Allison Wolfe
Encyclopedia
Background
Born an identical twin in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
on November 9, 1969, Allison played a significant role in the formation of the riot grrrl
Riot grrrl
Riot grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement based in Washington, DC, Olympia, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and the greater Pacific Northwest which existed in the early to mid-1990s, and it is often associated with third-wave feminism...
movement of the 90s. She grew up in Olympia, Washington, with mother Pat Shively (founder of Eastside Women's Health Clinic) and sisters Cindy (Tennessee Twin) and Molly Wolfe. She attended the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
at Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, as well as Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
.
Career
It was at the University of Oregon where Allison first met Molly NeumanMolly Neuman
Molly Neuman is a musician originally from the Washington, D.C. area who has performed in such influential bands as Bratmobile, The Frumpies, and the PeeChees. She was a pioneer of the early-to-mid '90s riot grrrl movement, penning the zine which coined the phrase in...
, and together the two created the influential zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
Girl Germs
Girl Germs
Girl Germs was a zine created by University of Oregon students Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman, both members of the band Bratmobile.Feminism was influential in the Pacific Northwest in the early nineties: Girl Germs heralded an explosion of zines that accompanied the rebirth of feminism...
. Along with zines such as riot grrrl, Jigsaw and Bikini Kill (written by Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna is an American musician, feminist activist, and punk zine writer. In the early- to mid-1990s she was the lead singer and songwriter of Bikini Kill, before fronting Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
and Tobi Vail
Tobi Vail
Tobi Vail is an independent musician, DIY zinester, and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington, noted primarily as the drummer of the defunct punk band Bikini Kill. She formed one of her first bands as the drummer for The Go Team when she was 15, later collaborating in several other groups...
), Girl Germs provided the manifestos for the movement that would come to be known as 'riot grrrl'. Allison and Molly's next project together was the creation of the band Bratmobile
Bratmobile
Bratmobile was an American punk band. Bratmobile was a first-generation "riot grrrl" band, which grew from the Pacific Northwest and Washington, DC underground...
in 1991, soon joined by guitarist Erin Smith. This band, as well as Allison's subsequent group with Erin, Cold Cold Hearts
Cold Cold Hearts
Cold Cold Hearts was a punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1995. Comprising singer and songwriter Allison Wolfe, guitarist and back-up vocalist Erin Smith, bass player Nattles, and drummer Katherine Brown, the band released one 7" single in 1996, and a full-length self-titled record the...
provided a distinct voice in the third-wave feminist movement
Third-wave feminism
Third-wave feminism is a term identified with several diverse strains of feminist activity and study whose exact boundaries in the historiography of feminism are a subject of debate, but often marked as beginning in the 1980s and continuing to the present...
. Allison has recorded a number of albums and singles, many produced by Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, an Olympia-based label, as well as for other independent record labels.
Back in 1988, Allison was an exchange student living in Krathumbaen District in Samut Sakhon Province in Thailand where she learned about
Thai language and culture.
Recent
After Bratmobile split up in 2001, Allison began other bands, notably the Washington D.C. based PartylinePartyline
Partyline is a Washington, D.C.-based punk rock band consisting of singer/songwriterAllison Wolfe , guitarist Angela Melkisethian , drummer Crystal Bradley, and new touring drummer Gene Vincent Melkisethian Partyline is a Washington, D.C.-based punk rock band consisting of singer/songwriterAllison...
. She remains involved in what she terms "cultural activism", not only with Partyline, but also with the bands Dig Yr Grave, Deep Lust, Hawnay Troof
Hawnay Troof
Hawnay Troof is the electronic indie solo project of Vice Cooler formed in late 2001.Regardless of the bands American punk and electronic background, many untraditional ideas have been incorporated into its sound...
and its offshoot, Baby Truth. She also initiated Ladyfest
Ladyfest
Ladyfest is a community-based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for female artists that features bands, musical groups, performance artists, authors, spoken word and visual artists, films, lectures, art exhibitions and workshops; it is organized by volunteers. The first ever Ladyfest...
and has been involved in Bands Against Bush. Allison also occasionally writes for the Washington Post. She currently lives in Echo Park, Los Angeles and sings for a band called Cool Moms.