'N Sync and their lacquered ilk might induce more screams from the ardent nymphets packing our great nation's stadiums, but no one has inspired more teenage girls to grab guitars than Kathleen Hanna. Bikini Kill, the Olympia, Wash.-based punk group she fronted from 1991-98, epitomized the Riot Grrl aesthetic -- fast and furious feminist rants propelled by a punishing barrage of barre chords -- and left in its wake an army of devoted disciples, most of whom started bands of their own. When Bikini Kill broke up, Hanna practiced guitar, picked up some rudimentary sampling skills and then retired to her closet, where she recorded a solo album as Julie Ruin, an alter ego she created to explore her growing interest in experimental electronic music. Shortly thereafter, Hanna moved to New York City, recruited fanzine writer Johanna Fateman and video artist Sadie Benning -- neither of whom had ever played in a band before -- and... More >>>