Step Into the “Dark Fairytale” of Farmer’s Wife at the Bluebird Theater

Farmer’s Wife isn’t afraid to mess with Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

The Austin outfit previously known as Sludge burst onto the scene, musically waving its middle fingers loud and proud, in 2022 with its debut single, “Greg Abbott’s Maxi Pad.” The catchy surf-rock song, which has amassed over 1.1 million streams at this point, served as a direct response to Roe V. Wade being overturned just as the band became active in 2021.

“Living in Texas, it’s a red state, and we have [government] representation that’s not necessarily interested in being progressive for women and other marginalized communities,” says 22-year-old vocalist Molly Masson. “That was really on our minds as we were creating art and taking a look at the atmosphere that it was going to exist in. The title itself is a ‘fuck you’ to the situation that we’re all in.”

The five-piece that changed its name to Farmer’s Wife shortly after “Greg Abbott’s Maxi Pad” began blowing up even received an invitation to play the tune from the steps of Austin City Hall, thanks to drummer Jaelyn Valero’s connection as a policy adviser for a city council member at the time.

“That was a really surreal experience,” Valero, 25, says.

Then, just this past summer, the city council declared August 29 to be Farmer’s Wife Day.

“They’re so proud of the band, and they were just always amazed that we were talking about these things and would make a song about Greg Abbott,” she continues, adding how promoting the single also served as her introduction to Farmer’s Wife as an official member.

“It was really exciting because it was like, ‘Fuck, yeah. I get to join a band that isn’t scared,'” says Valero. “That was the first impression everyone got of the band, and it was so exciting to get to be a part of a project that’s not afraid to make that kind of statement right off the bat.”

It’s safe to say that the de facto protest song continues to resonate with people inside and out of the blue-bubble capital, which is surrounded by a sea of red.

“It explodes into this channeling of anger and frustration,” says bassist Jacob Masson, 24, who is siblings with Molly. “I think everyone’s been in a situation where you’re dealing with some figure of authority and it’s like, ‘Really? That’s what you’re going to do?'”

But Farmer’s Wife, which doesn’t consider itself a political band, is going to do its thing, too. Even the moniker, inspired by Grant Wood’s iconic 1930 painting American Gothic, is challenging age-old assumptions of traditional gender roles.

“The look on that woman’s face is very haunting and thought-provoking,” says Molly.

“We talked a lot about going against the idea of domestication of women,” Valero adds. “We’re not going out of our way to make these statements. These are things that are just constantly happening in our lives. To us, it doesn’t feel like a bold statement. It’s another part, another chapter in our lives.”

“It’s our perspective,” Molly says.

Now, armed with its 2023 EP, There’s a Monster, and a quiver of unreleased material, Farmer’s Wife – which also includes 22-year-old guitarists Jude Hill and Derek Ivy – is focused on creating an escape from the harsh, everyday realities more than anything with its 1990s-inspired shoegaze and daydream-inducing indie rock. The group likes to call its sound a “dark fairytale” vibe, according to Valero. The new music video for song “Swarm” is the visual representation of that, but you never know what you might get live.

Step into the weird world of Farmer’s Wife on Monday, November 25, at the Bluebird Theater. Cloud Nothings and Armlock are also on the bill.

“We do play a good amount of unreleased music,” explains Valero.

“Being in the Austin music scene, we were playing almost two shows every weekend. That was the norm for a long time before we ever even had music out,” she continues. “We’ve gotten really comfortable with testing music out on audiences and basing our songwriting off how people respond in the live setting. I think we’re kind of still doing that on tour. That’s pretty important to us and feels really good to do.”

That’s still the case, to a degree, Molly adds.

“This tour that we’re on gives us more freedom to really put ourselves out there and make an impression and fail. If things go wrong, it’s like, ‘Okay, we can just play tomorrow,'” she says. “I think in our live shows, we’re more focused on putting together a show that feels really authentic to us and fun to play. I do feel like people walk away really resonating with the experience of it.”

It’s not so much about having a “standard” performance as it is welcoming fans down the rabbit hole, the quiet Ivy adds.

In that way, Farmer’s Wife is there to support the audience in whatever capacity that may be.

“No matter what they’re going through, they’re not alone,” Jacob concludes.

Farmer’s Wife, with Cloud Nothings and Armlock, 7 p.m. Monday, November 25, Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Ave. Tickets are $39.