Bitch: The New Gay Interview
Photo courtesy of Bitch
In The Ladies’ Room is on a bit of a hiatus this week while I’m busy covering DC’s premiere queer music festival, Phasefest. Spanning three days
and featuring 25 artists including The Cliks, Partyline and Athen’s Boy’s Choir, Phasefest is an awesome celebration of queer performers. This week, I’ll be conducting my first interviews ever for TNG. Here’s my interview with Bitch, the first of three interviews with Phasefest performers.
When my girlfriend found out that Bitch was coming to Phasefest this year, the first words out of her mouth were, “You have to interview her.” So I agreed, and got on the phone for a whirlwind chat with Bitch about the two-woman show she performed in over the summer, fundraising for her new album, what it’s like to produce her own album for the first time, and why she keeps coming back to Phasefest.
TNG Staff Contributor Amelie: You’ve been in Asheville [NC] doing your one woman show. Can you tell me a little bit about that? What’s that been like?
Bitch: I’ve been doing a show with one of my best friends. When I started my first band I was in acting school, and that’s where I met Animal. I’ve always taken a music-is-theater approach to life and work. And one of my best friends from acting school was doing this show, a two-woman show in Asheville, and she was already cast. They were looking for the other actress, and she kept thinking of me. I hadn’t acted in a while, and then I did Shortbus, and that re-reminded me of that side of myself and it was perfect timing. When she said she was doing the play in the summer, I knew I would be done recording the record by then. She tried to convince them to hire me sight unseen, but I guess they were intimidated by my name so I had to fly down and audition. And then I came down to do the show for the summer and stayed through the fall.
TNG: I’ve seen a bunch of the YouTube videos you created to try to help raise money for your album. What was the inspiration behind that?
B: The medium is so fun to play with, making videos like that and being able to post them on YouTube is so fun. I’ve done this a few times where I’ve gone to fans for support and I’ve done it with other albums. This also comes with recent discovery of video and how easy and accessible video is and getting to make art on another level. The fundraising is fun, it’s like hosting a game show.
TNG: How has the fundraising process been going?
B: We have 17 days left. Our fundraising goal was $10,000 and we have almost $6,000
TNG: Are we going to see a fundraising video blitz in the next few weeks?
B: I have a last minute plan. I have three videos ready to go and one will be out in the next few days.
TNG: This is also the first record you’ve produced all on your own. How do you think that effected the record?
B: I think this record–I think it was a way for me to step up to the plate. I produced Ferron‘s album and that was an enjoyable experience and I thought I was good at it, good at hearing the way I wanted the song to be.
It’s an interesting step…you would have thought that I would have had that thought of how I wanted to hear it, but I just realized I was able to hear the song before I actually heard it, if that makes sense.
Putting that with my own songs was challenging, but it made me take that next step of being a more empowered person. This is most clear collection of recordings I’ve put out. It’s all unavoidably me.
TNG: I know you’ve played Phasefest before. Why do you keep coming back?
B: We had such a good time there last year. I just find it inspiring, getting to share the stage with queer artists in the area. it’s just such an inspiration.
For more about Bitch, visit www.bitchmusic.com. Her new album, Blasted!, will be released next spring. And to help Bitch reach her fundraising goal to make the album a reality, click here.
Bitch plays Phasefest tonight at Phase 1. Tickets $15, Doors at 7pm, 21+
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