An interview with the always-enlightening ladies of Free Verse!

Introduce yrselves!...Jenni: I sing and play guitar for Free Verse. Besides being in the band, I have a boring desk job during the day, and at night I’m either usually at the bar, at a show, or zoning out on Comedy Central./Machell: I play drums and sing in the band. I also compete in Strongwoman competitions, where you pull big trucks and flip tires; it’s so much fun! Besides that, I have the 9-5 cubicle job, where my eyes are buggin’ from my head at the end of the day./Lisa: Hey y’all, I’m Lisa, I play bass and sing back-up vocals.
How did the band meet? Any line-up changes or difficulties since the band's start?...Jenni: Lisa and I lived down the hall from each other in the dorms at Kansas University. We ended up meeting M towards the end of our freshman year through a mutual friend, and Presto! Free Verse was born./Machell: We did add a guitarist when we first moved to Seattle. She was a high school friend of Jenni's, and she had moved to Seattle when we did. That didn’t work out at all. So, after about a year, we got back into our three piece groove, and have learned our lesson about messing with the music chemistry we generate between the three of us./Lisa: Difficulties? The hardest period for me was the first two years in Seattle. I love Seattle, but our first winter was rough...it rained for about 115 days in a row! No joke, 115. Plus, were all getting used to a new city, full-time jobs, and another band member. It was hard to meet people, shows were hard to come by, and we were playing total dive bars. It kind of sucked and I think we all thought about calling it quits. Thank god we didn’t! We’ve come so far from those days. Things are going really well now-we’ve just started recording another full-length album, we’ve toured up and down the West Coast, and hope to get out to the East Coast soon. Sometimes I wonder what kept us going. Probably our passion for the band and each others' support.
You ladies play many different styles of music throughout yr different songs...do you all come from different musical backgrounds?...Jenni: We each have very different musical tastes, and we throw all our different tastes into the mix. I like a lot of hardcore/metal bands, but I really love a good pop punk song, as well as anything that makes me want to get off my ass and dance around the house./Machell: When I decided that I wanted to play drums, I took a couple months’ worth of drum lessons, then started playing along with the Cure songs. I’ve been playing drums for about 9 ½ years and have never been in any other band./Lisa: I picked up the bass to play in this band. I’ve jammed with other people but never been in a band besides Free Verse, unless you count junior high orchestra. We all have musical backgrounds. Jenni played drums and piano. M played the flute. I played the cello, violin, and trumpet. Anyway, I sometimes wish I had more formal training on the bass. I’m just now learning scales and chord progressions. An understanding of basic music theory makes songwriting SO much easier. At first, though, I think it’s helpful to play by ear, finding your own voice, and then learn about the theory behind what you’ve developed.
What do you consider yr main influences?...Jenni: Even though we don’t sound anything like them, I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from the Pixies. They rock./Machell : My main drum influences would have to include Fugazi and the Cure. Both bands really know how to place their drum parts and convey such emotion through the drum tones.
You seem to have very strong opinions on the issues of rape and women's rights...do you consider yrselves feminists?...Jenni: Yes./Machell : My beliefs and opinions are definitely feminist. As a human being, I think that it’s important to become aware of the underlying situations; realizing what is really going on, rather than just accepting mainstream messages. You really have to work hard at becoming aware and there is so much out there that it is overwhelming sometimes. There are so many 'isms' to deal with and figure out.
How did you develop such strong feelings on these topics?...Jenni: I think its just being aware of what is going on around you and being a participant in life. There are so many ways that women are objectified or discriminated against, being aware of those situations and finding positive ways to deal with them are really important to every woman./Machell: As a woman, I am confronted with what seems a constant barrage of stereotypes, sexist behavior and comments, media images loaded with female expectations and warnings of reprimand for nonconformity. I really think it’s the anticipated expectation of society which we question in our songs. Everyone has a role that you are expected to fill and if you spill outside of that selected mold, you’re confronted with boundaries of criticisms and societal disappointment, lathered with guilt trips trying to make you feel bad for simply trying to be yourself.
Who writes the lyrics/songs among you? Do you take turns?...Jenni: We all write lyrics for the songs, and we usually take turns depending on which one of us has a particular connection with the song.
Where do you get the inspiration for yr writing?...Jenni: I get inspiration from a variety of things…societal issues, relationships, stress/anger/everyday life, etc./Machell: Inspiration, for me, comes from living life and really paying attention to what’s going on around me. I usually work through issues by writing about them and then I can get a better idea about how I feel about a situation.
You formed in Kansas in 1995, and now live and play in Seattle, Washington...what is the biggest difference you can see between these two areas?...Jenni: Seattle has a ton of venues to play-Lawrence only had a few decent venues-and there are a lot more opportunities here to get involved with cool projects and meet great people. But Lawrence had a pretty tight-knit music community. People would watch a band on any given night-it could be anything from bluegrass to metal and people were into it. The cliques weren’t quite as cut and dry as they are here in Seattle./Machell: The Seattle scene seems more accepting of female musicians playing harder music; that’s what initially attracted us to Seattle.
