Lust-Cats of the Gutters is a band whose roots are planted firmly in the same fertile soil as acts like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and the Frumpies. Fiercely independent, the band has found itself being touted by Courtney Love and purportedly being courted by a certain Seattle-based record label. Even though Cats Robin Edwards and Alex Edgeworth are tight-lipped about their talks with the imprint, they did weigh in on how Ms. Love came to be a fan and what, exactly, the term "riot grrrl" means to them.
Westword: There's a rumor going around that you have been talking to the good folks at Sub Pop Records. Any truth to that?
Robin Edwards: We can't confirm or deny that.
Alex Edgeworth: Sub Pop — that's a bargain soda company, right? I think that's something my dad said. No, that's just a stupid, stupid joke. Now it's in print.
You were name-dropped by Courtney Love last year on Twitter. How did she hear about the band? Have you had any contact with her since then? Has that opened any doors for you?
RE: Our friend Sara [Thurston] posted about listening to one of our songs on Twitter, and Courtney follows Sara, so she heard it through that post. We haven't had any other contact with her, but we wanna be best friends. I don't think that it has really opened any doors for us, but it was super exciting, because we love Courtney and Hole so much. It's pretty unreal and inspiring to get a shout out from one of your heroes.
AE: I'm actually pulling for Cyndi Lauper to come spirit us away.
You have upcoming shows at both the hi-dive and Glob. Which do you prefer: bar shows or all-ages shows?
RE: All-ages, but the hi-dive has a nice sound system. We'll play anywhere. I wanna play a prom.
AE: Yeah. All-ages shows and house shows, any day. A prom would be totally excellent. I'd also play a pizza parlor, a wedding, a Christmas parade and a key-to-the-city ceremony.
The term "riot grrrl" gets thrown around a lot when describing you. How do you feel about this term? Do you feel a kinship toward it, or do you think it's a meaningless term?
RE: I love riot grrrl and am really influenced and inspired by bands like Bikini Kill, so it's awesome to be associated with the movement. But at the same time, it gets kind of frustrating that any female playing loud music these days is automatically labeled with that term. I am definitely influenced by riot grrrl, but we have a lot of other influences, too.
AE: It was a great sound, but as far as a scene goes, it had far too many rules. Being a girl was one of them. That bores me a little.
