MRR : Who are you ? Where do you come from ? What means CRIA CUERVOS ? Géraldine : I am the bass player and one of the two singers. I came from the
countryside to the Parisian suburbs, from a place for rehearsals surrounded by cows
to another surrounded by railways and roads. And before living this love story with
these two girls here, I played and still play in Kochise, an anarcho-punk band, and
I also play in Turtle Ramblers (a "garage country against cowboys" band). Teresa: I play drums. I played before with Isabelle in Ahorcados, another
punk-rock band which split off a few years ago now. "Cria Cuervos" means "Raise raven",
it comes from a Spanish saying which says "Raise raven and they will take your eyes off".
A very nice saying about ingratitude. It is also a movie of a Spanish director, Carlos Saura,
which tell the story of 3 little girls raised in a Spanish family, during the period of
Franco, fascism in Spain. Isabelle: We are aliens coming from outer space.
MRR : Why have chosen the formula of the trio, and only female ? I: Teresa and I were in a mixed band before Cria Cuervos and we finally split up
because we didn’t get along anymore in the band. We decided then that if we had to play ever
again in another band it would definitely be with friends or people we get along with and
appreciate. We knew Geraldine for a while and appreciated her very much for her mentality.
So the three of us agreed to form Cria Cuervos a band where we understand each other
naturally. G: The trio, it’s a chance, actually that is essential : guitar, bass guitar,
drums. But, only female, because the three of us wanted it, do a girl band and moreover
with the three of us, because we love each other! T: We are what we love : powerful trios and the three of us !
MRR : Do you see yourself as a Riot Girls’ band ? I: I personally don’t like wearing a sticker, it’s too simple to be totally true.
We fight for what we believe in as strong as we can, in that I guess we can say we are
riot girls. G: This name doesn’t really mean something in France, because there is not enough
100% female HC, punk or pop bands. But if that means to be a vindictive girls band, which
spits on machos, sexists and virile behaviors, then yes we are a Riot Girls band. As
I said, in this country, there is still not enough girls on the scene, or maybe just
for decoration in some musical styles. In fact this is found in all the artistic sectors.
Women didn’t entered very often in the artistic history of countries, one prefers them at
home to test the last dish which is cooked in 7 minutes for the whole family ! History is
also written by men, so that is not really surprising. These last days on the walls of Paris
and its suburbs, there was an advertising about « what makes run blondes and dark haired
women ? », answer : a dish cooked in 7 minutes, the slogan was : "7 minutes of intelligence
per day". No comment ! ! Then, in front of this, angry girls and riot girls : definitely ! T: I think « Riot Girls » refers directly to the english or american musical scene.
In France we are only a punk-HC female band with political and social involvment.
MRR : 2 years after, how do you see your first album ? I: We were pretty satisfied when it came out and I guess it’s a reasonable
first album. Now we want to go forward and do something more complete. We don’t have
much time to compose and rehearse though, it’s a pity... G: A sum up of all the things we wanted to talk about, just as well musically as
politically. Let’s detail all this a little more ...
T: I am rather satisfied of this first album, we talked about subjects which make
us react: animal testing with « Espèce Humaine ? », death penalty with « Playing God »,
wars with « Purgatorio », sexism with « Trève de comptoir », etc ... When you have
a critical glance on the world which surrounds you, the release of an album enables
you to say what you think of such or such thing, to share your opinion with people
who listen to you. We are currently working on new songs, some subjects we really
care are re-examined : women (prostitution, home violence), but also new subjects as
Real-TV, and that is not finished ! We are still working on.
MRR : You don’t tour very much these days. Why and do you miss that ? I: I live in Spain and the girls live in Paris it’s hard to see each other for long
periods enough to rehearse and tour because of our works, besides, Teresa is having health
problems with her shoulder we had to cancel a few shows, she will be totally fine very
soon. We miss it badly...
MRR : You have just released on Diabolik Records a Split CD with Propagandhi.
How did you meet them ? I: We knew Propagandhi’s music and activities for a long time and were found
of them. We used to organize shows with an association we had, Horca, and we organized
a show for them a while ago, that’s where we get to know the guys. Then we started
thinking about doing music with them as we feel very close from their way of thinking T: Diabolik records wanted to release a split with Cria Cuervos and another band,
and we immediately thought of Propagandhi. We had exactly the same ideas on many political
and social subjects, including the discrimination of women and the animal liberation.
We asked them and were really happy that they agreed to do this CD with us. I am specially
proud of sharing this record with them, because they are really nice, they care about
the others, and we love their music too. So it was great.
