On a personal note I worked with 7 Year Bitch for a few years when I lived in Seattle in 1994. I had just been hired by C/Z Records, the label that put out their first full length. My timing was strange. I moved to the city on the heels of two major losses to the music community there, Mia Zapata of The Gits (who was murdered) and the guitarist of 7 Year Bitch Stephanie Sargent (alcohol related).
The first two records I was acting as a sales rep for was Enter : The Conquering Chicken by the Gits and 7YB's Viva Zapata - both bands suffering from deep personal losses as these records saw their official release. As you can imagine, it was a tough time for the bands, the record label, and the local music community. I really could not have timed my move to the Northwest any more poorly as it would also be just a few months later that Kurt Cobain would be found dead.
A new release cycle is intense because when a band releases a new record, they are expected to play live as often as possible and build up press by completing interview after interview. The media often, and with good reason, always drifted towards the both band's losses in these interviews so the ghosts of their fallen members and friends felt ever present. I recall a photo shoot for The Gits where the remaining members posed with their arms spaced apart to leave room for Mia who was painfully missing from what should have been a joyous moment of a new release celebration. We wiped away tears at tables near by tossing back whiskey shots because none of us could escape the emotions attached to this tragedy and the final souvenir of Mia's voice.
The other memory that sticks with me comes from 7 Year Bitch shows. After the murder of Mia the women of Seattle were scared to walk home late at night. This was how we lost Mia and we feared the same horrific attack. Stemming from this panic, there were meetings to learn self defense and vent this rage of no longer feeling safe in the city we called home. From this group action came the organization Home Alive. After 7 Year Bitch shows, if you did not feel safe walking home, this group would help pay for your ride home. (Ironically all of this years before we learned that Mia's murdered was in fact a cab driver) Home Alive also helped cover the costs of self defense classes during this time period so I cannot stress how important their existence was during this time in my life.
Mia was strangled by her murderer with the strings from her hoodie and to this day my instinct is to remove them from my clothing in tribute to her. Twenty years later and this still weighs heavy on my heart.
We all know that so often music isn't just music. It represents bigger things like moments in our lives, and a community of people we call our second family. My time in Seattle from 1994 to 1996 has a very specific soundtrack. Just hearing 7 Year Bitch takes me back in time instantly and the memories come flooding back. I appreciate that this new record is not only a celebration of the power of their live performance and their songwriting skills but it is a reminder of friendship, courage, and survival too.
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