Babes in Toyland (band)

Babes in Toyland was an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Kat Bjelland, a native of Oregon, along with drummer Lori Barbero and bassist Michelle Leon, who was later replaced by Maureen Herman in 1992.

Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland in 2015, from left to right: Maureen Herman, Lori Barbero, and Kat Bjelland
Background information
OriginMinneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Years active1987–2001; 2014–2020
Labels
Associated acts
MembersKat Bjelland
Lori Barbero
Clara Salyer
Past membersMaureen Herman
Michelle Leon
Chris Holetz
Cindy Russell
Dana Cochrane
Jessie Farmer

Babes in Toyland released three studio albums: Spanking Machine (1990), followed by the commercially successful Fontanelle (1992), and Nemesisters (1995), before becoming inactive in 1997 and eventually disbanding in 2001.

In 2014, the band reunited, and the following year began performing live together for the first time in over a decade.[4] They completed an international tour throughout 2015, during which bassist Herman was fired and replaced with Clara Salyer. The band later broke up in 2020.

History

1987–1991: Formation and early years

Babes in Toyland formed in 1987, after frontwoman Kat Bjelland met drummer Lori Barbero at a friend's barbecue. Originally from Woodburn, Oregon and a former resident of San Francisco, Bjelland had moved to Minneapolis to form a band.[5] Bjelland was a self-taught guitarist, and at the time Barbero had no experience playing any instruments.[6] Bjelland commented: "Hopefully, from being technically inexperienced, you can use your imagination, and play the drums like an instrument instead of just being a beat-keeper. And play the bass like you feel it, from your gut, instead of saying, 'Here's my scales.'"[7] In its initial formation in 1987, in addition to Bjelland and Barbero, the band included Kris Holetz on bass and singer Cindy Russell.[8]

Following the departures of Holetz and Russell, it was believed that the band briefly recruited Bjelland's friend and former bandmate, Courtney Love, on bass, as Love claimed to have been "kicked out" of the band.[9] However, during a 2015 interview, Bjelland and Barbero refuted this, with Barbero stating: "She lived in my house, and one time I think when we were rehearsing she came down and probably picked up something and tried to play and we were just like, "get out of here."[10] However, Michelle Leon, who was hired as the group's bass player, claimed that she was briefly replaced by Love as bassist shortly after joining.[11] After the group rehearsed with Love on "a couple" of occasions, Leon stated Barbero called her and asked her to re-join the band.[11] It has been noted that several songs from the Babes In Toyland's debut album shared lyrics and verses with several songs by Hole, most notably Hole's first several singles, including b-sides from "Retard Girl" and "Dicknail".[lower-alpha 1]

Bjelland performing with Babes in Toyland in Groningen, Netherlands, 1991

The group began performing shows at local art galleries and other venues in late 1987.[12] Local journalist Jon Bream recalled: "They were a sort of loud, abrasive, angry, obnoxious thing at first and very amateurish in a sense. And then they developed over time into something that was pretty amazing...The shows just seemed to make more sense. There was a focus there...They were able to connect with the audience."[13] In 1989, they released their first single, "Dust Cake Boy", through Sub Pop records' singles club in 1989.[14] The band entered the studio in 1989 to record their debut album, Spanking Machine, which was recorded with grunge producer Jack Endino at Seattle's Reciprocal Recording and released in April 1990 on Minneapolis' Twin/Tone Records.[15] The album caught the attention of underground rock band Sonic Youth, whose frontman Thurston Moore invited the band to perform on Sonic Youth's 1990 European tour to promote their latest album, Goo.[16] Babes in Toyland subsequently performed alongside Sonic Youth at 1991's Reading Festival,[17] which was documented in Dave Markey's music documentary, 1991: The Year Punk Broke.

