Former Sleater-Kinney riot grrrl and mother of two, Corin Tucker, isn't just taking the kids to soccer these days: she's celebrating the release of 1,000 Years with the Corin Tucker Band, her first album since Sleater-Kinney went out on the top of their game in 2006.
"[Releasing the album is] something that I thought about in the back of my mind, but... I've had a lot going on," Tucker chuckles sleepily over the phone from her home in Portland, OR. "I had written a few songs to do for a benefit show for this place called Reading Frenzy here in Portland. Then I decided, 'Okay, I should really make a record,' and then I really had to push myself to get all the songs done."
Though 1,000 Years had the label of a "middle-aged mom record" before it was even released, the final product is a stirring and satisfying cross section of Tucker past and present, pairing her determined intensity with heartfelt musings on everything from love to the economy and, yes, being a mom.
"When I finally got to the place where I was ready to write and do music again, I just kind of opened the door, and didn't censor myself on what I wrote about," she says. "I don't think the process has really changed that much for me over the years, but with different experiences you have as you get older and your life changes, you have other things that you might draw on."
Songs such as "Thrift Store Coats" show that Tucker's mind still wades through the same societal waters it always has, but her parenthood adds a whole other layer.
"That song is really about being a parent and living in Oregon and seeing how intensely the recession has affected other people in Oregon, and especially other parents around me," Tucker says of "Thrift Store Coats." "I'm sort of close with the other parents at my son's school, and we had a lot of folks that lost their jobs. Both parents out of work, two kids - it's just really tough. That song reflects seeing that happen all around me."
With her involvement as a parent in her community, and happy to be playing music part time, Tucker says that the marathon tours of her past won't be possible this time around.
"[Bandmates] Seth Lorinczi and Sara Lund both have a child, too, so we hired a nanny and we're bringing the little ones on tour with us. It's different, most bands go out for an extended period of time, but we wanted to keep this more of like a project band."
While the Corin Tucker Band have several U.S. dates planned, they currently have no shows in Canada. You can see the full list of scheduled dates here.
1,000 Years is out now via Kill Rock Stars. Head here to read Exclaim!'s Questionnaire feature with Tucker, featured in our October issue.
"[Releasing the album is] something that I thought about in the back of my mind, but... I've had a lot going on," Tucker chuckles sleepily over the phone from her home in Portland, OR. "I had written a few songs to do for a benefit show for this place called Reading Frenzy here in Portland. Then I decided, 'Okay, I should really make a record,' and then I really had to push myself to get all the songs done."
Though 1,000 Years had the label of a "middle-aged mom record" before it was even released, the final product is a stirring and satisfying cross section of Tucker past and present, pairing her determined intensity with heartfelt musings on everything from love to the economy and, yes, being a mom.
"When I finally got to the place where I was ready to write and do music again, I just kind of opened the door, and didn't censor myself on what I wrote about," she says. "I don't think the process has really changed that much for me over the years, but with different experiences you have as you get older and your life changes, you have other things that you might draw on."
Songs such as "Thrift Store Coats" show that Tucker's mind still wades through the same societal waters it always has, but her parenthood adds a whole other layer.
"That song is really about being a parent and living in Oregon and seeing how intensely the recession has affected other people in Oregon, and especially other parents around me," Tucker says of "Thrift Store Coats." "I'm sort of close with the other parents at my son's school, and we had a lot of folks that lost their jobs. Both parents out of work, two kids - it's just really tough. That song reflects seeing that happen all around me."
With her involvement as a parent in her community, and happy to be playing music part time, Tucker says that the marathon tours of her past won't be possible this time around.
"[Bandmates] Seth Lorinczi and Sara Lund both have a child, too, so we hired a nanny and we're bringing the little ones on tour with us. It's different, most bands go out for an extended period of time, but we wanted to keep this more of like a project band."
While the Corin Tucker Band have several U.S. dates planned, they currently have no shows in Canada. You can see the full list of scheduled dates here.
1,000 Years is out now via Kill Rock Stars. Head here to read Exclaim!'s Questionnaire feature with Tucker, featured in our October issue.
