Today we’d like to introduce you to BOO85 .
Hi BOO85, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Before becoming BOO85, the original band members met in January 2022 in a 90’s alt-rock cover band through Femme Rock. We had a great time practicing and making music together and wondered what it would be like to stay together as a band and create our original music. From there we wrote a few songs, started our Instagram account, and began trying to book shows. Luckily between the five of us, there were enough friends-of-friends and local connections who offered us stages to play on despite some of the shows being somewhat unconventional. Early on we played gigs like a friend’s new book release party, a coworker’s variety show on TSTV (the UT student-run TV station), and the Neighborwoodstock at Buzzmill for repeat open mic performers. Our booking inquiry emails improved and our Instagram account gradually gained followers. It seemed like suddenly we had lots of shows on our calendar and between practices, recording new songs, and playing shows, the band was now a much bigger part of our lives than before. After the first year together Carissa and Jen decided to continue with the band while the others followed different paths. Since then we’ve had members come and go but we’ve been lucky always to have an open-minded group full of positivity and creativity. Most recently we played the Howdy Gals Capricorn Zodiac show at the Far Out Lounge, our best-attended and most successful show to date. BOO85 is excited to continue rocking our music around Austin, growing our audience, and reaching new milestones!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
BOO85 has had its share of obstacles. We frequently experience the same issues all bands face, conflicting schedules, differing expectations, and clashing artistic views. However, we’re lucky everyone we’ve worked with has been kind and wished the best for the band.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
One thing that sets BOO85 apart is we’re one of the few Austin all-girl bands. When you think of an Austin band, you probably envision four white guys. We’re proud to depict a different image than the typical Austin band, we also represent the LGBTQ and Latinx communities. While we’re open to all genders, we prefer to give more opportunities to women and non-binary musicians, inspired by our Femme Rock roots. The professional careers among band members vary from farmers to librarians to interior designers and game show hosts; meaning we all have busy lives but still make time to come together to create music. What are we most known for? Our boobs! Not literally, but the red hearts we wear on our shirts and figurative sleeves. All our music is centered around the universal female experience while still honoring our varied backgrounds. Our lyrics touch on the hardships women face in the world, however, we still want our music to be fun and upbeat.
How do you think about luck?
We’re lucky to have made good connections in multiple communities around Austin. The Femme Rock and Buzzmill social spheres are extremely supportive and we’ve made many great friends and allies. We may not have had as much good luck as other bands in breaking out in the local scene, but we also haven’t faced much bad luck. BOO85 plans to continue putting ourselves out there as much as we can, and growing the band organically.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boo85_band/
