We are Sleater-Kinney. AUA.

carrie, what're you whispering to corin in the burn to shine video for "modern girl"?

this one

I don't know!

Is there any particular reason for the lack of bass guitar in any of your bands? From what I looked up the only albums I saw involving a bassist were Corin's solo ones. It's not a criticism, I've never listened to anything of yours' and gone, "could do with extra bass", but is it a concious decision or do your projects just end up that way?

This is Janet - Funny thing but I don't really love low end. That big bass sound that hits you in your gut is unpleasant! Not having a bass allows for the drums to occupy an interesting space in the music, which I really love. Also, bass players often make those funny faces.

Will there be a portlandia skit where fred and carrie go to a sleater Kinney show?

Unlikely. But Fred offered to be our roadie IRL

Janet - you have used a fan during your shows long before JLo or Beyonce or a number of other pop stars. Do you feel that the wind blown look has been somewhat cheapened since there is no way these singers rock as fucking hard as you do?

i love this band so hard. Thrilled to have you back.

You just put me and my fan in the same sentence as JLo and Beyonce? That is kind of awesome. I am not using it for the wind blown look, but to keep from sweating profusely. Not as sexy as those other ladies, right?

Hi guys!! No questions, but my wife and I wanted to share a photo of your newest and littlest fan! Is she the cutest or what?

5 weeks old and ready to rock!

OMG!! She is so adorable, congratuations! And LOVE the onesie!! CT

Hey Carrie, love your guitar playing, especially the long fuzzed out solos on The Woods. I know the new songs are shorter but will the new album have a similar guitar style? Thanks for reuniting, you are the best band in the world.

We are so glad to be back! The new songs ARE shorter. Wanna hear another one from the new album??

yes x 1000000000

Ok, here you go.

https://soundcloud.com/sleater-kinney/surface-envy

This ends our AMA. Thanks for reading and listening and for your questions! xox

What do you say regarding the rumors that this reunion is just a blatant attempt to catch Trey Anastasio's eye and finally fulfill Carrie's dream of opening for Phish?

I say that you are a very wise person.

Hi ladies, my girlfriend and I fell in love thanks to your music specifically because of the song A quarter to Three, we are traveling from los angeles to see your first show of the tour, And I have decided to propose to my girlfriend then she has no idea. Do we have your blessing?

You do!

How did you and Pearl Jam cross paths and are they as cool in real life as I imagine they are?

I think we met Eddie Vedder through some mutual friends in Seattle. He has always been really supportive of our music and invited us to open for PJ. YES, the whole band is just as cool in real life. They were all so kind to us! CT

Carrie: Your (singing) voice in the band clearly evolved over time. Was there a specific point in the band's history where you felt like you could bring out your voice more on songs?

When you sing with someone like Corin you have to step up your game. I am not a singer but I can write a melody.

HEY!! Huge fan with a process question. There was a noticeable difference in sound and execution from One Beat to The Woods - much more drastic than your previous departure from John Goodmanson - but the new tracks sound pretty on par with the rawness of The Woods. How much of that sound is in the producer or studio and how much just comes from you as musicians?

Our work with our producers, especially Dave Fridmann and John Goodmanson is a collaboration. What really is happening though is that we are all serving the songs - what do they require? Where are we taking the sound? We push the ideas and together make sure we are getting far enough with them to convey the true meaning of the music. The studio and the experience can contribute but when listening to the record it is often difficult to know which albums were difficult to make and which were not. One the new album we definitely were trying to achieve an edgy immediacy.

What songs can we expect on the upcoming tour? Will it be a varied setlist, and will you be digging deeper into your back catalogue, and playing live rarities like on the Hot Rock tour, in addition to the No Cities to Love tracks?

We have been practicing songs from each album in addition to the new songs. Probably not a lot of rarities as those might have been weeded out years ago for a reason! Some songs fit together in the set better and some are just our favorites like Jumpers or Oh!

My wife loves you, but can't afford the plane ticket to see one of your shows... Any chance you could swing by San Antonio?

Yes. I'll swing by right when I get off the computer.

Ok I have a few questions

The first question Is for everyone: the musical and political climate has certainly changed since you last made music together in 2005, how has this affected the writing of your new album?

This next one's for Janet: I heard that you have never had a carbonated beverage, how is such a thing even possible?

This one's for Carrie: have you ever accidentally kicked anyone while playing?

