An all-female gathering took place in Sweden where a dozen band members – ranging from pop to metal to punk and indie rock bands – including musicians from Crucified Barbara, The Heard and Heavy Tiger got together for The Riot Grrrl Sessions.
Initiated by Stockholm punk rocker Canan Rosén, Riot Grrrls is a fusion of females from all walks of life and lifestyle preferences including straight women, bisexuals, gay and transgender. It is as much an art and pop culture project as it is a musical one.
“There are so many talented riot grrrls out there and everyone is busy with their current bands, which is awesome. But what if I was able to take only a minimum of their time to start something new?” pondered Rosen, before deciding:”Because the world needs more great music. More Riot Grrrl music.”
On April 9 2017, the World Riot Grrrl day, a crowd funding campaign began, the result of which was that the collective exceeded their goal, reaching a total of 119%.
Musicians and artists were contacted, the studio booked and the whole logistic puzzle started to take shape. Lyrics and riff ideas were sent back and forward until the first day of the session back in September 2017. There were people everywhere in the studio, recording, rehearsing and hanging out getting to know each other.
Those in attendance were Canan Rosén – Vocals, guitar, bass (Twin Pigs, Tiger Bell), Madeleine Frankki – Vocals, synth (Snake, Night Terror), Kajsa Grytt – Vocals, guitar (Solo artist, Tant Grytt), Agnes Eriksson – Vocals, guitar (Call Cat), Katja Lindeberg – synth (Haj 300, Drömfakulteten), Tess Törnqvist – Vocals, guitar, drums (Memoria, Snake), Klara Force – Vocals, guitar (Ex- Crucified Barbara, The Heard), Frida Ståhl – Bass, vocals (The Baboon Show), Manuela De Gouveia – Vocals, bass (Pascal), Nicki Wicked – Vocals, drums (Ex-Crucified Barbara, The Heard), Maja Samuelsson – Vocals, guitar (Heavy Tiger), Hanna Engström – Vocals, drums (Satirnine). There were also two photographers and a film team of four present who documented everything.
“We came out of the studio with 13 masterpieces – crushing, phenomenal feministic lyrics, furious riffs and in your face attitudes,” said Rosen. “It’s furious, sweaty and in your face!”
The Riot Grrrl Sessions are available through GMR Music.
