Not everyone thinks that “distaff” is a dirty word. From this week’s New Yorker:
Juliana Hatfield, a fixture on the independent-pop scene for more than a decade, specializes in distinctly distaff songs that range from mopey to angry, and she bolsters her tales of angst and ennui with some fine guitar playing. (emphasis mine)
An aside: I bought her first album when it was touted in this same magazine in 1992, without having a heard a note, when she was known as much for being the girlfriend of the Lemonheads’ Evan Dando (am I dating myself?) as for her own music. She was a member of the Blake Babies before heading out on her own, and I haven’t kept up much with her lately, but Friday night may well find me at the Bowery Ballroom checking out the latest.
Back to business: not loving the association between “distaff” and “mopey and angry,” but if “distaff” is good enough for the New Yorker, surely it’s good enough for the Breeders’ Cup?
Nice Lemonheads reference-not dating yourself, just showing some good musical taste.
Evan Dando hit on me once at a coffee shop when I was in college. I remember being creeped out and thinking ‘but isn’t he dating Juliana Hatfield?’
I had to slink off to Newbury Comics to buy some ska records to feel better.
The new Juliana record (“record”: am I dating myself?)is great. She’s playing the Brattle Theatre here in Cambridge on Sunday night. Sunday nights are tough for me, but I might go. I never thought I’d see a Blake Babies reference on this blog in a million years! FYI: She also has a book coming out in a couple of weeks.
I’m sort of afraid to listen to the Lemonheads now–will I cringe at what I used to like?
Hilarious anecdote, Superfecta–back in the days when I grooved to men whose hair was longer than mine, I’d have swooned if Evan Dando had hit on me, Juliana be damned!
Thanks for the info on the new album (yes, retro-tech as well)–send a report if you go to the show!