If you haven’t heard of Alien Knife Fight, yet, then you’re missing out on what’s being heralded Indie Rock’s best kept secret, and they’ve certainly earned that. Emerging from their utopic 1930’s era house/home studio, situated on 3.6 acres that they call Big Bottom Farm outside Austin, this obscure couple are set to hit the road with fellow Texans Scott H Biram and Jesse Dayton, but their previously unrecognized talent is quickly preceding them as their arias spread through the internet music world. We were first introduced to their unique blend of sounds with “Jerkoff,” a lo-fi live video, and were immediately mesmerized by front woman Monique Ortiz: that sultry, smoky voice, her effortless mastery of the 2 string slide bass, she’s the total package of brilliant badass rockstar, the rest of the world just needs to discover her. They followed up on “Jerkoff” and their sophomore EP Some Girls with one of the best DIY music videos we’ve ever seen: “Flightplan.” Equal parts artistic self-empowerment and a personal rejection of narrow social norms, “Flightplan” is a delicate hymnal punctuated with minimal percussion from Mike Howard, and brought to life with an enormously vulnerable performance for Monique.
“‘Flightplan’ is really about how much of my creative life has been a very steep uphill climb. In many ways it’s my ‘fuck you’ to everyone who has written me off, been dismissive of me and my work, and for all those who have and continue to ignore me altogether (“too bad you’re late to the party”). Since childhood I’ve always been kind of an outsider, never really fitting in, never quite cool enough, never invited to the parties. I was the one girl who worked at the rock club and could never get a gig there, while all my shoe gaze, noise band coworkers gigged regularly. That sort of thing. I was always a bit awkward and nerdy. At some point in my teens I just kinda said ‘screw it. I’ll just do what I want to do, and if no one ever gets it, fine because I don’t need anyone’s approval.’ It’s probably the closest thing I’ve come to writing about female empowerment. Now I’ve taken flight, and I’m leaving all the naysayers behind.” – Monique Ortiz
Buy “Flightplan” online HERE
AKF 2017 West Coast tour with Scott H Biram & Jesse Dayton:
03/23 @ Hoots Pub, Amarillo, TX
03/24 @ Triple Nickle Tavern – Colorado Springs, CO
03/25 @ 3 Kings – Denver, CO
03/26 @ Hodis Half Note – Fort Collins, CO
03/28 @ Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
03/29 @ Neurolux – Boise, ID
03/31 @ Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
04/01 @ Dante’s – Portland, OR
04/04 @ Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
04/05 @ Bottom Of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
04/06 @ Alex’s Bar – Long Beach, CA
04/07 @ Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA
04/08 @ Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AR
04/13 @ Three Links – Dallas, TX
04/14 @ Antone’s – Austin, TX
04/15 @ Continental Club – Houston, TX (with Sam Pace, and Hilary York)
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