Emily Nokes
Emily Nokes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, writer |
| Known for | Lead singer of Tacocat |
Emily Nokes is a writer, artist, music critic and musician. She has been the singer of the feminist pop-punk band Tacocat since 2007.[1] She is also the music editor for Bust Magazine, and the former music editor at The Stranger[2] from 2012 to 2015.
Early life
[edit]Nokes is from Butte, Montana[3] and started writing songs when she was a child.[4]
She moved to Seattle when she was 19 to become a graphic designer.[3] She attended The Art Institute of Seattle where she met the bandmates who would later form Tacocat.[3]
Career
[edit]Music
[edit]Nokes is the lead singer, tambourine player and a songwriter for Tacocat. Her creative process involves writing down snippets of ideas in a notebook and workshopping them with other bandmates into full songs:
When it’s time to start making new music, my bandmates usually get together and hash together instrumental ideas that they’ll show me via phone recording or practice jam. I then just start thinking about melodies and seeing if any of the lyrics fit, keeping the feeling of the music versus the feeling of the lyrics in mind, though I don’t mind (and sometimes prefer) sad-sounding music paired with silly lyrics or upbeat music paired with darker lyrics. It’s a fun little jigsaw puzzle for each song! Sometimes it snaps together right away, sometimes you have to tinker with it for weeks.[4]
As part of Tacocat, Nokes has received positive recognition from critics, including The Seattle Times, Pitchfork and the AV Club.[5][6][7] The Monitor editor Jon LaFollette calls out Nokes' lyrics in support of both blue-collar workers and "mini-feminist anthems".[8] La Sera's Katy Goodman has called Tacocat "the best band in the world."[9]
Nokes' singing voice has been praised for its dynamic range, from "throaty depths to soaring peaks".[10] Music journalist Greil Marcus said "she could be singing in French and you'd come away feeling the same".[11]
Politics
[edit]Nokes identifies as a feminist[2][12] and her songs address topics from catcalling to menstruation.[13] She is an activist for queer, anti-racist, and anti-transphobic causes, especially with regards to art:
We need to demand more from everything all the time — for women, for queer folks, for trans folks, for people of color, and for everyone else who lives outside of the standard-issue, mostly-white/mostly-male representation across all platforms of expression.[2]
Nokes is a pro-choice advocate, and wrote a magazine promoting Planned Parenthood after the start of the #ShoutYourAbortion social media campaign.[1] In 2021, she protested outside of the Supreme Court of the United States, promoting the safety of abortion pills.[1][14]
Personal life
[edit]Nokes lives on Capitol Hill, a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington.[15] She has stated that if she weren't in a band, she would want to be a candy taster.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Abdel-Aziz, Amina (2024). "Emily Nokes (she/her)". University of Washington. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ^ a b c "Tacocat's Emily Nokes Is BUST's New Music Editor!". Archived from the original on 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ^ a b c Pentilla, Annie. "Original Fest to feature Seattle band fronted by Butte native". Montana Standard. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ^ a b Emily Maxwell (2016-04-04). "Tacocat". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
- ^ "TacocaT: Goofball punksters are enjoying the ride". The Seattle Times. 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
- ^ "Tacocat: NVM Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
- ^ Mincher, Chris. "Tacocat is too fun for forced classifications". Music. The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
- ^ LaFollette, Jon (2016-11-04). "Nasty women make their voices heard". The Monitor. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ "TacocaT". SXSW Schedule 2012. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
- ^ Martin, Clare (2019-05-07). "Tacocat: This Mess Is A Place". Paste. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Marcus, Greil (2022). More Real Life Rock: The Wilderness Years, 2014-2021. Yale University Press. p. 75. ISBN 9780300265439. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ "Tacocat's Emily Nokes Talks The X-Files, The Powerpuff Girls And Stage Anxiety: BUST Interview". Archived from the original on 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ^ "Emily Nokes - The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ^ Fox, Emily (2022-06-30). "Emily Nokes of Tacocat Reacts to Roe v. Wade's Reversal". KEXP-FM. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Rietmulder, Michael (2018-05-09). "Surviving Seattle: How local musicians are coping with an increasingly expensive city". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ "A Fiendish Conversation with Tacocat's Emily Nokes". Seattle Met. Retrieved 2018-03-11.
