WEALTHY WOMEN - Heavy Riffs, Raw Politics, Loud Attitude ! (USA - Noise-Rock/Sludge - Interview with Peter).

Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music?
Hi, I’m Peter from the band Wealthy Women. I hated music class so much in school that I tried to get a note to be excused from doing it. Thankfully my parents continued playing great music at me and I started to discover bands that really mattered to me like Nirvana and Sonic Youth. The first time I picked up a guitar was at 14 when I thought that a friend was playing “Come As You Are” wrong (he was). The next year I was playing local gigs with my first band “Fishtank”. I think everyone has a first band with a pretty terrible name and I was no exception. (Indeed, that was "something" hehe - Ed.)

Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
I met Andrew at a mutual friend’s birthday party. I think we recognised each other as musicians pretty quickly. We got talking and discovered we had a lot of shared influences and started playing together soon after. Andrew shared a recording of some of the songs we were working on with Don and he asked if he could jam with us on bass so that completed the 3-piece.
We’ve all been in a ton of bands before, Andrew in Kansas, Don in the Bay Area and me back in Ireland. I had wanted to start a 3-piece where I was the singer for a long time and I was really happy how it all came together.
We started writing just after the US elections in 2024 and pretty quickly realised we wanted to focus on the state of America, its politics and the destructive influence of misogyny and reactionary conservatism. (There really is a lot to say... sadly... - Ed.)

 

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
We draw on a lot of influences across Noise Rock, Sludge and Metal, but we don’t neatly fit into any one genre. We end up playing a lot of shows where we’re the heaviest band but we also have very direct, legible lyrics in a way that’s unusual for Noise Rock. Our tempos are also faster than Sludge bands tend to play.
Personally I gravitate towards music that has a payoff. I want to reward the audience for listening with that fist in the air moment as much as possible!

Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
With this being my first band as the lead singer / lyricist I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming in. I knew I wanted to write songs that had a political message, mostly because I couldn’t imagine writing about anything else during 2025.

About your latest release ? 
We recorded our debut album “Children” at Antisleep Audio with Scott Evans. I’ve been a huge fan of Scott’s band Kowloon Walled City for ages and he makes really great sounding records, so we were delighted to work with him. It was recorded in 4 and a half days almost entirely live other than second guitar and vocal overdubs.. Scott’s mix really elevated the songs and his partnership with Matthew Barnhart (mastering engineer) got us to a finished record that we’re really happy with the sound of.
The cover photo is by Anastasiia Sapon and is from her ongoing series about the war in Ukraine. It’s such a powerful image that we kept the front cover free from text.
It’s out now on LP, CD and Digital.

Future plans ? 
We’re focused on setting up shows and tours in 2027. Tell your local promoter!

 
 
Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
Supporting Chat Pile on their next world tour would be pretty insane!
 
Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ? 
I think we all agreed that our album release show in San Francisco was the best so far. We had a great turnout and an audience that really engaged with the music and lyrics. Plus we got to play with some amazing local bands Failed Sun, Field of Fear and Shrøud.
Our worst show might have been when we played the Crypt in Olympia on a rainy Sunday night in March. We ended up playing for the sound man and the other bands but it still ended up being a fun night, the Crypt is an amazing venue and the staff are great! 


 
Next live-appearance(s) ?
We’re finalising a couple of shows in Ireland in November, then starting work on things for 2027. We’d love to set something up in the UK and the Midwest / East Coast of the US. Some festivals too, hopefully.
 
Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ? 
We mentioned a couple that we played with at our release show, but some other amazing Bay Area / Norcal bands are :  Lorrrel - Must Be Nice - Minus Numbers - Facet.

 

What’s the question you’ve always dreamed of answering but have never been asked? Just a heads-up: I’m also waiting for the answer that goes with it...
“What’s the secret to your guitar sound?” The answer is my beloved Sovtek Mig-60 amp.

Last word is yours.. 
Close your computer and go start a band. Thanks! (Sorry, I can't - still alot of reviews/interviews to publish here 😉 -Ed.)