Cute Band Alert!
Follow That Bird! rips it up, grrrl-style.
By Darcie Stevens, 11:46AM, Fri. Apr. 25, 2008
These girls are no puppets, but sharing a name with a certain Sesame Street hit of 1985, local trio Follow That Bird! is, however, as cute as Snuffleupagus and as awe-inspiring as Big Bird. Role models to girls everywhere, Lauren Green (vocals, guitar), Tiffanie Lanmon (drums), and Rachel Badger (bass) listened to a lot of Sleater-Kinney growing up, but the UT students add their own bits of modernity into this minimal rock & roll.
I first saw Follow That Bird! at a benefit for Girls Rock Camp Austin at the Mohawk last December. A bit shy and coy at first, the girls played it loud and raw, with Green hitting perfect pitch, alternating screams, growls, and poetry. The benefit wasn't just a favor; these girls take their position seriously. Lanmon is involved with afterschool programs for elementary school students, and all three seek to bridge the gap between women and rock & roll.
Begun as a two-piece in 2005, Follow That Bird! rounded out with Badger on bass in 2006, a perfect move considering the thump on FTB's MySpace demos. Check out "Run With Knives," and then tell us how much Badger added to the band. This is the new girl power, and it's fierce.
FTB is hard at work on their first LP, but you can catch them live tomorrow at Trophy's, May 3 at the UT Union for another benefit (this time they're supporting Students Against Cruelty to Animals), and May 7 at Red Eyed Fly.
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Cute Band Alert, Follow That Bird!