The New Queens of Noise
For Calgary’s Kilbourne, it’s all about the sound
BY Liz Worth
Photography by James May
No matter what its strengths, female-fronted rock has always run into tough opposition. Despite the reverence of women in jazz, country and hip hop, women in the alternative scene have always been met with skepticism. Audiences can be quick to assume that the music will be mediocre and the media still see the female gender as a rock ’n’ roll gimmick.
“This one [journalist] asked me what it feels like to be an attractive female in a band,” says Trezzy Lanz, vocalist and guitarist of Calgary’s Kilbourne, who wonders if guys ever get asked the same question.
But Kilbourne’s music is partly driven by the anger that comes from such attitudes, which is evident when listening to the band’s recent debut, Measure of Health. The album title comes from philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, who said, “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” It’s a fitting sentiment considering this band churns out lyrical screams of left-leaning politics—social justice, the environment and anti-capitalism—layered over aggressive sounds, all coming together in climactic spasms.
“It’s always a fine line and I never wanted to treat the band too much as a soap box, but it always kind of ends up being one,” Lanz says. “People go to a rock show to be entertained. I figure if I can entertain them and, under that layer, sneak in a little bit of opening their minds to something they haven’t thought of before, that’s cool.”
The three founding members of Kilbourne came out of unlikely backgrounds. Lanz’s rasps mask her classical voice training. Her sister and the band’s bassist, Franni, graduated with an entrepreneurial management degree and drummer Stefani MacKichan was a jazz rhythm prodigy.
Despite the recent addition of a male guitarist to the lineup, Kilbourne’s distinctive sound has often fallen victim to the girls-as-gimmicks angle. Comparisons to dissimilar acts like the Donnas have popped up, even though the band has been strong on political issues and up front about its feelings on gender being considered synonymous with musical talent.
But the mistaken assumption that female musicians are all created equal to one another ends up being a part of Kilbourne’s songwriting experience and leads to the music’s energetic abandonment. Lanz points out that challenging gender roles has always been a primary thrust for the band, which is evident considering the ongoing struggle women are dealing with to be recognized as more than just a marketing scheme. But she’s also quick to point out that this hasn’t been the band’s sole focus. Kilbourne strives to have fun while creating the kind of music that its members would want to listen to—hard, fast and furious.
“I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have secret feminist agendas and stuff to prove,” she says. “But it’s not really our focus…. That said, I don’t think we’d be who we are if we didn’t have views regarding that.”
