More than three decades after they founded heavens to betsy, Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer still have something important to say.
Just as riot grrrl punk rock and feminism pushed for inclusivity, bodily autonomy, and gender equality in the early-to-mid ’90s, there is arguably an even greater need for the scene to rematerialize in an age where women’s voting rights and healthcare access are under siege, as is the safety of any marginalized community. Now, the longtime friends and musicians have answered the call by reuniting as heavens to betsy, the DIY punk project they famously founded back in the riot grrrl halcyon days, among like-minded Olympia artists in Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, and Bratmobile.
Corin and Tracy first met growing up in Eugene, Oregon, bonding over a shared love of music before forming heavens to betsy after Corin’s move to Olympia and immersion in the burgeoning riot grrrl scene. Their first performance came at the International Pop Underground convention’s landmark Girl Night, where the fledgling duo played for an audience that included members of Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Calamity Jane. Buoyed by the support of their peers, heavens to betsy quickly became one of the defining voices of a movement that reshaped punk rock and feminist culture alike.
Between 1992 and 1994, heavens to betsy released three 7″ records and their now-classic full-length, Calculated, via Kill Rock Stars. Powered by Corin Tucker’s unmistakable howl and Tracy Sawyer’s driving musicianship, their songs tackled subjects rarely addressed in punk at the time: rape culture, body image, queerness, friendship, and intersectional politics. Just as importantly, heavens to betsy became a space for Corin and Tracy to process their own experiences while giving other women a place to unpack theirs, transforming personal rage and vulnerability into songs that helped define a generation of punk.
Calamity Jane is one of the most influential cornerstones of early 90’s PNW punk. The seminal band was formed in 1988 in Olympia, WA and relocated to Portland, OR in 1989. Known for their “driving rock riffage”, they toured relentlessly and are featured on indie labels K, Kill Rock Stars, Regal Select, Sympathy for the Record and more. Their album Martha Jane Cannary (1991 SMR UK) was applauded by the music press, charting for months in the PNW Top 20 (The Rocket) in 1992. They have been named as an inspiration by countless musicians and have been hailed as “riot grrrl pioneers”, “best proponents of Grunge” and one of Grunge music’s “sublime all-female outfits”. The story of their final 1992 appearance with Nirvana in Buenos Aires became a grunge legend, in which Kurt Cobain infamously punished the audience for their cruel and sexist treatment of his hand-picked opening act.
Singer/guitarist Gilly Ann Hanner has remained an active PNW musician ever since (Braille Stars, No.2, Desír) and also appears in Party Witch. For the first time in 35 years, founding members Gilly Ann Hanner and Lisa Koenig reunite, adding PDX punk stalwart Mandy Morgan (Nasalrod, Berzerk) on bass.