Not many know of Le Butcherettes. The name Teri Gender Bender sounds hilarious to most who hear it, but doesn’t elicit any sort of reaction. And it should, because Le Butcherettes is one of the most insane, violent and ultimately ground-breaking bands of the 21st century, and its head (vocalist and lead guitarist) Teri Gender Bender is a visionary in the punk-rock genre that has collaborated with some of the greatest names in rock, such as Iggy Pop and John Frusciante. Le Butcherettes’ performances are wild, unorthodox and completely off-hinged. Terri and her bandmates pour blood over themselves, show off real pig heads on stage and use butcher knives, brooms and other props that fits with their theme. Except, rather than do it for shock value (like, say, Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress), Teri views these violent, grotesque displays as a reflection of her own culture.
Teri Gender Bender is obviously not the soloist’s real name – she was born Teresa Suárez Cosío in 1989, in the city of Denver. Her father was a Spanish prison guard while her mother moved from Guadalajara, Mexico, and was able to relay a lot of the country’s rich culture to her daughter. Teri has fond memories of Denver – she recalls receiving a stuffed animal for Christmas for a taxi driver, or chewing on the rubber seat of the swing set she used to swing on. But her true passion was always Guadalajara, where her family often went to spend the holidays. In her own words, Teri recalls that in the city “you meet the most humble and hardworking, gracious people that are in no way righteous whatsoever, and then you come across kidnappers within the same block. It’s those two extremes where the essence of good and evil are displayed in human flesh.” It was this dissonance that made her fascinated by the city.
At the age of ten, Teri began having recurring and downright frustrating dreams of playing guitar, to the point where their frequency and intensity was what ultimately convinced her father to buy her one, setting her off on a path that she would continue to walk for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, her father passed away only three years later, prompting her mother to relocate the family back to Guadalajara. Its culture of normalizing and downright celebrating death morbidly fascinated the girl. Armed with that inspiration, as well as her love of the guitar, Teri founded Le Butcherettes when she was only seventeen, alongside her friend Auryn Jolene, who was a drummer. The name of the band comes from, naturally, Teri’s morbid interests at the time, more specifically her research into female genital mutilation. The idea that something as violent and grotesque as female circumcision still existed, and yet many turned a blind eye to it, would go on to define the band’s theme, ideology and performances. The act of female genital mutilation also inspired the stage name Teri Gender Bender.
Le Butcherettes’ first live performance was in 2009, where they used props such as brooms and feather dusters as allegories for the slavery of women in the 1950s. The performance was unlike anything the Mexican underground scene had experienced at the time, earning the band huge critical acclaim and recognition from Mexican media outlets. In the same year, they won “Best New Artist” and “Best Punk Record” at the Indi-O awards for independent music. Unfortunately, not all was well – seemingly unable to agree on where to take Le Butcherettes next, Teri and Auryn parted ways, leading Teri to relocate the band in Los Angeles and recruit drummer Normandi Heuxdalfo to replace Jolene. Until the year was done, the duo had been asked to play at several different shows in three different cities across both Mexico and the US. Needless to say, 2009 was kind of a big year for them.
Le Butcherettes’ first single, “Henry Don’t Got No Love”, was released in 2010 as a free download, and in 2011 their first album, “Sin Sin Sin”, saw the light of day thanks to Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of the band “The Mars Volta”, who produced it. “Sin Sin Sin” went on to find huge success, being sold on CD and online through Bandcamp, as well as gaining enough recognition and support to receive a Vinyl release. And with that, Le Butcherettes were on their way to stardom. Over the last six years, they have released three more albums (most recently “Graffiti Amargo” in 2017), and in total, thirteen different musicians have played the band’s tunes in recording and performances. The one constant between all of them has, of course, been Teri Gender Bender herself, the heart and soul of “Le Butcherettes”. With the band in full steam, it seems like there’s never been a better time to call yourself their fan! Throughout 2018 alone, they’ve got booked shows all across the world, including, but not limited to, the UK, the US, Germany, France, Switzerland and Netherlands. We’re all looking forward to seeing more of Teri’s future projects, and to continue enjoying her tunes and crazy-violent performances for years to come! Whatever the case, no matter what developments come from the band, you’re sure to find them here!