Think Tracy Bonham is just another manufactured she-rocker? Sorry, youΓÇÖre wrong.
Text: Ray Rogers, Photos: Zoe Chan
If youΓÇÖve been anywhere near MTV lately, youΓÇÖve probably heard Tracy Bonham roar. ΓÇ£I'm hungry, I'm dirty, I'm losing my mind,ΓÇ¥ she strains politely in her buzz clip, ΓÇ£Mother, Mother,ΓÇ¥ just before ripping her throat out, hollering, ΓÇ£Everything's Fine!ΓÇ¥ But if you really want to hear this 29-year-old Boston-based singer lose it, just tell her how much you love this fascinating new trend in music, The Angry Young Woman.
As media pundits trip over themselves to tag her as the Next Big Angry Thing, Bonham's singular talent for turning internal turmoil into spiky pop speaks for itself. And it doesnΓÇÖt always shout. Bonham's assured debut, The Burdens of Being Upright, is as multifaceted and solid as the load of bricks her shoulders bare on the record's front cover.
Now that she's released her first full-length album to wide acclaim, the old burdens are seemingly easing up. But the burdens of being a rocker who happens to be a woman have become increasingly weighty, as she continues to be pigeonholed as a jumble of screaming estrogenΓÇölumped in with Alanis, Liz, even kooky Courtney. Is she her own woman? You bet. HereΓÇÖs why.
Why she's not Alanis Morrisette
In short: TracyΓÇÖs easier to believe.
Frankly, we like Alanis, but she does have that whiff of ΓÇ£product.ΓÇ¥ While Bonham began her pop career by singing jingles for Toyota dealerships in the Boston areaΓÇönot unlike the commercial bubble-gum that defined MorrisetteΓÇÖs early careerΓÇöBonham only did it to make a living while fine-tuning her own music. Far from any marketing creation, she has evolved gradually and never required extreme ΓÇ£repackaging.ΓÇ¥ No one pens the venom in Bonham's songs for her. She also knows the proper usage of the word ironic.
Why sheΓÇÖs not Liz Phair
In short: TracyΓÇÖs a little less ... wounded.
Bonham is more of the Led Zeppelin school of heavy dynamics to Phair's more fragile quiet-riot songs. But Bonham doesnΓÇÖt mind this particular comparison. Like Phair, her songs penetrate issues of body image, emotional power plays and doomed romance, but they emanate from a decidedly more secure place. In contrast to Phair's classic ΓÇ£F*ck and RunΓÇ¥ in which she's left stranded by a series of unfaithful f*ckers, Bonham remains on top, singing lines like ΓÇ£Ate a man today, ate a man and then just walked away.ΓÇ¥
Why she's not PJ Harvey
In short: Well, thereΓÇÖs that violin of hers.
Bonham plays a mean cover of Harvey's ΓÇ£50 Foot QueenieΓÇ¥ in concert, but with a few key differences. TracyΓÇÖs not given to garish makeup or vampy get-ups. And instead of using her electric guitar, she tears through the song on the violin. A classically trained violinist who was headed straight for the conservatory before she came under the influence of rock and roll, Bonham spent the early years of her life practicing violin religiously several hours a day, and went so far as attending two years of college, concentrating on the instrument.
Why she's not Patti Rothberg
In short: Just go see Tracy perform, okay?
A few years older than the one-time New York City subway busker, Bonham's far more assured in her writing and tackles much more complex issues. Where Rothberg falters through her live sets, Bonham's concerts are one of her most vital selling points. On stage she attacks her guitar with galelike force, wrenching every hidden bit of drama from her songs.
Why she's not Courtney Love
In short: Tracy doesnΓÇÖt need to be the girl with the most cake.
Bonham remains focused on her music, and, as such, has yet to make a public spectacle of herself. She seems indifferent to the allures of the rock ΓÇÿnΓÇÖ roll ΓÇ£lifestyle,ΓÇ¥ unlikely to simulate lesbianism. If she ever reaches the point of celebrityhood, it will be based purely on her music and performance. However, she does admit to an exhibitionist side emerging from her upright being. Witness, for instance, her new rubberized green Medusa wig.
Why Tracy BonhamΓÇÖs glad sheΓÇÖs herself
In short: She may be battling the angry stereotype, but, hey, itΓÇÖs better than being compared to ... Mariah Carey.
Still hungry, but for success, and occasionally still on the brink of losing her mindΓÇömostly due to the 24-7 hours of the jobΓÇöBonham's in it for the long haul. At this point in her career, everything still may not be fine, but the fine line between anger and joy is one that Bonham is going to keep on walking (whatever the media says). And that sounds mighty fine to us.
