Published: 2001-Nov. 30th
Publication: Edmonton Sun
Review: By Mike Ross
KIM'S IN CHARGE AND SHE ROCKS
There's a trend of "Women Who Rock" that I think is worth looking into. As far as I know, no one - certainly not Rolling Stone magazine - has explored this new phenomenon in detail. Not Details, either. It turns out that women have been rocking for quite some time. When they do, they are usually in charge. Don't ask why. It's just true. Ask any male musician who's played with a woman who rocks.
After all, "Everybody knows the girl's the leader of the band," as rocking woman Kim Bingham sings on her new album Girlology. The title track rocks, too, by the way, as does the whole album, co-produced by her husband Steven Drake, of the late and lamented Odds. Even when she went by "Mudgirl" - the title of a short story she wrote about a waif made of mud - Kim was in charge. Her band's new name at last reflects that. The "Kim Band" opens for Static In Stereo at the Urban Lounge on Monday night. "I outgrew Mudgirl. With Mudgirl, I thought I could hide behind the guise of a band and make it seem like a collective," she says. "What ended up happening was that the guys in the band would be asked all these questions about where the band was headed and they had no idea. I was the one doing everything. So I decided to take the bull by the horns. I think I'm ready to take on the responsibility," she laughs.
Reviews for Girlology note that the Kim Band has more "cojones" than many male rockers, which Bingham says is flattering. "Fine, whatever. I'd be more than happy if there were more women out there competing with me for the 'cojones prize.' I'm all about having a good time on stage. It's a genderless kind of thing. "I'm not about being a Victoria's Secret model up there. I'm interested in being a good rock musician. My mentors are people like Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, people who are serious about what they do. It's not about gender and it's not about flash. Flash is fun, but it's got to be solid."
Some - certainly not us - have accused this woman who rocks of being a "control freak." On a pay phone outside Kinko's in Dallas, Texas, where she's running off gig posters - just one part of the do-it-yourself, hands-on method of running a successful independent rock band - Bingham says it's just a matter of having high standards, for herself and the men who work with her.
As for the concept behind Girlology, it stemmed from Bingham's work on a Web site devoted to "the mind-boggling science of trying to figure out girls." Alas, the site has since gone bust in the dot.com collapse, surprising given its subject matter - exploring female sexuality. Bingham describes it as a cross between Cosmo and Playgirl, featuring in-depth interviews with female porn stars, among other experts in the field, all trying to crack the greatest mystery of mankind: Womankind. Guys shouldn't feel so bad. Even women are struggling to understand women. Says Bingham, "The whole experience in Girlology comes out of a big, big respect for women and their potential. We have not probed our evolution as much as we could. Hopefully Girlology is an evolved form of feminism. There are no rules. Doing this, I learned a lot about women and how crazy it is to work with them."
Published: 2001-Nov. 28th
Publication: ChartAttack.com
Review: By ChartAttack.com Staff
KIM BINGHAM, STATIC IN STEREO HIT THE ROAD
Kim Bingham, having long left mom and Morgantaler and crawled out of the mud, will be returning to the rigid regiment of a national tour starting this week. Along with her aptly-named Kim Band (see, her name's "Kim" and they're a "band"), she'll be returning to a lot of the same cities she saw earlier this year as part of David Usher's touring band. Oh, and Static In Stereo will be there for some of it too. Yep, having wowed fans during the summer's Snow Jam shows, the boys will be joining the Kim Band for at least the first few dates of her road show. They'll no doubt be playing songs off of their self-titled debut, while Bingham tackles the tracks off her own Girlology. Speaking of which, Bingham will be taking a page from The Big Sugar Guide To Promoting Bilingual Harmony, by releasing her next single in both of Canada's national languages. For the Anglos, "Valentine's Day" hits radio stations this month, while "Au Saint-Valentin" will be unleashed on those who speak the lingua franca. By the by, if you're fans of the divine Ms. Bingham, you way want to go over and show your support by voting in the exciting ChartAttack Reader's Poll. She's currently being shafted into the #25 spot for the Lord Mullet Of Stanley (Best Haircut) award, when she clearly so deserves the title. Thankfully, Kim's faring a little better in the Throw Your Underwear Award (Sexiest Female) category, just one spot short from the Top 10.
