Lauren came to Alaska in 2003 in the first wave of the hobo invasion, which would provide Anchorage punk rock a much needed kick in the ass. The latency of 1990’s – early 2000’s had passed, and previously isolated D.I.Y. cells began to converge. Bands like Stubby’s Crack Co, The Born Losers, Hug-A-Mutha, CFC, Fat’s Tuna Melt, Martyrs’ Union, Billy Dirt Cult, Flying Falcons, and eu Vusahm were booking frequent shows and forming a loose knit but active community. The arrival of traveling kids like Lauren provided a sudden influx of uninhibited energy, a sense of connection to a larger national and global scene, and (perhaps most importantly) new blood.
Lauren didn’t play publicly, so it was always shocking to hear her pick up a guitar and start singing in one of the most haunting and soulful voices you’d ever heard. When the song was over she would go back to a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a fist in the other, but between the notes she was all serenity.
hug-a-mutha’s discography is available on amazon.com. we’ll have direct ordering info available here soon.
As part of their Regional and national music project, Wikipedia has a page on the Music of Alaska. It’s rather sparse now, but could be an interesting place to document some of our ever expanding history and identity.