I was introduced to Pregnant Dad at Chop Suey in February at the first-ever Trans Music Showcase. They say to save the best for last — but the host, May Graves, introduced them with something along the lines of: "This band is absolutely terrible. Their music is offensive to anyone with ears.”
Aside from setting the bar low, it was also quite a humorous way of establishing the group’s personality. The all-trans punk band takes elements from metal music to create an aggressive-sounding, head-banging, high-energy experience, and their unapologetic nature makes for an unforgettable performance.
Currently Pregnant Dad is coming off of releasing their debut album, It’s a Boy, at Lucky Liquor on September 5, along with Whorl and The Velvet Helmets.
The band consists of SokS on guitar and vocals, Avery on drums, and Spice on bass. “I didn’t know how to play guitar or do vocals — I just knew I wanted to start a band,” said SokS, explaining that the whole process figuring things out as they went.
Pregnant Dad jokey stage personality is expressed through songs such as “Normal,” a protest against societal conformity — even more so when it’s performed by a topless SokS with runny eye makeup.
One of their more well-known songs, “Cal Anderson,” is about the Trans community, such as this one Trans woman with rainbow wings who walks around naked in the eponymous park, and how liberals and moderate conservatives call the park indecent. SokS said that they wrote the song about an incident in which a former friend was arrested at Cal Anderson Park for standing up to a woman shouting transphobic remarks to a group of Trans people and essentially lied to the cops. “It’s also about Cal Anderson being a center of the Trans community but how that isn’t necessarily safe from transphobia and how it also brings some unwanted attention to the Queer community,” SokS explained. “People like to sensationalize that park, it feels like.”
Being a Seattle-based band, they noticeably take inspiration from grunge music, with a few of their songs guitar tabs sounding similar to ones in classic Nirvana songs, such as “About a Girl” or “Aneurysm” from the Insecticide album. All of the members of the band are fans of Nirvana and learned how to play from their debut album, Bleach. One of Pregnant Dad’s first songs, “Alleged Allegations,” uses the chord progression from “About a Girl.”
SokS added that “About a Girl” is a twisted, nontraditional love song, and they took that idea into “Alleged Allegations,” about a guy they knew in high school who was known for mistreating women.
While it is nice to know that even after his death Kurt Cobain’s legacy still influences music in Washington, Nirvana only makes up a portion of their inspiration. The band pulls a lot from their favorite bands and genres, including punk, metal, and experimental. SokS cited Oingo Boingo and the Police in particular, plus locals band Turian and LD-50, adding that Danny Elfman’s outlandish lyricism played a part in Pregnant Dad’s own lyrical style.
Avery’s favorite musical acts include Stone Temple Pilots, Tad, and Sap. Spice is a fan of Mudvayne and cited them as the inspiration for how she plays bass guitar, in addition to Lemon Demon and STOMACH BOOK, as well as Seattle-Tacoma–based bilingual indie rock band Kuwaisiana.
Pregnant Dad will perform at the Cha-Cha Lounge on October 25, and at a house show in Tacoma on Halloween. See https://www.instagram.com/pregnant_dad.band/ for more information.
Support the Seattle Gay News: Celebrate 52 Years with Us!
As the third-oldest LGBTQIA+ newspaper in the United States, the Seattle Gay News (SGN) has been a vital independent source of news and entertainment for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 1974.
As we celebrate our 52nd year, we need your support to continue our mission.
A monthly contribution will ensure that SGN remains a beacon of truth and a virtual gathering place for community dialogue.
Help us keep printing and providing a platform for LGBTQIA+ voices.
How you can donate!
Using this link: givebutter.com/6lZnDB
Text “SGN” to 53-555
Or Scan the QR code below!
