Happy Fangs
Gig Seeker Pro

Happy Fangs

San Francisco, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | SELF

San Francisco, California, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2012
Band Rock Garage Rock

Calendar

Music

Press


"Happy Fangs: anthemic female punk pop"

Happy Fangs is the punk pop duo formed last year by singer Rebecca Gone Bad (formerly of My First Earthquake) and guitarist Michael Cobra of King Loses Crown, plus drum machine. Their self-titled EP, released last year, is a raucous force of noisy guitar and anthemic vocals that thrill me like the late-1970s sounds of X-Ray Spex, Siouxsie, and Suburban Lawns. (Listen here!) Tonight, the band plays in their hometown of San Francisco at Slim's as part of Noise Pop 2014. Tickets available here. It'll be their first show with their new live drummer, Jess Gowrie. To celebrate, we're delighted to premiere this version of the slow-burning Happy Fangs track "Alone," remixed by Mercury Rev's Anthony Molina. Listen above. (Here's the original song.) And below, the video for the single "Lion Inside You," from the Happy Fangs EP. - Boing Boing


"Happy Fangs plays SF's biggest festival"

A year after their formation and first live shows, San Francisco duo Happy Fangs released their debut self-titled 7-song EP in October 2013. All songs except “Lion Inside You” and “The Truth” were recorded by Scott McDowell (Geographer, Washed Out) at SF’s infamous Hyde Street Studios, where The Grateful Dead, Tupac Shakur, and Willie Nelson among other greats have recorded. “Lion Inside You” and “The Truth” were recorded by Patrick Brown (Chow Nasty, The Morning Benders) and engineered by Sean Paulson at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco. The record is a strong set of angst-driven songs dealing with heartbreak and the task of moving forward. “We didn’t set out to write this first collection of songs on a theme, but the thread is clear to me now,” says RBG. “What is your own power and how do you use it.”

The story of Happy Fangs starts in 2007 in the San Francisco neighborhood Tenderloin. RGB and Mr. Cobra shared a rehearsal space at Francisco Studios and got to know one another through their respective bands. Besides a shared drummer, the bands had little commonality musically; RGB’s band My First Earthquake mined the indie pop scene while Mr. Cobra’s King Loses Crown leaned towards the dark electro-rock side of the spectrum. In 2012, Mr. Cobra found out that RBG was parting ways with her band and would no longer be around the practice space. He reached out to her out of concern that she was abandoning making music altogether and upon learning that her artistic spirit was alive and well, the two sparked a creative partnership.

The two began writing songs together via email, with Mr. Cobra crafting drum machine beats and guitar hooks and passing them onto RBG to lay down vocals. The drum machine became central to the band’s ideals. It is a machine with limited capability, but if used effectively, can yield next-level results. “Our goal with the band from the start was to keep things simple and use the contrast of our musical backgrounds,” says Cobra. “It's so easy these days to create whatever you want musically and visually that we wanted to box ourselves in a bit with constraints and see where that lead us.”

After writing 3 or 4 demos virtually, they got together face to face and started composing what would ultimately become the Happy Fangs EP. Some of these earlier songs include “Perk Up,” “Midnight Monsters,” and Le Tigre-esque pom pom anthem “The Truth.” The San Francisco Chronicle describes their sound as “if Bikini Kill and the Beach Boys were leveled to synth pop, it would probably sound something like Happy Fangs.”

Alongside the juxtaposing music is a strong two-tone visual component. “Like the name Happy Fangs, we felt stark black and white imagery allowed us to visually play with that contrast,” says Bortman. Photographs of the band show them in black and white attire, often with angular face paint patterns. Their live show is met with same enthusiasm and creative energy. At every show, Happy Fangs create and perform an original song with help from the audience, making every show unique – and giving the crowd a chance to see a song that will only exist in that space and time, never to be performed again.

