Sin City Sounds Spotlight - Blare N. Bitch

Blare N. Bitch's story is like a rock opera. As guitarist for Los Angeles-based Betty Blowtorch, she and band mates Bianca Halstead (aka Bianca Butthole), Sharon Needles and Judy Molish, were hard-rocking and hard-touring, attracting a loyal and growing national following. Their climb to the top was interrupted when Needles and Molish ran out in the middle of the night mid-tour. Then, four weeks later, on December 15th, 2001, Halstead was killed in a car accident in New Orleans.

Bitch has picked up the pieces with the Blare Bitch Project, featuring former Lunachicks drummer Becky Wreck, Punky and Leah. Everyone writes songs and trades-off on vocals, adding variety and imparting different energies with each of their styles. Bitch spoke with me on the phone a week before their upcoming trip to Las Vegas and proved she is still a force to be reckoned with.

Poizen Ivy: Tell me about The Blare Bitch Project.

Blare Bitch: I have a really good bunch of people in the new band. Punky's songwriting is very melodic and very hooky, and she's a great player. It's nice having another lead player, I can kick back and relax playing rhythm and just listen to her.

PI: Is it difficult being a girl band?

BB: The hardest thing is radio, especially in the clear-water towns. We'd get "Sorry we already have 'a' girl band" or "We already have 'a' female vocalist in rotation." Huh?! There's kind of a taboo that if you're a girl you're not going to be as good, or rock as hard, as a guy, but I think people are getting to the point that whatever sounds good, is good.

PI: You are not only an excellent guitarist, but you're left-handed. Was it hard learning to play?

BB: No, not really. I started off when I was really young, just kind of strumming nonsense. But once they got it into their heads that I was left-handed it was pretty easy after that. I was kind of fighting with them for a while, they kept taking the guitar out of my hands and flipping it around and I'd just take it and flip it back and look at them.

PI: Who are your musical influences?

BB: God, it just depends. I grew up with the Stones and Zeppelin. I listened to records my brother had, like Clapton and Frampton and Deep Purple and all that, 10 years after. Then when I was on my own I got heavily into the punk scene, I hated hair bands. Early Clash, The Jam, Sex Pistols, Ramones; they were a very heavy influence, even though my music isn't necessarily punk. I write pretty simple stuff; I love simple. Now I've been listening to more hair-bands than I ever did, like AC/DC and Motley Crue.

PI: Was this because of Bianca? She seemed to be very into the whole hair band scene, even writing a song about it.

BB: Yeah. Very much so. Hours and hours of touring listening to CDs, and she had the bigest collection and the biggest variety. Kiss, Queen, AC/DC, Nebula, Mazzy Star. It was quite fun.

PI: You and Bianca shared a rich music history. Has it been difficult to go on with your career without her?

BB: She was so special and everyone knew she was special. She didn't really know that. I think about her many times every day and I think that I've grown a lot in a good way because of it; my outlook on life, my spirituality. It is getting easier and I'm trying to stay positive, and still go through moments of sadness and be OK with that too.

PI: Is it uncomfortable to talk about her death?

BB: It's a hard topic, but it should be talked about. If we embrace death then we end up appreciating what we have more because it's all going to be gone one day. When you talk about someone that's gone it keeps them around. I like talking about her.

PI: I Hate You is obviously directed at Judy and Sharon. Was writing it therapeutic?

BB: Oh yeah! I think it was the first song I wrote after Bianca died. I had fun writing it. I kind of pictured it as being a fun song. I still have fun singing it. There are still times when I'm mad at them, but I don't want to walk around angry. I've decided to put up with less bullshit as I go through life. You just have to let the anger go for any sort of spiritual or mental health. If I find myself going back there I just have to remind myself to let it go, It's not how I want to live now.

PI: Have they ever tried to explain why they took off in the middle of the night like that?

BB: No. That happened exactly 4 weeks before, almost to the hour. They left at 10 to 5 in the morning on Saturday and Bianca died around 5 on Saturday exactly 4 weeks later. It was very weird, there were a lot of weird coincidences. They have never tried to explain anything to me.

PI: It keeps coming up, are you a strongly spiritual person?

BB: I'm not religious at all, but definitely spiritual. The pure basic thought of religion is good, but organized religion can sometimes get carried away.

PI: How does the "real" Blare differ from your stage persona?

BB: I think I'm more subdued in real life. I love hanging out, it's my favorite thing to do. I may be more soft-spoken and laid back when I'm off-stage, but I'm still very driven.

PI: What might people be surprised to learn about you?

BB: I've been teaching Yoga for about 7 years; I co-own a studio. Yoga's great. It's relaxing but it keeps you strong, flexible and healthy.

PI: Do you live in Hollywood?

BB: I live up north by Magic Mountain on L.A. forest land, with cabins around and a creek out front. It's really nice. After I moved from New York I needed a break. It took me a couple of years to get used to it out here. I wish I lived closer sometimes, like when you go out to clubs at night, but I wouldn't trade living out here for anything.

PI: How would you sum up your musical philosophy?

BB: I want to go for the rock and roll dream, and if you don't, then get the hell out of my way.


