Personal Best

Biography

Team Dresch is an American punk rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1993. Originally from Olympia, Washington, they made a significant impression on the queercore movement, as well as on the riot grrrl scene, before breaking up in 1998 and reforming in 2004. The line up of the group for their first album was Kaia Wilson, vocals and guitar; Jody Bleyle, guitar, bass, and vocals; Donna Dresch, bass and guitar; and Marci Martinez on drums. All were veterans of other musical outfits; Donna D...

Team Dresch is an American punk rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1993. Originally from Olympia, Washington, they made a significant impression on the queercore movement, as well as on the riot grrrl scene, before breaking up in 1998 and reforming in 2004.

The line up of the group for their first album was Kaia Wilson, vocals and guitar; Jody Bleyle, guitar, bass, and vocals; Donna Dresch, bass and guitar; and Marci Martinez on drums. All were veterans of other musical outfits; Donna Dresch had previously played and recorded with such bands as Dinosaur Jr., Dangermouse, Screaming Trees, Rastro!, Fifth Column, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Lois, Mary Lou Lord and The Go Team; Jody Bleyle was simultaneously in the bands Hazel and Lovebutt while playing in Team Dresch; Kaia Wilson had been in the band Adickdid and Marci Martinez in Calamity Jane. Scott Plouf, then of The Spinanes, now of Built to Spill was the drummer on the first 7".

Donna Dresch, founder of the band, had been involved in the queercore scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s as creator of her own fanzine Chainsaw and, in addition to contributing to other zines such as Outpunk and J.D.s, she contributed to and was featured on the cover of issue five of Homocore and appeared in the girl-gang film The Yo-Yo Gang by G.B. Jones.

Their first single, Hand Grenade, appeared on Kill Rock Stars in 1994. Personal Best, the album which followed it, appeared in 1995 as a co-release on the independent labels Chainsaw Records, run by Dresch and Candy Ass Records, run by Bleyle. Candy-ass then released the compilation Free To Fight, a double LP of all-women bands addressing issues such as harassment and rape and dedicated to self-defense. The band toured with self-defense instructor Alice Stagg, who spoke and gave demonstrations to the audience prior to the bands' performance. The members were committed to a DIY ethic, running their own record labels and booking their own tours. In 1996, the influential German band Tocotronic payed homage to Team Dresch with their song Die Sache mit der Team Dresch-Platte (The thing about the Team Dresch record), eventually contributing to the popularity of Team Dresch in Germany.

On their second recording Melissa York, previously of the hardcore punk bands Vitapup and Born Against replaced Marci Martinez. This LP, Captain My Captain, also featured a guest appearance by Phranc, well known lesbian musician. As well, the song Uncle Phranc, written as a tribute to her, appears on this album.

After this LP Kaia Wilson and Melissa York left the band to form The Butchies, while Dresch and Bleyle continued recording with the addition of new member Amanda Kelly and Marci Martinez once again on drums. The band stopped playing in 1998, with Dresch increasingly involved in running her record label which was releasing many recordings by newer bands, including The Need, Longstocking, Sleater Kinney and many more. In 2002 Jody debuted a new band, Family Outing, which includes her brother, Allen, and in 2004, Donna returned to the stage with a new band, Davies vs. Dresch. They appeared as part of "Queercore Blitz", a group of queer bands touring the U.S together.

In the summer of 2004, Jody, Donna, Kaia, Marci and Melissa came together to headline the homocore festival Homo-a-Go-Go in Olympia, Washington.

In the summer of 2006, the same members are reforming to play shows in the Northwest and in New York City.

The band performs and is interviewed in the documentary film She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane.

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