I am in awe of Girl Trouble!
(The band, not the actual concept…)
I can’t remember the first time I ever witnessed the band in concert… whether it was at Marsugi’s, the Cactus Club, Paradise Lounge or maybe even Upstairs Eulipia, but it was during one of their visits to the SF bay area during the mid-80s, and I thought they were fantastic.
They were a band from Tacoma, Washington that was absolutely adored whenever they visited the SF bay area. It was always fun whenever they were in town, and they often stayed at my friend Myke Destiny‘s house….. which usually turned into a default party after the show!
Fast forward to the present, and they’re still an active band 30+ years later! It seems like it’s been a few decades or so since they’ve ventured back to the SF bay area, but the band is still doing shows, mostly doing gigs around the Tacoma-Seattle region.
A few months ago, I picked up a Blu-Ray of their official documentary “Strictly Sacred: The Story of Girl Trouble.”
It brought back a lot of fun memories, and I learned a lot of things about the band I never knew before
I didn’t realize that FAMILY was such an essential part of who they are. I had no idea that Bon and Kahuna were even related, much less brother and sister. Unlike a lot of other rock bands, their families were very supportive of their musical careers. The director of this documentary, Isaac Olsen, is also a family member, and there’s a cute moment in the film where his birth is part of the story.
WiG-OUT was a highly entertaining little publication put out by the band, and I didn’t realize they printed it themselves, as most of the band members work at the same print shop.
Neko Case was one of their Go-Go dancers? Yet another thing I didn’t know about…
This documentary is a wonderful cinematic representation of the band. There’s great stories enhanced by some wonderful little bits of animation, also created by director Isaac Olsen. I also loved the beautiful photography that captured the raw essence of their hometown of Tacoma.
The thing that most impressed me most about the film is how passionate the band is about staying true to the essence of who they are. Whether it’s fighting over album cover art orchestrated by record companies or the pay-to-play promoters that tried to force the band to sell tickets to their own show, Girl Trouble is a band that remains steadfast to their core convictions.
This is a great documentary on a band I really love, and I recommend it to anyone that appreciates this rock ‘n’ roll music stuff.
I recently discovered that I share something very special with this band.
We both came into existence on March 9th!
Girl Trouble made their debut appearance 32 years ago (1984) at the Fort Steilacoom Community College for a “Battle of the Bands.”
March 9 is indeed a fine day for birthdays This year, Google celebrated March 9 on their main page with an acknowledgment of the 105th birthday of Clara Rockmore, master / co-developer of the Theremin, a wonderfully quirky music instrument utilized for the soundtracks of multiple science fiction films, as well as various Beach Boys records.
March 9 is also the birthday for Amerigo Vespucci, Vyacheslav Molotov, Paul Wilbur Klipsch, Mickey Spillane, David Pogue, Ornette Coleman, Keely Smith, Mickey Gilley, Bobby Fischer, John Cale, Raul Julia, Juliette Binoche, as well as Mark Lindsay (original vocalist of Paul Revere & the Raiders) and John Kandarian (road crew veteran for the Kingsmen, and various other great bands).
I’m thinking it should probably be declared a national holiday, but I will admit to being somewhat biased….
Either way, I leave you with this inspired version of LOUIE LOUIE by the band i just finished writing a bunch of words about.
You can also PURCHASE a copy of their recording of LOUIE LOUIE on the official documentary soundtrack, available at the official Girl Trouble Wig-Out page!
…… so go ahead… stomp and shout, and work it on out… !!
– E.P.
(administrator and zookeeper for LouieLouie.net; producer of LOUIE documentary; March 9th enthusiast)
Reference:
The official Girl Trouble Wig-Out page