narrator
Ally Einbinder is a self-described queer neurodivergent weirdo who has been creating music in and around Northampton for the past fifteen years. Einbinder was born on May 21st, 1988, and her life has revolved around music since her early teen years, when she began attending DIY punk shows around her hometown of Albany, New York. She brought her passion for music with her to Smith College, which she attended from 2006-2010. While at Smith, Einbinder pursued her passion for feminist issues by double-majoring in Women and Gender Studies and Sociology, and she credits her experience studying in a woman-centric learning environment with helping her gain the confidence to take up bass guitar and form her band alt-rock band, Potty Mouth, shortly after her graduation. Einbinder stayed in the Northampton area for the first six years following her graduation and worked at Smith College as the Program Coordinator for the Wurtele Center while simultaneously performing with Potty Mouth, which started as an entirely DIY band. While in Northampton, Potty Mouth performed regularly at Flywheel Arts Collective, The Sierra Grille, Elevens, and The Iron Horse. Though the band was not explicitly queer, their music resonated heavily with the queer community. After gaining some attention in the Northampton music scene, the band signed to a major label and relocated to Los Angeles in 2016 where they performed and released music for many years before disbanding in 2021, largely due to the pandemic. Following the closing of this chapter of her musical life, Einbinder chose to move back to East Hampton out of a desire for the sense of community she found in Western Massachusetts. She now works at Smith College as the Editorial Office Manager for the journal Meridians and plays guitar for the band Gold Dust and bass for the band Adam Reid & The In-Betweens.
abstract
In this interview, Ally Einbinder discusses her experiences as a queer neurodivergent musician. She starts with an account of her childhood in Albany, New York, including her family struggles, burgeoning feminist consciousness, and experience in the punk/DIY music scene. Following her acceptance to Smith College, Einbinder moved to Northampton Massachusetts where she recalls how she came into her queerness, studied the role of gender in the rock music scene, and started playing bass in her first bands. After graduation, Einbinder formed her band Potty Mouth and played around Northampton before moving with the band to L.A. to further their career. She discusses how the pandemic both allowed her time for self reflection and growth, and led to the breakup of Potty Mouth. Following the closing of that chapter of her musical life, she is now back in Western Massachusetts playing with two bands and is enjoying playing both bass and guitar.