Damsel Trash :: Bio

Damsel Trash began as a side project for Mills and Rose, who were in Americana/alt-folk outfit Little Red Wolf together and looking for an outlet for their louder, more raucous musical inclinations. With their combination of silly-but-serious lyrics and diverse sonic influences, plus live shows featuring free snacks and boisterous crowd interactions, Damsel Trash quickly went from side project to wildly popular mainstay on Madison’s stages. Their songs have tackled subjects ranging from fiercely political diatribes to queer/trans love and liberation, reflections on bicycle safety, toxic masculinity, general horniness, celebrity crushes, misogyny in the music scene, and dogs they like.

Their debut album, “Soup for Sluts,” won Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs) for Best Hard Rock/Punk Album, and its main single, “More Drunk Less Pregnant,” won Best Hard Rock/Punk Song in 2014. 

The group went on to perform and record the innovative “Live and Unplugged: The Wine Drunk Sessions” at Broom Street Theater in early 2016, followed by the release of their second studio album, “Wasted & Broke,” in March of that same year.

“There are no punches pulled and no corners cut when it comes to Damsel Trash,” wrote Joe Witthaus for Local Sounds Magazine in a review of the album. “There is no settling for paths that have been paved before them.… Fear them. Adore them. Listen to them. Learn from them. Because this is where punk-rock is headed and it is refreshing to see bands like Damsel Trash lead the way forward.”

The duo didn’t let a little thing like a cross-country move negatively impact their musical bond, either. After Rose moved to New York City in 2016, they continued to collaborate and play shows, splitting time between both the Brooklyn and Madison music scenes and winning fans wherever they went. A third studio album, “The EPP Tape,” was released in May 2019 to further critical and popular acclaim, including another MAMAs win for Best Hard Rock/Punk album.

Early this year, Rose and Mills met up in Brooklyn to begin writing new music, with a goal to record an EP over the summer of 2024 in advance of their big anniversary party in August. 

Throughout their ten-year history, Rose and Mills have kept the focus on finding joy in musical collaboration–both with each other, and in seeking out other like-minded bands to share stages with and good causes to support. Their commitment to being authentic and fun, blisteringly honest and silly, have helped create a legacy of community-building to support fellow queer and trans artists in particular, and a show experience unlike any other.

Here’s to 10 more years of trash!