“Improvisation is how we write most of our songs anyway and we are always looking for ways to make our live show a little more dangerous,” says RGB. “All it took was a drum beat and a suggestion from the audience and we were ready.” - NoisePOP


"http://www.bbook.com/blackbook-premiere-happy-fangs-electricity-man/"

San Francisco seems like the place to be right now—considering that, unlike New York, it is not a godforsaken frozen tundra. It also happens to be where Happy Fangs hail from, and they’ve shared some California sunshine here with us. “Electricity, Man” is described as “an ode to that magic feeling of someone taking you from lonely to listened to,” and it’s an unreleased B-side following the duo’s self-titled debut EP. Singer Rebecca Gone Bad is backed only by an acoustic guitar, but there’s plenty of power packed into this track.
“‘Electricity, Man’ was recorded during a very hungry moment for Happy Fangs,” the band says. “We were working on recording our first EP at Hyde Street Studio C in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. The studio is right by our band’s and our vegan producer, Scott McDowell’s favorite restaurant: all-veg Thai Idea. When we record with him, we pretty much eat there every day. We were having a day of amazing track-blasting and we made a promise to ourselves to finish ‘Electricity, Man’ before we ate. I think that hunger does the song a service. Hear the yearning. Taste the vegan electricity, man!” - BlackBook


"PREMIERE: HAPPY FANGS - "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS HALLOWEEN""

If you want to get technical, today—the 23rd of December—is actually Festivus. So in the spirit of Frank Costanza and hating everything, Noisey is happy to premiere Happy Fangs' "All I Want for Christmas Is Halloween," which is, yeah, pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Fuck Christmas. Halloween rules. - Noisey by VICE


"The Big Takeover Exclusive: "That Activity" by Happy Fangs"

We are crushing hard on this black & white war-painted duo of vocalist Rebecca Bortman (a/k/a Rebecca Gone Bad of new-wave indie dance-punks My First Earthquake) and Michael Cobra (guitar/drum machine), front man of electro-rock band King Loses Crown. Check out this brand-new song from the San Franciscans’ self-titled debut EP, set for release October 1. - The Big Takeover


"Appetite For Distraction: Happy Fangs EP"

I guess the first thing I want to say about the eponymous debut EP of Happy Fangs is that it is EXACTLY what I was hoping it would be.

I've talked about them a little bit over the last year and finally, on October 1st, they will be releasing Happy Fangs which will show the world exactly what comes from a collaboration between Rebecca from My First Earthquake and Michael Cobra from King Loses Crown.

Happy Fangs is loud and dancey and just wonderful. I had an inkling that it might be from "The Truth" and "Lion Inside You" which the band had already released (Watch the video for the latter song below. And crank it.)

I know I started this by saying that they met my expectations, but that's not exactly true. This EP goes way beyond my expectations. I was actually a little worried that the pop element that I enjoyed so much in MFE was going to be drowned out by guitars. Instead the guitars serve as a spaceship to blast the effect into hyperspace.

The last 45 seconds of "Perk Up" illustrate my point better than any words could.

Remember in The Princess Bride when Westley is dueling with Inigo Montoya and they both admit that they're stronger swordsmen than they let on at the outset of the duel?

No? Well, let me refresh your memory.

Ok, so that's what happens at the end of "Perk Up". The band is playing a perfectly wonderful song and then, BOOM they both switch hands and you realize that they've been toying with you this whole time. And you don't care. Because you're too busy dancing your ass off.

So, yeah. You're going to love this EP and you're going to be thanking me before the thing is even over.

Happy Fangs comes out on October 1st.
It looks like their website is going to be the place to get it
Amazon MP3 also has a page up for when it comes out

OH! If you're going to the CMJ festival up in New York (Is it just in Brooklyn?), Happy Fangs will be playing Sat, Oct 19 at Trash Bar in Williamsburg. They didn't know what time they would be playing when I talked to them, but that will probably be sorted as the date approaches. Go. See. Them. - Appetite For Distraction


"Appetite For Distraction: Happy Fangs EP"

I guess the first thing I want to say about the eponymous debut EP of Happy Fangs is that it is EXACTLY what I was hoping it would be.

I've talked about them a little bit over the last year and finally, on October 1st, they will be releasing Happy Fangs which will show the world exactly what comes from a collaboration between Rebecca from My First Earthquake and Michael Cobra from King Loses Crown.

Happy Fangs is loud and dancey and just wonderful. I had an inkling that it might be from "The Truth" and "Lion Inside You" which the band had already released (Watch the video for the latter song below. And crank it.)

