INTERVIEW: Vandoliers' Jenni Rose is "Proud to Be a Trans Musician" With New Band Tomgirls
Richard Marcus interviews Vandoliers' Jenni Rose about her new pop punk band Tomgirls, trans representation, and the band's ties to the legacy of queercore
Jenni Rose is the lead singer of Texas cowpunk band The Vandoliers and of the newly formed punk/pop band The Tomgirls. The release of The Tomgirls' new single "Run" marks the first anniversary of Jenni coming out as a trans woman.
Being part of the hetronormative and macho country scene, coming out as trans isn't what you'd call safe or for the faint of heart. Jenni doesn't seem to have skipped a beat - especially creatively. In the year since she came out, The Vandoliers have released a great album - Life Behind Bars - and she's started a new band. The Tomgirls' first album, "Sissy," will be released in February 2027. Vandoliers are still going strong, but Tomgirls (which includes Vandos' personnel) is a sonic departure from the band's rollicking cowpunk.
There are many reasons to listen to The Vandoliers and Tomgirls, but the main reason is because the music is so damn good. Of course, it has the added benefit of probably pissing off all the right people.
In the 1980s, Queercore - the queer punk movement - was founded as a response to government indifference to HIV/AIDS. It was in-your-face and a celebration of queerness. By being unashamedly queer, the music and the art brought their issues out in the open. It may not have increased broader acceptance - but it empowered a community that had been abused and neglected for too long. Today, governments all over are targeting Trans people as the new scapegoats and boggy people. Bands like The Tomgirls are celebrating who they are and pushing back against the hatred. Who knows what will happen as a result - but they too aren't going to be quiet any longer.
Let's start with some background...When did you decide music was what you wanted to do? And what first inspired you? I think I read somewhere that the Old 97s were one of your inspirations for Vandoliers...who else?
I grew up between Dallas and Fort Worth and around 5th grade music and being in a band became my main priority. I had become obsessed with guitar and writing songs after going to my first punk show.
What are the influences for the new band – any bands in particular or just an amalgamation of people?
I listened to groups like Blink-182, Green Day, Alkaline Trio and started my first band in middle school. I think that “first band” feeling inspired Tomgirls the most for me.
Will Tomgirls be a more political band than Vandoliers? I know you say the songs are reflective of the journey/process you've been experiencing for the past year and a bit since you came out - but is that going to progress to being a queer rights band?
I feel like Vandoliers has been outspoken and political throughout our career. That being said, since my transition, everything I do is political. Tomgirls is me processing my trans experience and that experience is politicized constantly. There are political songs on the record like "Red Flags" and "Submit or Die," but I could sing about flowers and it would be an act of resistance.
What do you hope your audience gets from Tomgirls' music?
I hope they see how human it is to transition.
Learn more about Tomgirls, their ties to queercore, and how Jenni sees the band fitting with Vandoliers when you sign in or sign up at $5 a month!
