The well-established Screaming Females extensive love for music and accomplishments is nothing to be modest about. Having created eight records on Don Giovani records since 2006, Screaming Females are a true example of D.I.Y and punk culture. D.I.Y, the popular known acronym for doing it all yourself, in a sense, is the bands bread and butter. Also, the bands force stems from having the same line up since 2006 and growing musically with the same pack of talented musicians is a secure way to navigate the ups and downs of musicianship. Having played with Arctic Monkeys, The Dead Weather, and Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Females experience and credentials tops even the most well-seasoned bands and leaves us with the latest mouthwatering work of musical art Desire Pathways.
Screaming Females first release Baby Teeth launched the musical journey of the talented and eager band. Released exactly seventeen years prior to Desire Pathways, the album introduced the world to the raw and captivating sound that became dominant throughout their later work. Marissa Paternoster, guitarist and singer that makes up one third of the trio that is better known as Screaming Females, along with drummer Jarrett Dougherty, and bassist Mike "King Mike" Abbate, describes the development and changes in the recording process since their debut album.
“It’s changed a lot. (Laughs). Baby teeth we recorded on our own with some cheap microphones and a PC. A desktop PC," declares Paternoster.
She adds "[A]nd gradually as time went on and we played more shows and saved up more money, different recording situations. The next record, we recorded in two or three days with an actual engineer in a studio in New Brunswick that was modest and small and we just kind of moved forward from there."
Screaming Females burst on to the scene, quickly earn their stripes, and later move on to tour extensively and share the stage with bands such as Garbage, Throwing Muses, and The Breeders. While moving through the grooves, Screaming Females still get to experience the musical community firsthand traveling and touring, and the D.I.Y element that has been crucial for punk bands to grow and thrive.
Paternoster reflects on the impact the community has on her and the band and says that “A big touchstone for D.I.Y for the three of us is community, and my community, the core of my community is Mike and Jarrett. They’re my family, and I need them to do the things that I love, and I need them in my life to support me and show up for me when times are hard and it means so much more than music, and that’s a lot about what D.I.Y means.”
Screaming Females' bond enables them to progress and each members raw talent is explored through each of their albums. Desire Pathways' display of companionship is obvious and the long term friendship of the three members is one of their advantages.
"The same affection I have for punk and D.I.Y, I have for my band mates and I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else and we're dedicated to each other, the same way were dedicated to our band," says Paternoster.
“It’s so much more than music. It’s hundreds of friends across the country, while we love music more than anything, and dedicated our life to art," she also adds.
By 2015, the Screaming Females continued to prove they have skin in the game. Their sixth studio album Rose Mountain produced by Matt Bayless, was an invigorating display of hard work and drive and features the singles “Empty Head” and “Ripe”. However, Screaming Females still has the basic fundamentals of recording pinned down to getting together and playing their songs.
“[A]nd then Matt Bayless who is an engineer and a producer, which is something we haven’t done prior, for Rose Mountain, once he stepped into the mix, the rollout of how we record an album definitely changed, but we still get into a room and play the song," states Paternoster.
The trio has a passionate sense for the music that drives them to stay productive in their musical endeavors. Their first album in six years since All At Once in 2017, Desire Pathways was released February 17, 2023. The album influences stemming from personal experiences of Paternoster, as well as the global shift that occurred through Covid and the affect it had on the musical nation.
On the overall influence of the album Paternoster states, "Covid definitely influenced a lot of how we wrote some of the songs on the record, not all of them. Circle back to the fear that was permeating through our community, our niche community, and what was gonna happen to us and if we'd ever be able to do what we love again, definitely played a big part in the execution of the album."
The band uses their musical prowess when working on a new album and an efficient strategy enables them to lay out the groovy tracks while keeping the genuine, rich, rock & roll aspect in line with the Screaming Females sound.
Paternoster acknowledges the team effort that goes into generate a powerhouse album and says that "I would say there’s a lot of players on the field when it comes to making a record. The engineer is going to pick a bunch of microphones that are going to color the record in a certain way. The shape of the room you're going to record in is going to color the record in a certain way. The amp that is provided for you in the studio, there's so many different elements that go into how a record is going to turn out."
While D.I.Y plays an important role in the ethics of Screaming Females, the band manages to knock out their ideas and thoughts and turn them in to astounding creative musical compositions with a limited budget.
"It would be impossible to calculate it or calibrate it to exactly how you want unless you have like thousands and thousands of dollars. We don’t (laughs). We're not on a Lizzo budget," says Paternoster.
"We have a certain amount of time to make a record. We just go in there and lets a little bit of chaos do it's work and whatever happens happens, but with that being said we always show up to recording sessions hyper prepared with lots of demos and knowing exactly what we intend to do," claims Paternoster.
Screaming Females are ready and intended to do what they know best, tour, kicking off March 4 in Homer, Arkansas. Being a larger batch of shows post-Covid, Paternoster elaborates on the exciting elements and feelings that come with a new album release.
"When a new record comes out, the crowds have a little more pep in their step and they're excited to celebrate the new record with you . . .but as far as show goers are concerned everybody just seems really happy to be together again," says Paternoster.
The dazzling and bold guitar skills of Marissa Paternoster are surely to be a leading staple for this generation of guitar heroes and was included in a list from SPIN magazine’s “Greatest Guitarist of all Time” as number 77 in 2012. Screaming Females longevity allows the band to recreate and re-explore, without drastic changes, and are excellent at making punk seductive and keeping its' powerful nature. Screaming Females are continuing to live by the D.I.Y notions that have inspired and helped them create a long lasting impact on the musical community.
By Lacey James
Photos Via: Grace Winters (Top) Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images (Middle)
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