The Frumpies were an American

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band formed in 1992 in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...

. The original line-up consisted of singers/guitarists

Tobi Vail Tobi Celeste Vail (born July 20, 1969) is an American independent musician, music critic and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington. She was a central figure in the riot grrl scene—she coined the spelling of "grrl"—and she started the z ...

Kathi Wilcox Kathi Lynn Wilcox (born November 19, 1969) is an American musician. She is the bass player in Bikini Kill and guitar player in the Casual Dots. She was also a member of the Julie Ruin and the Frumpies. Music Wilcox attended The Evergreen Stat ...

, and

Billy Karren William Francis Karren is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the punk/riot grrrl band Bikini Kill, formed by Kathleen Hanna, with Karren, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox. He was also active in many other music projects, includin ...

(all of whom were also a part of the

riot grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington, and the greater Pacific Northwest, and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. A subcultural movement ...

band

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 ...

), and

Bratmobile Bratmobile is an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, formed in 1991. They are known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, surf ...

drummer

Molly Neuman Molly Neuman (born June 18, 1972) is an American drummer, writer and publisher, originally from the Washington, D.C. area who has performed in such influential bands as Bratmobile, the Frumpies, and the PeeChees. She was a pioneer of the earl ...

. Their debut was the 7-inch single ''Alien Summer Nights'' on the

Chainsaw Records Chainsaw Records is an independent record label run by Donna Dresch that is devoted to Queercore bands. The label is in Portland, Oregon. It is not linked to Chainsaw Records, UK. History ''Chainsaw'' began life as a zine published by Donna Dre ...

label. ''Babies and Bunnies'' was recorded in 1993, with future

Make-Up Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources or created syn ...

and

Weird War Weird War, briefly known as Scene Creamers, is an indie rock band based out of Washington, D.C. The current lineup consists of Ian Svenonius on vocals, Michelle Mae on bass guitar, Alex Minoff on guitar, and Sebastian Thomson on drums. Weird ...

bassist

Michelle Mae Michelle Mae is an American musician from the state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington, who is known for playing in rock 'n' roll groups such as Make-Up (American band), The Make-Up and Weird War (band), Weird War. Biography Mae began playing ...

signing on long enough to record "Tommy Slich." After a two-year hiatus, the Frumpies reunited in 1996, releasing the EP ''Eunuch Nights''. The CD collection ''Frumpie One Piece'' assembled all of the band's previous singles. The group's last release was the 2000 EP "Frumpies Forever."

Discography

*''Alien Summer Nights'' (7-inch EP) CHSW 6, released 1993. *''Babies & Bunnies'' (7-inch EP) KRS213, released 1993-08. *''Tommy Slich'' (7-inch, EP) Lookout 091, released 1993. *''Safety First'' (7-inch, EP) WIJ31V, released 1994. *''Eunuch Nights'' (7-inch EP) KRS322, released: 1998-09-23. *''Frumpie One-Piece'' (CD) KRS335, released: 1998-10-23. *''Frumpies Forever'' (7-inch EP) KRS366, released: 2000-08-01.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frumpies, The Punk rock groups from Washington (state) Musical groups from Olympia, Washington Riot grrrl bands American garage punk groups Kill Rock Stars artists