I know I started this by saying that they met my expectations, but that's not exactly true. This EP goes way beyond my expectations. I was actually a little worried that the pop element that I enjoyed so much in MFE was going to be drowned out by guitars. Instead the guitars serve as a spaceship to blast the effect into hyperspace.

The last 45 seconds of "Perk Up" illustrate my point better than any words could.

Remember in The Princess Bride when Westley is dueling with Inigo Montoya and they both admit that they're stronger swordsmen than they let on at the outset of the duel?

No? Well, let me refresh your memory.

Ok, so that's what happens at the end of "Perk Up". The band is playing a perfectly wonderful song and then, BOOM they both switch hands and you realize that they've been toying with you this whole time. And you don't care. Because you're too busy dancing your ass off.

So, yeah. You're going to love this EP and you're going to be thanking me before the thing is even over.

Happy Fangs comes out on October 1st.
It looks like their website is going to be the place to get it
Amazon MP3 also has a page up for when it comes out

OH! If you're going to the CMJ festival up in New York (Is it just in Brooklyn?), Happy Fangs will be playing Sat, Oct 19 at Trash Bar in Williamsburg. They didn't know what time they would be playing when I talked to them, but that will probably be sorted as the date approaches. Go. See. Them. - Appetite For Distraction


"SF Station: Q&A: Rebecca Gone Bad of Happy Fangs"

The vision of masterminds Rebecca Bortman and Michael Cobra, Happy Fangs strives to make the most out of a guitar, a drum machine and powerful set of lungs.

The catchy chorus of their first single “A Lion Inside You” from their new EP, A Lion Inside You, is indicative of Happy Fangs’ ambitious and rowdy nature. Decked out in war paint, their sound wavers between the Go-Go’s and Mindless Self Indulgence, ensuring an experience promised to leave a mark. We caught up with Rebecca Bortman, aka Rebecca Gone Bad, to talk about the band’s formation and their plans for the CMJ Music Festival in New York this month.

Happy Fangs plays Rickshaw Stop for their EP release party on October 2.

I first noticed you when you played SF Station’s The Lineup…

We’re pretty distinct, and there are only two of us and we wear war paint. We choose war paint because we are stuck in such a cosmetic age.

You and Michael come from different musical backgrounds. How did you two link up?

My last band was called My First Earthquake. It was very poppy with quirky lyrics with a lot of synths. Mike’s band, King Loses Crown, still opens for all these crazy industrial metal bands and we are both front people. One of the things I was yearning for was someone to almost compete with, or at least match me on stage as far as energy level and excitement. Its so much fun to have someone on stage that giddy, or a bruiting giddy I should say.

So having two front people doesn’t ever complicate things?

No, we always joke around that Mike is a goat; he’ll find the highest part of the stage and just stand there. Actually at the Rickshop, a year ago, he found this old piano that looked like it was five minutes away from being splinters, and he jumped on it and played. That’s part of the fun, we can do snow angels standing up. Spatially, we could potentially both do standing snow angels.

What was one of the quirkiest shows you’ve played?

We played a Hanukah show and covered the Ramones, “Merry Christmas I don’t Wanna Fight Tonight.”

And no one was offended that you played a Christmas song at a Hanukah party?

It was officially a Hanukah party but there was Christmas music playing. And once they saw our Hanukah sweaters they were like latke batter in our hands to play any song we wanted.

I love Latke’s.

Hanukah actually starts the day after thanksgiving this year, so you’ll have plenty of time to eat them.

But I’m not Jewish. Could I just marry into a Jewish family and eat Latkes forever?

It doesn’t work like that. I guess the short explanation is that it’s the opposite in a lot of religions; they won’t just let people convert. If you want to, you have to ask three times for them to consider your offer.

So not only are you Jewish, but your mother is a psychiatrist. You were born to blow minds.

Can you please put that in the interview?

Done, so back to the music. You guys have this electro-punk vibe thing going and play as a two-piece, kind of like Sleigh Bells but with more 80s influence. How did the idea of limiting yourself to a drum machine come about?

We went out and bought a drum machine because of its limited capability. We actually didn’t meet in person for a while and started writing songs over email. When I told my last band I was leaving, they informed the other band that we shared a practice space with that I’d no longer be paying rent. Mike contacted me and said he hoped I wouldn’t stop playing music. I just told him I was pushing for new projects.