Which area did you enjoy living in/playing in the most?...Jenni: I really like Seattle, but Lawrence was the perfect place for us to be at the time. Surprisingly, it has a really amazing music scene and a lot of talent has come that town. But small towns get old, and we eventually were ready for a new challenge. A major benefit to Seattle is that it is much easier to tour, since the major cities on the west coast are a lot closer together. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be right now than Seattle./Machell : I totally enjoy living in Seattle. We went to school in Kansas and I have wonderful family there, but I would never choose to live there–you’re landlocked there! Playing in Lawrence, Kansas was definitely fun, but I think there is so much more opportunity living in Seattle.
Is the scene where you live supportive of women?...Jenni: I think it’s pretty good. Not perfect, but overall I think most people here are pretty supportive. A major factor is the large number of women involved in the music community here. From writers to rock photographers to musicians to activists, there wouldn’t be much of a scene if the women disappeared.
What sort of reaction does yr music usually get?...Jenni: People usually love us or hate us. A lot of people really get into what we’re doing, which is awesome. There are obviously some people who just don’t like the kind of music we play. And then there are a few people that seriously can’t get past the 'angry woman' thing and write really bizarre reviews or attack our band more on a personal level rather than having any opinion on the actual music.
During yr touring up and down the West coast, where did you get the best audience response?...Jenni: 924 Gilman in Berkeley, California–this all-ages club has one of the most open-minded audiences we’ve ever played for. We’ve been there several times and it’s always been a highlight on the road.
How about the worst?...Jenni: We’ve had a few strange shows, but one of our first shows was playing a party in Lawrence that a bunch of weird angry jock guys showed up to. I could hear them yelling 'Yeah! An all pussy band'! I just remember thinking, 'Did they seriously just say that'!?! Later that night I remember yelling back and forth with some guy who was in line for the keg and wondering if we were going to fight. Ha! It was a really stupid party./Machell: Olympia, Washington has always been a strange place to play–from one of the sound guys at Capitol Hill Theater saying, 'Keep wearing those short skirts and you’ll go far', to playing to the horrified gaping faces of Indie Rockers when our guttural screams reached their ears.
I've heard rumors you recorded a new album, Generator, in May 2004, and are releasing it September 2004. What sort of sounds can we expect on this new album?...Jenni: Well, looks like we’ll actually be recording in June/July and releasing it in late November. I think the production quality will be a huge improvement over our last recordings. We snagged Jack Endino to do the recording, who has worked with Nirvana, Babes in Toyland, L7, Soundgarden, etc., so it should be great. I think the songs will sound similar to those on our 'Inventing An Archetype' E.P., but will have an even greater range of sounds and emotions on it. I definitely think it will be our best CD yet./Machell: I think that I’ve honed my skills on the double bass pedal so that I can really use it selectively on our new songs. On the new album, we are really concentrating on our vocal arrangement and focusing our themes so that our lyrics are as solid as possible.
Do you think yr music has evolved and changed a lot over the past few years and throughout yr albums, or do most elements still hold true?...Jenni: I think the sound has definitely evolved. When we first started I was the only vocalist and all I did was sing kinda quiet and high. Now we all sing and scream, we’re comfortable with our instruments, and we’ve incorporated more variety into our music. I’m very happy with the direction we’re heading in./Machell: The longer we play our instruments, the more our music evolves. I think that we all have made an effort to really perfect some songwriting and instrument skills since the last album.
What have you learned about yrself through being in this band?...Jenni: Standing up for yourself isn’t synonymous with being a bitch, even if someone else doesn’t understand the difference./Machell: Being in a band has taught me so much about myself. For example, I have heaped more boundaries and restrictions upon myself than 'society' ever will; which ultimately means that I have more control and choice than I was giving myself credit for. I also have learned that it’s okay to dig a little deeper and find out who I really am. Even if I’m disappointed with who I am or who I am becoming, at least I’m aware of it and can work to improve.
Any lessons that performing has taught you?...Jenni: To be confident and try to have fun no matter what the situation is.
What do you consider yr motto per say?...Machell: I love mottos on life. My favorite right now is: 'Do One Thing Everyday That Scares You' by Eleanor Roosevelt. And the motto that has gotten me through super tough times, as cheesy as it sounds, is 'Never Surrender', from that all-time favorite song by Corey Hart.
Is there anything else you'd like to add about yr band, yr experiences, and yr lives?...Jenni: One great thing about our band is that we’ve been together almost eight years, and we really are like sisters. It’s been such a positive experience to be around such bright, creative women–I feel empowered every day and am so happy to be playing music.