- K.C. Fennessy
- Sara Landeau and Kathleen Hanna
The Julie Ruin
Run Fast
(TJR-Dischord)
“Peppermint Schnapps and super-sized sundaes with chocolate sauce.”
—the Julie Ruin, “Run Fast”
There’s a reason Kathleen Hanna disappeared for six years after the end of Le Tigre and before the beginning of the Julie Ruin (the band, not the solo record she released in 1998).
If you’ve seen the documentary The Punk Singer, you know about her struggles with Lyme disease, and if you missed it, this interview will catch you up. She may have also needed a break from music-making—as well as the adoration of some pretty intense fans—but she’s back now and sounding better than ever.
If Le Tigre seemed like an odd fit for a major label, Hanna returns to her riot grrrl roots by putting out the first Julie Ruin album on her own. Nonetheless, it plays more like an extension of Le Tigre’s electro-pop than Bikini Kill’s agit-punk (the five-piece includes bass player Kathi Wilcox from Bikini Kill and keyboard player Kenny Mellman from Kiki and Herb). The emphasis on rubbery party grooves also reminds me of the early B-52’s, especially since Mellman handles the vocals on one song, “South Coast Plaza,” while adding counterpoint to several others. My favorite Mellman moment: when he contributes to the “Girls Like Us” chorus.
