Vagina Panther at CMJ 2012
Vagina Panther at CMJ 2012
Words by Autumn Walden
The College Music Journal (CMJ) Music Marathon runs Tuesday, October 16th through Saturday, October 20th. While the event is headquartered at NYU’s campus, the music can be seen at over 80 venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Vagina Panther, a 4-piece “illegal rock band”, is playing on Wednesday, October 17th, 9-9:45pm at Trash, 256 Grand St., Brooklyn NY 11211. Click here for the full 2012 schedule.
Dead June. Photo by Sam Weber
Vagina Panther consists of lead vocalist, Dead June, bassist Johnathan Swass, guitarist Kit Days, and a drummer named Rutt. They’ve just released a new EP entitled Judge, which consists of five frenzied punk rock tracks and a 40-page illustrated book. I managed to cast a net and catch Rutt the drummer, who flashed his teeth and answered a few questions.
TSI: How did your band become an illegal rock band?
Rutt: Vagina Panther was originally a drug-running syndicate. The pay sucked though, so we decided to follow the money and start a rock band. It has really paid off.
TSI: How many vaginas does it take to hunt down a panther (and vice versa)?
Rutt: The answer is in the question: the vagina is the panther and the panther is the vagina. Why hunt the other when the self is the hunter? Now, read that again. You’re welcome.
TSI: Who writes the songs and music?
Rutt: We farm out that kind of stuff to sweatshop labor. Some songs come from China, others India or Indonesia.
TSI: Who creates your retro videos?
Rutt: Swazzimodo, a hunchback we keep in a windowless Greenpoint loft with a video editing rig and a toilet in the center of the room. We have to slide McDonald’s fries through the mail slot to get him to post the finished product to YouTube.
TSI: How long did it take to make the Vagina Panther book? Who are the artists?
Rutt: The book took the better part of a year because the artists are all cats. Have you seen that book Why Cats Paint? Well, getting them to do pen & ink drawings or work in Photoshop is a lot harder. Most cats really suck at calligraphy.
TSI: “Jeff’s Song“: Why does he get over 4 minutes versus the other songs of 2 minutes or less?
Rutt: Because Jeff is a titanic asshole, so we had the call center write an epic track. Seriously, four minutes? That’s like the same length as the A-side of 2112, right?
Don’t miss Vagina Panther’s set at CMJ tomorrow at Trash, 256 Grand St., Brooklyn NY 11211.
