Biography
Emerging during the 1990s California punk revival, the Red Aunts formed an all-female outfit known for its rough, raw, and raunchy approach. Early observers both lauded and critiqued the group's garage-band amateurishness, yet the quartet built a gritty, scuzzy sonic identity that wove in faint touches of blues, country, and pre-Beatles rock & roll. Their lyrics aligned with this sound; rather than pursuing overt political or feminist themes, the Red Aunts simply aimed to rock, often infusing songs with a trashy humor traceable to the Lunachicks, whom they openly admired. Musically they also drew frequent parallels to the abrasive, grungy skronk of Babes in Toyland, although they lacked quite the same cathartic drive. With each recording and tour the Red Aunts sharpened their playing, progressing from the brief, spirited bursts of their initial releases toward more complex and ambitious compositions.
The band coalesced in Long Beach, California, in 1991 around lead vocalist/guitarist Kerry Davis, guitarist Terri Wahl, bassist Debi Martini, and drummer Leslie Ishino, all of whom cycled through various pseudonyms. Lacking prior experience or formal training, the members received early guidance from supporters Jon Wahl—Terri’s husband, a Claw Hammer veteran who sometimes filled the drum chair before Ishino joined—and Scott Drake, frontman of Los Angeles garage-punk act the Humpers; Martini, meanwhile, had founded the fanzine Real Life in a Big City. Following several boisterous performances, the Red Aunts signed with the irreverent indie imprint Sympathy for the Record Industry, which released their 1993 debut album Drag. The 1994 follow-up Bad Motherfucken 40 O-Z led to a move to the established punk label Epitaph, where 1995’s #1 Chicken broadened their underground audience.
As songwriting matured and instrumental command improved, the band’s frenzied early style shifted toward a garage-rooted, blues-inflected direction on 1996’s Saltbox, then intensified the sonic assault on 1998’s Ghetto Blaster, produced by Mick Collins of the Dirtbombs. Having reached their self-appointed musical goals, the Red Aunts disbanded late in 1998, after which Kerry Davis launched the project Two Tears. In the Red Records later issued the 2014 career retrospective Come Up for a Closer Look; to mark the label’s 25th anniversary in 2016, In the Red organized a commemorative concert that prompted the Red Aunts to reunite, sparking several brief tours. On January 17, 2019, the Red Aunts confirmed that bassist Debi Martini had died.
The band coalesced in Long Beach, California, in 1991 around lead vocalist/guitarist Kerry Davis, guitarist Terri Wahl, bassist Debi Martini, and drummer Leslie Ishino, all of whom cycled through various pseudonyms. Lacking prior experience or formal training, the members received early guidance from supporters Jon Wahl—Terri’s husband, a Claw Hammer veteran who sometimes filled the drum chair before Ishino joined—and Scott Drake, frontman of Los Angeles garage-punk act the Humpers; Martini, meanwhile, had founded the fanzine Real Life in a Big City. Following several boisterous performances, the Red Aunts signed with the irreverent indie imprint Sympathy for the Record Industry, which released their 1993 debut album Drag. The 1994 follow-up Bad Motherfucken 40 O-Z led to a move to the established punk label Epitaph, where 1995’s #1 Chicken broadened their underground audience.
As songwriting matured and instrumental command improved, the band’s frenzied early style shifted toward a garage-rooted, blues-inflected direction on 1996’s Saltbox, then intensified the sonic assault on 1998’s Ghetto Blaster, produced by Mick Collins of the Dirtbombs. Having reached their self-appointed musical goals, the Red Aunts disbanded late in 1998, after which Kerry Davis launched the project Two Tears. In the Red Records later issued the 2014 career retrospective Come Up for a Closer Look; to mark the label’s 25th anniversary in 2016, In the Red organized a commemorative concert that prompted the Red Aunts to reunite, sparking several brief tours. On January 17, 2019, the Red Aunts confirmed that bassist Debi Martini had died.
Albums
Singles
