Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Pixie Clifford

Hi Rachael Pixie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I was always “the girlfriend.” “Make a flyer. Promote the show. Look cute. Get your friends to come. GOD NO You cannot have your own band…. are you insane? Nobody wants to hear girls, anyway. And I hate your notebooks so much.” I had an ex who actually hated them, my lyric and poetry filled books, so much, he not only *allowed me to* tear them to shreds as I cried, but he *wanted me to do it.* I didn’t write for a couple of years. I was afraid to. That’s why I have the (totally out of context and mispaired) tattoo on my arm from Against Me’s “I Still Love You Julie” on my arm — inside the center of a Clandestine Industries Bat. To remind myself to always have both the courage to write — and the courage to be myself, Whatever that means.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

No, but has anyone’s life? I mean, I work as a care giver…. one of my clients WENT legally, fully blind — middle age — with two sons, a wife, an amazing job, an amazing story, and now cannot see, and when I take him places I take him in a wheelchair, as walking is just too much. (He has trouble finding help during Covid, which is asinine, I wish I had known him then, as he CAN walk and would not be fighting muscle waste and other issues from being in the chair for so long.

We laugh and joke and take care of his needs and I clean his house and he always tells people
“You need to see my new care giver and tell me if it is really true she has really long pink hair and green eyes and is as short as she seems, but I have touched her a little and she seems so…. small…. so let me know if she is a child….” But I had t o make this job up (as well as other crazier ones) just to survive because this world is not designed for survival.

Especially when you are in a band and want to MAKE IT. And know you and the three guys in your band (Who are now Matt, Chris, and Kyle — we recently went through some very stressful lineup changes but struck lightning and found the perfect people on our first auditions for both drummer and guitar and will be playing live again soon….)

I don’t want to cut off my long pink hair that took years to grow and takes all day to maintain the color on. I have too many tattoos to cover. I only have the clothes I have. And yet, I am a good, caring, compassionate person — and we are all SO JUDGED. That’s our song “She’s So Rude” in a nutshell. I don’t do “typical feminism” — I do snarky… “Not sure if she is serious?” feminism that I hope makes people think. Plus. I think the guys are amazing talents.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I was a very, very late bloomer. I mean, like, ages after college. I just didn’t “get it” — and even with my first band, The Midnightmares, (which had the same bass player, Matt, who I met in 2003, but have been best friends 2ith since 2008)…. I was such a scared little girl. I almost only wrote songs about monsters, and tended to cling to him like an “Emotional Support Bass Player”.

I don’t know what changed on my road. One talent I do have is, if the band is writing a song, I will lay on the floor with a notebook (barefoot — always barefoot — shoes and music do not go together at all in my world……) and write the lyrics then and there, despite having about 150 songs prewritten, as I sit and write 2-4 songs per night. A lot of the words do get used. Eventually. But I write what I hear and feel from whoever is presenting the music.

I’m pretty proud of that, as so many people say they struggle with lyrics, All I can think is, “CAN I GIVE YOU SOME? I HAVE TOO MANY AND MY BRAIN IS MAKING MORE RIGHT NOW.” (Also, I barely sleep).

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?

Just make music. The rest will fall into place. And oh maaaan do we need shows starting around Halloween.

Pricing:

• Not really, we are just happy if someone buys a shirt or pays us anything.
• By the way,I make the shirts myself = and do for other bands as well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastsurvivorsct/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLastSurvivorsCTPunk/
• Twitter: https://x.com/serpent_sky (JUST ME)
• Other: https://linktr.ee/thelastsurvivorsct

Image Credits

Rachael Pixie Kruczynski (all but the stage one)
The Root Collective