Thunderpussy

File:2015 Thunderpussy-Hannah's-Treefort-Credit-Steel-Brooks-8 (16345252664).jpg in 2015]]

The band was founded by Whitney Petty and Molly Sides in 2014 in Seattle. Petty had moved to Seattle to work on a boat,{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/the-women-of-thunderpussy-want-to-talk-music-not-feminism/|title=The women of Thunderpussy want to talk music, not feminism|date=2016-07-21|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en-US}} and began her musical career playing guitar for Deerhunter{{Cite news|url=https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/blog-posts/whitney-petty-grabbin-em-by-the-thunderpussy|title=Whitney Petty: Grabbin' 'Em by the Thunderpussy|work=EarthQuaker Devices|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en-US}} and playing drums in The Grizzled Mighty. Sides moved to Seattle to study Dance at the Cornish College of the Arts.{{Cite news|url=https://earlybirdnyc.com/2018/02/26/thunderpussy-interview/|title=Seattle-Based Thunderpussy & Their "Greatest Tits" EP Are No Joke #Interview - Early Bird Music|date=2018-02-26|work=Early Bird Music|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en-US}} Seeing Sides sing backup for the band This Bitch Don't Fall Off inspired Petty to form Thunderpussy two years later. Lena Simon, Sides' best friend from Cornish College of the Arts, later joined the band as drummer. Leah Julius, drummer of classic rock cover band Sundries, met Sides and Petty in the Seattle music community and joined the band as bassist.{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/the-women-of-thunderpussy-want-to-talk-music-not-feminism/|title=The women of Thunderpussy want to talk music, not feminism|date=2016-07-21|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en-US}}

Simon left the band to focus upon playing bass for La Luz, leaving the band without a drummer for a while. She was replaced by Ruby Dunphy, who moved from Chicago to Seattle in 2014 to study jazz at the Cornish College of the Arts. Within 2 weeks she was introduced to the band, and in her words, "I didn't really have a choice in joining, they kind of just kidnapped me. It's the best thing that’s ever happened to me."{{Cite news|url=http://www.shamelesspromo.net/the-artists/2018/3/6/interview-thunderpussy-add-vibrant-color-to-emerging-new-wave-of-rock-music|title=Interview: Thunderpussy Add Vibrant Color to Emerging New Wave of Rock Music|work=Shameless Promo San Francisco|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en-US}} Dunphy left in January 2019 to pursue other projects, according to the band's social media pages.

File:Thunderpussy (42415844362).jpg ]]

The band met and befriended Pearl Jam's lead guitarist Mike McCready at Sasquatch! Music Festival. McCready was an immediate fan of the band, and Thunderpussy's first single, "Velvet Noose", was released on McCready's HockeyTalkter Records. McCready contributes a guitar solo to the track.{{cite web |last1=Shteamer |first1=Hank |title=Hear Pearl Jam's Mike McCready Guest on New Thunderpussy Song |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-pearl-jams-mike-mccready-guest-on-new-thunderpussy-song-112483/ |website=Rollingstone.com |publisher=Rolling Stone |accessdate=September 19, 2018 |date=May 9, 2017}} The song was featured in the 2017 crime drama Molly's Game.

In May 2017, the band supported benefit shows by Flight to Mars, McCready's UFO tribute band.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-pearl-jams-mike-mccready-guest-on-new-thunderpussy-song-112483/|title=Hear Pearl Jam's Mike McCready Guest on New Thunderpussy Song|last=Shteamer|first=Hank|date=2017-05-09|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en-US}}

In November 2017, Thunderpussy were signed to Stardog Records.

The band chose four songs for their EP Greatest Tits, which they described as "a taste tester for the album".{{Cite web|url=https://www.popgunpresents.com/news/schools-out-with-thunderpussy/|title=PopGun Presents - School's Out With Thunderpussy|website=www.popgunpresents.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-23}} The EP was released on February 23, 2018.

The band recorded their full-length debut, Thunderpussy, at Sylvia Massy's home studio in Ashland, Oregon, with Massy and engineer Josh Evans.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestranger.com/weed/2018/06/06/27135157/getting-high-with-gifted-gab-and-thunderpussy-at-the-gorge|title=Getting High with Gifted Gab and Thunderpussy at the Gorge|work=The Stranger|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en}} The album was released on May 25, 2018.

The band performed at SXSW on March 13, 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/artists/22879|title=Thunderpussy|work=SXSW 2018 Schedule|access-date=2018-08-28|language=en-US}}

The band released their second EP, Milk It, on October 25, 2019. It was their first recording effort with drummer Lindsey Elias.{{Cite news|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/thunderpussy-powerhouse-milk-it-ep/|title=Thunderpussy Premiere Fierce Single 'Powerhouse' Off New 'Milk It' EP|date=2019-10-25|work=udiscovermusic|access-date=2020-03-13|language=en-US}}

File:Thunderpussy Bumbershoot 2.jpg in Seattle in 2023.]]

The band released their album West on May 10, 2024. Two tracks include Mike McCready of Pearl Jam.{{Cite news|url= https://www.pearljamonline.it/en/mike-mccready-will-appear-on-thunderpussy-new-album/ |title= Mike McCready will appear on Thunderpussy's new album EP|date=2024-05-04|work=pearljamonline|access-date=2024-12-09|language=en-US}}

The band have cited diverse musical influences, including Led Zeppelin,{{Cite news|url=https://www.straight.com/music/472096/thunderpussy-drenched-female-energy|title=Thunderpussy is drenched in female energy|date=2015-06-17|work=Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en}} Heart, Laura Jane Grace, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Kathleen Hanna. Petty has described their live show as "Beyoncé meets Led Zeppelin."

All of the band's members date women,{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestranger.com/music/2017/12/20/25633487/rock-goddesses-thunderpussy-signed-to-a-major-label-and-are-poised-to-blow-up|title=Rock Goddesses Thunderpussy Signed to a Major Label and Are Poised to Blow Up|work=The Stranger|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en}} and Petty has stated that she and Sides are a couple.{{Cite news|url=https://thelastmixedtape.com/2018/08/03/qa-thunderpussys-whitney-petty-talks-to-tlmt-ahead-of-dublin-show/|title=Q&A {{!}} Thunderpussy's Whitney Petty talks to TLMT ahead of Dublin show|date=2018-08-03|work=The Last Mixed Tape|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en-US}} It's suggested that their relationship influenced their songwriting, with "Speed Queen" being described by bassist Julius as "vaguely a love story about Molly and Whitney".

The band have expressed disdain for journalists who may brand them "as an all-female, feminist rock group" instead of focusing on their music. Remarking upon being an all-female band in a male-dominated music genre, Julius told an interviewer: "All four of us women do things that have historically been male-dominated. We play music, ride motorcycles, date girls, and lift heavy shit for a living. And we don't do them as a 'fuck you' to the male-dominated society, or in an attempt to advance women's rights, we do them because we can and want to."

In May 2015, the band applied to register their name as a trademark. In August 2015, the Patent and Trademark Office denied their request, citing Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, which denies registrations to trademarks that could be deemed "scandalous, immoral, or disparaging."{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michellefabio/2018/07/25/nothing-scandalous-here-its-time-to-grant-thunderpussys-trademark/|title=Nothing Scandalous Here: It's Time To Grant Thunderpussy's Trademark|last=Fabio|first=Michelle|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en}} Despite the disparagement provision of the law being struck down in 2017 with Matal v. Tam (also known as The Slants case) and the remainder of the law declared unconstitutional in Iancu v. Brunetti, the Trademark Office did not issue a registration to Thunderpussy's trademark until April 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/after-a-long-legal-struggle-seattle-band-thunderpussy-is-granted-a-u-s-trademark/|title=After a long legal struggle, Seattle band Thunderpussy is granted a U.S. trademark|date=2020-04-05|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-06}}

To celebrate the landmark Supreme Court decision allowing members to trademark the name, the band partnered with Future Primitive Brewing Company to create the "Thunderpussy IPA".{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliekelly/2022/08/27/this-seattle-brewery-makes-waves-with-its-pro-choice-messaging/?sh=64189fb218a1 | title=This Seattle Brewery Makes Waves with Its Pro-Choice Messaging | website=Forbes }}

• Thunderpussy (2018)
• West (2024)

• Greatest Tits (2018)
• Milk It (2019)

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{AllMusic}}

Category:Musical groups established in 2013

Category:Musical groups from Seattle

Category:Rock music groups from Washington (state)

Category:American musical quartets

Category:2013 establishments in Washington (state)

Category:American all-female bands