The Lowertown Arts & Music Festival will be held on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 in Paducah’s historic Lowertown Arts District. , incorporating elements of 1960s garage and surf rock, the grunge style was popularized in the 1990s by artists such as Nirvana and Liz Phair. morning edition Daniel Hurt talks to guitarist and vocalist Vanessa Blades about the band’s origins, evolution and what they describe as a “frothy grunge” sound. Blades also discusses Bungalow Betty’s latest single and the musician’s artistic inspirations.
The band got the idea for their unique genre “bubble grunge” from a music review. “It’s all new to me and the other band members. We knew from the comments, ‘Sounds good.'” My understanding is that frothy grunge is like traditional grunge, maybe a little bit like Riot Grrrrl, Early 90s grunge, we either screamed or harmonized.
Blaydes, who attended St. Mary’s and Paducah-Tillman High Schools, said her Paducah roots influenced her musical style today. “I grew up in a youth orchestra, but I played guitar and played local concert halls and played some music in high school. We were also a queer-represented band, and I think a lot of the ’80s and The 90s girl rock attitude inspired us.
Bungalow Betty’s latest single “Little Things” is about the little things we love and the things that drive us crazy. Blades said the band plans to perform the single at the Downtown Arts and Music Festival, complete with crowd participation and dance moves. “Sometimes, when writing lyrics, one of us will bring an idea and one of the other members might bring more verses.”
Their second album, glitter trailtakes listeners on a journey of “glitter and magic, and a little bit of carnival,” Blades explains. glitter trail was released before the COVID-19 pandemic, which hampered their ability to travel and perform live. Blades said the band has tried to make up for the lack of live performances by performing live on Facebook and video streaming platforms, but they are particularly excited about this year’s show in Lowertown.
“We’re really excited to hang out with people. We hope people don’t be shy and they come up and say hi to us. I know at least some of us are trying to get there on Friday so we can do the whole festival,” Blade concluded.
Bungalow Betty will perform on the Front Porch Stage at the Downtown Arts and Music Festival on Saturday, May 11 at 6:30 pm, presented by Time on the String.
For more information about the Downtown Arts and Music Festival, including a complete schedule, food and beverage information and more, visit the LTAMF website.
