“More than 25 years since the launch of Tina and the B-Sides, Tina Schlieske has created the edgiest record and band of her career, careening with punk glee across the gender and world politics of today, delivering songs with the urgency of a Molotov Cocktail and passion of the late ‘70s new wave. It’s funny, smart, incisive and (hopefully) inciting!”
— Jim McQuinn (PD) - 89.3 The Current
Genital Panic is a feminist punk phenomenon forged in the furious fire of menopause and rampant global misogyny.
Prolific musician Tina Schlieske (Tina and the B-Sides). found herself, at 50 years old, ever more invisible in the music industry, enduring the miseries of menopause, and increasingly enraged by the sexist, racist, xenophobic, Trumpian politics of the day.
Schlieske saw the work of 20th century Austrian visual and performance artist Valie Export and her 1969 performance piece “Action Pants: Genital Panic” was the crucible for Schlieske’s rage, and inspired her to use her musical talents to channel her frustrations into art that was also a political statement and protest.
In a state of frustration and wondering where all the protest bands were, Schlieske wrote all the songs for the EP in a whirlwind of a few days and along with her friend, co-producer/musician Patrik Tanner, they performed, recorded and mixed the EP in a basement studio in less than a week.
Genital Panic was born.
The EP “Pussygrabber” was released in 2018 and has become an underground favorite of many alternative radio stations. The EP has made the 2018 Top 20 list of local tracks on 89.3 The Current, The Best of 2018 Records (local) list of Jim Walsh of the Southwest Journal and made KVSC’s of St. Cloud, MN Top 88 Albums of 2018 year-end list.
"Tina Schlieske's no-holds-barred political punk band made an incredibly satisfying debut EP. Play it loud enough to blast the breaking-news push notifications off your phone." - Andrea Swensson, 89.3 The Current
Like the woman said, play it loud.
Tracks include “Lick my Impeachment” and “Misogyny is Coming to Get Me.”
Genital Panic is:
Tina Schlieske - Vocals, guitar
Mishka Westell - Bass
Sally Crewe - Guitar
Rachel 'Spanky' Fuhrer - Drums
Henna Chou - Keys, guitar
Extended band members are Lori Barbero (Babes In Toyland) on drums, Jenny Case (She Rock, She Rock) on keys and guitar, Alyse Emmanuel on drums and Jenny Parrott on keys and guitar.
Go to Genital Panic for more info
Go to Genital Panic on Bandcamp for merch!
Photo by Pooneh Ghana
Photo by Alison Narro