I was also kind of fantasizing about having a small and stealthy band that I could play exotic places like New York, which is now a dream coming true. After that, Mike sent me some songs and I recorded vocals on Garage Band and we just started making stuff. And then we held these long, State of the Union, ‘this is what I want my band to be like’ talks, and we just clicked. It’s really cool to have two band members; we really get shit done and just plow through things.

It almost seems like you guys are challenging yourselves, taking a less-is-more approach.

Yeah, I’m glad that comes through. It’s a challenge for us. We’re both designers, we love to make stuff, but what’s the point if you don’t have a problem to solve with what your creating?

The problem can be solved with the music we create for the people, and in our case, it’s making music for people to dance to. I guess you could say we are devolving by using a drum machine, and not using crazy synths. We’re keeping it simple and constraining ourselves to see what we can make.

Where do you see this musical relationship going?

My hope is that the biggest thing I’m going to do, I haven’t done yet. I’m learning as I go and I’m excited that he has such different experiences to offer. I originally wanted to call the band “World’s Best Dad” because he seriously is. But he thought it wasn’t punk enough.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your shows?

Um, well My Fi - SF Station


"KQED Arts: Happy Fangs: Venom That's Good For You"

What's not to love about Happy Fangs? Raw, out of breath, out of mind, it's easy to lose yourself in their commotion. Once you've seen the band live or on screen, it's pretty impossible to separate their visual style from their musical one. The duo, made up of Rebecca Gone Bad and Michael Cobra, dons black and white attire, mostly featuring stripes, geometric shapes and face paint, which speaks to the duality of the music. Their sound is shaped by Rebecca's courageous voice and Cobra's feedback heavy electric guitar -- bright sounds paired with often dark lyrics -- the pair is always raw, but rarely stripped down.

Happy Fangs aren't the first pair to pay service to highly stylized black and white accoutrements. Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans of YACHT rock a similar interest. Of course Meg and Jack White of the now defunct White Stripes were drawn to this color pallet with the addition of red. Happy Fangs can certainly be likened sound-wise to both groups, but have a predilection for making heavy pop-punk anthems. This is where the war paint comes in. Maybe we've crash-landed on an island, like a scene from Looney Tunes, and a group of tribesmen find us. They take us to a beach where their leader sits near a giant fire pit with a human-sized pot of boiling water. The ritual begins; everyone erupts into dance. The war paint worn by both Rebecca and Cobra are indicators of their position as music overlords -- go ahead, drink the Kool-Aid.

In speaking with the duo about the new E.P., I asked about how they decided on this particular visual treatment. Both band members are designers and responded in a way typically avoided in the creative world, "so easy these days to create whatever you want musically and visually that we wanted to box ourselves in a bit with constraints and see where that lead us." It seems impossible to box in this sound and vision, but perhaps that's why it works -- leave the grey area outside.

The opening song on the new E.P. "Hiya Kaw Kaw" is an introductory anthem providing the call and response expected of the listener. As mentioned it's difficult to separate this band from their live set. The imagination is naturally drawn to a crowd of people moving before a painted Rebecca Gone Bad leading the chant, "Hiya Kakaw Kakaw" The song is the band's war cry and it's their hope that it will become their fans' as well. There are two other tunes that ground this seven song collection. "Midnight Monsters," the third track, comes from a dark place, located in the band's basement rehearsal space in San Francisco's Tenderloin. For Happy Fangs this song is about empowerment, asking questions like, "What happens when everything crumbles? Where do you turn? Where do you find your power?"

Another peak moment is provided by "The Lion Inside You." Happy Fangs used this song in the 48-hour challenge and awards show Music Video Race and won a couple of awards last June. According to the duo, "This song is about unleashing the beast within. We tried to maintain that extremely fresh and raw feeling." The unfiltered sound comes through in Rebecca's vocals, which are sultry and strained, but playful enough to indicate she's in full control. Like all of the songs on the E.P., "The Lion Inside You" is an appeal to something inside fighting its way out. The overall picture the E.P. paints is one of empowerment. The action, however, comes from the individual. The message relayed is one of the beast in the belly rather than the belly of the beast.

