Pretty Girls Make Graves

Pretty Girls Make Graves
Live in 2005
Live in 2005
Background information
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
GenresPost-hardcore, post-punk, indie rock, emo
Years active2001–2007, 2023–present
LabelsLookout, Matador
MembersAndrea Zollo
Derek Fudesco
Leona Marrs
J. Clark
Nick Dewitt
Past membersNathan Thelen

Pretty Girls Make Graves is a post-hardcore band formed in Seattle in 2001, named after The Smiths' song of the same name (which itself was named after a quote from Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums). Andrea Zollo and Derek Fudesco had played together previously in The Hookers, as well as The Death Wish Kids and Area 51 along with Dann Gallucci, with whom Derek had formed Murder City Devils. Not long before the Murder City Devils disbanded, Derek and Andrea formed Pretty Girls Make Graves along with Jay, Nick and Nathan. They played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2004. The band announced its split on January 29, 2007, with their final two shows taking place in Seattle that June.

History

Pretty Girls Make Graves released their first EP on Dim Mak and Sound Virus Records. The band was pursued by such record labels as Sub Pop and Lookout Records. Pretty Girls Make Graves went on to tour with Bratmobile, whose drummer Molly Neuman ran Lookout. Neuman made the band an offer and they accepted, in part because the label had released Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' 2001 album The Tyranny of Distance.

The band released their debut album Good Health in April 2002. The band would later sign to Matador Records where they released The New Romance. A few months after The New Romance was released, guitarist Nathan Thelen left the band due to the birth of his child. Thelen went on to form Moonrats.

The band wanted to add a new full-time member, but also sought to move away from their earlier, more guitar-based sound. Leona Marrs, formerly of HintHint, joined as a multi-instrumentalist. In 2005, the band released their third full-length, Elan Vital. On January 29, 2007, the band announced that Nick had left the band and their May 2007 tour would be their last.

Post-breakup projects

Clark formed Jaguar Love with former Blood Brothers members Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato. They signed with Matador Records, the former label home of Pretty Girls Make Graves. On February 18, 2009, it was announced Jay was no longer playing in the line up of Jaguar Love, being replaced with a drum machine on that tour.

Dewitt continued working on his solo electronic project Dutch Dub. He also played with Amy Blaschke in Night Canopy. Fudesco, meanwhile, formed The Cave Singers, with Pete Quirk of Hint Hint and Marty Lund of Cobra High.

Soon after leaving Pretty Girls Make Graves, Thelen started Moonrats in Seattle together with keyboard player Aska Matsumiya and drummer Jason Echeverria. They moved to Los Angeles and released an EP on their own. They put out a full-length and a 7" on LA Records in 2008. Thelen then formed Drug Cabin, with Marcus Congleton of Ambulance Ltd, releasing two albums in early 2015 on 401K Music Inc.

Zollo played drums with Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, and also sang in Deep Creep with Fudesco. She later left the music industry, and began work as a hairstylist.

Reunion

In November 2023, the band were announced on the line-up for the 2024 iteration of the When We Were Young festival. There, the band would perform The New Romance in its entirety. In February 2024, the band announced a headlining show to take place at The Showbox in Seattle that September, as well as shows in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. In 2025, the band would play at Best Friends Forever festival in Las Vegas and Bumbershoot festival in Seattle.

Influences

Pretty Girls Make Graves were a result of a wide variety of influences. According to guitarist J. Clark, vocalist Andrea Zollo and bassist Derek Fudesco are inspired by new wave music, while drummer Nick Dewitt draws on Captain Beefheart. Clark himself has cited as personal influences Fugazi, Chavez, Yo La Tengo, and Drive Like Jehu, as well as dub, jazz, and hardcore punk.

Members

The band in 2006
Current members
Former members

Discography

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

Videography

References

  1. ↑ "Pretty Girls Make Graves: Élan Vital Album Review". Pitchfork. November 4, 2006. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Pretty Girl Make Graves announce first headline show in 17 years, ahead of When We Were Young 2024". Brooklyn Vegan. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Pretty Girls Make Graves Interview". Suicide Girls. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2004.
  4. ↑ Pretty Girls Make Graves Split. Archived February 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Posted January 29, 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 Seling, Megan (September 30, 2024). "An Abridged Oral History of Seattle's Greatest Rock Band, Pretty Girls Make Graves". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Ostroff, Joshua (December 31, 2005). "Pretty Girls Make Graves Get a Makeover". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2026. We lost our guitar player," begins bassist Derek Fudesco. "Nate [Thelen] had a baby and quit a few months after The New Romance came out. We decided to get another full-time member but we'd always been guitar-heavy and wanted to move away from that to open up the band and give it more space."
  7. ↑ Pitchfork: Jaguar Love (ex-PGMG, Blood Brothers) Sign to Matador Archived February 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Andrea Zollo Hair Stylist". Facebook.com. Meta. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  9. ↑ Hatfield, Amanda (November 13, 2023). "Pretty Girls Make Graves announce first show in 17 years". Brooklyn Vegan. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  10. ↑ Breihan, Tom (February 12, 2024). "Pretty Girls Make Graves Announce First Concert In 17 Years". Stereogum. Stereogum Media. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  11. ↑ prettygirlsmakegravesband (March 6, 2024). "NY & LA shows! So excited to announce we'll be at the @warsawconcerts on Friday Oct 11th and in LA at the @regenttheaterla on Saturday Nov 2nd. Presale starts tomorrow for both shows, on sale Friday ✨". Instagram. Retrieved April 4, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ prettygirlsmakegravesband (March 4, 2025). "Super excited for this one!!🌴🤌". Instagram. Retrieved April 4, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ prettygirlsmakegravesband (May 7, 2025). "Hey-O!!! We'll be playing the @bumbershoot festival this year! Tickets on sale now 💅🏻". Instagram. Retrieved April 4, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ Wilson, Kathleen (November 28, 2002). "Reissuing That Mid-'90s Sound: Drive Like Jehu's Enduring Influence". The Stranger. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024. Jay Clark, former guitar player for Kill Sadie and current guitarist for Pretty Girls Make Graves, explains his obsession with Drive Like Jehu. 'The first time I realized how great they were was when I was in high school, in study hall, and I was listening to Yank Crime while I was napping. I was kind of in and out of consciousness but the sound was really amazing, I'd never heard anything like it before. For three years I listened to that record every day. They were a big deal to me and a huge influence on the way I play guitar.'
  15. ↑ "Pretty girls exposed". The Georgetown Voice. October 9, 2003. Retrieved October 4, 2026. Clark described the band members as "all influenced by really different things." Bassist Derek Fudesco listens to '80s New Wave, while drummer Nick Dewitt prefers Captain Beefheart. Singer Andrea Zollo's influences are similar to those of Fudesco, while guitarist Nathan Thelen only listens to the Beatles. As for his own tastes, Clark said, "I listen to a lot of dub and jazz and hardcore … it's really eclectic.