[This article was originally posted in 2021 and has been reposted with slight changes to its format.]

Mean Siders proudly carries the torch of riot grrrl ever forward. Hailing from the Brooklyn indie scene and featuring an all-female, all-LGBTQ+ lineup of Katie Ortiz (guitar/lead vocals), Nicky Johnson (bass/vocals), and Shannon Minor (drums/vocals), they’re inspiringly DIY and have all the bite they need to remain steadfast in their pro-queer feminist messages without scaring anyone away. Contrary to what their name might imply, their first EP Seltzer had an often friendly and inviting sound while latest release All of Us has them really showing their eponymous mean side (and there may be more of that in store for us!).

During performances, they’re not afraid to use glitter and glam alongside mid-song spoken word interludes in getting the point across during their sets of indie, punky garage rock. Mean Siders is an activist band that operates on several fronts: the musical, the dramatic, the literary, and the propagandistic. They remind us that we can indeed make music and merchandise with a message just as we write essays and prose at any length on the same. The Q asked Mean Siders about all the sides of the band—mean and otherwise!

Mean Siders has always had a very “now” sound to me. I honestly have never been able to make any good guesses on your influences except maybe some riot grrrl bands like 7 Year Bitch (who I know some of you love as much as I do!). If anything, I just hear your take on the current sounds of the DIY indie/punk scene. Are you inspired mostly by bands active in the scene or are there any other specific influences you draw from?
In the early days of the band, we were definitely inspired by riot grrl bands, especially Bratmobile. Our influences have evolved a lot over the years, and we’ve been casting a wider net. Locally and otherwise, some of our faves include A Deer A Horse, Deli Girls, Swans, and Sonic Youth.

Is there a main lyricist or composer or do multiple band members contribute to different areas of the songwriting process?
We’ve always each written our own parts, but it feels very collaborative. Sometimes Nicky and Shannon will work together to do a cool bass-drums thing, or we’ll figure out what parts to sing (or scream lol) together. Katie’s written a lot of the lyrics, but we’ve each brought songs to the table! The new record will definitely reflect that 😉 😉

Mean Siders merch has always included many DIY items such as handwritten stickers, handmade felt patches, and even upcycled clothing! Who’s involved in making all of these things and what inspired you to put them on the merch table?
The felt patches are so easy to make on tour! Shannon has always been crafty and started making them just to have something to do. They turned out so cute, and we realized how easy they were to make. Then they just turned into something fun we could do in the van that didn’t make us nauseous.

In terms of clothes, we just didn’t want to buy mass produced T shirts anymore. When you have the option to do something creative that uses existing materials, has basically no footprint, and is cheaper, it just makes sense. It’s more sustainable, size inclusive, and there’s a wider variety of what we can come up with! Nicky’s paint jobs are INSANE.

Speaking of merch, you’ve also distributed micro-zines on topics like emotional labor, de-stigmatizing discussions of periods (while being inclusive of all genders), and fun recommendations of other DIY bands. It seems that Katie is behind most of this judging by some of the author credits. How do you choose what to write about and what made you choose the zine format?
We like having something small and handmade at the merch table. Zines are usually just on whatever we feel like talking about! Emotional labor and period talk are both things Katie is passionate about. Shannon added one to our merch table all about nervines after taking an herbalism class. It’s a fun way to share knowledge and she’ll take any excuse to talk about plants. Nicky’s working on one but is lazy. “Nicky’s Masterful Guide to Bomb-Ass Sex.” Stay tuned!

It has always been apparent that Mean Siders recognizes the intersection of women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights. What made you take up these causes as both activists and artists, and how would you describe the relationship between women’s rights and queer rights?
It’s been a cathartic process. All of us are queer. We didn’t set out to be activists through music, it’s just what comes out.
Nicky: As a trans person, my entire existence is politicized, so any art I make is inevitably politicized. I can’t exist in a non-politicized environment anymore, it’s impossible for me.
As intersectional feminists, women’s rights and queer rights are the same conversation.

How do you feel about the standing of the DIY scene in relation to the music industry—both artistically and in terms of queer and feminist issues?
They feel separate. DIY doesn’t need the music industry, but it also depends on what your goals are. Even though it’d be great to become financially sustainable, it’s special to be a part of a community that creates its own “music industry.” The scene exists outside of the capitalistic bullshit gatekeepers that keep marginalized people from existing and creating their art. But we also don’t get paid, so oops. 

