this has been the big talk on the aerobcide listserv/yahoo group. lots of sell out criticism.

two articles are included below. i tried to find the link for the la times article but no luck so take it for what its worth. ive reposted it from the aerobicide listserv.....

im gonna wait till i hear more about le tigre's motivation and strummer recordings. could be an interesting experiment or a horrible train wreck or a mashup of both.....whats yr take......


www.billboard.com/bb/daily/...isplay.jsp

Le Tigre Inks With Strummer

Billboard.com has learned that politically minded indie rock act Le Tigre has signed with Strummer/Universal, the imprint run by former Capitol president Gary Gersh that is also home to the Mars Volta and the Rapture, Recover and Graham Colton Band. The Kathleen Hanna-led group has released two albums on Mr. Lady Records, the most recent of which, 2001's "Feminist Sweepstakes," reached No. 43 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums tally.

Sources say a new album is expected to be released in August or September, and may include two tracks recorded with producer Ric Ocasek. Other tracks are being engineered by Nick Sansano, best known for his work on Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation."


From today's LA Times, 22 Mar 2004
Le Tigre steps into major-label jungle

While a lot of veteran major-label artists are fleeing to the independent world, one notable figure is moving the other way.

After 15 years as a defiant force in the anti-majors movement, Kathleen Hanna has brought her band Le Tigre to a deal with Strummer Recordings, which is part of Universal Records. The label expects to release a new album from the band in September.

Hanna, who came to prominence with Bikini Kill, one of the essential acts in the mid-'90s riot grrrl world, says that right now, she and her two bandmates believe this is the best opportunity to further the bands agenda.

"We all feel it's a really conservative climate right now in politics and not a lot of radical feminists are in the mainstream," she says. "And it's time to get our music out there. We think our art is important and we want to reach beyond the people who already know about us."

Le Tigre, which has put out two albums combining radical politics and electronic rock on the tiny Mr. Lady label, joins a Strummer roster that includes edgy progressives Mars Volta and neo-post-punkers the Rapture - acts that also stand outside the current mainstream.

"We're trying to be a halfway house between the great independent labels and the great artist-oriented major labels from the past, like Island and A&M and Geffen," says Strummer President Gary Gersh. "This provides the opportunity for bands who have the potential to be gigantic but are afraid of the system to be part of the system without being swallowed up by
it."

Hanna, though, admits to a little frustration in not being able to accomplish her goals in an indie setting.

"I wish the world was a different place," she says. "I wish we didn't live in a capitalist system. I wish there was health care for everyone. I wish there was a radical feminist label that was indie but had the money of the majors. But that doesn't exist now, so we're trying an experiment. Why not?"