It might be pretty presumptuous to assume anything at all about Elizabeth Elmore or her band the Reputation, but that is exactly what people have been doing for years ever since Ms. Elmore busted out on to the music scene a few years back with her then band Sarge. It seems that once Rolling Stone hailed them as the new "IT" band of the moment, the rumors started to fly. Therefore, it might be pretty presumptuous to say that people in the music scene knew more about Elizabeth’s "love life" than they did of Sarge’s music. And so, it might be pretty presumptuous to assume that the band The Reputation is Elizabeth’s way of chucking the middle finger to everyone and everything. But, yeah, it is. Says Elmore, "Song writing is probably the most passive aggressive thing in the world ‘cuz you always get to have your say and no one can really get to respond. It’s like your story time."
Whether you choose to partake in the immature gossip circles or not, one thing is for sure, Elizabeth Elmore is a sharp and intelligent, creative and talented, and damn cool young lady. Currently kicking ass in law school, Elizabeth took time off to release a self-titled CD (Initial Records) with her band and tour the US. Blending Team Dresh style rhythms with Foo Fighter style rock, both on stage and on disc they are able to convey a powerfully honest punch in the mouth.
So then what’s not to like? What’s up with the rumors and lies? "That’s the one thing, girls will form an opinion of you unless they are in the same spot." It is a known fact that outspoken women in music always seem to get labeled a bitch or a slut. Look at Kathleen Hanna, Madonna, Courtney Love - "People say it’s because you’re a woman in rock and people are intimidated. And I would truly love to believe that, that they’re just jealous. But that would be a very easy copout and make me completely innocent. I probably have a more forceful personality which would therefore make some people find me more abrasive," explains Elmore.
"I learned not to go in [indie rock / online] chat rooms - Everything was about whom I slept with or that I was such a bitch. It still gets to me. There are still nights when I’ll hear something new and I’ll end up in tears." Perhaps it’s the honesty in her lyrics, in the way that she doesn’t hide her feelings in abstract sentence structures or perhaps it’s the way she owns her guitar and her music, the way she stands on stage and her instrument is more an extension of her emotions rather than a foreign object draped over her. "My friends are like, ‘Why can’t you write things that are less specific so that people don’t know who you are talking about.’ I don’t write songs to please my friends." Because if she did, her music would lose it’s brilliant integrity.