Interview — The Applicators

By Melanie Roberts

Band name: The Applicators
Hometown: Austin, TX
Where the band name came from: drunken, pissing dude-guy friend Johnnie Walker (actual name?) spied a box of the cotton good stuff in the bathroom and ran out shouting, "The Applicators!" (Sadly, I didn't think to ask whether he took the time to zip up.)
Band they could beat in a fight: Alkaline Trio, 'cause there's only three of them

Wearing their bloodied feminine wounds on their sleeves, The Applicators are crying out with fully pissed-off pop screams and nasty, raspy guitar riffs to help connect everyone's inner bitch. As evidenced by the band's newest release, I KNOW THE TRUTH, no pill can cure the ovaries-to-the-wall attitudes on these Austin-based punk/pop queens. For the past four years, The Applicators fans have been awaiting the return of frontwoman Sabrina (vocals) and her sistercators Erica (guitar, vocals), Kristina (bass, vocals), Terri (drums), and newcomer (as of 2003) Cookie (guitar) following the release of their first album in 2001, WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE (which was produced by Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson and released on Cornerstone R.A.S). In late 2005, fans' prayers were answered with the arrival of I KNOW THE TRUTH.

In what must have been a moment of vulnerability, Sabrina graciously agreed to speak with SKRATCH about the new album. Minutes into our conversation, I discover that Sabrina is not just into the infamous estrogen-charged, raging femmes of the day such as Blondie, Joan Jett (fuck yeah!), Mia Zapata, and The Runaways; rather, she throws me a curveball and shares her soft spot for the Queen of Soul, Ms. Aretha Franklin. She also confesses that her greatest pull to music comes from her grandfather's intoxicating saxophone playing, which somehow helped shape her into the angst-ridden, back-clawing vixen of the stage she is today. It's official: I am...intrigued.

SKRATCH: What fascinates you the most about your favorite female artists?
SABRINA: Women who are so true and can evoke an emotion in one vowel with their vocals. Young fans-girls especially-[often] say to me, "I understand what you're saying, and I relate." If it were for one person, it would be worth all of it.

SKRATCH: How and when did the band form?
SABRINA: It was in 1999. Erica and I knew each other since we were 14. We've always been in bands. The other girls were in bands, too. So, when [I wanted to put together a band,] I saw these girls who played with guys and always held their own.

SKRATCH: So, "The Applicators" is an interesting name. What were some of the other choices you were kicking around? What made you go with this one?
SABRINA: It was like seven years ago, so I can't even remember. It was a good name, though. It's just tough, 'cause my daughter [Miya] is in kindergarten now, and when I talk to other parents about [being in a band] they always ask our name. [Laughs]

SKRATCH: Who's the biggest feminist in the group?
SABRINA: We're all feminists, but I think Cookie or me. I spent the better part of the '90s writing for and about women. [That's when] I learned how to turn writing into music.

SKRATCH: Who in the band is most likely to get into trouble? What kind of trouble?
SABRINA: Cookie. She's the youngest and on the edge. She really doesn't care what anyone thinks. Kristina's like that, too. We can all be confrontational, if necessary.

SKRATCH: You've done quite a bit of touring and with some pretty serious acts and artists. Around whom did you feel the most star-struck?
SABRINA: BUZZCOCKS! They were so funny and normal. And I ran into Beck at the [2003] Reading and Leeds Festivals [in the U.K.] and was mumbling and didn't get it out that we were playing the festival, too.

SKRATCH: Which new bands are you listening to?
SABRINA: I've been on a kick for The Faint. There's also a new band called Crash Gallery; I've been obsessing about their demos.

SKRATCH: What's the most embarrassing album you ever purchased?
SABRINA: Um, I don't know. I just bought [the] Ashlee Simpson [album] for Miya.

SKRATCH: Yeah, but what about YOUR most embarrassing record? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Mine is JUSTIFIED by Justin Timberlake. Now you go.
SABRINA: [Laughs] Huh, yeah. I don't think there's anything that I'm embarrassed about buying.

SKRATCH: What's the most messed-up thing you've witnessed while touring?
SABRINA: We were on tour with The Epoxies, and a friend of ours, Josh, was helping them out because their RV broke down. Josh let The Epoxies use his RV; he drove it, though. Anyway, Josh is a cop, and he has this cop dog. One night after a show, Kristina [walked into the RV and] startled the dog. [The dog] attacked Kristina and had [Kristina's] whole head in her mouth.

SKRATCH: Her head was in the dog's MOUTH? That's incredible...and horrible.
SABRINA: Yeah. She's okay. She was PISSED, but she's over it.

So, ladies, to get a heavy flow of emotional release set to music, send your love slaves to the store to pick up The Applicators' I KNOW THE TRUTH; and visit the band online at www.myspace.com/theapplicators.

To comment on this or any other interview you see in SKRATCH, feel free to e-mail us at speakup@skratchmagazine.com.

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