Bangs
Sweet Revenge
Kill Rock Stars
As an outsider, it has gotten quite difficult to discern what bands are main projects and which are side projects in Olympia. Musicians are involved in so many projects at once, you need a program to keep it all straight. The Bangs feature Sarah Utter, who is also in Witchypoo, Kyle Ermatinger, and Maggie Vail who also plays in Gene Defcon, and is the publicist for Kill Rock Stars. With all of this activity, you might think the quality of the product would suffer. The reality seems to be that all of these musicians working together in different collaborations are actually keeping the scene fresh and not allowing it to become bogged down in sound-alike bands. The Bangs have worked up a cute but strong sound that fits somewhere in between Sleater-Kinney and Cub. Their hook-laden songs are instantly likeable, and warrant repeated listenings.
Kill Rock Stars, 120 NE State St. #418, Olympia, WA 98501; http://www.killrockstars.com
