Asthma Volume III'' (V/A compilation) (1990;

C/Z Records C/Z Records was a Seattle-based punk rock record label established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. It started with the release of '' Deep Six'', which collected early recordings of what later came to be known as grunge. After ' ...

) * ''Teriyaki Asthma Volumes I-V'' (V/A compilation) (1992;

) * ''Wild Women Never Die...'' (compilation of first two albums) (1993;

Southern Records Founded 1992 by John Loder, Southern Records is an independent record label (Loder also ran the recording facility Southern Studios). It is based in London and until 2008 had offices in the United States, France and Berlin. The label is clos ...

)

References

External links

* * * http://www.mamamiadbruzzi.com {{Authority control All-female punk bands American post-punk music groups Punk rock groups from California Musical groups from San Francisco American feminist musicians Proto-riot grrrl bands Boner Records artists