abacus
5/4/2015
12-inch, A Library
“Venezuelan-born, Seattle-native. a motherfucker.” and ain’t that the truth. a middle-class rebellious kid growing up in the 70s, Yva’s parents sent her to boarding school in the US, but she couldn’t be tied down. moving around the country she eventually settled in Seattle in the early 90s, busking the wet streets of the Emerald City with her Venezuelan cuatro (a ukelele type instrument) in the folkloric bolero style but with a mean punk aesthetic. mixing in with the local grunge scene she hooked up with former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and had a brief stint with a band as Sweet 75 but it didn’t last long, the world not quite ready to hear a queer woman of color. here Moniker captures her style at its most raw, her street-fostered punk attitude permeating the traditional folk style. singing poignant songs with glaring wit and razor sharp passion, her music penetrates and purges societal woes. the songs may be mostly in Spanish, but a universality of communication is there. a motherfucker indeed.