Discovering the best worst band ever

I read a discussion on a mommy blog somewhere about whether or not parents should force children to go to college.

Personally, I think forcing an adultish child to go to college is a bit fruitless. But what about other endeavors? Say, would you force your children to start a band?

What about if your superstitious mother had a premonition that you would have daughters that were in a band? Then would make your kids quit high school and start taking voice and instrument lessons?

Yeah, me neither. But that's exactly what Austin Wiggin Jr. did in the late 1960s.

In order to fulfill his mother's prophecy, he took three of his daughters, Dot, Betty and Helen, out of school and insisted they spend their days and nights practicing music and doing calisthenics.

They wrote songs and played gigs at the town hall and local nursing home for several years. Austin even used the family's savings to have the girls record an album titled “Philosophy of the World.”

When Frank Zappa heard that record, he claimed they were better than the Beatles. And even Kurt Cobain listed this girl-band as a major influence on his music.

So who was this band?

The Shaggs, of course.

Yeah, I had never heard of them either until this week when I saw this pictures:

I was immediately intrigued by this girl band from the 1960s of which I’d never heard, but served as inspiration to some serious musicians. Upon doing some web research, I came upon this article by Susan Orlean. It’s a thorough history of the three sisters from Fremont, New Hampshire.

I find the story compelling, not just because when I listen to their music, I find it atonal, awkward and well, … just plain bad, but because many who are involved with outsider music, they find the off-beat, tone-deaf sounds of the three young girls to be epic.

Being in a girl band (uh, I mean, a mostly, all-girl band), I am always looking to be inspired by other female musicians. I believed since I could do it, anyone could. Then l I listened to The Shaggs’ Who Are Parents?

Knowing that these girls practiced day in and day out, playing Saturday-night, town-hall gig after Saturday-night, town-hall gig and yet they could never synch the drums and guitar makes me believe that some prophecies are better left unfulfilled.

Why girl bands are awesome: Reason 386

Girl bands (or in our case, "mostly all-girl" or "all-girl fronted") are awesome because we care so deeply for one another.

Yesterday I woke up with an issue. My head was not correctly attach to my neck. It was listing to the right, painfully.

I've had this before. Been to the doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, physical therapists and ultimately ended up at the neurosurgeon who told me I've got some arthritis in my neck.

He suggestion was to go about my enjoying my life as usual.

Well, that was helpful. Because literally having my head on crooked was great and no one ever made fun of me.

Anyway, I started doing yoga and exercising regularly and I haven't had much problem with it since.

Until yesterday.

I saw Laurena yesterday morning and complained about my neck.

Her response?

"Oh no, not your guitar playing neck!"

No Markel Farkel Friday

I didn't Markel Farkel Friday last week. I know. Things at my job are getting more and more hectic and they aren't giving me enough free time to horse around AND get my blog updated. Stupid job getting in the way of my online life. Jeez.

No really, I'm super happy to have my job and super happy to be busy and not looking like someone that could be downsized, if you smell what I stepped in.

So I didn't get a chance to Markel Farkel Friday y'all.

So today I'll shower you with some pictures from an impromptu show Riveter played Saturday night.

See, we all went to the Peach Street Distillers to see The Freeman Social play at a big pig roast, bbq bash for the distillery's owner's birthday. After they were done, they said we could use their equipment and play some songs. So we did.

The Freeman Social

Bubba

Katie

Mike

It was fun. But, honestly, playing music is so much fun, I always wanna be doin' it.

You can tell by the casuallness of our attire that we had not planned on playing. But we rocked it rock 'n' roll style.

Yep, here we are rockin' The Freeman Social's equipment Riveter style.
Kelley belting out the tunes with me standing near the conveniently located porta potties.

Laurena being cute while trying to warm up her bass-playin' fingers.

Rockin' Mike's lovely vintage Gibson. Oh, how I love a Gibson.

Poor Boom Boom, this is how it always goes for the dummer — there's either the head of a guitar or a cymbal blocking their glamour shots.

Good times.

It's easy to get the Wrong Impressions

Bill's band, the Wrong Impressions, played at our favorite local watering hole, the Quincy Bar, Saturday night.

They played well and rocked the hizzouse. The crowd was awesome and we all had a great time.

Wrong Impressions fans are awesome ... as are our friends — even if they are a little bizarre.

But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, eh?

Why crickets are evil AND why girl bands are awesome

Here in western Colorado we have bugs. Huge, black, blood-lusty crickets and giant, flat, stupid "water bugs" that are actually Oriental roaches. Oh and spiders — we've got spiders and lots of them.

Almost every week during band practice there is some sort of bug incident.

The most notable was a tragic event that occurred at the end of a practice a while ago. We were sitting around in our pink, feather-trimmed negligees breathing heavy and dabbing at our glistening decolletes after our obligatory pillow fight (What? You don't think that is what goes on during our band practices? Believe me you'd be surprised. Just ask our dude drummer, Boom Boom. Why do you think he agreed to drum for a bunch of girls?) when Laurena shrieked, threw her bass case across the room and started frantically swatting her head.

Somehow a huge, black, blood-lusty cricket had hopped in her mop and was trying to bore its way into her brain.

It was horrible (for her — hilarious for us).

Today she forwarded me this video, proving that we are not alone with our distaste for the creepy crawlies.


Funny Videos

That dude screams just like Laurena.