The last one's for Corin: does that guy still send you lottery tickets?

Hi this is Janet and I'll be answering questions for the next 20 minutes. The carbonated beverage rumor is not completely true. I don't drink soft drinks but do enjoy a nice glass of champagne on occasion.

Janet, have you been practicing any new jokes for the tour?

Thanks for reminding me! I need to learn some new jokes for tour. Can't trot out "num num" again. (Although it is VERY funny.)

Hello ladies! You are THE BEST. Thank you for doing this!

My question:

You all have been involved in many forms of media (music, film, tv, etc) throughout your careers. What changes would you like to see in the way media outlets portray the human experience? Are there any specific aspects about life and living that you feel are not receiving enough, or the right kind of, attention from media?

Thanks again, and keep kicking ass, ladies!

I would love for the media to celebrate more diversity. Stereotypes are so stifling and can quell creativity. We need to open up options as far as the complexity of our personalities. Who we see on the screen or the words we read can help us understand the human condition as fluid and mysterious and not always one thing or another.

What is an artist you've always wanted to cover, but haven't gotten the chance to?

Devo.

With so many great songs to choose from, what is your process in creating Sleater-Kinney set lists?

I am the setlist guru of the band. I think about them days in advance, sometimes weeks or months - they wake me up in the night - I think about them in the shower. To me the setlist can make or break a show. There is a mood and a vibe and an energy to a good setlist. We practice songs that either we love or that we thing will work with the new material best. We make the setlist together after sound check. The way the stage sounds or how high it is or how cavernous the room is can enhance certain songs and not others.

Hi! Love your music. What made you reunite?

It felt like we still had a story to tell. We felt compelled to explore how to tell that story.

Who's got the best dance moves?

Janet. hehe

Which books/authors have been most influential for you?

One of my favorite authors is Ursula LeGuin, an Oregonian. Check out her recent speech at the National Book Awards, she just killed it. So much of what she said about the publishing world applies to music today as well. CT

James Baldwin, Lorrie Moore, Hilton Als, Virginia Woolf, W. Somerset Maugham

Hullo there, Sleater-Kinney!

My question concerns the Start Together box set. In what ways do the remasters improve on the sound of the original releases, if at all?

I don't mind if they don't, by the way; its nice to have all those albums in one place.

Hi there! The opportunity to remaster our records give us the chance to subtly tweak the sound of each song. We were fortunate enough to work with Greg Calbi at Sterling, who is arguably the best in the business. He can make the sound fuller, improving the quality and texture of the audio, and use equipment that simply wasn't available 10 years ago. The records really do sound better! And LOUDER!!! CT

Hi! First I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming back!!! It means so much to me to be able to see Sleater-Kinney live for the first time I am ludicrously excited and grateful

My question is, what bands did you guys get into after they had already broke up and you wish you could have seen play live?

I wish I had seen Bob Dylan in his prime, Aretha Franklin, the Slits, The Kinks, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Seeds.

Ladies, I love all of your work and accomplishments. Do you plan on continuing Sleater-Kinney after this album and tour or is this a one off reunion, and you plan to continue separate projects?

We are definitely living in the moment and enjoying being together making music again. We all have other projects as well and realize our time in the band is valuable. Not taking SK for granted, and making this album as good as possible works for us this time around. So no plans for the distant future - we'll make the next few months as amazing as they can possibly be!

Hi!!im going to see you in Dublin (my first time seeing you)and im extremely excited i was wondering what your favourite songs/albums are to preform? also want thank you all for the music that you make and the chance to see you play (one beat is my favourite album EVER) -Jane from Ireland

One Beat and the Woods are probably my favorites, although the new album might surpass them eventually.

What are your favorite R.E.M. albums (each of you)?

This is Janet and I was a HUGE REM fan from the time I was 19 (a LONG time ago) My favorite album is Reckoning - every song a banger!

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Gotta say I am a chocolate chip cookie kind of girl. But the double chocolate option would be my second favorite. Does this mean you will be bringing us cookies on tour? (hint hint)

Will you be making any appearances in the San Francisco Bay Area???

That seems very likely.

Carrie, what's your on-stage trampoline set-up gonna look like? I'm expecting to see some mad air, sister.

My off stage trampoline set-up is much cooler but I'll see what I can do

What is/was your favorite part about reuniting?

Playing meaningful music together is the best part. Our chemistry is very unique and powerful. I missed it more than I realized.

