THISTLE

Welcome to the world of Thistle. The musical collaboration between lit "it" JT LeRoy and the family he built. After more than 4 years of living, writing, and playing music together, Thistle is letting JT, and his paralyzing stage fright, (which made it difficult for them to perform anywhere outside of their own living room!) get back to his award winning writing, and taking the music on the road.

Hear Love Not Dead Nov 5th at 9pm at the Red Devil Lounge

Astor, the musical heart of the band, now takes JT's luscious, vinegar sweet lyrics and lays them over arena ready guitars, skilled musician-ship, and a powerhouse rhythm section led by bass player Dean Faustman. Speedie, the gorgeous singer, keeps her eyes on the prize and brings us all into the broken, wonderful world the band inhabits; translating for the audience the secret short-hand of broken hearts, rage and love. As the band veers between an internal gaze, getting lost in their own sound and an in your face car crash stage presence, you realize - Thistle LLC., may just be that rare band that is almost as good to look at as they are to listen to.

After his first listen, Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Sparklehorse, Throwing Muses) declared Thistle, "pretty and mean", and promptly invited them out to Sweet Tea Studio. Since then they have worked with Jerry Harrison (member of Talking Heads, producer on The Von Bondies, Live, Violent Femmes); Karl Derfler (No Doubt, Motley Crue, Toots & The Maytals); Tony Espinoza (Alanis Morissette, Vanessa Carlton, John Cale).

Much has been made about the various bits and pieces of Thistle's history and it's members, where they've come from, where they might be going, who does what and with whom and why, but in the end it's the music that speaks loudest...

In the words of i-D magazine, "Thistle slides like a jazzed up piston amongst the dirty garage rock bands of the moment... Odd yes, but brilliant definitely."