Even from the first time I saw you play and likely every time after, performances of “Dump Him” have had a very brief (even participatory!) skit in the middle of the song that illustrates its message. How did you come up with this idea and have you ever thought about doing similar things more often?
It wasn’t always that way! One day in the middle of band practice, we were just goofing around, and Shannon suggested we added it in. Then it just became a really fun campy part of our set! 

I’ve always liked the song “Black Coffee,” but I can never develop a definite interpretation of its lyrics. At the very least, I think it’s a metaphor about being open or closedminded in regards to sexuality. Can you explain the meaning of song?
You’re not wrong! It’s literally just about being bi and dating around and realizing all your own flaws. As Miss Frizzle always says, “get messy, make mistakes!”

“Weatherman” is such a fun tirade against faux-emotional, fake-feminist male punks! I’ve noticed that predominantly straight cis-men in the indie/punk scene have adopted a semi-ironic “sad boy” aesthetic in communicating their emotions, particularly depression and loneliness. There’s nothing wrong with this in and of itself, but I’m sure you’ve seen how this kind of thing can be misused. The history of emo in particular is marred with the misogynistic blaming of women for men’s problem. What can we do as feminists and allies to deal with and prevent this kind of behavior?
The book “Cunt” really made us think about practicing self-defense in a community. You have to look out for each other. Plus, keeping communication open. It’s great to have these conversations with your bandmates, but maybe you also have this conversation wherever you’re playing a show. It’s one way we keep each other safe.

And don’t be afraid to call out your local faux-woke indie sadboy! You can’t force someone to change, but you can continue to empower each other and put your artistic and social efforts into presenting a different reality option.

Was the change in tone from the Seltzer EP to its follow-up All of Us more natural or intentional? The former’s music is much more amiable than the latter. “Weatherman” is the only song that I think is upbeat on All of Us, whereas the rest are more aggressive and accusatory in both music and lyrics.
The aggressive sound was always something we wanted for our music. As we grew closer we became more comfortable with taking up space, and the music followed. And we all dumped our shitty partners.

Besides the more intense tone on the new EP, last time I saw Mean Siders you gave the audience a good taste of a very different artistic side of the band—and it sounded meaner than ever! I felt that it came from the same place as your other material, yet was more experimental—bordering on industrial music in its in-your-face transgressive nature. What inspired this sound and how far do you think you’ll go in this and/or other new directions?
Our music evolved this way out of a combination of boredom and necessity. We were gearing up to that shift in “Known Better” and then we just kept egging each other on. There was this short period where Shannon had a wrist injury and we had to decide to either cancel our show or do something else. Nicky and Katie were deciding whether to adapt our regular songs to playing without a drummer, and that just seemed boring. So we just decided to impulsively write something really weird and perform it once and see what would happen… and it just felt right! 

​The next thing we put out will definitely be freakier. 😉

What have you been listening to lately?
We are all the fuck over the place.

Nicky: Xiu Xiu, Machine Girl, Later era Primus, Gojira, Full of Hell, Phil Collins
Shannon: Townes Van Zandt, Hole, and the Velvet Underground have been at the top of stack recently
Katie: Chaos Chaos, Fujiya & Miyagi, Cheekface, and Ashnikko are all on my daily mix right now 🙂

What do you like to do for fun and leisure? Any other passions besides music and activism?
Nicky: Painting, carpentry, anime, skateboarding, crosswords, screenwriting, anti-dysphoria diversion tactics
Shannon: reading, writing, herbalism, pilates, swimming, learning french, raising hell
Katie: crafting, reading, hiking, eating chips, hanging out with my lizard Matilda

What do you want for the future of Mean Siders?
To go on tour, to play really fun shows, to make more music! This time in forced isolation has made us really miss all the little things about being in a band together.

Do you have any advice for LGBTQ+ people in the indie/punk/DIY scene or any other perhaps less-accepting scene?
Don’t try to fit any molds. Just make whatever it is you’re interested in, exactly the way you’re interested in doing it! We’re not making any money doing this – don’t worry if you suck! Sucking is cool. Sucking is an artform.

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