The Bastard Fairies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Bastard Fairies | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Indie pop, Alternative, New Weird America, Anti-folk |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Labels | unsigned |
| Website | bastardfairies.com |
| Members | |
| Yellow Thunder Woman Robin Davey |
|
The Bastard Fairies are an American musical group from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. They are described as an "internet phenomenon," becoming at one point the #18 Most Subscribed (All Time) Musicians and #31 Most Viewed (All Time) Musician on YouTube.[1] They achieved a measure of fame for a non-musical reason, after releasing a promotional video that received media attention on Fox News.[2] The band's debut album, Memento Mori, was released on April 10, 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Band biography
The band's website describes the group as being composed of two members, singer/lyricist Yellow Thunder Woman and guitarist/songwriter Robin Davey. Yellow Thunder Woman is a Native American ("Yellow Thunder Woman" being the English translation of her birth name, Wakinyan Zi Win), while her band mate Davey is a British expatriate from Great Cheverell, near Devizes, Wiltshire, formerly in The Davey Brothers with his brother Jesse.[3] The Davey Brothers album 'Monkey Number 09' was released on AN Records, a label owned by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. Robin Davey and Yellow Thunder Woman, with Dave Steward as executive producer, created an award-winning documentary film called The Canary Effect, which "takes an in-depth look at the devastating effect that U.S. policies have had on the Indigenous people of America."[4] The Canary Effect won 'The Stanley Kubrick Award For Bold and Innovative Film Making' at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival in 2006[5], and 'Best Music Video' Award at The American Indian Motion Picture Awards in 2006.[6]
The band recorded their album Memento Mori "on a Mac" and has released twelve of its songs for free on their website as a means of "spreading the word about their music"; the version in stores includes five additional tracks.[1] A track from that album, "The Boy Next Door," was featured on The L Word, episode eleven of the third season.
[edit] Controversial video
The band released a promotional video entitled "The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World Talks About O'Reilly," featuring a young girl discussing a number of political, religious, and social issues.[7] The video was featured on The O'Reilly Factor, whose host is mentioned in the title, and was described as "child abuse" and "emotional abuse" in a discussion between host Bill O'Reilly and lawyer/"child advocate" Wendy Murphy, who recommends shunning the child and her family.[2] The band clarified the content of the video on the video's YouTube page:
| “ | OFFICIAL STATEMENT: THIS VIDEO FEATURES A TALENTED YOUNG ACTRESS PLAYING A FICTITIOUS CHARACTER. IT IS A COMMERCIAL FOR THE BAND 'THE BASTARD FAIRIES' AND DIRECTED BY AN AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILM MAKING TEAM.[7] | ” |
As of September 11, 2007, the video has received more than 1.6 million views and holds several honors on YouTube, including a ranking as the #10 all-time most-discussed video for news and politics.[7]
[edit] Discography
- Memento Mori (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ a b "The Bastard Fairies Get Ready To Release Debut Album". PlugInMusic. 2007-03-08. http://www.pluginmusic.com/news/archive.php?id=1319. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ a b "Internet Abuse?". Fox News. 2006-12-06. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234824,00.html. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ "Interview with The Davey Brothers". BBC News Online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/music/daveybros.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
- ^ "Biography". TheBastardFairies.com. http://www.thebastardfairies.com/biography/index.html. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ "2006 Traverse City Film Festival Awards". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 2006-08-07. http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/aug/08ff-awards.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
- ^ "American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show Award Recipients". American Indian Film Institute. http://www.aifisf.com/aifi/aiff/2006/winners.php. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
- ^ a b c bastardfairies (2006-11-01). "The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World Talks About O'Reilly". YouTube. http://youtube.com/watch?v=k8x14cLGh5o&mode=related&search=. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
