Têtes Noires Explained

Têtes Noires
Landscape:yes
Years Active:1982—1998
Origin:Minneapolis, Minnesota
Genre:Rock, alternative rock, punk rock, folk rock
Label:Rapunzel, Rounder
Past Members:Polly Alexander
Cynthia Bartell
Angela Frucci
Camille Gage
Jennifer Holt
Renée Kayon
Chris Little

Têtes Noires was a rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota,[1] best known for their "casually mocking" feminist lyrics and for three- and sometimes up to six-part vocal harmonies.[2] Founded by former Miss South Dakota Jennifer Holt, they gave concerts from 1983 until about 1987, and recorded three albums[3] which received positive reviews nationally. As Susan Borey wrote for Spin, the name means "black heads" in French, which they used to describe their hair color (like birds and not a complexion problem).

Founding and personnel

Holt (vocals, violin) formed the band in 1982, as a one-time performance art project. Acceptance and critical acclaim made them a sextet. Along with Holt were: Polly Alexander (guitar), Cynthia Bartell (bass, vocals), Angela Frucci (piano, keyboards), Camille Gage (vocals), and Renée Kayon (percussion, vocals).

They used a 1950s drum machine named "Barbie" until their third album when drummer Chris Little joined.[4] Gage, Holt, and Kayon did lead vocals.[5] Gage and Holt were the primary songwriters. As they explained to a writer for Spin, the band was a self-managed collective: Holt and Gage did public relations, Alexander did the finances, Bartell did record distribution and promotion, Kayon took care of graphics, and Frucci drove their truck.[6]

Touring

Gage said about their first show in 1983 at the Pride Festival in Loring Park, "What we were doing was very unusual. The music was unusual. What was frustrating is that you reach a point where you want people to listen to the music and get past the novelty aspect and pay attention, which I think people do relatively quickly".[7]

The band toured for five years, playing CBGB, Folk City and the Walker Art Center.[8] They played The Bottom Line twice in 1985, once opening for Richard Thompson.[9] At the time, Minneapolis had a healthy indie music scene that included Prince, The Replacements and—booking acts from across the world—the nightclub First Avenue where the band played many times from 1983 through 1986.[10] [11]

Recordings and critical reaction

Critics loved all three albums, and more universally applauded their first two, both self-produced on their own indie label, Rapunzel. Trouser Press thought their second album, American Dream, showed what they could do as songwriters: topics covered included the Unification Church, the American family, world peace and gay murder. They also thought the singers "could blow the Bangles off the map".

The band then worked with Victor DeLorenzo and Brian Ritchie of Violent Femmes who produced their third album.[12] In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Holt explained the addition of a drummer, "the feeling was our music wasn't weird enough to get art grants and yet without a drummer it wasn't accessible enough to a lot of people".[13] Holt said of their song "Bless Me", an "irreverent" look at religious confession, "it's just in fun for us, and that's kind of the way we are ... we like to poke fun at American institutions". A review for iTunes said it, "mixed folk and choral influences with the kind of lighter new wave sound of Blondie and the B-52's" and that:

In 2007, Jon Bream, music critic for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, called them the "late, almost-great 1980s arty popsters".[14] Writing during the same year in his book, Music Legends, Martin Keller calls the band "highly influential" and says they paved the way for Babes in Toyland and ZuZu's Petals.[15]

Billboard said in 1985:[16]

John Bush, writing for Allmusic, said their third album, Clay Foot Gods, "proved a disappointment, much more commercial than the first two LPs."[17] Spin said in 1987, however, reviewing the same album:[18]

Discography

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Walsh, Jim. Tetes Noires founder Polly Alexander dead at 47. October 31, 2005. City Pages. The Village Voice. January 24, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101013042816/http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2005/10/tetes_noires_founder_polly_ale.php. October 13, 2010.
  2. News: Pareles, Jon. Pop: Tetes Noires In Concert. July 27, 1985. The New York Times. January 24, 2012.
  3. Web site: Têtes Noires. Billboard. January 24, 2012.
  4. Web site: Fleischmann, Mark . Robbins, Ira . amp . Têtes Noires. Trouser Press. January 24, 2012.
  5. News: Jurrjens, Julie. Tetes' Novel Style Brings House Down. The Michigan Daily. July 17, 1985. January 24, 2012.
  6. News: Borey, Susan. Têtes Noires is French for blackheads.. SPIN. 1. 9. January 1986. 10.
  7. Web site: The History of Women's Music in Minnesota. Rebekka Fisher. January 24, 2012.
  8. Web site: Camille Gage: The Art of Co-Creation. On the Commons. January 24, 2012. dead. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20140310062652/http://onthecommons.org/art-co-creation. March 10, 2014.
  9. Web site: Time Line. The Bottom Line. January 24, 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20120720184208/http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_85.html. July 20, 2012.
  10. Web site: First Avenue & 7th Street Entry Band Files. 1977–2004. Minnesota Historical Society. January 24, 2012.
  11. News: Walsh, Jim. Back in the Days: Minneapolis, 1985-86. Spin. January 26, 2012. April 2000. 16. 4. 166.
  12. Web site: Clay Foot Gods. iTunes. January 1987. Apple. January 25, 2012.
  13. News: Huet, Timothy. Têtes Noires will turn heads. The Michigan Daily. September 30, 1987. January 24, 2012.
  14. News: Bream, Jon, Chris Riemenschneider and Tom Surowicz. The big gig. December 27, 2007. Star Tribune. January 24, 2012.
  15. Book: Keller, Martin. Music Legends: A Rewind on the Minnesota Music Scene. 2007. 90–91. D Media. 978-0-9787956-1-0.
  16. McCormick, Moira. Tetes Noires: West End, Chicago: Tickets $5. Billboard. 97. 23. June 8, 1985. 45.
  17. Web site: Bush, John. Têtes Noires. allmusic. Rovi. January 25, 2012.
  18. News: Walter, Kate. Têtes Noires: Clay Foot Gods (Rounder). SPIN. 3. 7. Nov–Dec 1987. 32.