On International Women’s Day this year, Audiofemme curated a showcase of talented musicians to play the opening of For The Record, a portrait series showcasing women in the music industry shot by Ebru Yildiz, at Ridgewood venue TV Eye. Our videographer Molly Mary O’Brien shot a candid interview with Lola Pistola (aka Arvelisse Ruby Bonilla-Ramos) before her solo acoustic performance, as well as these rare renditions of “Doomed” and “Wild, Rich & Loose” from 2017 debut Curfew.
Lola Pistola started out in San Juan’s punk scene, singing back-up for longtime friend AJ Dávila. After moving to New York she began writing solo material in earnest; though informed by her punk roots, Curfew is moodier and more atmospheric, like Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval singing grunge-folk after smoking a pack of cigarettes. She quickly adapted to the touring life, with Robert Preston backing her on drums, but this TV Eye performance sees her flying solo, offering these songs in their rawest form. Punctuating her set with the rousing onstage banter she’s become known for – sometimes political, sometimes tender, often hilarious – Lola Pistola’s rock ‘n’ roll aura permeated the room regardless of her stripped-down delivery.
Now that live performance is momentarily side-lined (the impact of which Lola Pistola recently wrote about for Alt Citizen), we hope you’ll enjoy this captivating moment from our IWD showcase. You can follow Lola Pistola on Facebook for ongoing updates.
