Double Dare Ya

Philly's Trophy Wife puts sound to the fury.

by John Vettese

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Published: Jan 19, 2011

Katy Otto (left) and Diane Foglizzo of Trophy Wife

[ rock/pop ]

Trophy Wife is a two-headed dragon. Fierce guitar and furious drums, interlocked and driving. Two complementary voices; sometimes they sing, sometimes they scream. A pair of queer women writing in an intensely personal manner — a lyric from their standout thrasher "Cat and Dog" goes, "Am I less your daughter? Am I more a stranger?" — resulting in songs that can also have applications to broader audiences. This duality is reflected in the title of Trophy Wife's debut full length, Patience Fury. Composed of two D.C. transplants, drummer Katy Otto (Exotic Fever Records founder, formerly of Del Cielo) and guitarist Diane Foglizzo, the Philly band is heading into a busy winter itinerary that includes an appearance with Dismemberment Plan (Starlight Ballroom, Jan. 27), an after-party gig when Otto sits on a discussion panel with Kathleen Hanna (Kelly Writers House, Feb. 8) and a set at the Barbary this weekend.

City Paper: You're what I'd describe as a power duo. Raw and heavy instruments, clear and prominent vocals. Why do you favor that means of expression?

Diane Foglizzo: The connection between us is so intense and honest that it is best navigated, manipulated and fleshed out with not much more than our two voices, and our instruments. It's more than a band, it's a relationship. I don't know if emotionally I could be as authentic if there were other folks involved.

Katy Otto: There is no primary songwriter, and it is the first time I have done a band where we discuss every lyric and every placement of vocal arrangements.

DF: Being a two-piece makes it more possible to be somewhat experimental with our songs — with their flow and their structure.

CP: Does the clarity of your vocals allow more focus on the lyrics? There's a lot of substance in them — social, political, personal.

KO: We don't want our words to be covered, definitely — that is why we included a lyric sheet.

DF: Our lyrics are ... kind of like an essay or thought-out journal entry. We spend a lot of time talking about them and then write them collaboratively, but a lot of what we're thinking and feeling is as present in the sounds and notes of our instruments.

CP: The songs come from a strong feminist and LGBT-conscious perspective. What else would you hope listeners get from them?

DF: We often find ourselves in situations that remind us that we are queer women in and out of music communities. It's kinda hard to forget when you're different.

KO: We definitely prioritize making music that queer people and feminists feel solace in. But we also like playing heavy music, and that means we play with a lot of dudes.

DF: I guess a lot of our songs are about survival and deciding for yourself what that means, whether you're fighting for a union at the job where you're being exploited or figuring out how to be a good single mom, or learning how not to default to socialized patterns of self-destruction.

CP: You reworked your song "Cat and Dog" in reaction to Tyler Clementi's suicide. How has it been received?

DF: I was writing for myself in response to all the queer youth that committed suicide in 2010, and then we realized it kind of fit with this other song we had, which was actually, among other things, about coming out to my family. It actually has developed into its own song, called "It Gets Better ... ?" While I have been excited by the "It Gets Better" campaign getting a lot of coverage, I think Katy and I have been much more inspired by the number of queer youth around the country talking about what it takes to make things better.

KO: A lot of people have a lot of stuff to say — some people get angry, have intense feelings, we like to listen. We like to create spaces where talking about frustration at living in a homophobic world is valid and valuable.

(john.vettese@citypaper.net)

Trophy Wife plays Sun., Jan. 23, 7 p.m., $10, with Northernmost and Universal Order of Armageddon, Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, thebrbry.blogspot.com.

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