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Bitesize bio page!!!
(btw, a new bio is in the works...)
2002 was an incredible year for the Bay Area noise pop darlings, Bitesize.
First, their intentionally misnomered album, Sophomore Slump, was released
to much acclaim, getting great reviews and charting on college radio all
over the place. It's no surprise that the band charted for weeks at #6
on their hometown KALX (UC Berkeley Radio), but the folks on Seattle's
KEXP were eating up the CD, too. In fact, DJs for the station asked them
on-air twice in the one day when they were in town in May 2002!
The reviews continue to come in, but here are
a couple to give you the idea:
"Sophomore Slump is terrific- a must-have disc for summer rabble-rousing,
not to mention a much-needed injection of creativity in a dangerously
stale genre."
-Splendid e-zine
"When you're singing about transsexual understudies, flaming ice
cream trucks, and kissing old guys, you can pretty much expect to be saddled
with the modifier "quirky". It is certain that Bitesize knows
this. They've certainly heard it all before. But underneath all the eccentricities
of their second full-length CD, Sophomore Slump, Bitesize demonstrates
that their eclectic brand of noise pop transcends its own wackiness. Simply
put: hooks are hooks, and Sophomore Slump is loaded with them...But it
is their Xacto-sharp lyrics that Bitesize truly rise above their contemporaries.
Witness (Bitesize in action) and you'll see that Bitesize can turn about
any emotion into two minutes of... (Okay, let's say it)... quirky fun.
Highly Recommended."
-West Coast Performer
Second, Julia (nee Tom) Serano (lead guitar, songwriting, and vocals)
has publicly embraced her gender-queer identity for the first time. Any
astute Bitesize fan could have deduced there was more to Julia and the
band than meets the eye: many song lyrics are stories about transgendered
or gender-ambiguous characters. Past interviews that touched on the unusual
lyrics usually resulted in deft asides and the clever changing of subjects.
Then came the band's second album, Sophomore Slump. Leslie and Steve listed
their first names on the CD, but Julia was merely listed as "Serano".
Explanation? The album was released mid-transition and while "Tom" was no longer appropriate, neither was "Julia".
Transitioning from male to female in the public eye is no easy feat. But
Julia and Bitesize has taken it in stride and used the strange circumstance
to forge new alliances. The band has already made great in-roads sharing
the stage with indie, punk, and pop powerhouses such as Mates of State,
Lunchbox, The Fastbacks, Alien Crime Syndicate, Dealership, Truman's Water,
and Deerhoof. Now the band can add queer-identified bands to their long
list: Tribe 8, Bangs, Tracy + the Plastics, Nomy Lamm, Xiu Xiu, Dear Nora,
and Gravy Train!!! are just a few since Julia has transitioned. Expanding
on this queer friendly theme, the band also played Folsom Street Fair,
San Francisco's leather fest, in September 2002.
Third, the band was selected for several year-end honors. In November,
the band was the featured cover artist and article for West
Coast Performer. In December, they were selected to be showcased in
bEASTfest 2002 (an honor given to musicians hailed as the "Best of the East Bay")
and asked to record an exclusive track for the festival's compilation.
Expanding on their winning pop formula, the band plans to charge into
2003 by continuing to bring a little bit of sickness to indie pop: filling
their otherwise perfect pop gems with awkward stops and starts, weird
bursts of guitar noise, and up-front vocals that are somehow simultaneously
fun and demented.
A new album is being shopped around to indie labels and tours are being
planned. Look for Bitesize in a town near you!
discography:
Sophomore Slump, CD (2001)
The Get-Go/Bitesize "Messy Bee's" split 7-inch (2001)
The Best of Bitesize, CD (1999)
More Songs About Cars and Body Parts,
7-inch (1998)
Demo Numero Uno (1997)
compilations:
bEASTfest (2002)
bEASTfest (2001)
Heyday Records Bay Area Sampler (2000)
Bored, Lonely and a Little Pissed Off: A KALX Radio Compilation (1999)
Heyday Records Indie Sampler (1999)
festivals:
NXNW 1998, 1999
Noise Pop 1999
bEASTfest 2000,
2001, 2002
Folsom Street
Fair 2002, 2004
Mission Creek Music Festival 2003
San Francisco Pride 2003
LadyFest Bay Area 2004
honorable mentions:
Best 25 local CDs of 1999, SF Weekly
Featured review of the week, Splendid E-zine 1999, 2002
Maximum Rock N Roll - Ray Lujan's Top 10 of the month, Sept. 2002
cover article of West
Coast Performer, November 2002
contact:
for more info about Bitesize
please contact us at:
or write us at:
P.O. Box 16158
Oakland, CA 94610
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