MRR : DR : Are you thinking of recording a new album ? I: Not for now, we hope to be able to record something this late year or next year. T: We are working on new songs for now, and as soon as we’ll have enough,
we will think about a new album of course, but it takes time ...
MRR : We heard you in many compilations, supporting different causes.
What does justify your choices ? Have you refused to give a song for a compilation ? I: We know some of the associations that decide to make a record to raise funds
for some causes. If we don’t know the association or decider, we try to know them better
and see which bands are involved in. Yes, we’ve already refused our participation to
a few compilations because we lacked of titles to give. G: We choose to take part in a compilation according to his topic,
women, solidarity with the prisoners, antifascism, animal liberation. We also
use to ask with which bands we are associated, because we refuse to be on the
same compilation than a band to which we reject the behavior or that have lyrics
which would go against our own ideas.
MRR : You are considered as a politically committed band. What do you think ? I: As I said before, people like if you belong to a specific genre or group,
and I understand you like to have an idea of what it is about, we are indeed politically
committed as we get involve in political ideas and acts. We care about the world we live
in and the beings we share this planet with. G: For my part, I assert it. Those for which that sounds bad, are assholes.
We have a way to express our ideas and our emotions, why shouldn’t we lose this opportunity ?
It arrives that some people say we talk too much during our shows, I don’t know, I
think we are there to share the moment, or not ? I do not criticize the bands that don’t
express their ideas in the music. I have already played with bands considered as politically
committed, but whose behavior did not reflect their speech at all, in their daily life,
they totally forget their ideas, the ideas are for fashion and that is the worst, being
politicized for the people around and for fashion and concretely living in the opposite
side of these same ideas. Of course, nobody can claim to live with 100% the utopia to
which it aspires, but try to be active as often as we can, and in a mutual respect ...
MRR : Among the bands that you do know, which seem to be closest to your ideas? G: Other female bands because they can feel what we feel. I: Propagandhi, for instance, are really close to what we think and involved and
concerned by many causes we’re fighting for as well. They’re other bands we share some
political ideas with but disagree on the animal liberation and vegetarian/veganism way
of life which is essential for the three of us. T: To me, it would be a band who share all of our ideas, they are all
important to us : against racism and fascism, but also in support with feminism
or animal liberation, for instance.
MRR : Do you thing there is « important » causes in the international musical
scene politically committed, and other causes less « important » ? G: I don’t think there is an international musical scene politically committed.
There are bands all around the world which in various musical styles express a revolt,
convictions, ideas, according to their own experience of life. Now if you talk about
the punk-HC scene in which we move, yes, in our shows or our exchanges, we really feel
that two fights are not so « important » to some people than others : feminism and animal
liberation, which are not specially in agreement with the virility and the feeling of
superiority of the average male in the Punk-HC scene. But I must say that we are really
happy to see a guy who does not agree with our speech, and leave our show when we tell
the story of a barmaid who set fire in the bar where she worked because she couldn’t
stand anymore all the jerks who insulted or touched her. I: There is causes that gather every bands like antifascism that seems to be
basic in the punk rock scene, and then you have causes you might be concerned by but
that are considered as personal I guess, like feminism (sounds weird to sing a song
about it if you are a man, logical if you’re a woman ...), animal liberation : it won’t
change the world to fight for it, besides it requires more energy because many times
that means fighting against yourself and your stupid habit, conformism, and not against
the other. T: I think the same than Isabelle and Geraldine 2 causes are generally kept
behind : animal liberation and feminism
MRR : What do you think of the bands who refuse to have a political committed speech ? T: They do what they want. I can only say that for me it is essential to talk
about problems I care, and which are sometimes not very known by most of the people.
We had the opportunity to play in many kinds of shows : specific shows as Ladyfest,
which is a festival about women, but also in shows where the audience are not specially
concerned by any subject. That’s really interesting to talk about things that people don’t
know very much, and then see people come to see us after the show to talk about it. That’s
very important for me to talk with people. To me Music is a way to share some ideas and not
just only music. G: I have nothing to say about those who sing only sad songs or love songs. I love
their music or not. I love Edith Piaf, and I cannot say that she was a politically committed
singer, she was herself that’s all. On the other hand those who are always saying again and
again that they are not political activists, but are completely at the opposite, that is
completely stupid, they should keep their mouth shut. Moreover those kind of bands rather
be with people I fight. I: You don’t HAVE to be politically committed if you play in a band, and we
don’t want to impose this. We do hope that people feel concerned by what’s going on
in the world around them even if they don’t shout it loud like us, as long as it’s not
conformism and fear that lead them to be apolitical.