Published: 2001-Sept. 20-26th
Publication: Hour Magazine
Review: By Jamie O'Meara
THE KIM BAND GIRLOLOGY ***1/2
Ex-Me, Mom & Morgantaler co-vocalist Kim Bingham kicks it up a notch from her Mudgirl days here, sounding a lot more self-assured and convincing on this, her debut as The Kim Band. Bingham, the latest Me, Mom alumna to be voted Most Likely to Succeed, is joined by a small army of musicians on an album that easily exceeds previous efforts. There is an ease and confidence to the writing and presentation that suggests Bingham is truly ready to step into the spotlight on her own. And it sure doesn't hurt to have picture-perfect pop rockers like the groovy, gutsy What a Drag! at tier disposal either.
Published: 2001-Sept. 6-12th
Publication: Vue Weekly
Review: By Steven Sandor
THE KIM BAND - GIRLOLOGY ****
Kim Bingham has had a few incarnations, first as a member of those ska-lovin' barnstormers Me, Mom and Morgentaler, then as the Mudgirl, her pop-rock entity. With the Kim Band, she fully transforms herself into a rocker, with guitar riffs that clatter away at the senses and melodies that'll stick in your head for more than a while. It's infectious stuff, and the lead single, "What a Drag!" (the record also includes a bonus French version of the track), mixes so much rock attitude with a killer melody, you'd think Bingham was the 21st-century reincarnation of Suzi Quatro. Sure, there are some sensitive moments, like the keyboard laden ballad "Brickhead," but for the most part, Bingham lets herself loose and rocks with reckless abandon, supervised by husband and producer Steven Drake (the Odds). It's certainly an effort worth an air guitar solo or too. Even though Bingham was once voted Montreal's music heartthrob of the year, she shows that she has more rock cojones than most of the guys out there. Well worth a listen.
01.
Published: 2001-Aug. 30th
Publication: Eye Music
Review: By Lisa Ladouceur
THE KIM BAND - GIRLOLOGY ***
Proving she's not just the hot chick in David Usher's band (although perhaps capitalizing on that exposure), Kim Bingham releases a disc of her own. The former Mudgirl rocks out on 10 tracks that sound early '90s, but only because there's been a void of this sound since the demise of Veruca Salt. Made up of mostly uptempo, power pop/rock numbers like the fun first single "What A Drag!" (Which also comes in a hidden francophone version), Girlology isn't quite a manifesto but does have a lot of adolescent girlie attitude. Tracks with trendy strings and beats detract a bit, but with her throaty vocals and aggressive guitar playing, the lovely and talented Bingham shows she's got more balls than most of her male CanRock contemporaries.
Published: 2001-Aug. 29th
Publication: Canadian Press - The National Post
Review: By Andrew Flynn
Just Don't Call Her Mudgirl Anymore
Kim Bingham has new band, new name, new CD.
Kim Bingham used to cringe a little when fans would recognize her on the street and scream: "Mudgirl! Hey, it's Mudgirl!" Not the most flattering of greetings, to be sure, says Bingham, who fronted the band Mudgirl until she decided about two years ago the name needed an overhaul. "First, it was that I kind of got tired of people yelling'Hey, Mudgirl' at me in Vancouver," says Bingham, 29. "I used to explain, 'No, my name's Kim and Mudgirl's just the name of the group.'It was just one of these things where it started not feeling right to me after a while.'
Bingham is a veteran of the independent music scene, having spent eight years as the singer for Montreal ska band Me Mom and Morgentaler as well as being Mudgirl and writing her own solo material. Her latest project is The Kim Band, a rock band with a bit of a twist - a rotating membership that revolves around her as leader and songwriter. "I'm kind of following the model which I was originally following with Mudgirl, like the Duke Ellington band or the Glen Miller band," says Bingham. "The members change but there's one person who puts together the music and musically directs everything." If that sounds like a bit of an ego trip, it is, says Bingham. But it's appropriate since the first Kim Band album, Girlology, is about power relationships and how. women and men get along. The lyric in the song Girlology is,'Everybody knows the girl's the leader of the band; and I mean it in a way that I literally am, but it's about more than that."
