Biography
Alice Bag occupies a prominent position among the pioneers of Los Angeles punk rock from its earliest days, although her identity encompasses far more than conventional rock stardom. Over a span exceeding four decades she has operated as vocalist, composer, ensemble director, writer, instructor, and advocate, exerting lasting influence on alternative artistic circles and cultural movements. She first attracted notice as frontwoman for the L.A. punk outfit the Bags, which issued only the single "Survive" b/w "Babylonian Gorgon" during its existence, and subsequently for the brief-lived Alice Bag Band, featured in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization. Although she also collaborated with Castration Squad and Cholita, her recordings remained largely confined to local listeners until the appearance of her self-titled solo debut in 2016, an incisive fusion of punk, pop, glam, and Latin elements; two years later she issued the comparably assured follow-up Blueprint.
Born Alicia Armendariz in Los Angeles, California, on November 7, 1958, to Mexican immigrant parents, she grew up with a father whose bitterness and instability instilled early feelings of resentment and resistance that would later surface in her creative output. During adolescence she immersed herself in glam rock, and in 1977 she cut classes to linger outside the CBS television studios in pursuit of Elton John, then taping a segment for Cher's variety program. There she encountered Patricia Morrison, another teenage glam enthusiast, and the pair resolved to start their own group, Femme Fatale. With the arrival of punk sounds in Los Angeles, Femme Fatale soon transformed into the Bags, both women adopting the surname Bag for their stage identities. Following an initial performance at the storied punk club the Masque, the Bags became regulars on the local circuit, releasing their notable independent single "Survive" b/w "Babylonian Gorgon" in 1978 and establishing Bag as one of the first Chicana voices in the punk genre.
By 1980 the group was disintegrating, and Bag and Morrison disagreed over ownership of the name the Bags when Bag received an invitation to participate in Penelope Spheeris' film on the L.A. punk community, The Decline of Western Civilization. Bag and former Bags members performed as the Alice Bag Band, delivering the track "Gluttony." As the documentary attained cult status, her intense appearance gained worldwide recognition, even as she had already turned to fresh endeavors. A later compilation of Bags material, All Bagged Up: The Collected Works 1977-1980, saw release in 2007. Bag and Tracy Lea promptly assembled the confrontational all-female unit Castration Squad, while in the late '80s she co-founded Cholita, using the project to present her distinctive take on Latin music. During these years she attended college, earned a philosophy degree, and worked as an educator in bilingual Los Angeles classrooms as well as for a period in war-torn Nicaragua. She paused her professional activities to raise her daughter, yet translated that phase into the group Stay at Home Bomb, formed with fellow musician parents.
In 2011 Bag released the memoir Violence Girl: From East LA Rage to Hollywood Stage -- A Chicana Punk Story, recounting her experiences before, during, and after her time with the Bags through a feminist lens; the volume drew widespread praise, prompting live performances of her songs during the promotional tour. She followed with the self-published Pipe Bomb for the Soul in 2015, centered on her Nicaraguan period. Returning to recording in 2016, she produced the varied and outspoken solo album Alice Bag, which earned strong notices and led to nationwide performances for both longtime supporters and newcomers. In 2018 she issued Blueprint, another collection of thoughtful, fervent material that included a contribution from riot grrrl figure Kathleen Hanna. She then joined the roster of the garage punk imprint In the Red Records for her third solo effort, Sister Dynamite, released in 2020 and centered on raw, punk-driven rock.
Born Alicia Armendariz in Los Angeles, California, on November 7, 1958, to Mexican immigrant parents, she grew up with a father whose bitterness and instability instilled early feelings of resentment and resistance that would later surface in her creative output. During adolescence she immersed herself in glam rock, and in 1977 she cut classes to linger outside the CBS television studios in pursuit of Elton John, then taping a segment for Cher's variety program. There she encountered Patricia Morrison, another teenage glam enthusiast, and the pair resolved to start their own group, Femme Fatale. With the arrival of punk sounds in Los Angeles, Femme Fatale soon transformed into the Bags, both women adopting the surname Bag for their stage identities. Following an initial performance at the storied punk club the Masque, the Bags became regulars on the local circuit, releasing their notable independent single "Survive" b/w "Babylonian Gorgon" in 1978 and establishing Bag as one of the first Chicana voices in the punk genre.
By 1980 the group was disintegrating, and Bag and Morrison disagreed over ownership of the name the Bags when Bag received an invitation to participate in Penelope Spheeris' film on the L.A. punk community, The Decline of Western Civilization. Bag and former Bags members performed as the Alice Bag Band, delivering the track "Gluttony." As the documentary attained cult status, her intense appearance gained worldwide recognition, even as she had already turned to fresh endeavors. A later compilation of Bags material, All Bagged Up: The Collected Works 1977-1980, saw release in 2007. Bag and Tracy Lea promptly assembled the confrontational all-female unit Castration Squad, while in the late '80s she co-founded Cholita, using the project to present her distinctive take on Latin music. During these years she attended college, earned a philosophy degree, and worked as an educator in bilingual Los Angeles classrooms as well as for a period in war-torn Nicaragua. She paused her professional activities to raise her daughter, yet translated that phase into the group Stay at Home Bomb, formed with fellow musician parents.
In 2011 Bag released the memoir Violence Girl: From East LA Rage to Hollywood Stage -- A Chicana Punk Story, recounting her experiences before, during, and after her time with the Bags through a feminist lens; the volume drew widespread praise, prompting live performances of her songs during the promotional tour. She followed with the self-published Pipe Bomb for the Soul in 2015, centered on her Nicaraguan period. Returning to recording in 2016, she produced the varied and outspoken solo album Alice Bag, which earned strong notices and led to nationwide performances for both longtime supporters and newcomers. In 2018 she issued Blueprint, another collection of thoughtful, fervent material that included a contribution from riot grrrl figure Kathleen Hanna. She then joined the roster of the garage punk imprint In the Red Records for her third solo effort, Sister Dynamite, released in 2020 and centered on raw, punk-driven rock.
Albums
Singles
