Tales of Rock n’ Roll, Sex, and Power by Willa Beck
Hey y’all! My name is Willa Beck Rudolph. I’m in a band called November Girl, and I’m also commonly known as an attention whore. I’m an artist, writer, songstress, and a PR exec by day…
OGBFF is super inspiring to me because it was a ground-up kinda thing, just like my band. Angela’s and Lauren’s voices are so matter-of-fact and unapologetic, in addition to being funny as f*ck. I’m a thick bitch who doesn’t want to apologize for saying “like'' all the time, and OGBFF makes me feel seeeeen! Additionally, the thottyness just really goes with my whole vibe. If I were to tag myself in an OGBFF “choose your fighter” meme, I’d be “TITS FOR BRAINS.”
Wow wow wow, it’s 2023! Happy New Year. I’m writing to you from my parents’ house in Carpinteria, CA where they’ve recently moved from Hollywood (That’s right near Santa Barbara). I’m a city girl, through and through, but the air smells damn good here!
I asked the girls if a Valley Girl like lil’ ol’ me could write for the OGBFF blog because I have something to say!! My NYC based rock band, November Girl has a new single called Keychain [listen here], along with a Car Stuck Girls-inspired MUSIC VIDEO directed by Lola Daehler.
If you don't know what Car Stuck Girls is, it's basically a porn category in which girls get their cars stuck in mud. I’ve never actually seen a video but I kept seeing screenshots on tumblr n’ stuff throughout the years, and it’s just so dope. The aesthetic is iconic, and the whole premise of the girls being such bimbos and getting their cars stuck in the mud just feels really relatable to me.
As a former sex worker and a former art history major, I’m super interested in visual representations of sex in art and media and the influence it has on our perceptions of power – like who has the power in these porn flicks? The actresses or the director? Or the consumer?
Keychain is a song about sisterhood and the day-to-day mundanity of your teen-years and young adulthood actually becoming quite special and profound when you’re with your girls. There’s a certain admiration with which you look at your sisters, and Keychain captures this perfectly. The Keychain video flips the whole “Car Stuck Girls” thing on its head, because the video ends up actually being quite wholesome. Everything I do as a writer and artist plays with (and attempts to dismantle) this virgin / whore dichotomy (‘cause it doesn’t f*&^ing exist).
Also, because the video was made with an all female team, we subverted the usual power dynamic. My dear friend Lola, the director and a fellow Scorpio frontwoman, was a total boss on set. We all worked so incredibly hard, and created something that we feel so empowered by!
The Mud Girls:
The song is upbeat, grungy, and sexy, with a thumping bass line and angelic, yet sultry vocals, a twangy and dance-worthy guitar solo, and full sounding drums that drive the catchy, stuck-in-your-head-all-day type chorus – and drive it fast!
MY SISTER HAS A KEYCHAIN, SHE TELLS ME ALL THE TIMEEE!
About the band: November Girl is a NYC based band with a 90’s-inspired, dreamy, grungy rock sound. You'll feel like you're right in my bedroom with me while I sing about love, nature, sex, power, and magic.
I’m an L.A. born chick with full New York Jew blood on both sides. A proud Valley Girl, former sex worker, former high school art teacher, forever writer, and a Scorpio witch, which means double the trouble. Our guitarist Billy is also from the Valley, and Bassist Dylan and Drummer Phil are dear, dear friends that have joined along the way.
Inspirations of our’s include: Hole, The Breeders, Blondie, No Doubt, Katie Jane Garside, My Bloody Valentine, funk, Gaga, Liz Phair, LCD Soundsystem, Modest Mouse, Madonna, Lana, bands where girls scream, The Velvet Underground, Lucinda Williams, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and ur mom.
We have a show January 20th at Piano’s on the Lower East Side, by the way! Come thru ;)
XOXOXOXOXO,
Video Credits:
Directed by Lola Daehler
Produced by Paloma Green
All BTS photos by Alexis Kleshik
Colored by Nick Daukas
Pix:
Me and The Boys:
Fefi and I:
The Simple Lyfe:
Ugh, this car is, like, so heavy!
Lola & I:
Buncha bimbos:
