News

R.I.P. Bush Tetras' Laura Kennedy

8:12 p.m. · November 15, 2011 · by David Padula

Laura Kennedy, the original bassist for and co-founder of influential no wave/post-punk band the Bush Tetras, passed away Monday, Nov. 14 due to complications from Hepatitis C. Reportedly, she lived with the disease for nearly 20 years and had a liver transplant in 2008. According to Minneapolis City Pages, Kennedy believed she contracted the disease in the 1980s while living and playing in New York. She had moved to the Twin Cities to live with her girlfriend 12 years ago.

In addition to the Bush Tetras, the late '70s, early '80s no wave scene in New York City also featured artists such as James Chance & the Contortions, Television, DNA, Lydia Lunch and Sonic Youth. Poignantly, as City Pages notes, Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore remembered Kennedy in his 2008 book as "the coolest girl ever" after seeing her perform. Also in the book, put together as a joint effort with Byron Coley, it's said that "[Bush Tetras] were also pretty great, but they quickly moved in a direction that was much more oriented toward rhythm and sonority than lurch and grate."

Below, on 1980's "Too Many Creeps," you can listen to the sonorous rhythm in Laura Kennedy's bass. It's more explicitly groovy than a lot of what came out of no wave's short run (compare it to Glenn Branca or Blue Humans), and points more to what has become known as punk funk, or disco punk. After that, check out "You Taste Like the Tropics," the b-side to "Creeps." Both examples are simple, quick-witted bass lines that, if anything, showcase a player with a huge willingness to have fun, which goes a long way in music.

"Too Many Creeps"

"You Taste Like the Tropics"

As a final note, below are some resonating words from Kennedy herself, posted Jan. 17, 2010 on her blog. [P4K / MCP]

While it totally sucks that this illness has defined me, sometimes for years at a time, I've somehow managed to grow through it. I'm not going to call it a spiritual awakening, because there's always been a relationship with a higher power in my life. But there's a strong sense that the universe will provide. That what is meant to happen will happen. And that regardless of what happens, it's going to be just fine. In fact, to paraphrase a lyric, better than fine.