Trans-led “The Daddy Sisters” release powerful debut album

by Will Whaley

With their empowering lyrics, energetic stage presence and fashion styles harkening back to glamorous rock icons, The Daddy Sisters, Bowling Green’s very own transgender led punk rock band, is hitting a milestone in 2024.

With the release of their 10-track debut album, “Beast With Two Backs” set for June 29, the rock band led by singer and guitarist Chick Falcon and drummer Jack Quinn has had a journey of performances and hard work since coming together in 2021 at a chance meeting at a Bowling Green coffee shop when Falcon was looking for a new drummer to join her. 

With influences such as Chuck Berry, Mick Jagger and David Bowie, the band’s stage presence and crowd interaction along with Falcon’s self empowerment messages in her songwriting is something that is remembered long after the last song is performed.

“Mick Jagger is one of my favorite front persons,” Falcon said. “We both love performers that are just very animated.”

Falcon has written songs for other bands in the past, mostly about fictitious love stories and partners that Falcon has had in the past that didn’t work out.

“This time it is more focused on self love songs … self empowerment,” Falcon said. “All of the songs are sexy but they’re not pervy. It really is about being your best self, and not all of them are sexual but I would say more sassy.”

During the duo’s time together, Falcon has also been transitioning. She says that her musical influences allowed her to find herself and her identity.

“I grew up really loving punk rock from the 70s,” said Falcon, naming groups like the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Blondie, David Bowie, Prince and Marc Bolan. “They weren’t afraid to be flamboyant. Even though they weren’t officially queer, I think a lot of queer people had representation with them a little bit because they weren’t afraid to be different than what was expected of them.”

Part of Falcon’s transition journey is vocal therapy, which is being made into a documentary.

“I’ve only been transitioning for four years now,” she said. “I started taking hormones during the pandemic, so I could transition in my room. My idea of what a woman can be has changed during that time … I was really worried about my voice and still kind of am sometimes.”

Falcon began working with a voice coach in Louisville working to use different registers of her voice.

“As time went by there were times I did like hearing myself sound more feminine but I don’t mind it a lot of times also. I’m still a woman whether my voice changes or not.”

From their first show in Franklin, Kentucky to a more recent show in New York City, the duo has performed at many different venues including a spot in the Kentuckiana Pride line-up alongside headlining performers Todrick Hall and Neon Trees. 

“We were originally supposed to perform on Friday. We were rehearsing in the middle of the week, and a talent buyer called us and asked us what we were doing on Saturday,” said Falcon. “He said that Tiffany of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ fame needs your spot.”

That schedule change landed them in front of one of their biggest crowds.

 “Kentuckiana Pride was the third show we played together,” said Falcon. “We got on stage and the crowd was humongous. I couldn’t see the end of it. We were like ‘holy shit we made it.’”

In late 2022, the two met Jaxon Swain with sonaBLAST! Records in Louisville, who after hearing about The Daddy Sisters band through mutual friends, reached out to them about a record deal.

They had their first meeting with Swain in March 2023, but the band was already ahead of the game already working on tracks for their debut album. 

“We had almost finished tracking the songs ourselves before we even expected to have a record deal or anything like that,” Quinn said. “It was perfect timing.”

The tracking before sonaBLAST! Was in Falcon’s room with the very first song recorded being “I Wanna Be A Girl.”

The band got to work on the album at LaLa Land Studios in Louisville working with head engineer Anne Gauthier, and for Quinn, this was his first time in a professional studio setting.

“Anne was just so good and kind in helping us figure out what we needed to do,” Quinn said. 

After the album releases, the two plan to tour promoting the album, working on new music and learning new songwriting techniques.

“We also just want to try and play as many shows as we can,” Falcon said. 

Apart from the work in the album, Falcon and Quinn say that being part of helping queer audience members find themselves in music is important to them.

“When we play shows on a smaller level like Pride here in Bowling Green, young people will come up to Chick after the show and say things like ‘you make me feel brave’ and ‘I feel like I can be who I am,’ and I think that’s really the best part,” Quinn said. 

For updates and tour information you can find The Daddy Sisters band on Instagram, Spotfiy, Apple Music, Bandcamp and on their website at www.thedaddysisters.com. The album release show will also be at The Alcove in Jeffersonville, Indiana on June 29.