	Still Hangin' On By Poizen Ivy Blare N. Bitch's story is like a rock opera. As guitarist for Los Angeles-based Betty Blowtorch, she and band mates Bianca Halstead (aka Bianca Butthole), Sharon Needles and Judy Molish, were hard-rocking and hard-touring, attracting a loyal and growing national following. Their climb to the top was interrupted when Needles and Molish ran out in the middle of the night mid-tour. Then, four weeks later, on December 15th, 2001, Halstead was killed in a car accident in New Orleans. Bitch has picked up the pieces with the Blare Bitch Project, featuring former Lunachicks drummer Becky Wreck, Punky and Leah. Everyone writes songs and trades-off on vocals, adding variety and imparting different energies with each of their styles. Bitch spoke with me on the phone a week before their upcoming trip to Las Vegas and proved she is still a force to be reckoned with. Poizen Ivy: Tell me about The Blare Bitch Project. Blare Bitch: I have a really good bunch of people in the new band. Punky's songwriting is very melodic and very hooky, and she's a great player. It's nice having another lead player, I can kick back and relax playing rhythm and just listen to her. PI: Is it difficult being a girl band? BB: The hardest thing is radio, especially in the clear-water towns. We'd get "Sorry we already have 'a' girl band" or "We already have 'a' female vocalist in rotation." Huh?! There's kind of a taboo that if you're a girl you're not going to be as good, or rock as hard, as a guy, but I think people are getting to the point that whatever sounds good, is good. PI: You are not only an excellent guitarist, but you're left-handed. Was it hard learning to play? BB: No, not really. I started off when I was really young, just kind of strumming nonsense. But once they got it into their heads that I was left-handed it was pretty easy after that. I was kind of fighting with them for a while, they kept taking the guitar out of my hands and flipping it around and I'd just take it and flip it back and look at them. PI: Who are your musical influences? BB: God, it just depends. I grew up with the Stones and Zeppelin. I listened to records my brother had, like Clapton and Frampton and Deep Purple and all that, 10 years after. Then when I was on my own I got heavily into the punk scene, I hated hair bands. Early Clash, The Jam, Sex Pistols, Ramones; they were a very heavy influence, even though my music isn't necessarily punk. I write pretty simple stuff; I love simple. Now I've been listening to more hair-bands than I ever did, like AC/DC and Motley Crue. PI: Was this because of Bianca? She seemed to be very into the whole hair band scene, even writing a song about it. BB: Yeah. Very much so. Hours and hours of touring listening to CDs, and she had the bigest collection and the biggest variety. Kiss, Queen, AC/DC, Nebula, Mazzy Star. It was quite fun. PI: You and Bianca shared a rich music history. Has it been difficult to go on with your career without her? BB: She was so special and everyone knew she was special. She didn't really know that. I think about her many times every day and I think that I've grown a lot in a good way because of it; my outlook on life, my spirituality. It is getting easier and I'm trying to stay positive, and still go through moments of sadness and be OK with that too. PI: Is it uncomfortable to talk about her death? BB: It's a hard topic, but it should be talked about. If we embrace death then we end up appreciating what we have more because it's all going to be gone one day. When you talk about someone that's gone it keeps them around. I like talking about her. PI: I Hate You is obviously directed at Judy and Sharon. Was writing it therapeutic? BB: Oh yeah! I think it was the first song I wrote after Bianca died. I had fun writing it. I kind of pictured it as being a fun song. I still have fun singing it. There are still times when I'm mad at them, but I don't want to walk around angry. I've decided to put up with less bullshit as I go through life. You just have to let the anger go for any sort of spiritual or mental health. If I find myself going back there I just have to remind myself to let it go, It's not how I want to live now. PI: Have they ever tried to explain why they took off in the middle of the night like that? BB: No. That happened exactly 4 weeks before, almost to the hour. They left at 10 to 5 in the morning on Saturday and Bianca died around 5 on Saturday exactly 4 weeks later. It was very weird, there were a lot of weird coincidences. They have never tried to explain anything to me. PI: It keeps coming up, are you a strongly spiritual person? BB: I'm not religious at all, but definitely spiritual. The pure basic thought of religion is good, but organized religion can sometimes get carried away. PI: How does the "real" Blare differ from your stage persona? BB: I think I'm more subdued in real life. I love hanging out, it's my favorite thing to do. I may be more soft-spoken and laid back when I'm off-stage, but I'm still very driven. PI: What might people be surprised to learn about you? BB: I've been teaching Yoga for about 7 years; I co-own a studio. Yoga's great. It's relaxing but it keeps you strong, flexible and healthy. PI: Do you live in Hollywood? BB: I live up north by Magic Mountain on L.A. forest land, with cabins around and a creek out front. It's really nice. After I moved from New York I needed a break. It took me a couple of years to get used to it out here. I wish I lived closer sometimes, like when you go out to clubs at night, but I wouldn't trade living out here for anything. PI: How would you sum up your musical philosophy? BB: I want to go for the rock and roll dream, and if you don't, then get the hell out of my way. An edited version of this interview was published in Las Vegas CityLife on February 6th, 2003. Live photos of Betty Blowtorch by Poizen Ivy. Click here for more about the Blare Bitch Project.	Betty Blowtorch at The Cooler on August 17, 2001 Betty Blowtorch
	NEWS ^ SPOTLIGHT ^ EVENTS ^ LISTEN ^ FREEBIES ^ ABOUT ^ LINKS ^ HOME This page was updated on March 20, 2003 © 2001 Sin City Sounds. All Rights Reserved. Our Copyright, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy	Created by