British DJ John Peel was also a fan of the album, citing it as his "favourite album of 1990."[18] During the band's tour with Sonic Youth in 1990, Babes in Toyland recorded a radio session for John Peel, one of the many Peel Sessions. The band also completed a second session with Peel in 1991, and the sessions were released as The Peel Sessions — the band's second EP — in 1992. Their first EP, To Mother, was composed of outtakes from Spanking Machine and was released in July 1991; To Mother was a commercial success, entering the UK Indie Chart at number one, and remaining in the top position for ten weeks.[19]

1992–1995: Mainstream success

After touring in 1991, the band entered the studio for a second time to record their major label follow-up to Spanking Machine. Bassist Michelle Leon left the group in early 1992, shortly after the death of her boyfriend, Joe Cole.[20][13] Maureen Herman was recruited as her replacement. With this new line-up, the band signed with Warner Bros.'s Reprise Records.[13] Their second studio album, Fontanelle was recorded in Cannon Falls, Minnesota and in New York City, and featured production from Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo.[21] Fontanelle was released in 1992,[21] and sold over 250,000 copies in the United States alone.[22] The lead single on the album, "Bruise Violet," is said to be an attack on Courtney Love.[23] However, Bjelland denied this, saying instead that "Violet" was the name of a muse to both her and Love.[24] A music video for "Bruise Violet" was shot in the SoHo loft of photographer Cindy Sherman, who also appears in the video as Bjelland's doppelganger. Sherman's photos appear on the covers of Fontanelle and the group's second EP, Painkillers, and the imagery was recreated on stage banners with the artist's permission.[25]

In 1993, the band was chosen to take part in that year's Lollapalooza tour,[26] playing alongside such acts as Primus, Alice in Chains, Dinosaur Jr. and Rage Against the Machine. During dates at Lollapalooza, the band released their third and final EP, Painkillers, in June 1993.[27] In 1994, journalist Neal Karlen began writing Babes in Toyland: The Making and Selling of a Rock and Roll Band, which dealt with the band's signing to Warner and the recording of Fontanelle.[28] Commenting on the book in retrospect, Bjelland said: "I feel bad for [Karlen]. He told me he lost a lot of his notes halfway through, and he spent his advance. So he made a lot of it up. Part of it’s true. But a lot of it’s not. He’s apologized."[29]

On April 8, 1994, Babes in Toyland played a benefit show for Rock Against Domestic Violence with 7 Year Bitch, and Jack Off Jill in Miami at the Cameo Theater, the same day lead-singer of American grunge rock band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, had been found dead in his Seattle home.[30] Around the same time, the band were featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and were referenced in a 1995 episode of the sitcom Roseanne[31]

In May 1995, the band released their final album, Nemesisters. The album received mixed reviews, with Lorraine Ali of Spin writing: "With Nemesisters, Babes in Toyland's molten core seems to have somewhat solidified; this album ultimately lacks the conviction, depth, and even direction of its predecessors."[32] The band described the recording process of the album "diverse", "experimental" and "spontaneous" and that the writing and recording process was "very different" as the band were working under pressure.[33] Tours for the album took place throughout Europe - notably with a date at Denmark's Roskilde Festival - the United States, and Australia.

1996–2001: Herman's departure, Katastrophy Wife and breakup

The band lost their contract with their record label when Herman left the band due to hip problems in 1996. Dana Cochrane, formerly of the band Mickey Finn, played bass with the band on live gigs in 1996 and 1997.[34] Original bassist Michelle Leon briefly rejoined the band for a short period in 1997, when Babes in Toyland were constantly breaking up and reforming and planning on releasing a fourth studio album. In 1998, the band was credited with the song Overtura: Astroantiquity/Attacatastrophy on the CD Songs of the Witchblade: A Soundtrack to the Comic Book, which Bjelland co-produced. Bjelland and Barbero played with a new bassist, Jessie Farmer, in 2000.[35]

However, a year earlier, Bjelland had formed a new band, Katastrophy Wife. Babes in Toyland performed a reunion show billed as "The Last Tour" on November 21, 2001–which was released as a live album called Minneapolism–and this was not only the last Babes in Toyland show, but also the last official activity at the time. Bjelland played a number of shows in Europe in 2002 under the title Babes in Toyland with a new drummer and bassist from the British band Angelica; however, Bjelland stopped using the name after Barbero and Herman raised legal issues.[36]

2014–2020: Reunion, tour and second breakup
The band playing at NOS Primavera Sound 2015 in Porto

