She’s reminding everyone else, too. There’s nothing explicitly in the songs about loving your body, or respecting others’ confidence – The Gossip’s music isn’t about didactic body-positive politics, it’s about healthy lust and dirty fun. But Beth’s come hither voice, her sexy look, and her powerful delivery of the band’s desire-drenched lyrics set an example that obviously gets through to the audience at their shows. "We were really surprised when people would jump up on stage," Brace remarks, "and people would dance who wouldn’t look like the type who would dance."

That’s Not What I Heard is mostly comprised of material that would send any Southern Baptist preacher into a tizzy of hellfire and brimstone.

Their energy and musicianship landed them an opening slot on Sleater-Kinney’s last tour. Playing with the pre-eminent riot girl group gave The Gossip more of a sense that they were part of a women’s music scene. To them, though, it’s not such a big deal. "It just means women playing music, and girls can do anything boys can do," Beth states, with a tone that suggests that the fact that women rock out is just a given for her. While acknowledging that "There’s definitely this thing where girls get ripped off in music in terms of shows and things like that," Brace asserts that they haven’t suffered from much overt discrinination. Still, they have experienced a few annoying snags. "There’s the sound guys," Beth interjects. "They all think Kathy and I don’t know anything, that we don’t even know our own instruments and that Brace knows more." Brace laughs, "And I don’t know anything about sound."

The Gossip are remarkably good-natured about this, and pretty much everything else, but their laid-back personality should not be mistaken for a sloppy attitude toward their music. They write their songs together, and their tight sound reflects their tight friendship. Writing and performing comes easier for them because, as Kathy puts it, "We’re comfortable with each other." In addition to their shared history, the members of The Gossip share a perfectionism that pervades their creative process. "We’re really picky about songs. We don’t want to make a CD where the first few songs are good, but not the rest," Brace insists. "We’re really into dumping songs that don’t work for us."

Their meticulous attitude shows in their work, and their fans are not the only ones to notice. The independent Olympia-based label Kill Rock Stars surprised the band by approaching Kathy Mendonca at her job at the local Subway sandwich store, and The Gossip soon signed on. The partnership has been satisfying on both sides. Brace enthuses, "Awesome people work there, and they’re passionate and they really care."

With KRS backing them up, The Gossip continues to tour and to write. They’ve been composing songs for a new record, and presently touring the East Coast. When asked about their goals as a band, their response is just as positive and determined as their perfectionist creative process. It has nothing to do with making money, or being famous, or even making some sort of political point about women or body image. They simply want to be energetic, and inspiring. "We don’t want to be one of those bands that just sits up there looking bored, playing their guitars," Brace scoffs. Beth adds, "We give it 100%, at least 99% of the time." They want to have a good time, and they want their audience to also. The Gossip themselves predict the effect of their philosophy in the penultimate track of That’s Not What I Heard. "And you know, you know it’s gonna feel good."

 

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