Wild Flag - Biography
Wild Flag is an indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon and Washington, DC. The quartet, which formed in 2010, features Carrie Brownstein (vocals, guitar), Mary Timony (vocals, guitar), Rebecca Cole (keyboards) and Janet Weiss (drums).
The members of Wild Flag have had interconnected musical histories over a decade, and have played in numerous and notable bands. They include the now defunct riot grrl band Sleater-Kinney (1994-2006) with founder Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss. Sleater-Kinney have also toured with Mary Timony's '90s alternative band Helium. Brownstein and Timony later collaborated in the short-lived band The Spells, releasing one EP. Rebecca Cole's band The Minders frequently opened for Sleater-Kinney and Quasi, another of Janet Weiss' bands. And Weiss and Cole play together in garage-rock cover band The Shadow Mortons. Although everyone in Wild Flag has collaborated with someone else in the band, the first Wild Flag practice was the first time all four musicians had ever all played together.
Before their album was even recorded, Wild Flag went on various tours, playing small clubs in the US, selling out venues, and building an audience of their own. And by the time Wild Flag hit SXSW in 2011, the buzz was considerable. Wild Flag released their highly anticipated self-titled debut album, which was recorded live (to capture the energy of their shows) in September 2011 on Merge Records to much critical acclaim.
