Kim Gordon, Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland, and Courtney Love of Hole.
Forgive me for being over thirty years late, but I recently discovered Sonic Youth.
I'm in love.
They're from good ol' NYC, and they formed in 1981. They were associated with the "No Wave" music and art scene, a satirical response to the "New Wave" genre when they started out.
There are a few reasons I really admire them, besides their music (which of course is the glue of the whole operation). To begin with, I think it's totally adorable Thurston Moore (singer, songwriter, and guitarist) and Kim Gordon (bassist and guitarist) have been married since 1984, and have worked so well together for so long. They even have a child, Coco, who was born in 1994. I also am just a big fan of Kim Gordon because I really respect that only-chick-in-the-band situation, like Tina Weymouth from Talking Heads, or Kim Deal from Pixies. I also like that she grew to be successful a little later than some other musicians; she was 28 when Sonic Youth was formed, and one of their most-praised albums, Daydream Nation, was released in 1988, when she was 35.
As for their music, it consists of intense dark, quick riffs, unconventional tunings, with clever, humorous lyrics, but incredibly honest and frank as well. They have developed a wide variety of style in their work, and some songs sound like they're by completely different artists, but Kim Gordon's deep, breathy whisper is recognized instantly.
Photos: here and here.
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