Team Dresch is an American punk rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in … Read Full Bio ↴Team Dresch is an American punk rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1993. Originally from Olympia, Washington, they made a significant impression on the queercore movement, as well as on the riot grrrl scene, before breaking up in 1998 and reforming in 2004.

The line up of the group for their first album was Kaia Wilson, vocals and guitar; Jody Bleyle, guitar, bass, and vocals; Donna Dresch, bass and guitar; and Marcéo Martinez on drums. All were veterans of other musical outfits; Donna Dresch had previously played and recorded with such bands as Dinosaur Jr., Dangermouse, Screaming Trees, Rastro!, Fifth Column, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Lois, Mary Lou Lord and The Go Team; Jody Bleyle was simultaneously in the bands Hazel and Lovebutt while playing in Team Dresch; Kaia Wilson had been in the band Adickdid and Marcéo Martinez in Calamity Jane. Scott Plouf, then of The Spinanes, now of Built to Spill was the drummer on the first 7".

Donna Dresch, founder of the band, had been involved in the queercore scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s as creator of her own fanzine Chainsaw and, in addition to contributing to other zines such as Outpunk and J.D.s, she contributed to and was featured on the cover of issue five of Homocore and appeared in the girl-gang film The Yo-Yo Gang by G.B. Jones.

Their first single, Hand Grenade, appeared on Kill Rock Stars in 1994. Personal Best, the album which followed it, appeared in 1995 as a co-release on the independent labels Chainsaw Records, run by Dresch and Candy Ass Records, run by Bleyle. Candy-ass then released the compilation Free To Fight, a double LP of all-women bands addressing issues such as harassment and rape and dedicated to self-defense. The band toured with self-defense instructor Alice Stagg, who spoke and gave demonstrations to the audience prior to the bands' performance. The members were committed to a DIY ethic, running their own record labels and booking their own tours. In 1996, the influential German band Tocotronic payed homage to Team Dresch with their song Die Sache mit der Team Dresch-Platte (The thing about the Team Dresch record), eventually contributing to the popularity of Team Dresch in Germany.

On their second recording Melissa York, previously of the hardcore punk bands Vitapup and Born Against replaced Marcéo Martinez. This LP, Captain My Captain, also featured a guest appearance by Phranc, well known lesbian musician. As well, the song Uncle Phranc, written as a tribute to her, appears on this album.

After this LP Kaia Wilson and Melissa York left the band to form The Butchies, while Dresch and Bleyle continued recording with the addition of new member Amanda Kelly and Marcéo Martinez once again on drums. The band stopped playing in 1998, with Dresch increasingly involved in running her record label which was releasing many recordings by newer bands, including The Need, Longstocking, Sleater Kinney and many more. In 2002 Jody debuted a new band, Family Outing, which includes her brother, Allen, and in 2004, Donna returned to the stage with a new band, Davies vs. Dresch. They appeared as part of "Queercore Blitz", a group of queer bands touring the U.S together.

In the summer of 2004, Jody, Donna, Kaia, Marcéo and Melissa came together to headline the homocore festival Homo-a-Go-Go in Olympia, Washington.

In the summer of 2006, the same members are reforming to play shows in the Northwest and in New York City.

The band performs and is interviewed in the documentary film She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane.

http://www.teamdresch.com/

Take on Me
Team Dresch Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We're talking away
I don't know what
I'm to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK?
[CHORUS:]
Take on me, take me on

I'll be gone
In a day or two
So needless to say
I'm odds and ends
But that's me stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is OK
Say after me
It's no better to be safe than sorry
[CHORUS]
Oh the things that you say
Is it live or
Just to play my worries away
You're all the things I've got to remember
You're shying away

I'll be coming for you anyway
[CHORUS]

Overall Meaning

Team Dresch’s song Take On Me appears to be a passionate love song. The lyrics begin with the singer becoming tongue-tied around their crush, but ultimately deciding to express their feelings anyway. The first verse includes the lines “We’re talking away, I don’t know what, I’m to say I’ll say it anyway, Today’s another day to find you.” The chorus of the song shows the singers’ desire to be with their love interest, singing “Take on me, take me on, I'll be gone, in a day or two."

However, there is more complexity to the song than just a love story. The second verse suggests a deeper theme of personal growth and self-discovery. The lines “So needless to say, I’m odds and ends, But that’s me stumbling away, Slowly learning that life is OK, Say after me, It’s no better to be safe than sorry” express the singer’s acknowledgment of their own flaws and mistakes but also the realization that it’s better to take risks and make mistakes rather than play it safe.

Line by Line Meaning

We're talking away
We are having a conversation

I don't know what
I don't know what to say

I'm to say I'll say it anyway
I'll say what I have to say, regardless

Today's another day to find you
Today is another chance to discover you

Shying away
You're avoiding me

I'll be coming for your love, OK?
I'll pursue your love relentlessly, okay?

[CHORUS:] Take on me, take me on
Accept me for who I am and take me with you

I'll be gone In a day or two
I will leave very soon

So needless to say
It goes without saying

I'm odds and ends
I'm a mixture of different qualities

But that's me stumbling away
That's me stumbling through life