Out musician Carrie Brownstein is mostly known for being one-third of the now-defunct legendary band Sleater-Kinney. Since their hiatus in 2004, she's kept herself busy by doing anything unrelated to music. She's kept a regular blog for NPR, written pieces for Slate.com and also films short comedic video pieces as part of a duo called ThunderAnt. (Her partner in crime is Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen.)

Carrie and Fred

As somewhat of a Brownstein superfan, I was psyched to learn that she'd released some new songs in collaboration with Mary Timony, except they are actually a few years old. Previously unreleased under the moniker of The Spells, the four tracks (two available for download on her blog) are a brief reminder of what we're missing with Brownstein not playing music. In an interview with Pitchforkmedia.com today, she said she was completely happy to be doing anything but.

"I've mostly been focusing on writing, and I've really enjoyed not playing music [laughs]," she said. "It will always be part of my life, but I don't feel the immediate need to be playing for people. Yeah, I got kind of tired of playing, I think. But I think it will be part of my life again, maybe. Maybe not right now." … continue reading

Alanis Morissette’s angst-ridden “You Oughta Know” was the first hit for the Canadian singer/songwriter. It was also a big slap across the face to some idiot cad who had the nerve to break Alanis’s heart. Whatever this guy did to her, listeners thought, she got him back ten-fold by exposing the intimacies of their relationship, right down to the promises he made and broke and the kinky things the couple did in movie theaters.

Naturally, as soon as “You Oughta Know” hit airwaves, everyone in their right mind wondered who the song was about. Oh, how I wish you guys could have been there the first time I heard the rumor that Alanis penned “You Oughta Know” — the ultimate hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-dumped tune — about comic actor Dave Coulier.

“Dave Coulier?” That dufus from Full House?” I cried. Looking back, I know wasn’t the right thing to say. Dave seems to be a fine man; both Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen gravitated toward him when they were kids and they grew up levelheaded. I guess I expected the guy who devastated Alanis to be more, I don't know, heartbreaker-y. It was hard to imagine Uncle Joey lovin’ them and leavin’ them, but, what do I know of heterosexuality? And to my credit, the only famous Canadian people I know are lesbians. … continue reading

Seattle-based record label Sub Pop Records is throwing a party for its 20th birthday. Unfortunately, some of its best acts from over the years will be missing. While Sub Pop has been female friendly in the past, it seems as if many of their great girl artists have left the business (at least for now.)

But since its an anniversary, now is a perfect time to look back and appreciate the wonderful music they have given us (you know, outside of the other great trailblazing stuff like Nirvana, Mudhoney, Flight of the Conchords and the Postal Service.)

Babes in Toyland

While never officially signed to the label, BIT released the single "House" on The Grunge Years album in 1991. Though Kat Bjelland, Lori Barbero and Michelle Leon are frequently thought of as part of the riot grrrl scene of the 1990s Pacific Northwest, they were more like their male counterparts in Minneapolis at the time, as they were ahead of ladies Kathleen Hanna and Corin Tucker who name frontwoman Kat as an influence.

Velocity Girl

In the early '90s, the east coast band released their debut album, Copacetic, on Sub Pop. At the time, it was something a little lighter than the label had been putting out, with Sarah Shannon's vocals and harmonies with bandmate Archie Moore providing more a little pop to the rock songs. … continue reading

I just came across this photo of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin performing at Madison Square Garden in 1969. It's Tina. And Janis. Together!

The photo is by Amalie R. Rothschild and is currently part of the Music and Fashion 1965–1975 exhibit at the Staley-Wise Gallery. Rothschild has taken some stunning shots of rock stars, many of which are included in her book Live at the Fillmore East: A Photographic Memoir.

I really can't fathom the idea of Janis and Tina on a stage together. Who needs caffeine (or whatever the crowd was on) with that kind of raw genius nearby? The idea of two talents and a microphone made me imagine some other rock duos (or folk duos or whatever-else duos) I'd like to see. Here are a few ideas. They may not really make much sense, but that's why I'm calling them fantasy duos.

Stevie Nicks and Amy Winehouse
"Rhiannon" meets "Rehab" — how great would that be? But Stevie might have flashbacks when confronted by Winehouse's in-your-face hedonism. She would make her cry, make her break down!

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Prince's halftime show notwithstanding, I don't think guitars are necessarily phallic. Men have dominated the guitar world (especially when it comes to smashing things and jumping off amp towers), but who says it has to stay that way?

Here are some axe-wielding women who sound as good as they look.

1. Pioneers: Without them, this blog post wouldn't exist.

Wanda Jackson [pictured]
Bonnie Raitt
Nancy Wilson (Heart)

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