Slant 6 - Biography
Slant 6, like many DC indie punk bands of the time, produced little in the way of recorded output. What the all-female trio did release is energetic, infectious and unique, a strange and at times eerie blend of angular pop punk and haunted rockabilly defined by Christina Billotte’s fierce guitar playing. The group’s small discography remains high in quality and large in influence.
After the breakup of Billotte’s short-lived but beloved band Autoclave in 1991, the guitarist and singer joined with bassist and singer Myra Power and drummer Marge Marshall the following year to form Slant 6. Taking its name from a six-cylinder car engine, the group was about power from the start. Moving away from the off-kilter time changes of Autoclave’s math-rock Slant 6 forged a frenetic sound that merges DC post-hardcore punk with catchy melodies and the twang of amped up surf guitar music.
After playing and touring for the later half of ’92 Slant 6 went into Inner Ear studios (where many Dischord albums have been recorded) with engineer Don Zientara and Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye to record a three-song single. What Kind Of Monster Are You? was released in 1993. That same year saw the band receive wider exposure due to a strong American touring schedule and tracks included on compilations by labels like Yoyo Recordings and Kill Rock Stars.
1994 brought the release of the band’s debut full-length, Soda Pop-Rip Off. Again recorded at Inner Ear with MacKaye, the album easily ranks as one of the period’s best. The trio blast through thirteen tracks of searing garage-punk, angular surf rock and catchy vocal melodies. Billotte’s guitar playing is ferociously powerful throughout, evoking early Sonic Youth, the Stooges and Dick Dale all at once. Songs like “Blue Angel,” “Double Edged Knife” and the stunning breakneck punk of “What Kind Of Monster Are You?” put Slant 6 in a league of its own, a precursor to bands like Sleater-Kinney.
In December of 1994 the group went into the studio with Zientara and MacKaye to record its second full-length. Inzombia was released in 1995. With a cover photo of the band made up as zombies in a graveyard and track titles like “Insider Spider” and “Mascaria” the record was inspired by B-grade horror films. Lacking the punch of the debut, the sophomore album still has plenty of high points. Boasting a cleaner guitar sound and greater use of vocal harmonies from Billotte and Power on songs like “Mascaria” and “Victim of Your Own Desires,” the album conjures images of ‘60s girl garage groups, albeit a mutant version. The songs are more atmospheric, especially on the surreal seven-minute title track which features growling monster sounds from Ian and Alec MacKaye. Slant 6 still manages to crank out a few stompers with “Eight Swimming Pools” and the excellent “Babydoll.”
1995 also brought the release of a split 7” with the Make*Up featuring two tracks by Slant 6. Sadly it would be the last release for the band. The trio called it quits while on tour in the UK with Fugazi, playing its last show in Leeds in 1995. Billotte went on to form Quixotic and the Casual Dots while Power played with Tarot Bolero and Marshall started a clothing line called Babyteeth. Escaping easy tags like “Riot Grrl” and “DC punk,” Slant 6’s music endures as some of the finest of its time.