Born in Montreal but living in Vancouver for the last six years, Bingham hopes to introduce a new dynamic to her music by recruiting musicians from the vast pool of Canadian pop talent. "This is a little more creative than a solo thing and yet it's not a band," she says. "But I want the input of the players I play with. They've gotta have character and they have to bring that into what we're doing." Many of those collaborators, like husband Steven Drake (of alternative band The Odds), are men. Even though the rock music scene is primarily a male-dominated arena, she's had no complaints from the players - male or female - she persuaded to work on Girlology.
"They know I'm boss. In MY band, everyone knows I'm boss. I'm not a demeaning ... well, bitch. I think there are certain skills you have to have when you lead a band, you have to communicate well and if the musicians are good then they should be able to respond to that. As Bingham points out,it's been her baby from the beginning and anyone who had a problem with that wouldn't likely sign up. "I'm the face of the band, it's about what I set up - without me, none of it would be going on anyway," says Bingham, who wrote the songs on Girlology. "I have enough songwriting ideas for me and a couple of other people, too."
The Kim Band takes a distinctly guitar-driven approach to Bingham's material, a comfortable direction for her. She believes there is a growing appetite for the raw rock sound that was out of mainstream fashion for about a decade with the onset of girl-and boy-group pop. "I think it's interesting that people want to go back to a more organic sound rather than programmed," she says, adding even pop diva Britney Spears has recently worn "rocker gear" in public appearances. "I think it's about getting back to a live experience - people want to hear stuff with wonderful, intriguing imperfections."
Published: 2001-Aug. 23rd
Publication: Montreal Gazette
Review: By T'Cha Dunlevy
THE KIM BAND - GIRLOLOGY ***1/2
Former Me Mom and Morgentaler vocalist and Mudgirl frontwoman Kim Bingham is back with a new project, simply titled the Kim Band. Vancouver-based Bingham is currently touring with David Usher (look for her in his Alone in the Universe video) who was struck by her recent performance at Toronto's North by Northeast 2001 conference, and it's obvious why. Personality has never been lacking for her. Indie-rock roots are in evidence here, as is the playful Me Mom songwriting style of old. Taking from both, she delivers an album that simultaneously rollicks and frolics.
Published: 2001-June
Review: Canadian Music Network
The Kim Band - What a Drag!
Kim Bingham, formerly of Mudgirl and Me, Mom & Morgentaler, uses her own name on this latest project. This spirited stomper is geared to rock stations, but could also find some support at more adventurous CHR outlets. A French version of the song will be serviced in Quebec, a video will be out in early July, and the self-titled Madacy album will follow at the end of that month. Bingham can currently be seen in David Usher's Alone In The Universe video and in his live band, and look for her to hit the road in August.
Published: 2001-May/June
Publication: Muzik Etc.
Interview: By Jay Deachman
KIM BINGHAM TELLS JAY DEACHMAN WHAT IT IS
Produced by her husband, Steven Drake and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York, ex-Mudgirl Kim Bingham's new album Girlology blends rock and punk.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN ME, MOM & MORGANTALER?
I learned a lot about showmanship onstage and even more about patience in a large creative collaboration - we were eight opinionated SOB's!
WHO INSPIRES YOU AND WHY?
I find inspiration in infomercials: They're so perverted! But generally I'm inspired by anyone with a no-holds-barred creative attitude and an imagination in overdrive, from Nina Hagen to Prince and George Ligeti.
WHY THE SWITCH IN BILLING FROM "MUDGIRL" TO "KIM BINGHAM"?
I needed to make a change - for myself. Mudgirl remains a part of me, but just one part. The heart of the music hasn't changed. It's all still coming from the same place.
DID YOU APPROACH THE NEW ALBUM DIFFERENTLY?
I do a lot of writing and recording on my own and I've learned from Steven's studio projects, so I knew what I wanted when it came to the Girlology sessions. We did most of the album live off the floor with a minimum of overdubs. There's a rich quality that gets on tape when the whole band tracks together.
HOW IMPORTANT IS U.S. SUCCESS TO YOU?
I feel I'm already successful, just by virtue of doing what I love. I'm happy to follow my music wherever it takes me, whether that's in the U.S. or Belgium or anywhere they want to hear me.
DO YOU MISS MONTREAL?
The summers in Montreal rock! What I miss most is its intensity, that comes from being the biggest bilingual city in Quebec - and the nightlife.
WHAT CAN YOUR FANS EXPECT IN 2001?
My fans can expect me to be out rallying the Kim Bingham troops, making converts and building the "Church of Girlology", brick by brick.