In an interview with Lancer Radio at Pasadena College on July 26, 2014, Kat Bjelland and Maureen Herman confirmed that they were getting back together to write new material and play shows.[37] They played their first reunion show in Pioneertown, California at Pappy And Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on February 10, 2015.[38] They played their second show at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, California on February 12, 2015. They were introduced by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine who recalled on his experiences performing with the band at Lollapalooza in 1993. The show's other celebrity guests included Patty Schemel, Eric Erlandson, Brody Dalle, and Donita Sparks.[39]

The band embarked on an international tour in May 2015, beginning with shows in England, Scotland, Spain, and Italy, followed by a North American tour, which included performances at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival and the Montreal Pop festival.[40] In Minneapolis, where the band formed, the trio played on the Walker Art Center's lawn for the two-day Rock the Garden festival, June 20–21, 2015.[41]

In August 2015, midway through the band's tour, bassist Herman was fired from the band, for originally unspecified reasons, and replaced with Clara Salyer.[42] In December 2015, Herman claimed the reason she had been asked to leave the band was due to an article she had written for the website Boing Boing on the sexual assault of Runaways bassist Jackie Fox by manager Kim Fowley in 1975 and Joan Jett's denial of having witnessed it.[43] Herman stated that because of Barbero's business connections with Jett–namely Barbero producing an album for a band under Jett's record label, Blackheart Records–Herman was kicked out of the band.[43] Barbero responded in a subsequent interview:

It’s just really fucked up. Kat and I have not said a bad word about her, and we wish her the best. It just makes me really sad, because we have so much history together. It’s honestly not what we wanted to happen. Do you think we wanted to fire our bass player? It’s not a fun thing to do. Two months before we let her go, Kat and I were so upset we couldn’t eat, we couldn’t sleep–we really didn’t want to do it, but we didn’t have any other choice. There are many, many, many reasons, but of course she’s making it so it’s our deal, like she did nothing wrong at all. Time heals all, but I don’t think there’s enough time for this one.[44]

In May 2020, Lori Barbero confirmed on the podcast Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal that Babes In Toyland once again broke up and there was very little chance of further reunions.[45]

Legacy
Babes in Toyland's star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue

Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote of the band: "Babes in Toyland is about as harsh as rock music gets–guitarist Kat Bjelland screams and thrashes her guitar to the gut-pounding, throttling beat of bassist Maureen Herman and drummer Lori Barbero... the all-female trio offer no escape from their strongly female-oriented, but not necessarily feminist, rock."[46] Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill said in a 2010 interview: "Babes in Toyland was a band that was hugely important to us and we were like, God if only we could play awesome shows like Babes in Toyland.".[47]

The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[48] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.[49] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.[50]

Members

Final lineup

Former
  • Maureen Herman – bass (1992-1996, 2014–2015)[51]
  • Jessie Farmer – bass (1997–2001)
  • Michelle Leon – bass (1987-1992)
  • Cindy Russell – lead vocals (1987)[8]
  • Kris Holetz – bass (1987)[8]

Timeline

Discography
Main article: Babes in Toyland discography

Bibliography
Year Title Author Publisher
1991 Babes in Toyland Lyric Book Babes in Toyland Twin Tone Records
1994 Babes in Toyland: The Making & Selling of a Rock & Roll Band Neal Karlen Avon Books
2016 I Live Inside: Memoirs of a Babe in Toyland Michelle Leon MNHS Press

See also

Notes
  1. "Fork Down Throat" was performed as a Hole song in 1990 at their second and third shows, and verses from "Swamp Pussy" can be found in Hole's first recorded track, "Turpentine". Lines such as "spit to see the shine" and "my doll mouth to your deaf ear", which come from some of Hole's first singles, are found scattered in several songs from Spanking Machine as well as Fontanelle. Although it is believed that it is possible that Love and Bjelland had written some of these songs/lines together, Bjelland originally wrote the lyrics alone after moving by herself to Minneapolis.

