Create to Destroy! BITCH SCHOOL
I first heard of BITCH SCHOOL when I saw their review in MRR and liked what I read! Being a huge GIRLSCHOOL and MOTÖRHEAD fan, I had to find out more about these tough Portland broads! Here is BITCH SCHOOL, by Amelia…
What Music scene do you come from?
Lisa: I was into Van Halen, B.O.C., AC/DC, then got invited to a punk rock house show in Reno. It was DOA’s first tour of the U.S….all house parties! SEVEN SECONDS and THE WRECKS played. I showed up with feathered hair and a LED ZEPPELIN shirt, and they knocked me down and kicked me in the head. I got up and said, “This is awesome!” In the early ’80s, I moved to L.A. and had an all-girl band called DIRTY SWEET—we played the Cathay De Grande. In the mid-’80s I had a fanzine called It’s All Over and I interviewed thrash and metal bands like VENOM, MOTÖRHEAD, MEGADETH, G’N’R, POISON, KIX, WITCH, BITCH, etc…
Linda: I was pretty sheltered. I stole cassette tapes like AEROSMITH and LED ZEPPELIN from my older sister. But I had a preference for female-fronted bands like BLONDIE and HEART when I was young.
Did you grow up in a punk or metal scene?
Linda: I was more of a metal head. I would drive around in my VW listening to METALLICA’s Ride the Lightning while my baby was in the car seat, my big hair taking up so much space—hard to drive!
When was the first time you heard MOTÖRHEAD and GIRLSCHOOL?
Lisa: The Hard Rock split 12″ they put out in ’79, but I didn’t hear it till the early ’80s…
How did you start BITCH SCHOOL?
Lisa: In 2010, we started as a three-piece but then our drummer and bass player exploded, I think…
Linda: Lisa asked me to join in on rhythm guitar and I was stoked because my last band was more garage. I wanted to rock harder…
What other bands have you been in?
Lisa: First band was BARKING SPIDERS, then DIRTY SWEET, LADY SPEED STIK, THE DIE JOBS, HELLSIDE STRANGLERS, THE ALTARBOYS, and now BEEOTCH SCHOOL!
Linda: MOLLYBOLT and MS. 45.
Were you always going for a certain sound?
Lisa: I was writing cow-punky stuff, then turned into a Joan Jett-y, RUNAWAYS, GIRLSCHOOL-type thing…
Where was your first show?
The Agenda in Portland, which is now a strip club.
What bands do you usually play with in Portland?
We try not to play with the same bands, mix it up….
Any upcoming tours?
Lisa: We’d love to tour, I’m looking for a van now!
Linda: We’d love to tour Europe…but we’d probably play the West Coast, then Midwest and East Coast…
How can we stay up to date on BITCH SCHOOL?
Facebook and Reverbnation.com/bitchschool
Any last words?
Lisa: You don’t have to be a bitch to be in BITCH SCHOOL!
Linda: Bitches Unite! And by “Bitch” we mean strong women who give real meaning to the word!