Rebecca let on that most of their music starts as a jam session and pours out from there, the subliminal becoming real, "You are definitely more likely to sing about the sludge down deep when you are letting your subconscious contribute to the lyrics." What's to be expected at the release party at the Rickshaw? Lots of surprises and special guests. Happy Fangs invites the audience to rock their whitest whites and blackest blacks, war paint will be provided. They'll be backed by a full band with Vela Eyes on background vocals and dancers taking over the rest of the stage. - KQED Arts


"KQED: Across the Finish Line at the 2013 Music Video Race"

Happy Fangs' video for "Lion Inside You" came from the BLAKETS crew (directed by Blake Smith) and it was just plain gorgeous. Opening scenes were visceral with close-ups of the two band members' mouths drinking coffee, which is later replaced by spaghetti and black ooze. Filmed in black and white, the video features the duo sporting day of the dead-inspired tribal body paint. Happy Fangs' singer Rebecca Bortman took home an award for ";Best On-Screen Performance" BLAKETS won "Best Art Direction" and "Best Cinematography" for the video. - KQED, San Francisco's NPR local station


"San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. duo goes all out"

Rebecca (Gone Bad) Bortman sings about her trail of broken hearts over the past year. Happy Fangs started in October, when Bortman began working with Michael Cobra, who programs the drum machine and plays guitar.

If Bikini Kill and the Beach Boys were leveled to synth pop, it would probably sound something like Happy Fangs. - San Francisco Chronicle


"CMJ Video Premiere: Happy Fangs’ “Lion Inside You” Director’s Cut"

Today we’re premiering a video from CMJ 2013 act Happy Fangs for their single, Lion Inside You. Happy Fangs, the San Franciscan duo of Rebecca Bortman and Michael Cobra, makes the kind of music that’s really good for riling people up, which is good, ’cause we like being riled up.

The video for “Lion Inside You” is kinda like a Jim Jarmusch movie—you know, that one with all the coffee and cigarettes. Except it’s a whole lot less about casual routines and a whole lot more about weird things: like mouth close-ups, Beetlejuice-esque sculptures and face paint. The track itself is unapologetically fast, loud and growly—almost like the duo is channeling their inner, oh I dunno…lions? - CMJ


"Happy Fangs: On Venn Diagrams, Snakes, and KISS"

SVR: Tell us about your band. How did you get started? How long have you been playing?

Happy Fangs: Happy Fangs is a guitar and vocal garage pop duo. Mike’s legal last name is Cobra and Rebecca is one of the cheeriest people you will ever meet. The band pretty much named itself. We were both in very different bands, sharing a practice space when we realized we need to make rock together!

SVR: Who are your major influences?

Happy Fangs: Bikini Kill, The Beach Boys, Blondie, and music without Bono in it.

SVR: What’s your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune in the music business?

Happy Fangs: Upwards! Heck to the YESSIES!!!

SVR: What are your day jobs?

Happy Fangs: Mike owns and operates a digital creative agency, making websites you love. Rebecca is a user experience designer for YouTube. NERDS!!

SVR: How does your music influence your work or vice versa?

Happy Fangs: Mike listens to thousands of songs every month on Spotify while designing. Rebecca designs a site that would be uber boretown sans music. There is a venn diagram and the overlap is bigger than the underlap.

SVR: Why is music education important?

Happy Fangs: Standardized education without the arts takes away that the freedom and creativity that is evident in children before they enter school. Everyone should sing and play music as freely as they do in Kindergarten.

SVR: What was your own experience learning music as a kid? Who flipped that switch in your brain?

Happy Fangs:
Rebecca: my mother has always made up songs for me. She also used to say: They should put you on the radio so i can turn you off.
Mike: KISS!!! - Silicon Valley Rocks


"Happy Fangs"

It's always really cool when members of a band you really liked start new projects.

I was super bummed when My First Earthquake announced that they were going to be taking a break (indefinite hiatus, hanging up their hats, etc. (basically not making music for a while as MFE) and so it was very cool to get an email announcing that Rebecca (sometimes I call her Rob-ecca, because she can do a killer (as in good, not deadly....well, maybe both) from MFE had started a new band with a guy named Mike Cobra from the band King Loses Crown.

