01/27/2024
It’s time for the latest GMR ACTION! So what is it? Huh? It’s GRRRIZZLY!!!!
Who dat you ask? Well, la GRZZZ is a two-woman Oly power-duo I recorded last summer who are ready to conquer the world in 2024. Why not! So go buy it right here, right now!!
bandcamp.https://grrrizzlyband.bandcamp.com/album/grrrizzlycom (You can also buy it right here in Oly at Rainy Day, Lantern Records and Mossy Bottom Records.)
The backstory. March 25, 2023 I went down to a dinky club in Oly to see GRRizzly playing with the great Oly band Nudity. GRRRizzly rocked. So I said let’s make a record and this is it.
Next, here’s their completely official lowdown.
Olympia, WA’s own Grrrizzly has released their brand-new debut album featuring 17 explosively heavy punk rock songs! From their first driving, hard-hitting single, "Overlooked,” to their electric, doom-laden banger “Acid Rain," which has been described as "Sabbath meets Riot Grrrl," Grrrizzly proves that they’re not f***ing around. This is one dirty duo you need to hear!
Grrrizzly is a ferocious all-girl duo featuring Lisa Koenig on guitar/vocals and Liz Franklin on drums/vocals. Lisa, whose other bands include Calamity Jane and Creep, and Liz of The Mesmerizers and Tea in the Harbor have joined forces and are making a wall of noise that will smack you in the face, chew you up, and spit you out. Lisa's raw, grunge-spirited singing and roaring punk rock guitar, mixed with Liz's smooth, brassy vocals and thunderous drum fills, create a filthy rock n’ roll tornado that blends together effortlessly.
Side effects of this album may include screaming, crying, throwing up, dancing violently, shaving your head, wearing all black, piercing every cavity on your body, getting immoral tattoos, telling your parents (or your kids) “it’s not a phase,” having a sudden urge to see Grrrizzly play live, and begging for more!
And now, here’s a little interview action:
Tom: Hi Grrrizzlies! First album - how did you like recording?
Lisa: It started off fun for me but then I had sort of a nervous breakdown in the middle of all of it and kind of checked out in the process. I had never recorded as a guitar player/ vocalist so this was all new to me. Took a couple months to come back to finish it but I am so happy with the end result! For our first album I think it's pretty darn good!!
Liz: LOVED it!! Had never professionally recorded my drumming before & had an awesome experience. It was definitely a long journey from start to finish and had its challenges throughout, but was so worth it! All thanks to the master - Tom Dyer!
Tom: How did you get started? Didn't you used to have a bass player?
Lisa: Yes, my friend Tess Fox was the bass player. I hadn't talked to her in 25+ yrs and she called me up during the pandemic and asked if I was down to play music with her. I said, "well you know I can't get to my drumset so I started learning guitar and I'm having a lot of fun with that, so I can play guitar with you." We met up at Nisqually reach at a picnic table outside, me with an acoustic guitar and she brought an acoustic bass. That's how it all started. We got Damon from Jaguar Paw to play drums (who coincidentally, is a great guitar player who said he'd been playing drums during the pandemic, lol) but then he couldn't devote his weekends to practice so we luckily found Liz thru a friend referral. So, yeah it was Tess, Liz, and I from the end of 2021 on. Tess left us in the summer of 2022 though so Liz and I went on without her and realized how fast the songs were now getting done. I started playing heavier chords and adjusted my sound to a more low rumbly distorted guitar and so we left it at that. Seems to be working for us - for now anyway!
Liz: As Lisa said, Tess was our original bassist. We were a cool trio, but ultimately it didn’t work out with Tess. But now as a duo with Lisa, I feel like Grrrizzly has transcended itself and become the band it was always meant to be. I wouldn’t change a thing about our story.
Tom: Do you play a lot - do you have shows lined up?
Lisa: No, not as much as I'd like. Liz is in school right now and says she doesn't have a lot of time for shows or even practice. We do have a couple shows coming up though! Thurs Feb 8th at Rhythm's Coffee in Olympia. It's a great coffee shop that has open mic and all ages punk/indie shows in the evenings. It's a fun place to play. (If you haven't been there you need to try their coffee!) And then Sat March 2nd we will be playing with the Stuntmen and Spiders from Uranus at the Mortuary which is gonna be awesome. Another all ages show which are the bomb in Olympia.
Liz: We definitely play shows around town pretty regularly & hope to play more in the near future! We have mostly been focusing on getting the album out for the time being. And, as Lisa said, I’m in grad school at the moment, so that takes most of my time.
Tom: Lisa - you used to be a drummer in a bunch of RiotGrrrl bands, now you're the guitar player and Liz is the drummer. What's up with that?
Lisa: Yes, I was in a band called Calamity Jane in the early 90's. Once we broke up I kind of removed myself from the music scene for uh, I don't know...about 25 yrs! Then an interview came up with a band called Skating Polly who said we were one of their influences and it kind of reignited my wanting to play music again. I'm so glad I found them, they're so cool, I love them! And now THEY'RE an inspiration to me..lol. So, when I moved back to Wash, my band, Creep, reformed in 2019 and I started playing drums again. And then the pandemic hit, then I started learning guitar and then GRRRizzly formed and here we are. I'm loving playing guitar/singing over drums. Liz is an amazing drummer. I constantly am learning new things by watching what she does. I'll go to Creep practice and be trying out her fills I watch her do at GRRRizzly practice, lol. We are such different players so it's nice to try something new. But yeah, I think I am more comfortable playing guitar and singing so it works out good. I'm digging it.
Liz: Of course I’m the drummer. I can’t play guitar for s**t. What would Grrrizzly be if we were a band of two drummers? Haha
Tom: Do you consider yourselves a feminist band?
Liz: I definitely consider myself to be a feminist. Grrrlz to the front, y’all! Love to play in a fierce female duo and listen to other badass women in music.
Lisa: I don't like to put labels on things but we do pride ourselves on being an all girl band!
Tom: If one of your songs were to be used as THE anthem to end global warming, which one would it be? Why that one?
Lisa: Great question...ha! Well Liz is probably gonna say “Acid Rain” but I'm gonna go with “Get Off of My Grass”. It wasn't meant to mean anything but rhymy placeholders till I thought of real lyrics but I spoze since the lyrics go "STOP! Get Off of my grass. And DON'T! Toss your trash. And PLEASE! Don't wipe your feet. On MY! New doormat..." Now I'm not gonna think of the song the same, lol.
Liz: Definitely Acid Rain, I love that song. It is very much a song that suits this topic. Nature fights back. Like, for example, the lyrics: “Mother Nature's wrath is coming down on man” and “Earth awaits its vengeance at last”.
Tom: Anything else you'd like to add?
Lisa: Just really looking forward to this year and how people perceive our first album! Thank you!
Liz: Rock on! & we hope you love the new album!
