A spotlight interview with Carina Greenberg (bass), Lucy Rinzler-Day (lead), Christine Bee (drums) and Thea Divine (lead guitar) of Brooklyn band SHAGGO, ahead of their appearance at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16.
How did you choose your band name?
Our band name came out of a shared admiration for the cult 60’s band The Shaggs. We love their bizarre/offputting lyrics and how discordant they sound. I don’t think we actually sound that similar to them but we love their wacky spirit and I think that inspiration comes through in some of our lyrics
Describe your sound in three words
Loud! Spontaneous! (a bit) silly!
Tell us about your music
Chores was our debut album we released in June 2025. It’s kind of a coming-of-age album; it’s about growing up and how friendships/relationships can start to feel like a chore to maintain. It’s also about a lot of literal chores (Big Trash Night!). We’re so proud of this album but we’re also in a fun place where we’re gearing up to record our second album early May (we’ll give people a sneak peek of these new ones at LOUD WOMEN Fest)! I think it really builds/expands on Chores in some ways and we’re so excited for the next era.
‘I Wanted Fun’ is pretty memorable to a lot of people at our shows. Lucy kind of rolls around on the ground in the middle of it / jumps into the crowd and moshes for the end of it, so it’s always so cathartic/wild to play live. “I Wanted Fun” was about a situationship gone wrong that we expanded into a really dramaticized, over the top punk song and it’s kind of become one of our favorite live songs by surprise.
‘Minor League’, our first single ever, was written right after I (Carina) came back from attending a minor league baseball game. I think I kind of had heatstroke and the whole thing felt really surreal. I came directly to practice and we started writing a song right in the moment kind of piecing together these really weird details from the game (we all got free hats?) + adding in our own fun spin on things. Then we ended up putting these things into a really campy baseball-themed music video (including a drag-king referee) and the rest was history.
What’s the strangest gig you’ve ever played?
On tour last summer, we had ended up playing a show in Burtonsville, Maryland at a kind of family-friendly restaurant back patio. We were unsure about our loud sound being the vibe at this place (also it was still light outside). But it unexpectedly ended up being one of our favorite tour stops. People wandered over from the parking lot to listen to our set, bought a ton of merch, and were so friendly and supportive. It was an all-ages thing which was so fun. We talked to some people who were really plugged into the DC punk scene too (which we really admire) who happened to be there – it was such a special show overall.
Dream lineup: you + three other acts (alive, dead, or imaginary). Who’s on the bill?
oooo… I’d say us, Bikini Kill (who I’m hoping to see this fall!), Sleater-Kinney (we were SHAGGO-Kinney this Halloween), and definitely Mannequin Pussy. Mannequin Pussy’s ‘I Got Heaven’ united the band in such a cool way; it combined all of our musical tastes and it’s such a powerful album we keep coming back to. Would love to play with any and all of these amazing femme-led bands. And (of course) The Shaggs!
What’s next for you?
We’re so excited for LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC this May. Beyond that, we’ll be working hard on the next album and figuring out how we’re going to get it into the world! And possibly announcing more summer shows soon.
Catch SHAGGO at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16