The band sent this teaser video:
http://youtu.be/rGHrHv-vWH4

Happy Fangs will be playing on October 1st (that's THIS Monday) at the Rickshaw Stop with Blood Red Shoes and Starskate. You can buy tickets here.
When I asked them on Twitter (@happyfangs) about any tracks that they might have to release, they told me that they're mixing their first demo on Friday. So maybe they'll send me a track or two to post soon!
I've said it before, but it is always REALLY exciting to get news of a band like this. I'm very excited to hear more from them! - Appetite For Distraction


"Happy Fangs Dodges Birds in ‘Hiya Kaw Kaw’ Video"

With Halloween just around the corner, the members of Happy Fangs serve themselves up, literally, at the center of a macabre tale in the band’s new video for “Hiya Kaw Kaw.” The San Francisco trio premieres the clip today on Speakeasy.

In a twist on Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller “The Birds,” the video alternates between shots of the band hurtling through the raucous song in an abandoned warehouse and their encounters with a family of large human-bird hybrid creatures, who are the dominant species in this world. By the end, the musicians—singer Rebecca Bortman, guitarist Michael Cobra and drummer Jess Gowrie—are bombarded while they play. The tune practically wrote itself, Bortman says.

More In On the Record
Rod Stewart Explores His Storytelling Side on 'Another Country' (Exclusive Album Premiere)
Listen to Weather Report Play a Live Version of 'Birdland' From 1978 (Exclusive Song)
Son Volt Digs Out 'Windfall' Demo for 'Trace' Reissue (Exclusive Song)
Sidewalk Chalk and Lili K Team Up on 'G.L.A.D.' (Exclusive Song)
Cold Fronts Parlays Street Gig into Debut LP 'Forever Whatever' (Exclusive)
“In about 20 minutes we went from a guitar riff to complete song during a rehearsal session,” she says by email.

Though filmmaker James Mitchell directed the video, the band took the lead in creating some of the special effects, including the bird-head costumes. “I designed the heads and the band spent a very late night together sewing the custom bird masks together,” Cobra says. “Jess had never sewn anything before so she had to learn on the job.”

Happy Fangs shot the video in and around San Francisco, including a vacant factory that had been used to build battleships during World War II. “To get up to the amazing set require hauling all of our gear and film equipment up five flights of stairs,” Gowrie says. “It was worth it, though, as we had a gigantic warehouse all to ourselves.”

“Hiya Kaw Kaw” first appeared on Happy Fangs’ self-titled debut EP in 2013, and resurfaced on the trio’s serrated, savagely catchy full-length debut, “Capricorn,” which came out in January. The band formed in 2012, though Bortman and Cobra first met in 2007 when their respective previous bands had shared a rehearsal space in San Francisco. Gowrie rounded out the lineup in 2014.

The group has a handful of shows booked this fall; see their itinerary here. What do you think of the video for “Hiya Kaw Kaw?” Leave your thoughts in the comments. - Wall Street Journal - Speakeasy


"Exclusive: Happy Fangs Premiere Video For Driving Garage Rocker 'Raw Nights'"

Rockin' San Francisco trio Happy Fangs released their debut LP Capricorn on Jan. 27 and now they're giving their song "Raw Nights" the video treatment.

The punkish garage trio put their warpaint on -- literally -- for the video, which brings the cut "Raw Nights" to life, from black and white to Technicolor. The band was actually painted entirely black and white under their face paint, then filmed in color to make the full-color burst all the more striking.

And there's the song, too. Rebecca Bortman's frenzied vocal performance and Michael Cobra's buzz saw guitar evoke just about every era of badass rock and roll -- '60s garage, '77 punk, riot grrrl, you name it. And don't forget drummer Jess Gowrie, who drums so hard that her in-ear monitors had to be taped into her ears.

"Excuse me sir, do you have a minute to talk about rock and roll?" Bortman asks mid-song. She's referencing a night in Cambridge, Mass. when the band feared it would be playing to no one but the bar's staff.

"There was a Red Sox playoff game, a Pearl Jam concert, and a Janelle Monae concert. A.k.a., we picked the worst night of the year to play Boston," Bortman tells Billboard. "So I started walking up to people and asking them, 'Excuse me, sir. Do you have a minute…' Every single person would look away, try to avoid eye contact -- "…to talk about rock & roll?" That got every single person's attention. And we talked to a dozen people on our walk. We got to tell every single one of them about Happy Fangs."

