By Michael Somerby EBS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
BIG SKY — Controversy, rawness, in-your-face energy—these are some of the original pillars of rock music, and the all female, Seattle-based Thunderpussy is bringing these and more to the Peak to Sky stage on July 5.
Controversy,
you ask?
The
1970s-inspired quartet is currently awaiting the outcome of a U.S. Supreme
Court case Iancu v. Brunetti, which
will determine whether or not the band can trademark their name.
The case, which deals with clothing company FUCT
and their own trademark rights, hinges on a U.S. Code that bans registration of
immoral or scandalous trademarks; what is immoral or scandalous, however, is up
for interpretation, according to Whitney Petty, lead guitarist for the group.
“It’s a really important issue, and it goes much deeper than
it appears on the surface,” Petty said. “It has to do with controlling women’s
sexuality, 100 percent.”
But
the dispute hasn’t stopped the band from rocking.
Comprised
of Molly Sides on pipes, Petty on guitar, Leah Julius on bass and newcomer
Lindsey Elias on drums, Thunderpussy had a breakthrough moment at the
Sasquatch! Music Festival, hosted annually since 2002 at the world-famous Gorge
Amphitheater in Washington, when they met and befriended Mike McCready, lead
guitarist of Pearl Jam, the grunge powerhouse band that was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
McCready’s
HockeyTalkter Records subsequently released Thunderpussy’s first single,
“Velvet Noose,” a track later featured in Aaron Sorkin’s film “Molly’s Game,”
starring the likes of superstars Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba.
Influenced
by legendary era groups such as Led Zeppelin and Heart, members of Thunderpussy,
often clad in brightly colored, eccentric clothing and backed by strong
percussion, wailing guitars and screaming vocals, possess some of the same rock
spirit that captured the soul of a generation.
Peak
to Sky won’t be the first time the group has rocked stages in Big Sky—they
brought down the house at the 2018 Big Sky PBR then cleared boxes of merchandise
within minutes to a frenzied crowd of new fans.
Still,
it’s the historic nature of Peak to Sky that most excites the band, along with
the opportunity to share a bill with some of the biggest-ever names in rock,
including Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, Josh Klinghoffer and Taylor
Hawkins. And despite the unprecedented assembly of talent, Petty isn’t worried about
the band’s upcoming performance.
“I’m
not nervous,” she said. “You can’t do any wrong because they are just simply
better than you. It’s really disarming.”
But
Brandi Carlile is another story. The genre-spanning phenom, who just pocketed
three awards at the 61st Grammy Awards in February, also hails from
the Seattle area and is a female musical force to be reckoned with.
“I’m
more nervous to actually be in the presence of Brandi, a powerhouse of a woman,”
Petty said. “I know I speak for Molly too: that will be our starstruck moment. [Carlile is] so talented and she’s finally
getting the recognition she deserves.”
Thunderpussy
will land in Big Sky for the Peak to Sky event on July 5-6.
