Babes in Toyland's Fontanelle

Description

Babes in Toyland was one of the most influential and underrated bands of the 1990s. They rode the wave of the Minneapolis grunge scene crafting a unique sound composed of self-taught instrumentation and unabashed banshee raging vocals. Their stage presence was enigmatic, their lyrics vitriolic, and their Kinderwhore fashion ironic and easy to emulate. But what made them most inspiring was their ethos and a unique brand of sisterhood that inspired fans to create Riot Grrl and form legendary bands such as 7 year Bitch, Bikini Kill, and Hole. Despite the media's politicization of them as an "all-female" band, the Babes insisted their music wasn't a political statement but about personal expression. They would dismiss labeling their act as feminist, but their actions sent a positive message of what a female space within music could look like. Now, almost 30 years after their most seminal record, Fontanelle, was released, the legend of the band is being resurrected and re-spun to reclaim their proper space and context in the history of music and women in rock.

Selena Chambers is author of the feminist horror story collection Calls for Submission (2017) and co-author (as S. J. Chambers) of the critically-acclaimed The Steampunk Bible (2011). Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Colorado Book Award, Best of the Net, as well as the Hugo Award and World Fantasy award (twice). You can find her online at SelenaChambers.com or on Twitter @BasBleuZombie.