San Antonio-located self-described feminist Chicana punk band with Riot Grrrl tendencies Fea is set to unleash their powerful and bilingual second album, No Novelties, on November 15th via Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records.
Fea is comprised of Phanie Diaz (Girl In A Coma), Jenn Alva (Girl In A Coma), Letty Martinez, and Sofi Lopez.
They released rousing lead single “Let Me Down,” which targets obsessive social media behavior, this past October and just kicked off a Texas-focused tour to promote their imminently upcoming album.
No Novelties was produced by punk legend Alice Bag and tackles relevant subjects like sexism, toxic relationships, and social media, all from the female point of view. The sound is raw and riotous, yet also tuneful and fun.
Phanie Diaz kindly took some time to answer our ongoing Protest Interview series and replies with her direct and astute views on the state of the nation.
Hello! Please introduce yourself and give a description of your sound/musical vision.
Hola! This is Phanie Diaz, the drummer for Fea.
What is/are the main personal, national, and/or international issue(s) concerning you the most these days?
Right now there are so many issues that have been made worse by the idiot in office. He has made it OK to be a racist homophobic machismo. It’s brought out the worst in our country. The treatment of immigrants. The cages. The treatment against the LGBTQ community. Police brutality and the use of excessive force. It’s heavy.
What song, video, or lyrics quote of yours best represents your current viewpoint on this/these important topic(s)?
Honestly, I can’t really choose a song. Our album touches on every subject. From the wage gap in America, to toxic relationships, to touring. There’s a song for every situation.
What’s your favorite song, video, or lyrics quote by another act or artist that best exemplifies, or at least partly relates to, your current viewpoint?
A favorite quote for the band in general is, “We do this for the history books and not the check books.” I believe we got this from The New York Dolls. Maybe they heard it somewhere else. Making music, touring, and spreading a message is the good fight we are fighting. We are not trying to be some rich musicians. We are four minority women who want to represent the beauty in being yourselves and accepting one another.
What other forms of protest, besides through your music, are you involved with to get your message across?
We try our best to stay locally involved in our scene. Helping to raise other musicians to represent our culture and city.
It’s easy to judge and criticize others, especially in these unsettling times of overt intolerance, ignorance, and insults, but the fact remains that we need to work together. Objecting to and protesting against, but then working on a solution to the problem is critical in ensuring that positive change occurs. Name an action to take, or a campaign/charity that would be worthwhile to contribute to, for your cause.
If you agree with it or not, we are all human beings and people migrating to this country are doing so to escape danger within their country. We are human beings at the end of the day and we should help each other. Find a charity that is trying to help those crossing. Help the children... As cliché as it sounds, they truly are the next ones to carry this world.
What gives you hope for the future?
Watching little kids come to the show and get educated about our music and explore from there. Watching kids getting involved in what’s happening politically around them. Keep them educated. That’s what’s important.
Where can we purchase/stream your music and find out more about you?
Go to https://blackheart.com/ and http://fea210.com/ for music and to keep up with our adventures.
