Beginning with their self-naming, Team Dresch celebrated singularity and camaraderie.
Guitarist and bassist Donna Dresch was the indie-rock legend (Screaming Trees, Dinosaur Jr.,
Fifth Column, etc.) under whose ax they united, but they carried the ball down the field
together, passing lines, leads and instruments back and forth. They were all experienced
musicians – Jody drummed for Hazel, Kaia had been in Adickdid, Marcéo Martinez in Calamity
Jane – and brought a level of serious musicianship to the primitivism of Olympia’s DIY scene. On
their 1995 debut, Personal Best (named after the movie starring Mariel Hemingway), they
raged against the Christian right and small towns, then kissed their girlfriends on the mouth.
Dresch, Bleyle, and Wilson played ferocious, intricate riffs fast while Martinez hit the drums
hard. Their lyrics cited the Smiths and Sinead O’Connor, patron saints of sorrow and suffering.
To paraphrase their own song, they were amazing; their words saved us.
Melissa York (Vitapup, Born Against) replaced Martinez on Captain My Captain, pounding the skins even harder
– and adding a level of NYC showmanship to the quintessentially Northwestern, T-shirted live
act. “Uncle Phranc” kicked out the jams this time. The band was finding and creating
community, elevating and becoming dykons. Already Team Dresch commanded a level of
assurance and confidence, staying true to the underground’s autonomous spirit and dispensing
useful advice, such as “Don’t Try Suicide.” They released their records on indie labels, mostly
ones they ran themselves, Chainsaw and Cand-Ass. “Remember who you are, Make up who you
are,” they roared over the noise of busted closets. Punk rock would never be the same.
Team Dresch broke up suddenly, its members going off in singles and pairs to other
projects: The Butchies, the Vegas Beat. They reunited in 2004 and have played occasionally
since, because music this honest never gets old. 2019 marks the first time they are flirting with
the idea of being an active band again, look for more from the Team as the year unfurls!