Gretchen Phillips
Encyclopedia
Gretchen Phillips is an American singer-songwriter
known for her humorous and topical songs. Phillips has been openly gay throughout her life and her lesbian
ism has inspired much of her material.
. Her parents were musicians, and she played music from childhood. After graduating from the High School for Performing and Visual Arts, she decided move to Austin, Texas
to become a professional performer.
-under the name John Boy Perkins, and Tim Pierre Mateer), the rock band Girls in the Nose (with Pam Barger, Kay Turner, Joanna Labow, and Darcee Douglas), and the country/disco/rock/folk/pop band Two Nice Girls
(with Pam Barger, Laurie Freelove, Meg Hentges, and Kathy Korniloff). Two Nice Girls attracted national attention with Phillips' song "I Spent My Last $10 (on Birth Control and Beer)" which satirized heterosexual relationships.
, John Paul Keenon, and Jo Walston), Dusty Trails (with Josephine Wiggs
and Vivian Trimble), Phillips & Driver (with David Driver), Lord Douglas Phillips (with Terri Lord and Darcee Douglas), and The Gretchen Phillips Ministries (with the Experience line-up), as well as performing as a solo artist.
Phillips has generally resided in Austin
, but has also lived in San Francisco and New York City
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
known for her humorous and topical songs. Phillips has been openly gay throughout her life and her lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
ism has inspired much of her material.
Background
Phillips grew up in HoustonHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Her parents were musicians, and she played music from childhood. After graduating from the High School for Performing and Visual Arts, she decided move to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
to become a professional performer.
Meat Joy, Girls in the Nose, and Two Nice Girls
Phillips was a member in three influential area bands in the mid-eighties: the punk band Meat Joy (with Jamie Lee Hendrix, Melissa Cobb Unit, John HawkesJohn Hawkes (actor)
John Hawkes is an American film and television actor. He is known for his portrayal of the merchant Sol Star on the HBO series Deadwood, Dustin Powers on Eastbound & Down, and his Academy Award-nominated performance as the menacing backwoods meth addict Teardrop in Winter's Bone.-Life and...
-under the name John Boy Perkins, and Tim Pierre Mateer), the rock band Girls in the Nose (with Pam Barger, Kay Turner, Joanna Labow, and Darcee Douglas), and the country/disco/rock/folk/pop band Two Nice Girls
Two Nice Girls
Two Nice Girls were a self-styled "lesbian rock" band from Austin, Texas, featuring singer-songwriter Gretchen Phillips.The group's original line up was*Gretchen Phillips - guitar, bass, mandolin and vocals...
(with Pam Barger, Laurie Freelove, Meg Hentges, and Kathy Korniloff). Two Nice Girls attracted national attention with Phillips' song "I Spent My Last $10 (on Birth Control and Beer)" which satirized heterosexual relationships.
Bands and Solo Projects Since
Since the break-up of Two Nice Girls, Phillips has been part of The Gretchen Phillips Experience (with Andy Loomis, Thor HarrisThor Harris
Thor Harris is a musician, painter, and carpenter. He is the percussionist for Shearwater , a band from Austin, Texas. He has performed with Bill Callahan, The Angels of Light, Lisa Germano, Gretchen Phillips, Devendra Banhart, Rebecca Cannon, Rob Halverson and Swans...
, John Paul Keenon, and Jo Walston), Dusty Trails (with Josephine Wiggs
Josephine Wiggs
Josephine Wiggs is an indie/alternative rock musician, noted for her work with the bands The Perfect Disaster, The Breeders, and Dusty Trails....
and Vivian Trimble), Phillips & Driver (with David Driver), Lord Douglas Phillips (with Terri Lord and Darcee Douglas), and The Gretchen Phillips Ministries (with the Experience line-up), as well as performing as a solo artist.
In Austin
Two Nice Girls won a GLAAD Media Award in 1991. Phillips was inducted into the Austin Chronicle Music Poll's Hall of Fame in 2001.Phillips has generally resided in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, but has also lived in San Francisco and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Discography
- The Many Moods of Meat Joy - Meat Joy
- Chant to the Full Moon, O Ye Sisters - Girls in the Nose
- Girls in the Nose - Girls in the Nose
- Meat Joy - Meat Joy
- 2 Nice Girls - Two Nice Girls
- Like a Version - Two Nice Girls
- chloe liked olivia - Two Nice Girls
- Songs to Save Your Soul - Gretchen Phillips
- A Taste of LDP - Lord Douglas Phillips
- Seitan is Real - The Gretchen Phillips Ministries
- Togetherness - Phillips & Driver
- Welcome To My World - Gretchen Phillips
- Welcome to My World and a Half - Gretchen Phillips
- Do You Ever Wish For More? - Gretchen Phillips
- "Eau Du Lesbianism" appeared on Mr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady RecordsMr. Lady Records was a San Francisco-based lesbian-feminist independent record label and video art distributor. Artists on the label included Le Tigre and The Butchies. OutSmart magazine noted that Mr...
' sampler albumSampler albumA sampler is a type of compilation album generally offered at a reduced price to showcase a selection of artists signed to a particular record label...
, Calling All Kings & QueensCalling All Kings & QueensCalling All Kings & Queens is a sampler album of alternative rock songs by artists on the San Francisco, California based lesbian-feminist independent record label, Mr. Lady Records...
, in 2001