References
  1. Helman, Peter (August 22, 2014). "Reunited Babes In Toyland Are Rehearsing". Stereogum. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  2. "Sense Of Place Minneapolis: Babes In Toyland". NPR. December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  3. Sutton, Michael. "Courtney Love | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  4. Barton, Laura (February 22, 2015). "Babes in Toyland: 'Our reunion is all about the friendship'". The Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  5. Taylor 2006, p. 21.
  6. Kuehnert, Stephanie (November 28, 2016). "Don't Do It 'Cause You Think You Have To: An Interview With Lori Barbero". Rookie Magazine. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  7. Schoemer, Karen (March 27, 1992). "Pop/Jazz; Post-Punk Angst of Babes in Toyland". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  8. Gaar 2002, p. 389.
  9. Brite 1998, p. 111.
  10. Swennson, Andrea (March 10, 2015). "A California desert interview with Babes in Toyland". The Current. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  11. Leon 2016, p. 23.
  12. Leon 2016, pp. 23–4.
  13. Cromelin, Richard (November 25, 1992). "Year of the Kat : Kat Bjelland's penchant for purging her emotions brings Babes in Toyland to the brink of alternative rock stardom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  14. Leon 2016, p. 38.
  15. Earles 2014, p. 22.
  16. Leon 2016, pp. 109–12.
  17. Leon 2016, p. 142.
  18. Leon 2016, p. 148.
  19. "Babes in Toyland: To Mother [Vinyl]". Southern Records. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  20. Leon 2016, p. 154.
  21. Earles 2014, p. 23.
  22. Earles 2014, p. 24.
  23. "Babes in Toyland". April 20, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  24. Garis, Mary Grace (October 15, 2014). "7 Songs That Are About Courtney Love ... Probably". Bustle. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  25. Schmelzer, Paul (February 7, 2013). "Completely Punk Rock: Cindy Sherman's (Nearly) Forgotten History with Babes in Toyland". Walker Art Center. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  26. "Dispatches Latter-Day Grunge". Time. July 12, 1993. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  27. Charles, Aaron (July 1993). "Painkillers". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  28. Mifflin, Margot (August 12, 1994). "News Review: Babes in Toyland: The Making and Selling of a Rock and Roll Band". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  29. Conner, Shawn (September 2, 2015). "Still rocking: Babes in Toyland vocalist Kat Bjelland talks about touring after 20 years". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  30. Baker, Greg (April 6, 1994). "The Hits Just Keep on Coming". Miami New Times. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  31. ."The Getaway, Almost". Roseanne. Season 8. Episode 7. ABC.
  32. Ali, Lorraine (May 1995). "Babes in Toyland: Nemesisters". Spin: 95 – via Google Books.
  33. "Babes in Toyland Tosses Some Covers for Reprise Set". Billboard: 14, 21. March 18, 1995 – via Google Books.
  34. Groebner, Simon Peter (July 10, 1996). "MMA Cribsheet". City Pages. Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  35. St. Paul Pioneer Press, November 24, 2000
  36. Scholtes, Peter (March 20, 2002). "Babes in Conflict". City Pages. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  37. DeVille, Chris (June 27, 2014). "Babes In Toyland Reunion Is On". Stereogum. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  38. Swensson, Andrea. "Babes in Toyland end their 14-year hiatus with 'magical' California desert reunion show". The Current. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  39. Fonarow, Wendy. "Babes in Toyland Return as Ferocious as Ever at L.A. Comeback Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  40. Minsker, Evan (May 26, 2015). "Babes in Toyland Announce Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  41. Davis, Paul M. "Visceral Live Therapy: A Babes in Toyland Comeback". Walker Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  42. Riemenschneider, Chris (January 28, 2016). "New Babes in Toyland bassist Clara Salyer relishing her 'dream-come-true' gig". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  43. Ewens, Hannah Rose (January 4, 2016). "Ex-Babes In Toyland bassist says rape essay got her fired". Dazed Digital.
  44. Boller, Jay (December 30, 2015). "Ex-Babes in Toyland bassist says rape essay got her booted from band". City Pages. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  45. "Ep166: Lori Barbero (Babes in Toyland)". Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal. May 8, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  46. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, "Babes in Toyland", AllMusic
  47. "Kathleen Hanna inspires riot grrrls and a new revolution". AfterEllen. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  48. "The Stars". First Avenue & 7th Street Entry. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  49. Bream, Jon (May 3, 2019). "10 things you'll learn about First Avenue in new Minnesota History Center show". Star Tribune. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  50. Marsh, Steve (May 13, 2019). "First Avenue's Star Wall". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  51. Lecaro, Lina. "BABES IN TOYLAND BASSIST MAUREEN HERMAN ON ADDICTION, RECOVERY AND REUNIONS (VIDEO)". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2015.

Works cited
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