Originally published in Verbicide issue #17

In 1990, a pretty, soft-spoken girl by the name of Mary Timony started making waves in her hometown of Washington, DC. As a singer and guitarist in all-girl group, Autoclave, Timony’s life in the music world was just beginning.

As bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile started a “riot grrl” revolution in Seattle, Timony was busy perfecting her art on the other side of the country. After graduating from college in Boston, she went on to start Helium in 1992. The band was a critical success from the start, but ended not too long after it began. But the soft-spoken girl from DC has held her own — and done it quite well.

Sixteen years later, Timony has become a staple in the indie music scene, and an influence for many female (and male) musicians all across the board. She’s worked with everyone from Sparklehorse to Sleater-Kinney, but her distinct vocal, lyrical, and musical style shines in whatever she seems to do. With much critical acclaim, a considerable fan base, and consistency that keeps music snobs on their knees pleading for more, the woman behind it all hasn’t let it go to her head.

With a new album in the works, a tour on the horizon, and a new record label (Kill Rock Stars), Timony says things are finally starting to feel right in her life.

I read that you’re heading out on tour in the next few weeks — is the new album finished yet?
No, we’re starting it in July. We’re going to record up in Baltimore at the studio that J. Robbins has [there]. We’ll probably mix it in August or something like that. [Before we go into the studio] we’re going on tour. We originally booked shows just to practice the new material and get tight as a band because we have a new bass player now. Then we got added on to these shows with Pinback, so we decided to do those, too, and that turned into a three-week tour.

Are you going back on the road after the record is released?
Yeah, absolutely.

Do you like touring?
I do, for the most part. Sometimes it can be pretty tiring, but I like doing shorter tours. Three weeks is a good length.

What are some of your favorite places to play?
I like going to the West Coast, playing in Portland is always fun. The whole West Coast is fun for me because I don’t get to get out there that much and it’s a good way to get out there.

Do want to tell me a bit about the new album?
We’ve been writing some songs together, arranging them as a band with a bass player named Chad Molter who also plays with Devin in [DC band] Medications, so the sound is pretty similar to Ex Hex, I think. It’s still in the band format and there’s a lot of guitar and drums.

A lot of people connect to your music lyrically. Has the direction changed lyrically on this new album?
I’m sort of getting in this mode of…my cat is sitting right on me and keeps getting hair in my face. (laughter) I think it’s becoming less meaningful, but in a good way. I’m just listening more to how words sound and trying to write words that sound good and fit rhythmically, rather than have tons of meaning attached or whatever. I guess it’s a little more playful.

It’s been quite awhile since Autoclave and Helium — how have you changed between being in those bands and being in the band you’re in now?
I find that whatever musical project I’m doing changes pretty drastically depending on who I’m collaborating with. It really depends on where I am in my life, even stuff like what amp I’m playing out of, or where you record the record. In general, the songs really don’t change that much. But all the other stuff influences the way a record sounds.

How do you feel about the move over to Kill Rock Stars?
I’m so happy; I couldn’t feel better about it. It’s pretty much my favorite label, Kill Rock Stars, and they put out some of my favorite music. I really like everybody that works there. It feels like such a good fit. I’m so relieved and happy about it.

How has being a musician for so long affected your personal life?
For a while, it felt like I made a big sacrifice choosing to be a musician in my life. When you have to balance having a job and being a musician it’s really hard. I went from job to job a lot. Now I started [giving] guitar [lessons] and, finally, I feel like my life fits together. I can leave for tour because I work for myself. I’m at the point now where everything fits together and it’s really good. I don’t feel like I’ve sacrificed anything in my life.

What are some of the jobs you worked?
When I was in my 20s I did so many different shitty jobs forever. Most of the time I was an office temp, because that was the only thing I could find that would allow me to leave [on tour]. Then I started landscaping; before that I did tons of shitty stuff, like working in warehouses. But this guitar-teaching gig is fitting together pretty well. It’s fun, I enjoy it.

It sucks that you have to work another job when you have done so much musically…
It’s still as much money as a really low-paying part-time job, but that’s the way it goes — for most people I know. I certainly wouldn’t give it up just because of that.

If you didn’t decide to pursue music, what would you have done instead?
I probably would have been some other kind of artist.

What do you do in your downtime?
I’ve been teaching guitar, and I’ve been playing a little bit in my friend Amy Domingues’ band called Garland of Hours. I don’t know — I just hang out with friends. Nothing too exciting, I’m not into extreme sports or anything. I work on my house, cook, and hang out with my cat.

Over the years you’ve received a fair amount of praise from critics. What is your relationship like with reviewers?
I found that the best thing to do is to listen to it, but not take it to heart and not evaluate yourself through other people’s eyes, because otherwise you just feel really bad, no matter what they’re saying. I mean, it’s really a question that I never answered. I think the last record people liked, but a couple records before that got so much bad press. It’s a constant question I have. I try to ignore it because it doesn’t make me feel good to believe what people say, even if it’s good or bad, I don’t know. It fucks up my world a little bit. It’s a weird thing because there are critics that are really good writers and there are some that aren’t, and it’s weird because you don’t know what credentials the people have. It’s kind of a mixed bag. I appreciate reading something that’s really well written, but there are some freakers that seem to get off on, like, it’s kind of a power trip. I guess it’s just part of the game. The whole music game.

What are some bands you’re into right now?
There’s this band in DC called the Aquariums — they just recorded their record, and it hasn’t been released yet, but they do have a Myspace page. They’re so good. I just can’t get over how good their music is. I go to see them, they play around town, and there’s this guy called Benji Feree who’s really awesome.

You’ve collaborated with a lot of people over the years; who has stood out to you?
I’ve pretty much enjoyed collaborating with everybody. I really do enjoy collaborating a lot. More than making my own stuff, because things happen that you never would have expected.

Do you plan on doing anything with Helium in the future?
I don’t think so. We all don’t really keep in touch that much anymore, unfortunately. I would like to, but I can’t see it happening. It would be too crazy.