And Who Am I To Question?
May 5, 2022 3:22 AM   Subscribe

All-girl group Fertile Virgin was the hottest soon-to-be-obscure band in Boston in 1990. They had two drummers, gigged constantly, signed to respectable indie label Harriet Records, and even had their record played on the John Peel radio show. As with so many promising acts, the grunge tidal wave buried them.

Fertile Virgin's former leader Julie Kantner has been making music ever since and is still recording with her abstract alt-rock band Uranium Daughters as well as with her combo The Very that is comprised of ex-Fertile Virgin members.

Fans of They Might Be Giants may be interested in hearing The Turtlenecks, a band John Flansburgh and Julie Kantner started when they were both at Antioch College in the early 80s. Julie is interviewed about the project here.
posted by Fritz Langwedge (7 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
"My Three Suns," from the eternally classic Harriet compilation The Long Secret, rocks extremely hard. I gotta be honest, I wouldn't say they were at any point the very hottest soon-to-be-obscure band in Boston. But 90s Boston was lousy with soon-to-be-obscure bands!
posted by escabeche at 5:38 AM on May 5, 2022 [5 favorites]


Oh I never realized Fertile Virgin and Twig had overlapping personnel!
posted by escabeche at 5:44 AM on May 5, 2022


Yes, I may be employing some ironic license here, but since it was the 90s I suppose that's appropriate. You're also right that there were plenty of bands around Boston back then who deserved better than the Green Line trolley to oblivion, but the 3-song EP that Fertile Virgin put out ("Lucky Day"/"Dum Dum"/"Mashima") was my absolute favorite of that era.

Speaking of obscure, "My Three Suns" is a tribute-to-slash-parody-of Boston's own Volcano Suns, whose drummer & bassist were at that point going out with two of the Fertile Virgin members. At the show I linked from the Middle East, the Volcano Suns was the headliner until they were, ahem, persuaded to switch spots and let Fertile Virgin close the show.
posted by Fritz Langwedge at 6:49 AM on May 5, 2022 [3 favorites]


You're also right that there were plenty of bands around Boston back then who deserved better than the Green Line trolley to oblivion

You are basically begging me to do a Prickly FPP
posted by escabeche at 7:16 AM on May 5, 2022 [4 favorites]


ISTR reading somewhere that Lucky Day was about Ollie North and his Iran-Contra testimony.
posted by whuppy at 8:58 AM on May 5, 2022 [1 favorite]


Here's a good one from Twig: Airplane.
posted by whuppy at 9:07 AM on May 5, 2022 [2 favorites]


whuppy, I remember hearing the same thing about "Lucky Day," and in the interview I linked in the OP Julie confirms the Ollie North story. I could have sworn Fertile Virgin played "Airplane" too, and she says that though FV played it, it didn't get recorded or released until it was Twig's first single on Harriet.

I have to say I always thought "Dum Dum" was their shining moment.
posted by Fritz Langwedge at 10:42 AM on May 5, 2022 [1 favorite]


« Older One word: enzymatics!   |   Exit through the gif shop Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments