Introducing: The Blow Up Dollz
Introducing: The Blowup Dollz
The Rio Grande Valley has long been home to an underground indie music scene. Local artists frequently perform at DIY venues around the Valley, hoping to build an audience. One band taking the indie scene by storm is The Blowup Dollz. The band consists of Alex Rodriguez (lead singer), Mya Taylor (drums), Jazz Gutierrez (guitar), and Nat Galvan (bass guitar). Despite all the members being in their early twenties, their music is not sophomoric. It deals with serious subjects such as substance abuse, depressive thoughts, and predatory men. The songs feature guttural vocals and rapid playing, while others have huskier tones and slow tempos. Some songs even have Alex yelling at the crowd, all a part of the atmosphere the band seeks to fabricate. Through their craft, The Blowup Dollz create a space to express their indignation and have listeners identify with it.
Why did you start your band?
Alex
We first became interested in the idea of making a band when we got into the scene back when it was still in its indie phase. It wasn’t hardcore the way it is right now. At least, we didn’t know about the hardcore scene yet. And even then, it was just all men. You just saw male-dominated bands, we didn’t see a lot of women. We thought it would be cool to see something different. And do something different.
Mya
It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Like yeah, let’s just do it. And then we met Jazz, then Nat. And here we are today.
What is your creative process like? For writing new songs, for the music, just for playing it? How would you define or describe it?
Jazz
I’ll come up with a riff. Something simple, like a root note, kind of like a bass riff, and then I’ll just build up from there. That’s what I do, I start with something small, then when everyone adds their part I’m able to add a little bit more.
Alex
I’ll listen to a song and like the beat and that will trigger something for me to think of. Like a line, and I’ll write it down. Then I’ll just go off of that. Sometimes I’m writing on the go, you get me? I’ll write something down on a receipt at work and just go off of that later. That’s kind of how I make the lyrics.
Do you have any musical influences?
Alex
Anything heavy, that’s also gloomy and dreadful. I like that.
Nat
Descendents, because they’re very punk, and they go with our type of music. I like their bass lines. Also, Misfits, I like how they integrate the bass into a lot of their songs.
Jazz
I like to say that I play the guitar like the violin. But I do it in the way I like to do it. Very punky.
Mya
I find the most inspiration from psychedelic music. I appreciate the 70s and 60s, and even a lot of 80s and 90s music. I also like pocket drummers, where a catchy and groovy rhythm is incorporated. Anything like classic or psychedelic rock.
You mentioned pocket drummers. What is that?
Mya
It’s like when you stay playing the snare, the kick, and the high hat. You’re not really moving around too much. You just find a groove with the same drums.
Do you agree that all of your musical tastes are incorporated into your songs?
Alex
Yeah, because we all share similar tastes. Like how Jazz plays her guitar like the violin. Mya likes to do psychedelic drums. I like to make gloomy music, you know? And Nat likes to do things that are heavy. So it’s nice.
Mya
Yeah, I feel that we all play how we want to, in our own styles. I don’t think any of us try too hard to “please” the other members with our parts. Not in a bad way, everyone just does their own additions.
So everyone contributes to making the music. But for the lyrics, is it Alex that mostly writes them, or has everyone written them?
Alex
Yeah, sometimes I ask them what lyrics they think will sound better. If they ever wanted to write a song that would be cool. Whenever we write new music, it’s just random. We don’t think we’ll write a new song at practice, but we’ll start jamming and we’ll do it. It’s gotten harder for me to do improvised stuff like that though, for some reason. I think it’s just, so much has happened consecutively. I don’t have time to process it
Is there an artist or a band that you don’t like a comparison with?
Alex
I don’t know who we’ve been compared to before where I was like “What the fuck.” I know someone has told me we sound like Soundgarden before, but that was nice.
Jazz
This isn’t a comparison but it’s something I didn’t like. When they made that article for the Destroy Boys show, they kept emphasizing that it was a woman-led band. When people project that onto us and exaggerate, it feels ridiculous.
Alex
People have compared us to Kitty, and I get that. But, we’re not like Kitty. At all. I feel like we try to do so many different genres because we appreciate so many of them and we always want to see what else we can do. But yeah, I don’t feel we’re anything like Kitty. Maybe one day we’ll be like her. But even then, we just want to be The Blowup Dollz.
Do you think being a woman affects your experience in the scene?
Alex
Definitely. If a man did what we do, or what we’re trying to do in the scene, they wouldn’t be so stigmatized. They wouldn’t have a lot of people saying and writing all these nasty things about them. There are a lot of petty reasons why people dislike us. You can be straightforward with us but just do it respectfully.
Mya
Yeah, I feel that women in general but especially in this context are put under a microscope. And we’ve experienced it. Being one of the first all-female punk bands down here, it was crazy to see how much of a “hot commodity” we were at the beginning. And just to see how over time that fizzled out.
Alex
Yeah because people were so excited about the idea of The Blowup Dollz, at first. That first show was such a craze. And then once people actually tried to get to know us, and failed to do so, they started to perceive us negatively.
Mya
It’s only certain people, not the scene as a whole. We still get a lot of support. But it does make one feel a bit insecure. Was I just a shiny new object? Like how most women are treated.
Jazz
I agree with everything. I guess it’s weird because you have a lot of people glamorizing you in a sense but then, there’s always a crowd of people who are petty or will put you down. Because like, we call out people who do offensive things or are predators. And people get fed up and think we want to shit talk.
Alex
I don’t think people realize we’re a lot older than we used to be. So we see these young women in the scene, and how at risk they are. You know, they’re easily influenced. Even now, at my age, I’m easily influenced. Imagine these teenagers that are being influenced by these men. It’s just fucking sad. We had this guy who we had posted something about DM us and say, “what is posting a screenshot gonna do?” As a woman, it’s really difficult to go up to someone that’s an abuser, that’s a predator, and call them out. It’s a lot harder than it may seem. So this platform that we’ve grown is our way to do that.
You do a lot of activism through social media. What does it mean for you to be able to use your platform in that way?
Mya
Not to sound corny, but it does mean everything. We’re kind of in a role model position without even trying, just because we wanted to make music. And now people, I guess, in a way, look up to us. They count on us to share that information that maybe they don’t know. And I would want a person in my life like that, always warning me and looking out for me. So it feels really good to be that way for other people.
Alex
I don’t think a lot of people our age back then in the scene had someone that was trying to look out for them, you know? It was just like, if you know, you know. And even now it’s still kind of like that.
You led to my next question. People look up to you within the scene. How does that feel for you?
Alex
It makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know, I don’t like to look at people even when I’m on stage. Just for my own reasons. Like, you’re just in the public eye more than you were before. It’s weird because you feel like people are waiting for you to mess up, just looking to pick on you rather than uplift themselves along with you.
Mya
It sucks because it’s not even a feeling. It’s the truth. People have done that. You get over it with time and then it doesn’t affect you as much. But yeah, it sucks when people can’t appreciate or at least even try to understand what we’re trying to do.
Jazz
It has its pros and cons. I think I have good morals and values, a philosophy that I live by is just to do good. It’s like karma. If you do something bad, algo malo te va a pasar. But if you’re doing good, you’re fine. So, I don’t mind people observing me because I know my actions are genuine. But yeah, it still brings a lot of pressure. Sometimes I wish I could be someone who just goes to shows to mosh. Instead of going to a show and it’s like “Fuck, everyone knows me. Damn.”
Nat
I just joined the band, so I’m barely getting to a place where people look up to me. Like Jazz said though, I know my morals. I know who I am as a person. If someone ever tries to critique me, I know who I am and the band knows who I am. So I would try my best to live by my morals.
Do you ever feel pressured to meet people’s expectations of you as an artist/performer?
Alex
Yeah, just observing the shows and how they go. If you want a crazy crowd, you need to have a crazy performance and stage presence. So you always want to try and force that a bit. I remember someone compared my stage presence to a dried-up prune. The most pressure I feel comes from myself. I like to freak myself out. That’s also how I get into the alternate personality that I need to have on stage.
Jazz
I don’t give a fuck about people. I’ve had older men come up to me after a show and be like, “Oh you play the guitar?”, but they don’t compliment me. It’s very gross. They make backhanded comments. But I don’t care. I play what I play and it’s what I want to play. Also, even our appearance is judged. Just because I’ve performed wearing shorts and a spaghetti strap, people have said we’re whores. I genuinely am not going to meet anyone’s expectations but my own.
Nat
For me, it’s the same as Jazz said. I don’t care what people think. I’m very confident when it comes to my playing. I’m not that great either but I know I’m trying my best. And if people are going to criticize, they’re going to criticize regardless of if I’m good or not. So I’m just gonna do what I’m gonna do and if they hate it, pos that’s their problem, not mine. I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud of who the band is.
Mya
Going off of Nat saying she’s proud of us, the people whose opinions I care about the most as an artist and performer are my bandmates. I want them to like what I’m playing because it’s a collaboration. So yes, I care about what they think. No one else.
What are the band’s plans for the future?
Alex
I want to try going out of the state to perform. Also shitting on the last album we tried to make, and making a better one. And that’s because it ain’t even out yet. We don’t know what it sounds like. But yeah, that’s what is on my mind. And just nurturing what we have with the band.
Mya
We’ll get there, I have no doubt.
The band has already played over 30 shows in the RGV and Austin. They paint a compelling picture of what the scene will look like in the future. Regardless of the name, The Blowup Dollz aren’t here to please anyone. They are a force to be reckoned with.