MRR : In your activities beside Cria Cuervos, are you involved in associations,
supporting collectives ? Which ones ? G: I am in an anarquist infoshop in Paris, which is part of a center of solidarity
where you can find associations of international solidarity, women, political refugees,
antifascist groups, solidarity with the immigrants, fights for people without official
papers... I was a member of anarchist, antifascist or feminist groups. More or less
according to the moments. Because there is our band too and our jobs. The animal liberation
is a fight which makes part of our daily life when we try for example to make aware people
to animal suffering, in particular with vegetarianism, because in France that is rather
new that people does not look at you as you were an alien when you say that you are
vegetarian. T: My work takes a big part of my time. We used to organize shows with our
association Horca. It was « anti-commercial » shows, the ticket price was ship,
and sometimes the shows were done to raise funds for some cause. Geraldine still
organize shows to raise funds for others associations and sometimes I help her in
the organization, but I would like to have more time to be involved in an association
for women, or for animal liberation, which are subjects less « popular » for now.
MRR : Musically to which band do you think you are the descendants: Clash,
CRASS, Kortatu ? And for the ideas ? G: Musically, I have been very influenced by Conflict, Dead Kennedys, Kortatu
(a Bask band) and Camera Silens (a French punk band from the Eighties). For the ideas
and especially the political step, because they applied their ideas in concrete projects
in parallel to the band : CRASS definitely ! I: Musically, I feel to be a product made of Punk Rock bands from the 80s,
Bask, American, British and French. Regarding the ideas, Kortatu (for many of them),
Bad Religion (they were one of the bands that inspired me to play music). T: As we shared the same childhood and teenage years, I have the same musical
influences as Isabelle.
MRR : How do you see the U.S.A. today, especially during this warrior period ? G: : From here the foundations, even the construction of the USA seem to rest
on warmongering. A People must take the place of another, therefore he must defend himself
against his probable protests, or against the neighbor which wants the same thing nearby,
thus it is necessary to defend oneself. Today, the medias whose capacity always grows
and the state always use that topic of aggression to attack. The USA are a recent country
which built its bases on a lightning extermination of indian people and the slavery of
the black people. But that also concerns us europeans, since we do have the same origin.
You cannot judge a People, it is composed of many individuals so different and so close
at the same time. The American government on the other hand, is like the others governments :
an oppressor state which only cares about the defense of its own interests (the oil industry
in Iraq and the international predominance), to preserve its seat at the Assembly or its
throne, the feeling of power, the money, ... I: the decision by the American government and Mr Bush to attack Iraq is the
logical continuity to their policy : "a story told by an idiot full with noise and fury
and that doesn’t mean a thing"
MRR : What do you think of the official pacifist position of France today ? G: : France is identical to the others countries. The position of the French
government is not pacifist, that is just that he does not find any interest in the war
against Iraq. Chirac, pacifist ? Don’t make me laugh! That’s him who restarted few years
ago the nuclear trials, didn’t he ? It is his government which voted extremely repressive
laws against immigrants, nomads people, squatts, youth, prostitutes ? Besides, the
position of France these last weeks in Ivory Coast shows that it is not at all a pacifist
country. For the specific business that France has in the Middle-East, it has interest
that the situation remains stable. Actually, Chirac is in love with and dream of
looking like the General de Gaulle. Then, a pacifist State ? that’s an illusion ... I: France tries to keep good relationships with the middle east. First of all
because they have economical interests in that area, and also because the Muslim community
in France is important, it won’t be useful to the French government to endorse the war,
on the contrary it could be prejudicial to them. For Mr Chirac it’s also a good opportunity
to face USA as De Gaulle did before him. T: The three of us are agree to say that Chirac is an impostor. He is against
war because of his interests : economical, political and personal, and definitely not
because of his humanism. We share our opposition to war with many people in the entire
world, but not with Chirac and his government which has nothing to do with our ideas of
respect of poor people and against discrimination. I just would like to add that of course
Saddam Hussein is an horrible man, but a war against Iraq before touching Saddam Hussein
will kill many civil people which are already victims of their own government, and will
be also then victims of others governments.
MRR : To finish, which are your projects ? I: : Go back to rehearsals, try to compose new songs and tour very soon. T: Get married, have many children, stop working ... be happy !. G: To die on stage.