If you have two minutes, check out the band's upcoming tour dates:

March 4: Los Angeles, CA (Los Globos)
March 5: San Diego, CA (The Merrow)
March 7: San Francisco, CA (Great American Music Hall)
March 12: Portland, OR (Ash Street Saloon)
March 13: Olympia, WA (McCoy's Tavern)
March 14: Seattle, WA (The Highline) - Billboard


"FEBRUARY NEW FEMINIST MUSIC PICKS"

Happy Fangs – “In The Morning”

Garage rockers Happy Fangs slammed onto my radar recently, sounding like a heartier vintage Gwen Stefani. This introduction to their latest single, “In the Morning,” is perfect: “To be enjoyed as you exit sleep and enter an empowered morning.” If you gave up caffeine as a New Year’s resolution, consider substituting Happy Fangs. - Bitch Media - Katie Presley


"Rise and Shine With Happy Fangs’ Super-Caffeinated ‘In the Morning’"

From the opening notes of its harmonic-laden riff, “In the Morning” bursts through your speakers like the sun suddenly rising through your not-nearly-closed-enough blinds — disruptive as all hell, but bright and cheery enough that it’s hard to get too mad at it. The song, off San Francisco scuzz-rock trio Happy Fangs’ upcoming debut LP, Capricorn, uses righteous guitar crunch and rentlessly chugging drums to combat the haters, with singer Rebecca Bortman asking on the chorus, “In the morning, when you rise / Will you be the swatter, or will you be the fly?” (The song is enthralling enough to make the question a purely rhetorical one, natch.)

“Life will never have its shortage of energy zappers, sleaze monsters, and soul suckers,” explains Bortman. “You choose whether you give them the power.” Take the power back with “In the Morning,” below, and check out all of Capricorn when it’s released January 27, currently available for pre-order on iTunes. - SPIN


"Drum Fill Friday, With Jess Gowrie Of Happy Fangs"

This week's guest Quizmaster is Jess Gowrie, drummer with the San Francisco-based band Happy Fangs. Earlier this year the group released its debut full-length, Capricorn, a collection of lean, raw and noisy guitar rock cuts anchored by Gowrie's bone-breaking beats. Given her love of power-hitters, some of the fills she selected for this week's Drum Fill Friday should come as no surprise. But there are at least a couple of unexpected picks here. As always, good luck, careful listeners! - NPR - All Songs Considered


Discography

CAPRICORN (2015)1: Raw Nights2: Contagious3: Hiya Kaw Kaw4: Ton of Bricks5: Cliché6: Lone Wolves7: In the Morning8: The Truth9: Controlled Burn 

Photos

Bio

Happy Fangs is San Francisco's war-painted and wiry rock trio poised to release their first LP, Capricorn on January 27, 2015. SPIN has already praising their song, In The Morning, for its "righteous guitar crunch and relentlessly chugging drums.” Controlled Burn is commended by HuffPo Entertainment for its "pure raw energy and powerful vocals with a sexy edge in a free-for-all of creative styles blending perfectly together." The album's heaviest track, Lone Wolves was recently featured in Modern Drummer and described by Bloody Disgusting as a "blistering, ferocious assault on the senses, powered by pulsating drums, fuzzed out guitars, and in-your-face howls.”

Happy Fangs is a band of three front-persons. Vocalist Rebecca Bortman, formerly of My First Earthquake & guitarist Michael Cobra, formerly of King Loses Crown, played their first show as Happy Fangs in 2012. This January marks the one-year anniversary of the addition of drummer Jess Gowrie of Sacramento's Im Dirty Too, a duo with Tycho's Zac Brown. Together, the band creates rambunctious anthems, which SF Weekly describes as “insanely fun riot grrrl ferociousness.”

Happy Fangs' live shows juxtapose strong black and white visuals with their contrasting pop meets rock sound. Each show is a flurry of enthusiasm, loud guitars and hard-hitting drums—the trio writes an original song at each show based on an audience's suggestion. Some people say rock is making a comeback. Happy Fangs is proof that rock-n-roll is here to stay.

Band Members