Hello Rockstars!
Today’s Artist of the Week is one of the coolest fucking punk bands out there right now called Femaliens! (One might say they are truly out of this world (lol)….I’m a fucking idiot.)
Here’s their story in their own words, enjoy!
All Photo’s Courtesy of the Amazing Tiffany Salerno! (follow her on Instagram as @halfstop!)
Also! Please save the date for the amazing show that The Pigeon Hat Collective is putting on for 3/23 featuring Femaliens! It’s gonna be fucking sick! 🙂
VMS:
When did you start writing and performing your music.
What’s your backstory and current lineup.
Femaliens:
In July of 2022, we started off with 3 of us:
Kathrine Von Arx: Guitar who had experience with various instruments and playing in bands before. Veronica Ramos: Bass guitar who had been playing bass for years wanted to get together to see what waves could be created. Geri: Drums dabbled around music throughout growing up. But we all love music and going to shows is a big part of what we like to do. Geri wanted to start playing drums and start a band and these rad girls were down.
Then we brought Megan McGuire: Lead singer in …who had not been in a band before but she is a blast in the pit and has 8 children…. We were like this chick has some shit to say! (Lol) Geri and Megan’s husband’s are in Suburban Resistance. The 4 ladies kicked off “Black Smoke” and “Punk Rock Show” (two of our songs). Femaliens was given a birth name. We were excited and determined while exploring the celestial magic between us…. Kat then had to step away from the band then we brought in Erich Gomez: Lead guitar, A friend that we run into at punk and metal shows. We knew he messed with guitar and he was interested enough to show up and see if it was a good fit. But to be truthful, we are Femaliens and we abducted his ass!
So with:
Megan McGuire-lead singer
Veronica Ramos -bass guitar, vocals
Erich Gomez- lead guitar ,background vocals
Geri Anne Wilcox-Drums, vocals
We played one show with this line up in March of 2024…. After that, Tom Urban: Rhythm guitar , background vocals who’s also a member of Suburban Resistance and Punk n Country but not one of the husbands mentioned above (lol)! He joined the band and that’s been the lineup since and we just did our 21st show!
VMS:
What artist or bands inspire you and your sound.
Femaliens:
Oh the list is long! To highlight a few that are common among us would be: Joan Jett, Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex, Patti Smith, Ramones, Misfits, The Stooges, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Bad Religion, The Velvet Underground, Suburban Resistance, GOB Patrol and many, many others… the DIY of punk rock is very inviting to carve a path to be creative and speak up!
VMS:
What’s your writing process and inspiration for your lyrics.
Femaliens:
We all contribute creatively to the writing process. we generally start with vocal melodies and put our instruments to it. Many of our lyrics are mirroring what’s happening on this planet and our experiences through time. It’s a great platform to allow us to speak our truth and ideas.
VMS:
I love your songs that you played at the Asteroid M Records session, I thought they were rad! “Zombie Boyfriend”, “Katie”, “Foreign Landings” and “Black Smoke” were awesome!
Can you tell me about these songs and inspiration or story behind these songs.
Femaliens:
Veronica wrote the song lyrics for “Zombie Boyfriend”. We were on a Femalien band date and we were talking about brains while brainstorming and “Zombie Boyfriend” was birthed from there. “Foreign Landings” was also written by Veronica as an observation and statement of current affairs as seen and heard from the perspective of an extraterrestrial. Megan wrote the lyrics for “Katie” who is a real person and this was a real experience. Geri wrote the lyrics for “Black Smoke” because you don’t forget when your house burns down.
Watch their Entire Set at Asteroid Records:Â
VMS:
Which local artist would you like to work with and why.
Femaliens:
We’ve been lucky to get to play with some of our favorite local bands, we are always excited to play with someone we haven’t played with yet but also love being on a show surrounded by our friends.
VMS:
What’s your overall theme or message of your music.
Femaliens:
We are Femaliens: Extraterrestrials. We speak and sing to help us navigate this hard planet. We are not of this world. We are here to abduct brain waves and penetrate your ear holes.
VMS:
Do you have a favorite song that you like to perform.
Femaliens:
Our current favorite songs to play would be “Manifest”, “Zombie Boyfriend”, “Black Smoke”, and “Katie”.
VMS:
Do you have any crazy or interesting stories from working in the music scene.
Femaliens:
We would say the craziest thing in the Las Vegas music scene is how much crazy love and support there is! We made a band, we played a show and we continued to connect and carve our way through the music scene with open arms from other bands, bars, promoters and fans!!! So much love!! Inferno Punx: They’re rad!! They record the history of the Las Vegas music scene. We’re grateful for them making us and many others part of it! Also a shout out to Asteroid M Records for capturing us making sounds!
VMS:
What does the future hold for Femaliens.
Femaliens:
This year, we’re looking forward to maybe getting out of town….If that is interesting to you be on the lookout for some up coming sightings to see the static of Femaliens. We love shows, more shows! Looking to the future, we will be pulling from the cosmic background to release and spread our energy one song at a time. We also are looking forward to recording with American’t records this summer and working with Asteroid M Records again in the future.
VMS:
What have been your personal pros and cons of being a band here in Las Vegas. What do you think the scene could improve on and what are your hopes for the future of the Vegas Music Scene.
Femaliens:
Pros: The music community is super supportive, there’s no serious jealousy, just bands helping other bands succeed. We have a handful of local promoters that always try to put a local or two on with touring bands.
Cons: Local bands are basically ignored by the larger venues on the strip, we’re not worth their time because they can’t make money off of us. It’s a business and we’re not a part of it. So Downtown/ Fremont, Arts District and Dive Bars are where we aim to land. As far as improvements go, we need all ages venues, the future is with the youth and they need a safe place to go. Tom spent a good part of his teenage years at The Huntridge, he doesn’t think there’s anywhere that compares currently.
VMS:
What do you want your audience to feel and experience at one of your live shows.
Femaliens:
You know when we show up for a show, it makes us feel excited and a part of something and the fans, the spectators, if they show up and feel anything at all that is worth every bit of it! Special Thanks to all the earthlings that have been orbiting throughout our voyage on earth. the local music scene is a really special place no matter what side of the stage you are on. if you haven’t tried it just show up, support local music and have a listen. you won’t regret it!
For more information about Femaliens, please visit their Instagram!
—–VMS 🙂