Excuse 17
{{short description|American punk rock band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Excuse 17
| image =
| background = group_or_band
| origin = Olympia, Washington, United States
| genre = Punk rock, queercore
| years_active = 1993–1995
| label = Chainsaw Records, Kill Rock Stars, Candy Ass Records, Atlas Records
| associated_acts = Sleater-Kinney, Heavens to Betsy, Heartless Martin, The Old Haunts, Wild Flag, The Spells, Serum Greys
| past_members = Becca Albee
Carrie Brownstein
CJ Phillips (Curtis James)
}}
Excuse 17 was a punk rock band from Olympia, Washington, US, that performed and recorded from 1993 to 1995. The band consisted of Becca Albee (vocals and guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), and Curtis James (drums). The band recorded two full-length albums and a single, and contributed to several compilation albums.
History
Brownstein, Albee and CJ (Curtis James) Phillips came together to form Excuse 17, a band that lasted only a few years but would prove to be influential.{{cite web|last1=McDonnell|first1=Evelyn|last2=Vincentelli|first2=Elisabeth|date=6 May 2019|title=Riot Grrrl United Feminism and Punk. Here's an Essential Listening Guide.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/03/arts/music/riot-grrrl-playlist.html|access-date=22 October 2021|work=New York Times }}{{cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|date=27 March 2020|title= Riot Grrrl Album Guide: Essential LPs from Nineties rock's feminist revolution|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/riot-grrrl-album-guide-bikini-kill-sleater-kinney-972476/bikini-kill-ep-1992-972494/|access-date=22 October 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone }} Brownstein and Albee both played guitar and sang and CJ played the drums. The band quickly recorded a demo tape and then began recording for various compilations on independent record labels. Their first full-length recording, Excuse Seventeen, was released jointly on Atlas Records (LP) and the queercore label Chainsaw Records (CD).{{cite web |author=Jimmy Draper |website=Allmusic |title=Excuse 17 Review |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/excuse-17-mw0000053729 |accessdate=6 January 2013}} They released a second and final album, Such Friends Are Dangerous, on the indie label Kill Rock Stars in 1995, which displayed a boost in recording quality.{{cite web |author=Jimmy Draper |website=Allmusic |title=Such Friends Are Dangerous Review |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/such-friends-are-dangerous-mr0000355325 |accessdate=5 January 2013}}
The band often played shows with Heavens to Betsy, including touring, not surprisingly since both bands were an active part of the riot grrrl scene.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyBhDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22excuse+17%22&pg=PA85|title=Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir|last=Brownstein|first=Carrie|date=2016-10-25|publisher=Penguin|isbn=9780399184765|language=en}} They also both appear on the compilation LP/CD Free to Fight. Corin Tucker from Heavens to Betsy struck up a friendship with Brownstein and they dated for a time. They decided to form Sleater-Kinney, a side project that soon evolved into their main focus as their respective groups ended. However, Excuse 17's recordings are still valued by fans of Sleater-Kinney, those interested in riot grrrl and queercore recordings, and record collectors in general: Such Friends Are Dangerous was named one of the fifty best indie rock albums of the Pacific Northwest by online music magazine Pitchfork.{{Cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9932-the-50-best-indie-rock-albums-of-the-pacific-northwest/|title=The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|date=6 September 2016 |language=en|access-date=2017-05-05}} Albee also recorded with Tucker as Heartless Martin, releasing a cassette on Chainsaw Records in 1993.{{cite web |url=http://chainsawrecords.com/?page_id=16 |title=Releases |accessdate=9 January 2013 |publisher=Chainsaw Records |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724002216/http://chainsawrecords.com/?page_id=16 |archivedate=24 July 2012 }}
Following the dissolution of Excuse 17, Albee has built a successful career in visual art. Her work has been praised by publications including Bomb,{{Cite web|url=http://bombmagazine.org/article/5066/|title=BOMB Magazine — Becca Albee by Rachel Reese|website=bombmagazine.org|language=en|access-date=2017-05-05}} Tom Tom,{{Cite news|url=http://tomtommag.com/2011/07/artworks-becca-albee-of-excuse-17-f-is-for-fake/|title=Artworks: Becca Albee of Excuse 17, F Is For Fake - Tom Tom Magazine|date=2011-07-15|work=Tom Tom Magazine|access-date=2017-05-05|language=en-US}} Artforum,{{Cite news|url=https://www.artforum.com/words/id=66970|title=Becca Albee talks about her show at Et al. in San Francisco|last=Fateman|first=As told to Johanna|work=artforum.com|access-date=2017-05-05|language=en-US}} and Aperture.{{Cite news|url=http://aperture.org/blog/becca-albee-feminism/|title=Full Color Feminism|work=Aperture Foundation NY|access-date=2017-05-05|language=en-US}} Her papers are being preserved by the Fales Library at New York University.{{Cite web|url=http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/fales/albee/bioghist.html|title=Guide to the Becca Albee Riot Grrrl Papers ca. 1992-1996 MSS 273|website=dlib.nyu.edu|access-date=2017-05-05|archive-date=2019-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030142242/http://dlib.nyu.edu/findingaids/html/fales/albee/bioghist.html|url-status=dead}} As of 2017 she is a photography professor at the City College of New York.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/profiles/becca-albee|title=Becca Albee|last=Albee|first=Becca|date=2015-07-12|website=www.ccny.cuny.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-05-05}}
{{cite web |url=http://tomtommag.com/2011/07/artworks-becca-albee-of-excuse-17-f-is-for-fake/ |title=Artworks: Becca Albee of Excuse 17, F Is For Fake |accessdate=9 January 2013 |publisher= |work=Tom Tom |date=15 July 2011}}
Discography
=Albums=
- Excuse Seventeen on Chainsaw Records (CD) and Atlas Records (LP) (1994)
- Such Friends Are Dangerous on Kill Rock Stars (1995)
=Singles=
- "Youth On Fire" split single with Lync on Candy Ass Records
=Compilations=
- "Sevenwhateverteen" on Periscope, Yoyo Recordings (1994)
- "Forever Fired" on Free to Fight, Candy Ass - Chainsaw co-release (1995)
- "Carson" on Yoyo A GoGo, Yoyo Recordings (1996)
- "I'd Rather Eat Glass" on A Slice Of Lemon, Kill Rock Stars (1996)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110202001519/http://www.electrip.com/sleater-kinney/excuse%2017/e17mainPage.html Excuse 17 fan site]
- [http://90spunkrockfeminism.tumblr.com/post/70325367745 Excuse 17 Poster 1994-05-21]
{{Carrie Brownstein}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Punk rock groups from Washington (state)
Category:Kill Rock Stars artists
Category:Musical groups from Olympia, Washington
Category:Musical trios from Washington (state)
Category:Musical groups established in 1993
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1995