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The all-female Swedish band Crucified Barbara is making a stop at Hooligans on its first U.S. visit.
New to the American music scene, Crucified Barbara is wasting no time getting acquainted with what this country has to offer.
The all-female Swedish band is making its first visit to the United States and started things off earlier this week by playing South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, one of the largest music festivals in the country.
“We’ve just never been to North America at all,” said Mia Coldheart, lead vocalist and guitarist. “It’s the first time. We’re super excited.”
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Crucified Barbara With Crashdïet WHEN: 8 tonight and Saturday, March 16 WHERE: Hooligans, 9800 Montgomery NE HOW MUCH: $15 each show at www.holdmyticket.com |
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Coldheart said tour schedules usually give her and her bandmates limited time to explore their surroundings, but that she would try to take advantage of any down time.
“Normally when we’re on tour, we come in on our tour bus late at night, we wake up and there’s only one or two hours to go out in the day before sound check,” she explained. “I’m used to it. I appreciate the small things.”
It might be its first time to the United States, but Crucified Barbara has played overseas alongside some big names in rock such as Black Sabbath and Motörhead.
Growing up, Crucified Barbara members dabbled in grunge, punk and other genres including heavy metal.
“We all have different influences,” Coldheart said. “We all started out with grunge music and Nirvana and Hole. It made us want to play.”
Coldheart was last to join Crucified Barbara, which was formed in 1998 by bassist Ida Evileye and guitarist Klara Force.
“I think we all had checked each other out at smaller gigs and youth center gigs,” Coldheart explained about how she met the members. “I come from the suburbs and they come from the city. They were cooler than me. They said I had a good reputation of being a bad-ass guitarist.”
Coldheart said she took a break for about two years where she didn’t play much and later ran into her now bandmates at a party that changed everything.
“I saw them and thought they looked so tough that I didn’t want to talk to them,” she explained. “They were looking for a lead guitarist.”
After one rehearsal, Coldheart was in the band.
She said the group’s latest release, “The Midnight Chase,” has catapulted the band to another level.
“Great things have happened with this new album,” Coldheart said. “It feels like the best one we’ve released and we’re so happy.”
Reprint story -- Email the reporter at rmartinez@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3920
