Dinosaur Dance

T-Rextasy has a punk ethos with a touch of magic.

by Jasmine Bourgeois | Photo by Ulloa Photography Studio

Fun and light on the surface, T-Rextasy’s music is full of complex harmonies and catchy lyrics. It has a punky ethos, but there’s something a little more magical to it. With lyrics like, “You said I’m like a little nugget/soft and sweet and full of lovin’/but you are dead wrong/if I were meat/I’d be filet mignon,” it seems the band doesn’t take themselves too seriously. At the same time, it is anything but silly. While the songs are comical, they are ultimately political and undeniably good. The riffs are creative and genuinely intricate; the vocals, charmingly eccentric; and the coordination between the four, tangible.

The drumming of 22-year-old New York native Ébun Zoule Nazon-Power keeps the band rooted and helps those of us listening to stay grounded in each track. She has a cool and effortless style but still beams with energy when she performs. Tom Tom spoke with Nazon-Power about “girl bands” and getting called out for going braless.

Tom Tom: How did you get into music and how long have you been drumming?

Ébun Zoule Nazon-Power: My journey as a drummer began when I was about 12-years- old and attended Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in Brooklyn. In fact, my very first drum instructor at Willie Mae Rock Camp was (Tom Tom founder and editor) Mindy Abovitz! She was awesome, super helpful, and supportive. I have been in multiple bands ever since that first summer at Willie Mae. I guess I have been drumming for about 10 years.

Tom Tom: Are you in any other projects besides T-Rextasy?

Ébun Zoule Nazon-Power: T-Rextasy is my main gig at the moment, but I have been in other bands in the past. Last year, I was a drummer/lead singer of a band called Bitch Spit. I think we have a couple videos on YouTube, actually. We have a sick cover of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. I do hope to play more music outside of T-Rextasy in the near future. I also plan on embarking on a DJ apprenticeship. I have a feeling I would be very good at it.

Tom Tom: You guys have some pretty fun and unconventional sounds. What’s it like writing the drum parts? In general, is writing songs a pretty collaborative project?

Ébun Zoule Nazon-Power: Yeah, our sound is very unconventional. We like to call ourselves a new wave band, because we don’t really fit in with a lot of the sounds in the New York DIY music scene. Writing drum parts is generally easy for this band, but I think that is because we all work so well together. We are really good at communicating what we want and what our visions are without stepping over each other or putting each other down. We are super collaborative when it comes to songwriting. We each have our own gifts to share: Annie [Fidoten] is an amazing songwriter and bassist, Vera [Kahn] is a music technicality wizard, Lyris [Faron] is an incredible lyricist and zany performer, and I help bring forth harmonies and some melodies for songs while also playing drums. Working together with these women is a pleasure. We create magic.

Working together with these women is a pleasure. We create magic."

Tom Tom: A lot of your songs seem like they play with femininity and the way it’s performed. I’m curious about your thoughts on the idea of “girl bands,” and how you feel you're perceived, specifically, as a not-cis-dude drummer?

Ébun Zoule Nazon-Power: I have mixed feelings for the term “girl bands.” I think that it is a term that potentially minimizes the musical complexities of bands that don’t have cis men in them. However, I also see the power in claiming the term “girl band,” but at the end of the day, why can’t we just be a “band”?

Being in an all female band, that term along with “riot grrrl,” gets thrown around a lot from fans and people who barely know us. We hate being called “riot grrrl,” because our songs are not related to that genre of music. But because people see us as a bunch of girls onstage with guitars and drums, we automatically get placed in that category. We adore “riot grrrl” and all that it offered, but it was also a super problematic movement.

I generally receive positive feedback from people. Folks are always super excited to come across female drummers. It is still really rare to come across not-cis-dude drummers, and it’s even rarer to find people of color, not-cis-dude drummers. Someone once told me that I was a unicorn because, 1) it’s really rare to witness drummers who can sing at the same time, and 2) I’m a black femme percussionist.

Tom Tom: What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you on tour or at a gig?

Ébun Zoule Nazon-Power: This may not be the “coolest” thing but it is pretty funny. So, at the very beginning of tour last summer, we played a show in D.C., and the next day, we went to a restaurant to get some food. As soon as each of us entered the restaurant, a woman who was working there noticed that none of us were wearing bras, and she publicly commented, which alerted the rest of the patrons of the restaurant, and we all just ended up laughing. That day, our mode of transportation was declared the “Boobie Mobile” by one of the people who worked there.