Betty Iron Thumbs

BRUCE WALSH
PHILADELPHIA
Published: June 02, 2011 9:12 p.m.
Last modified: June 02, 2011 9:16 p.m.
Be the first to comment
Print article
Text size
In 2004, Katie Morrison answered Michael Long’s Craigslist add on a whim. The 20-year-old Drexel student was a trained violist. She had never played the guitar seriously, but the idea of rocking out in a pop-punk band was just too much to resist.

Eight years later, Morrison’s country twang (she’s from southern Virginia) has completely transformed the band. In order to mark the shift, they changed their name from My Compass Spins to Betty Irons Thumbs in 2007. A self-released EP, “Sit and Wait,” soon followed, with Morrison and Long sharing the tune-making duties equally.

But this weekend, as BIT releases their first full-length, “Under the Night,” Morrison will take center stage. She authored eight of the 12 songs, and the record is simply teeming with her raw lyrical tales of seduction and betrayal.

“When I started it was just a therapeutic thing — to get it down on paper. I’m always drawn to really honest artists. I think that’s always where I lean,” says Morrison, now a graduate student at Drexel. “I come off pretty strong to people. I have a cocky attitude. But, you know, people that are strong-willed are self-conscious and have their doubts about themselves.”

Now hear this

Musically, “Under the Night” is shooting for a unique blend of rural and urban jangles.

Underlying many of Morrison’s Lucinda Williams-esque twangs are the driving riffs of Long’s Social Distortion-inspired arrangements. “I don’t know what we are,” says Morrison. “It just sort of comes together in a garage, country, punk-y kinda thing.”

Betty Iron Thumbs
Friday, 9 p.m., The Tritone, 1508 South St., $5
www.bettyironthumbs.com

More about music , Betty Iron Thumbs
- Metro Philadelphia

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I caught only a portion of Sugar Town’s sold-out 10th anniversary show at Tritone on Saturday, but it was awesome. Totally crowded, sweaty and upbeat. The premise, as we talked about last week with Sugar Town founder Sara Sherr, was local artists teaming up to pay tribute to other big time artists. Of the ones I saw, Betty Iron Thumbs doing Cyndi Lauper. Totally nailed the spirit and the notes. Heard amazing things about Electrelane and B-52’s tributes. Were you there? What were your favorite moments? - Philadelphia City Paper: Critical Mass

Self-proclaimed twang core band Betty Iron Thumbs will release its second album, Teeth, on Friday, June 13. The tracks on the new album have elements of punk, folk and country to them with each track leaning heavily on one of the three genres. The Philly-based band was able to give each individual track its own identity — no two song sound the same. The album is currently available for streaming on the band’s bandcamp page here. Betty Iron Thumbs will have a release show Friday, June 13 at Milkboy Philadelphia. For tickets and more information, check out the Facebook event page and watch the music video for the single, “Crazy,” below. - The Key / WXPN