Hot Grrrl Shit

Soundbite Landfill- Moonmill

Anyone who knows me knows I have a long-standing trepidation towards forming close relationships with musicians, which I know sounds crazy, but I live in fear of someone I really like as a person playing me a song I really hate and not knowing how to navigate that conversation. Luckily, I’ve never had that problem with Moonmill. I was first introduced to Moonmill a little over a year ago through mutual friends, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Moonmill’s Kaye Hamada and Mary Collins are just as sweet and clever as their music suggests. Getting to know them as musicians and friends introduced an unforeseen problem: what do you do when you want to listen to your friends bands songs all the time, but they’re unreleased? Thankfully, on April 17th, that problem became no more when they released their debut EP, Soundbite Landfill. The Soundbite Landfill is the perfect coming-of-age Lillith-Faire-esuq EP to get you through early Spring

Le Bang

If Le Tigre had an indie sleeze french daughter, it would be Le Bang. I had the privilege of seeing them at Nightclub 101 for the release of their newest single Fashion Police. Their use of bright colors and comic-book-like props made their performance as cheeky and fun as their lyrics. If you’re looking for A new artist to add to your dancing playlist, I highly recommend Le Bang

Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys- Viv Albertine

I read a lot of female musicians’ memoirs, and (for good reason) many of them avoid going on too long about boys. I think there’s a conception that topics like clothes for boys are reductive, and that any real feminist should avoid such stereotypically vapid topics. But the way Albertine describes them with such passion and care is incredibly vulnerable and infectious. Sometimes it’s nice to remember you can be a badass feminist and also want a cute boy to like you. I love how relatable this behind-the-scenes peek into the life of a feminist punk legend is. If you have any interest in 70s punk culture, fashion, or music, this book is an incredibly detailed who’s who and what’s what of the scene. 

Liar Mouth- John Waters

If you’re looking for a quick train read that will leave you thoroughly entertained, check your local library for Liarmouth yesterday. The book follows Marsha Sprinkles, an anti-sex, misandrist, scammer, and certified Diva. If you’re a John Waters fan, this book includes all of the hallmarks of his iconic films, including (but not limited to) Baltimore, drag queens, senseless violence, and a plot climax at an analingus festival. What more do I need to say? I truly can’t remember the last time I read a book that leaned this far into the absurd, and it absolutely paid off. 

Bedazzling 

I sprained my ankle on Easter Weekend, which means I spent the first few glorious weeks of Spring inside with my leg iced and elevated. While my friends were out enjoying the sun, I became, frankly, a little obsessed with bedazzling. This was not my first rodeo; my Grandma gifted me a bedazzler for my 11th birthday, so in a way, picking it back up has been a return to form. I find Bedazzling to be delightfully tedious, and the end result is almost always incredibly impressive looking. It’s a great low-stakes craft because you can literally bedazzle everything, and even if it doesn’t turn out exactly how you pictured, it’s still sparklier than it was before. It’s also a great activity to do with friends. In the past few weeks, I’ve bedazzled a mini-zine holder, countless lighters, my CD player, my cane, my headphones, my pillbox, and my speaker. 

Black Zine Fair

A little shameless self-promo, but I spent most of April prepping for the zine event of the year, Black Zine Fair! BZF is one of the most diverse, accessible, and well-organized zine events I’ve attended and vended. I’m super stoked to be debuting two new zines: the official Hot Grrrl Shit Syllabus and Hot Grrrl Shit Issue 3: the Party Issue! I’ll also be selling pins, keychains, lighters, and perhaps some bedazzled goods! BZF is on Saturday, May 9th, from 11 am-6 pm at Power House Arts in Brooklyn! RSVP is free. I hope to see you guys there!