LADY BEAST MODE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 16
the band’s infancy, through several personnel changes. At that point, Levine and bassist Greg Colaizzi were still picking up the pieces of their former band, Long to Hell, and trying to solidify a new group. But Lady Beast II was recorded entirely by the current lineup — including Kinnett and rhythm guitarist Christopher Tritschler — and, this time around, songwriting duties were split more evenly across the band. “It’s like a wine that’s been aging,” Levine says. Lady Beast’s dueling riff-work, howls and rapid-fire drumming are unmistakably heavy metal, but the band’s philosophy isn’t far removed from punk — raging against homophobia and racism while celebrating multiculturalism and a DIY ethos. Maintaining that DIY independence is especially important: Lady Beast releases its albums on Colaizzi’s own record label, Cobra Cabana Records. According to the band, signing with a bigger record label would limit its creative freedom. “This group of people is more interested in doing what we believe in than doing what would help our career,” Ramage said. But there’s a currency in legacy, and the members of Lady Beast would See an h wit rather achieve staying interviewast’s power instead of beLady Be an m front wo w. coming what Colaizzi on ww er. ap calls an “overly trendy pghcityp com. blip.” With his first son on the way, Colaizzi also wants Lady Beast’s value system to endure as an example. “It’s something that I want my son to see: why his dad does this,” Colaizzi said. “If he sees someone walking down the street in a Lady Beast T-shirt and says, ‘My dad did that,’ nothing would make me prouder.” Levine’s lyrics rarely venture into straight-ahead social commentary, and she tries to avoid vulgarity and dark topics — even when the songs explore witchcraft and Nordic rune magic, themes the band newly plumbs on Lady Beast II. “We’re really not trying to shock anyone — that’s why our appeal kind of extends to all audiences,” Levine said. She doesn’t write many personal songs for Lady Beast, either. “People don’t really need to know what’s going on with me,” she explains, though her positivity on Lady Beast II seems to indirectly stem from her past experiences. “‘Caged Fury’ is kind of like this song about being put down or abused or feeling alone — which definitely stemmed from things in my personal past,” Levine said. “But it’s mainly just a message that, I’ve been where you are, I see you, you’re not alone: Let’s rise up from this and continue. Because things only get better.” INF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.25/04.01.2015
ON THE RECORD
with Mike Hadreas {BY SHAWN COOKE} Mike Hadreas is dead serious about the music he performs as Perfume Genius — which ranges from somber confessions to defiant anthems aimed at anyone who feels uncomfortable when he walks by. His Twitter personality, however, often provides much lighter fare. We asked Hadreas, who plays a sold-out show at The Warhol this Friday, to elaborate on some of his tweets. The sillier my tweets get, the sadder my music becomes.
I kind of veer in between those two extremes. Even looking back on memories that were not the best, some days I can kind of laugh about them because they’re so over-the-top. But then if I’m in a different mood the next day … it can be kind of devastating.
Pretty sure I could destroy him with Just a Look, someone put us in a room together and watch Eminem slowly wither from my witch glance There’s a lot of jokes that he could have made that weren’t rape jokes or weren’t about stabbing faggots and shit, and I would have found those more funny than the jokes he has on his albums.
Whyyy am I wearing a dress, watching creationist youtube videos and drinking diet coke straight from the 2 liter There’s been a lot of times when my boyfriend goes out of town right when we get back from a tour, and the combination of jet lag if we’ve been abroad and having the whole house to myself can get really weird for me. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
PERFUME GENIUS with JENNY HVAL. 8 p.m. Fri., March 27. The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org