{"id":5699,"date":"2019-10-08T12:22:14","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T17:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=5699"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:08:23","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:08:23","slug":"review-team-dresch-once-somerville-10-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/10\/08\/review-team-dresch-once-somerville-10-4\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Team Dresch @ ONCE Somerville 10\/4"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lauren Shapiro<\/em><\/p>\n

Of all the music venues in Boston, ONCE Lounge & Ballroom in Somerville has the supreme distinction of feeling like a raucous bingo night and awkward bat mitzvah social could happen at any moment, maybe even at the same time. Barring the stage and a few square feet in front of it, the venue is completely carpeted; the lights are set low with several fake chandeliers; a the wall of mirrors reflects a bar alcove underneath an elevated seating area. All time Queercore\/Riot Grrl giants that they are, I can\u2019t image a more perfect way to see Team Dresch live.<\/p>\n

After tearing open with “Growing Up in Springfield,”Jody Bleyle starts to check the levels: \u201cSee, we\u2019re semi-professional now. There\u2019s still tape where there should be wood glue and screws\u2026 but…\u201d After “She\u2019s Amazing,” Melisa York gets up from behind her drums and kisses Donna Dresch on the mouth. \u201cDid you see that?! She kissed me!\u201d They kiss again as we laugh and scream. Melisa makes it up to the mic more than once to share how much she loves her band to an understanding crowd. We\u2019re an intergenerational mix of pop-goths, womxn queers with dyed mullets, roadies, grunge punks and skater kids. Adults are a little further back drinking beer and bopping their head while mouthing the words. Youths are upfront getting rowdy and shouting lyrics.<\/p>\n

When Team Dresch asks each other what to play next and someone shouts \u201cFreewheel,\u201d Jody\u2019s face lights up. \u201cWe weren\u2019t going to do that but we learned it! Looks like just for you<\/em>!\u201d At the end, Jody lets us touch her guitar. Kaia helicopters her guitar for kicks more than once. Jody and Kaia shred back to back. Jody and Donna swap out bass and guitar with one another mid-note. It\u2019s hard to say just how inspiring it is to see a bunch of queer butch women outside of their 20s rock with such ease, joy, and love for each other; make mistakes, play flawlessly, try new things, trip over elegies, be proud about their new music. \u201cNothing much has changed. We still eat dinner together and talk about gay shit.\u201d The line between us and them is thin and I get the feeling that\u2019s on purpose. For the guitar solo at the top of “Screwing Yr Courage,” Melisa jumps down into the crowd: \u201cI want to experience this<\/em> from here<\/em>, with my people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shepherdess, one of the opening Boston based bands, shared that half the bend met at a Team Dresch concert in the 90s. Team Dresch asked for $18 for their tickets (when Gang of Four played at ONCE in February, they priced theirs at $30). Team Dresch viscerally get the importance of creating space that\u2019s here for queer kids of all ages like them. After a pre-discussed encore (\u201cThis is our last song. Well, we\u2019re going to walk off stage and come back on.\u201d), Team Dresch close the show with “Fagetarian and Dyke,<\/em>” like anyone could have asked for more.<\/p>\n