Partyline takes no prisoners

The D.C.-based band rants on the President and freedom of expression with their new release Zombie Terrorists

By Adam Rathe
Published: October 20th, 2006 | 12:33pm

"I always sit shotgun," says Allison Wolfe. When Partyline, her band with Angela Melkisethian and Crystal Bradley, is on tour, however, it sounds like no seat is safe. "Ask Angela about drinking too much home brew at the Squat in Zurich," says Bradley, while Melkisethian adds ominously, "Never mosh with the Irish! They'll kick your ass."

Based in Washington, D.C., despite their apparent adventures on the Emerald Isle, Partyline is releasing their first full-length record, Zombie Terrorists, on October 24th. Additionally, a video for the song "Trophy Wife" is slated to come out at the same time. With 11 songs clocking in at 19 minutes, the band rips on the President, covers the arson that destroyed the women's health clinic Wolfe's mother ran and, on the title track, addresses the loss of freedom of speech in America today. "Zombie Terrorists," Wolfe says, "is about the William Poole case in Winchester, Kentucky." Poole, a high school student, was arrested for writing a short story about zombies taking over his school - what Wolfe claims is another instance of "taking away our freedom of expression."

According to Wolfe, this record was the easiest of any she has worked on. Recorded at Inner Ear with Chris Richards (ex-Q and Not U) and Don Zientara, Zombie Terrorists builds on the sound that the band developed on last year's Girls with Glasses EP. Bradley says, "I don't feel like any song is a throw-away or filler. I always wanted to make an album that one could listen to from beginning to end and not need to skip any songs. In my opinion, we've done that." Partyline has released both their demo and the new album on Los Angeles-based label Retard Disco. Andy Wombell, a co-owner of the label, says, "We met Allison through her other bands, first while filming Bratmobile for a nonprofit website called QueerYouthTV that my partner Alex used to produce for...so we were eager to hear Partyline as soon as Allison mentioned it. We pretty much fell in love with the demos the second we heard them."

The band is clearly not afraid of touching on the political. In "Party-n-Animal" Wolfe sings, "We gotta keep from crying at our monkey terror president. Ain't got the right." Decidedly left-leaning, the band has made a habit of playing Ladyfest shows around the globe and Bradley remarks that, "With the war and the administration, it kind of feels like the '60s all over again. I feel like people are getting pissed off and making art again."

In an effort to take their own art and bring it on the road, Partyline is heading out on a tour that will cover the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. "Traveling and meeting people is a joy and a privilege," says Melkisethian, "I enjoy all of the excitement a giant metropolis has to offer. There are few smaller, not so obvious places that come to mind as magical and unexpected gems. People go nuts in Denton, Texas. That's always a fun place to play."

Each of the three members of the band still holds down a job, and Bradley is in school, which can make it tough to schedule world tours. "After the Australia/New Zealand tour, we're gonna take a break for the holidays and winter," says Wolfe, "because Crystal's moving up to New York City on January 1st to do a full-time internship for grad school." Things are definitely up in the air, confirms Bradley, because "I have thoroughly enjoyed my schooling in becoming a therapist and I'm looking forward to being a counselor. However, counselors can't really abandon their clients to go on a punk rock tour of a month or so, so at this point I'm just not sure what the future holds."

A break, however, is by no means an end. One of Wolfe's previous bands, Bratmobile, reunited not too long ago after a five-year hiatus. With a fun, furious new record about to be released and plans to march across the globe delivering their fearsome live shows, let's hope that this Party is just getting started.