Betty Blowtorch

By Alex Teitz

Betty Blowtorch has all the elements of stars. They have an amazing record, a spot on the Warped Tour, and enough forceful attitude to sweep any competition out of the way. Betty Blowtorch is Bianca Butthole (vocals, bass), Sharon Needles (guitar, background vocals), Blare N Bitch (lead guitar) and Judy Molish (drums). Prior to becoming Betty Blowtorch Bianca, Sharon, and Blare formed Butt Trumpet on EMI. When asked to change their music they left.

Betty Blowtorch’s album, Are You Man Enough? Spotlights their hard-hitting style with songs like “Hell on Wheels”, “Shut Up and Fuck”, and “No Integrity.” For more information visit Wikipedia. FEMMUSIC was able to get a brief e-mail interview with Sharon Needles. Here’s what she had to say:

FEMMUSIC:  How does a song form within the band? It varies from song to song.

SN: Everyone writes and collaborate. Some songs are written by all four, or 3, or two, or even just one of us.

FEMMUSIC:  What was the biggest challenge making ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?

SN: Trying to avoid too many Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  : – )

FEMMUSIC:  What was the best experience making ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?

SN: Rocking out and not feeling like we had to hold back. We were able to do our thing without any limitations.

FEMMUSIC:  How was it working with Matt Hyde?

SN: The best, Matt rules, he’s great at what he does. He made the album bad-ass.

FEMMUSIC:  In the past, you’d been asked to change the style of your band (Butt Trumphet) to fit a label. What did you learn from that experience, and how is Betty Blowtorch different?

SN: We learned to say ” fuck it, fuck you, we’re gonna continue to do and say whatever the fuck we want.” Betty continues with that belief.

FEMMUSIC:  You were filmed for a documentary. When you saw the final product did it give you a different view of the band? What was the best experience with that filming?

SN: We haven’t seen the final product, only bits. We had and are having a blast though….

FEMMUSIC:  As a woman in the music industry have you been discriminated against?

SN: I think that it’s worked both for and against us. I’ve noticed most recently we’re getting great exposure as a female rock band who rock hard. We’re 4 hot chicks who can REALLY play & write songs.

FEMMUSIC:  What one thing would you like to change about the music industry?

SN: I think they need to put their ears to the pavement and listen to what’s on the street. There are so many bands who rock…that go unnoticed.

FEMMUSIC:  What advice would you give for an artist just starting out?

SN: For all the girls starting out ” Don’t date musicians, date people with jobs!”  For all the guys ” Get a fucking job! ” support yourselves…No really – Jam out with your clam out & Pass out with your ass out!!!!