Does this mean Sleater-Kinney is officially back or is it just this album to really end the era?

I think a Reddit AMA is about as official as it gets.

Who were your musical heroes when you were growing up? I think all three of you are such iconic and dynamic performers, you clearly were schooling yourselves on what looks great on stage from an early point in your lives.

I listened to a lot of AM radio as a kid. They would play Bob Dylan next to Sly and the Family Stone next to the Carpenters. The varied cast that came through my speakers was inspiring. In high school it was all about the Clash. They were like my rock n roll parents - teaching me about life and how to express myself.

Carrie,

What do you have against nostalgia?! Re-listening to all of your albums made me very nostalgic about my high school/college years and I feel pretty good about that! Cheers to all of your success :)

I don't have anything against it. But I think it is pernicious to think that everything good happened in the past. Of course nostalgia feels good! I agree.

Hi ladies!Thanks for answering all of our fans questions :) I was wondering how do you relate today to songs like "How to play dead" or "A real man"? Are they still meaningful to you or were they a part of a younger and different phase of your lives? And most importantly, is there a chance you'll perform them in this No cities to love tour?I really love them! :)

Keep on rocking! See you in Paris ;) (I'll come from Milan just to be at your show and I CAN'T WAIT!)

Hi! It's Corin and I'll be answering for the next 20 minutes. It's actually been fun to revisit some of the older material. We will try and visit each album for the shows, and we are going through the songs to see what works with the new record. See you in Paris!! CT

What's the process for writing your songs? Does everyone have a part in the process or does one person go off and come back with a kickass song and you all roll with it? Lyricism is one of my favorite things about your music, specifically the intricacies involved in them.

Also, what are your favorite songs to perform?

Our songwriting process is very collaborative. Some of these songs began as a jam in our practice space, but many on the new record were started with just Carrie and I knocking around guitar parts together. We all contribute to every song, and change a lot of the parts as develop it. I love playing No Cities to Love!! CT

Carrie, you're awesome. How do you balance your music, personal, and acting career and which one takes up most of your time?

First of all, thanks. I try to focus on one thing at a time.

Hi! I've got my ticket purchased to see you guys in Pittsburgh this upcoming March! Very excited.

Just curious, are there any S-K songs that are loathed among the three of you? If so, have they stopped appearing in setlists?

Nothing is loathed. But it has to feel relevant to us.

Hi, Sleater-Kinney. Each of your albums are sound distinctively different from the last. How do you think the new album fits into that evolution?

I think No Cities is a chance for us both to grow as a band and to draw upon our greatest strengths as musicians and writers. I'm so happy with it. CT

What is your favorite Olympia band?

Karp

Why is it so difficult for talented, creative women to find other women to collaborate with?

I am currently collaborating with two.

After revisting all of your albums was there a particular song that stood out to you that you relate to more now than when you originally wrote it? <3

Jumpers is my favorite song. And Light Rail Coyote. And One Beat. Those are my three favorites right now.

Great new album. Maybe you play a house show after show at the Riv in Chicago? Get the kids onboard.....

See ya soon.

Do kids love house shows?

What bands/ new music are you listening to now?

Perfume Genius and Run the Jewels are my two most recent full album purchases

I absolutely LOVE Corin and Carrie singing in unison on Jumpers, the sound is impeccable. Can we expect to hear anything similar on the new album? I love the way you all harmonize!!

Hi. It's Carrie now for the last few minutes. Yes

Hi, I just wanted to say that I've dreamt about a Sleater-Kinney reunion for a long time! Is there any track of the new album that stands out for you? How different is No Cities To Love from your last album, The Woods?

It is very different. But it also sounds like us. It's both an evolution and an amalgamation

Carrie, which authors/books have been most influential for you? What are you reading right now?

Right now I am about to finish a book by Michel Faber

Good morning S-K....huge fan and have been for longer than I care to remember, you've made a LOT of people so happy that you're playing together again, so a most sincere thank you.

My question is for Janet..... do you think it's inherently harder for a woman to gain recognition as a drummer given that it's a field so overwhelmingly dominated by men?

I think the idea about what makes up a good drummer is stuck in that Neil Pert mold. I try to break the stereotype of what women are expected to be onstage. Our culture does not expect women to be physical and primitive and threatening. Those are traits more traditional for men. Until women are allowed to be heroic or scary, we will be less likely to gain true recognition for our art. Good question thanks.