Vagiant
By Martin Sattell
Photo by Ricardo DeLima

Allston’s Vagiant is not to be feared. The all-female punk outfit, which has made a name for itself as an up-and-coming (if not already up-and-came) act on the Boston scene by dint of their no-holds-barred live performance and infectious name, is not comprised of the imposing femininities that its name suggests.
The band grew from the desire of lead vocalist/guitarist Helen McWilliams — a fan of both The Stooges and Stiff Little Fingers — to take her love of music to the next level. “I don’t understand how you can be seriously interested in music and not play an instrument,” she says. McWilliams sought to hone her abilities as a fledgling guitarist by starting a band. She began the search for potential bandmates the only logical way — by sending out an email to her entire office asking if anyone wanted to be in a band.

Elena Siegman, a guitarist and fellow employee of McWilliams at Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. — the fine company that created the Guitar Hero video game franchise — answered the email and convinced another employee, bassist Leeanne Williams, to join as well. Their first drummer, also an Harmonix employee, eventually gave up her post “because she had other stuff to do,” and Lauren Recchia eventually took on the post. Such is the group’s current line-up.
If it’s not already clear, Vagiant is not a vanguard of virtuosos. (Case in point: Williams had never played the bass until joining). As self-proclaimed novice musicians, however, Vagiant rely instead on their colorful personalities and blunt wit.

The wit arguably begins with the moniker. With a name like “Vagiant” (a combination of two words, “vagina” and “giant”), the band stands to benefit from the term’s feminine mystique. “It kind of furthers the ridiculous factor of it all,” says McWilliams, alluding to what she calls the band’s incongruous “we can’t play and we don’t care” attitude. Even though McWilliams allegedly stole the name from Tim Catz of Antler, it is “perfect,” according to Siegman, who speaks of the relationship between band name and band. “It’s soft and feminine, but it has an edge,” offers Williams.

Vagiant has encountered limited difficulties as an all-female group. They occasionally receive taunts from other bands. Most include the c-word. “Other bands say ‘It’s so cute you can’t play your instruments’ to us,” says McWilliams. “Yet we outsell you!” she imaginarily retorts. McWilliams says that the stigma of being an all-girl band is inevitable, but she recognizes that, “If more people come to see us because we’re girls, that’s great; there’ll be more people.”
More than likely, it’s “no big deal,” as Vagiant’s lyrics are genderless. And, while Siegman and McWilliams describe themselves as feminists, the messages of their songs promote no specific agenda. Songs like “Fuck The Kells,” which is about Vagiant’s disaffection with a certain Allston club, and “Cocktease,” which is about the trials and tribulations of staying monogamous, best exemplify the mass appeal of their music.

The girls make it easy to enjoy their shows with energetic and off-the-cuff performances. Preceding key changes and solos, the band shouts out an appropriate cue — “key change!” and “solo!” respectively.

When McWilliams resolved to start a band, she did so with two goals in mind: to be in The Noise and to play The Abbey. Never did she suspect that not only would the band fulfill those goals, but also attract a throng of followers in Boston and as far away as Pittsburgh and Chicago, much less cut a record — the recently released Public Display of Infection.

Despite Vagiant’s success, a complication has arisen: Siegman and Williams are soon to leave the band. With these absences in Vagiant’s line-up, McWilliams and Recchia are seeking out prospective new members. “We’re looking for people who know it‘s all about fun for us,” says McWilliams. “It’s not about CD sales, or what clubs we can play. If there’s ever a moment that’s not like that....” And there she leaves the thought, lingering threateningly.

www.vagiantboston.com