BLANCA: We decided to name this band PIG in reference to my episodes with body dysmorphia. For a long time I saw a pig looking back at me when I caught myself in the mirror. We thought an acronym could be cool & took some time playing with what P.I.G. could stand for; P*ssy Is Great was one of my favorites <haha>. Eventually we came up with People Infected by Greed – activism showed me how the idea that people are a plague upon the earth was wrong, that greed is something like a sickness that can infect our motives. Greed, driven by fear.
Growing up homeschooled and very sheltered in El Paso, Texas, I only had access to what my parents listened to. My dad had always played in bands, all metal acts, so I grew up listening to metal. At one time I was friends with this sickass punk chick named Beka and she put me on to this whole world of punk & dark wave that shook my core and informed a large part of who I am today. Since then the tone of those memories has changed. RIP Beka I love you forever.
I met Merch when Dead City played in El Paso. A lot of touring bands skipped our city, always straight from Austin to Phoenix, so it was something very special to go out that night. I was hungover as f*ck but around 9PM my roomie (who typically went to raves) said they were having a bad night and wanted to know if there were any “heavy music” shows we could go to. I told her about the gig, got out of bed, did my makeup, & was ready to head out when she flaked on me (lol understandable). I decided to go anyway because f*ck it I was already up. Merch and I walked into the venue at the same moment and paused; it felt like I’d known him before, and later he expressed to me he felt the same. After the set, he asked me what there was to do in El Paso. Some of his bandmates wanted to party so I took them to my favorite bar and we kept talking. I told Merch how I was so grateful to see a punk set and that band at the time.
Me and Merch fell in love pretty quickly, and about a week later we came up with the idea that I’d move to LA and we would start our own band. Next thing I know I’m here in Los Angeles & P.I.G. was born. We pulled in Lagz from DCP and the homie Nate to jam; when we wrote Mind that first night we knew he was the right drummer. It all came together very serendipitously. It felt like the universe reached out a hand of mercy to me. I never thought I’d make it out of El Paso alive.
I seek to connect to others through my lyrics; when I perform I seek to tell truths through my perspective. Through life I’ve found that when others share their truth, I’ve been able to find more of myself. I have felt less alone, and more free, through this project.
My connection to tattooing sprung from my connection to DIY. Growing up, the homies and I had no money, so we’d sit around all day hanging out. One day I decided I wanted to tattoo myself so I took a pin off my shirt with some pen ink and stick-n-poked “Lucky Me” on my leg. My friends instantly lined up and all the homies got my shitty little stick-n-pokes. As time progressed I came up on some money and ordered, of course, the BasicB*tchDragonhawk3000 tattoo machine & started hammering out shitty machine tats. When I got to LA I decided to clean up my act for my lover and a chance at a new life, and I got sober. In sobriety, I came up on a desire to have some sort of future, even though I knew I’d never work at a desk. Merch constantly pushed my art and told me to pursue tattooing, something I’d always wanted to do but never thought I’d have the talent to take seriously.
Visual art tells a story with no words, it’s an embodied visceral experience. An intuitive bend, that helps me create poems through sensations my mind has no choice but to channel into prose to box it all in. Words are finite and limited, yet at the same time, a means to creativity and expression. Dark nature inspires me a lot. Dark, romantic nature.
When people love you, it helps you love yourself more, and eventually, through the love others poured into me, I saw what I could be for myself. Then the universe offered me another merciful hand and I found a tattoo apprenticeship a couple blocks from my new crib. A concept I’ve begun to understand from inking others is that you’re truly capable of anything you believe you deserve, show up, and work for.
I don’t feel obligated to stand for femmes across the board. I believe each of us can do that for ourselves if we feel so compelled. I can be described as an angry woman, but I don’t speak for angry women, I speak for myself and hope it’s cathartic for others. Sometimes I wonder, “Who does my freedom free?” But I do what I do because I am compelled to, or I will perish; I don’t create under a plan of activist action. My truth is political because we live in a political world. You can’t be unpolitical, but you can be ignorant.
-Blanca for Dead Relatives.
