Ms. Led’s Righteous Energy
Q&A With Lesli Wood and Rebekah Allred
By Matt Brown
Ms. Led recently became one of my favorite Seattle bands, based mainly on their righteous angry energy and joyful blasts of up-tempo, danceable rock music. An all-ages show last month at Chop Suey with the Pharmacy proved to be an exceptional gig, the predominantly female crowd up front giving off a cheerfully rowdy vibe that complemented a strong performance from the band.
I recently asked lead vocalist/guitarist Lesli Wood and Ms. Led fan Rebekah Allred (who is, more often than not, in charge of the merch table with her partner, writer Stefka Kmeicik) about the importance of all-ages shows and some of the new songs the band played at Chop Suey.
NadaMucho.com (to Rebekah): How’d you get involved with Ms. Led?
Rebekah Allred: We first saw them play about 4 years ago at the Wild Rose’s beer garden during the Pride Festival. They were amazing, so Stevie started talking with them, and we just progressively became friends. I like that they are upbeat and fun without being "pop" music. I like that they are political. And I enjoy that they’re proud to be "out."
Ms. Led’s Righteous Energy
Q&A With Lesli Wood and Rebekah Allred
By Matt Brown
Ms. Led recently became one of my favorite Seattle bands, based mainly on their righteous angry energy and joyful blasts of up-tempo, danceable rock music. An all-ages show last month at Chop Suey with the Pharmacy proved to be an exceptional gig, the predominantly female crowd up front giving off a cheerfully rowdy vibe that complemented a strong performance from the band.
I recently asked lead vocalist/guitarist Lesli Wood and Ms. Led fan Rebekah Allred (who is, more often than not, in charge of the merch table with her partner, writer Stefka Kmeicik) about the importance of all-ages shows and some of the new songs the band played at Chop Suey.
NadaMucho.com (to Rebekah): How’d you get involved with Ms. Led?
Rebekah Allred: We first saw them play about 4 years ago at the Wild Rose’s beer garden during the Pride Festival. They were amazing, so Stevie started talking with them, and we just progressively became friends. I like that they are upbeat and fun without being "pop" music. I like that they are political. And I enjoy that they’re proud to be "out."
NadaMucho.com: Your recent Chop Suey all-ages show was a blast, Lesli. You seemed to really feed off of the crowd reaction…
Lesli Wood: Music is for everyone. I can’t even tell you how many great bands I would have missed if I hadn’t been able to see shows until I was 21. Plus, all-ages shows always have the best energy, the most enthusiasm, and the most appreciation for the bands.
RA: I like all-ages shows because we have a lot of friends who are under 21 and we can’t go to bar shows with them. I like Chop Suey, because there is a separate place for people over 21 if they want to drink. And even though Stevie and I don’t drink, its nice to be able to be separated from the "kids" sometimes. We saw the Gossip there, and it was amazing.
LW: I LOVE the Gossip. Beth (Ditto) can sing like a motherfucker. And that new album (Standing In The Way Of Control) is awesome. I also love how unabashedly in-your-face Beth is in interviews. In The Stranger, her response to female musicians who won’t call themselves feminists was "I hate them". Me too, but she had the balls to say it.
NM: You previewed some new material at the show. Which of your new songs are you most proud of?
LW: Hmm, it’s hard to say. I’m always so excited about the new songs. I’d say it’s either "I Said Jump, Damnit" because it’s the most political and I’m happiest with the arrangement. Or there’s "Because Light Is A Woman," which is a quote I stole from Steve Albini and a song I wrote in Mexico with my girlfriend after I THOUGHT she gave me two ibuprofen for my cramps but she had mistakenly given me two NoDoz. Let’s just say I don’t do well with caffeine…..
NM: When and where do you plan to record the next album?
LW: We’re considering a couple of studios. We’re most likely going to have Kramer (founder of the influential NYC Shimmy Disc label, former member of Bongwater and Gumball) produce it. He’s a legend. He’s responsible for a ton of great music, and he did a killer job on Afternoon in Central Park (Ms. Led’s watershed 2002 album – mixed by Kramer), so it’s looking like he’s our man.
As for the “when†part? Whenever we fish writing the album. I’m infamous for rushing into things, and I just want to take a lot of time with these songs. So “when†could be a long time, but I think we’re all hoping by late this year, early next year. 