Gossip

Since the very moment of formation, the post-punk band Gossip stood out of the multitudes of the other acts thank to their profound lyrics, peculiar image and the music itself. The idea to form Gossip belonged to Brace Paine and Beth Ditto. These two friends grew up in a little town in Arkansas and dreamed of leaving dull family life for the fuss of big city. It came to their minds that music would be the best way to reach this aim. Aged fifteen, Brace began playing his guitar and recording the acceptable fragments of his play on the tape. One of such recordings was given by Beth to Kathy Mendoca who became the first drummer on Gossip. As soon as the lineup was completed, the new group moved to the Washington state where they signed a contract with K Records. This label arranged the release of the group’s first EP, The Gossip. After that, the young outfit switched to the label Kill Rock Stars.

In 2001, Gossip issued their debut long player called That’s Not What I Heard. The members of the band considered that time as a great fun they had. They admitted to having paid no attention to the technical aspects of their performances. Before the shows, there were no sound checks with Brace often forgetting fragments of his guitar parts. Gossip were solely focused on acting on the stage, trying to trade their energy and emotions with the spectators. The audience, in their turn, liked to watch Gossip playing as they knew that the group’s vocalist Beth Ditto had prepared something special for them. The while band’s image was built up on this woman’s personality. Having obvious weight troubles, she protested against the established definitions of feminine beauty. Besides, Ditto did not conceal her. After the release of the second album by Gossip, Movement, in 2003, Mendonca made up her mind to leave the music business and dedicate herself to a medical career. She was replaced by the drummer Hannah Blilie. The member of Gossip worked on their third album as hard as never before. With their lineup renewed, the group recorded in 2006 a very strong long player that became a true breakthrough. Called Sanding In The Way Of Control it featured the title song that was Ditto’s response to the President’s prohibition of same-sex marriages. This composition got well-known after it was selected for the British youth movie Skins. The album itself topped the UK indie-charts.

In the summer of 2007, Gossip took part in a tour devoted to the protection of sexual minorities’ rights. The same year, the American group participated in the Glastonbury festival. Beth Ditto grew into a constant guest of numerous TV shows and did not hesitate to give large interviews to many periodicals. The NME magazine even nominated her to the title of the year’s sexiest woman. In the meantime, the musicians of Gossip continued working in the same style they once chose and kept getting it closer to perfection. That was straightforward punk rock with simple, yet catchy patterns. In 2009, Gossip released their most proficient album under the title Music For Men. To rmake this record, the musicians applied the most expensive and sophisticated equipment they ever dealt with as the process took place in the high end studio in Malibu. The members of Gossip were fully satisfied with what they had produced and organized a large-scale tour to promote their fresh effort.