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Emily's Sassy Lime
OriginCalabasas, Pasadena, Irvine, California, United States
GenresGarage punk • riot grrrl • noise rock • indie rock
Years active1993–1997
LabelsKill Rock Stars
MembersWendy Yao
Emily Ryan
Amy Yao
WebsiteMySpace profile

Emily's Sassy Lime (a palindrome) was an American punk rock group from Southern California. The group was formed in 1993 by three Asian American teenagers: sisters Wendy Yao and Amy Yao, and their friend Emily Ryan.

History

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Emily's Sassy Lime formed in 1993 after the teen girls sneaked out of their homes one night to see a Bikini Kill and Bratmobile show, striking up a correspondence with Molly Neuman, the drummer of the latter band.[1][2] As first generation Asian American girls in a punk band, they faced contradictions in expectations.[3] They did not live very close to each other and did not own cars, so they often had to write their songs over the phone, sometimes leaving seminal ideas for tunes, jingles, and melodies on each other's answering machines.[4] When they finally did have a chance to record, they did so on a 'singalodeon', a cheap off-the-shelf lo-fi tape recorder. They barely ever practiced (often forbidden from doing so by their parents who considered their studies a bigger priority), making their sound a random, spontaneous indie garage punk-noise collage of "Whatever, just play."[3] They didn't have their own instruments for years, so with every show they played, they had to borrow someone else's in the DIY punk spirit of sharing, often swapping with each other carelessly and making every show sound totally different.[3]

In 1995, they all appeared as dancers in the Kathi Wilcox-directed "Mad Doctor" video for The PeeChees. Emily's Sassy Lime broke up in 1997, not long after they graduated from high school and attended separate colleges. Amy Yao went to Art Center College of Design, Wendy Yao headed off to Stanford University, and Emily Ryan attended University of Southern California.[3] The group are often considered an essential early riot grrrl band.[2][5]

Later activities

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In 2000, they all participated in the very first Ladyfest in Olympia, the Yao sisters collaborating with Sharon Cheslow in the experimental sound installation performance art project of Coterie Exchange, during an art exhibit curated by Audrey Marrs.[6] In 2003, Emily Ryan starred in one of Jon Moritsugu's critically acclaimed no budget guerrilla underground punk films called Scumrock.[7] Amy Yao has been involved over the years with several different bands, frequently collaborating with Tobi Vail, co-founded China Art Objects Galleries,[8] and completed her MFA in sculpture at the Yale School of Art. Wendy Yao owned and ran a shop and DIY indie-punk artist space in Los Angeles's downtown Chinatown neighborhood called Ooga Booga for 15 years.[9][10] The Yao sisters later played in a band with Layla Gibbon of Skinned Teen named Shady Ladies.

Discography

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LPs

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  • Desperate, Scared But Social, LP, KRS Records, 1995

Singles

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  • "Summer Vacation", 7", Xmas Records, 1994
  • "Dippity Do-nut", 7", KRS Records, 1996

Compilations

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  • "Right Is Here", LP/CD, Xmas Records, 1995

Compilation appearances

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References

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  1. ^ "Exhibitions/Online Features: Riot Grrrl Retrospective". Experience Music Project. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (27 March 2020). "Riot Grrrl Album Guide: Essential LPs from Nineties rock's feminist revolution". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Yeung, Bernice (18 July 1996). "Metroactive Music | Emily's Sassy Lime". Metro. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  4. ^ Anaheed, Alani (19 June 2012). "Rookie » Why Can't I Be You: Wendy Yao". Rookiemag.com. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  5. ^ McDonnell, Evelyn; Vincentelli, Elisabeth (6 May 2019). "Riot Grrrl United Feminism and Punk. Here's an Essential Listening Guide". New York Times. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Friday, August 4th @ Ladyfest". Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  7. ^ Moritsugu, John. "Scumrock". Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  8. ^ Krygier, Irit (3 June 1999). "Reviews - Report from L.A." Artnet.com Magazine. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Ooga Booga - It's Rhizomatic!". Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  10. ^ McNeill, Mark "Frosty" (14 September 2021). "Curator Wendy Yao on channeling your artistic enthusiasm". The Creative Independent.
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