Interview: Bitch

Bitch is back! Or, to be more specific, iconic queer musician Karen Mould — better known as Bitch, or Capital B — released Bitchcraft, her first new album in nearly a decade, earlier this year. And the wait was well worth it. 

First rising to prominence under the guidance of Ani DiFranco in the mid ‘90s as one half of queercore duo Bitch and Animal, the classically trained violinist and her musical partner crafted lo-fi folk pop that used humor to intelligently confront the intolerances of homophobia and more. 

After the duo split and embarked upon solo careers in the early 2000s, Bitch continued to expand her sonic repertoire, compiling a discography of adventurous records that explored an even wider range of styles and political themes than her previous works.

The product of nine years of writing and recording, Bitchcraft is the amalgamation of a career of experimentation and refinement. Over the course of 11 tracks, Bitch packs catchy pop hooks about gender and climate change into dancefloor bangers and heartfelt ballads. With a much cleaner, bolder production than her early releases, the album is a departure from her folky lo-fi roots, but it’s also very much what she’s been building towards over the past few decades. With thoughtful lyrics and a sound that’s a cross between Laurie Anderson and Goldfrapp, Bitchcraft is art pop at its most colorful and alluring.

With a scheduled upcoming concert at Isis Music Hall on Saturday, Oct. 1, Bitch took a moment to speak with Asheville Stages about Bitchcraft, and what to expect at this not-to-be-missed performance.

Jonny Leather: Being an openly queer musician has changed a lot since you emerged on the scene in the late ‘90s. Are you able to look back and think, “We’ve accomplished a lot,” or does the current state of intolerance inhibit the strides artists within your community have made?

Bitch: I definitely look back and think, "We've accomplished a lot." There is still a long way to go, for sure. But today, as opposed to in the late ’90s, there are way more openly queer people; a national conversation about identity politics; straight people appropriating our culture. [laughs] These are all signs of progress, of coming out of the shadows and being center stage.

JL: Bitchcraft was the product of an eight year span of time during which there was an incredible amount of change in the world and in your own personal life. Did all this change play a role in the evolution of the songs you were writing? 

B: Oh, absolutely. As the world was/is plummeting into climate crisis, a fascist was plotting to take over our government, and white supremacist groups being out in the open more than I had known or seen in my lifetime made me want to make the biggest, boldest work of my career. I wanted it to be loud [and] have huge bass synths to hold it. I wanted to create a bed of sonic power to lay my radical feminist poet pop lyrics over and take up the most space possible. When the world wants you small, that's the time to be your biggest self.

JL: Bitchcraft is a pretty significant stylistic jump from past recordings. When you started writing these songs, was the intention to go in such a bold pop direction?  

B: Yes. 

JL: Has it been freeing to redefine the sound of Bitch?

B: Yes, it really has! I have gotten such a great response from this new direction. And it all makes sense to me. I spent years doing very obtuse, out-of-the-box format-wise recordings, and this time, I'm really enjoying what my mentor [influential Canadian singer-songwriter] Ferron would call "Freedom through limitation." The limits and structure of pop songs are really liberating to work around and with, if that makes sense.

JL: Are you touring solo? What does your live set-up look like?

B: My show is solo, yes. I bring my electric violin, my keytar, my magic broom, and many props, including giant spiral-bound notebooks and a huge pencil. I have “crafted” an autobiographical tale to weave the songs of Bitchcraft together. So, it's almost like a play with my poet-pop songs woven into it. In Asheville, I will have my friend Katie Cash opening the show. She usually joins me for an encore at the end, too.

JL: Are there any specific songs that you’re especially enjoying playing in front of crowds? 

B: “Pages”; “Polar Bear”; “Easy Target”; [and] “You're the Man.” Honestly, I'm so inspired to be out on the road again — with the album of my dreams. I have been doing an updated version of the Bitch and Animal classic, "Pussy Manifesto," where I tell the story of the writing of the song within it, about how Ani Difranco took us on tour, and it really describes that era. Audiences have been resonating with this show more than any other show I've ever done.  

IF YOU GO

Who: Bitch with Katie Cash
When: Saturday, Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Isis Music Hall, 743 Haywood Road, isisasheville.com
Tickets: $15 advance/$18 day of show

(Photo by Elena Dorfman)