The Coathangers
With a loaded name in tow, the Atlanta-based quartet wrestles with new-band spell
By Bess Korey
Published: October 17th, 2007 | 1:37pm
The Coathangers got their start, in 2006, like any other band. Guitarist Julia Kugel, bassist Meredith Franco, keyboardist Candice Jones, and drummer Stephanie Luke were friends who played the kind of music that they enjoyed and who wrote songs with titles that made it clear they didn’t take themselves too seriously as a band.
From the beginning the Coathangers came across as an intimidating, punk-inflected, adolescent-tinged group that collectively sang songs like "Shut the Fuck Up" and "Don't Touch My Shit!” Things moved along in this vein — the ladies gathering at each others’ houses and pumping out songs reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, the Slits, and Essential Logic with more modern electro-punk grooves of groups like Le Tigre and Chicks on Speed thrown in. Then the fun hit the fan: the music industry took notice.
"One minute you're joking around, and then you're starting the band you've always wanted to,” says keyboardist Candice Jones via phone from Atlanta, where the quartet is based. “We’ve had boyfriends in bands — at least I have — and the whole time I was nurturing them and trying to help them with their dream, I didn't realize that maybe it's something that I wanted to do. I never dreamed I could do anything with it. I just thought I would be doing this to have fun."
Jones is referring to the media attention the quartet has received since its 2006 formation. It began when the band put out a buzz-garnering 7-inch on Die Slaughterhaus Records, which immediately resulted in a record deal and the release of its first self-titled LP on Rob’s House Records in September 2007. The group’s live shows have also received a lot of attention for being infamously fun dance parties. Lately, however, the Coathangers are all-business, specifically the business of having to answer some not-so-fun questions about their intent as a band.
Like any new band that experiences immediate publicity, the Coathangers have been learning to field its share of criticism. “I have a problem with trying to justify us to everyone who has an opinion,” says guitarist Julia Kugel. “We've gotten comments about how other bands who have been together longer deserve the attention more, or they'll say that we're not even good musicians. It's hard to hear.” Kugel, however, recognizes the impetus to criticize and tries to remain focused on the good. “Whatever negativity comes along with it, we'll deal with just fine and try to keep level heads about it. We're really lucky. However it happens, it happens. We can't really complain about any of it."
The band has also had to address its political intentions. With a loaded name like the Coathangers — a moniker the members jokingly chose — it’s understandable fans would mistake them for being an overtly political band. “We’re trying to get a hold on what our stance is,” Kugel delicately says, noting the recent onslaught of questions they’ve received on everything from whether or not they’re feminists to their abortion stances.
For a band that started out with the intent of having fun, it’s an overwhelming prospect to have one’s politics called into question. “There’s a fine line between starting a dialogue and being aggressive,” Jones says. “We don't have an agenda; we're not trying to change everyone's minds."
Jones points out that the band — at least for now — is focused on spreading love through music. For those who may think this approach naïve or dismissive, drummer Stephanie Luke gives an example that suggests the band is just getting warmed up. “We've gotten a lot of criticism about other girls not liking our band: girl-on-girl hate,” Luke says. “Society plays off that catfight mentality. It's a way to keep women down. In response to that, we have to say that we want everyone to come to our shows. We're not trying to be that cute little girl band on stage… we want to have more girls come together, and not hate on each other."
Issue #35
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