From: The Big Takeover -#50 :July, 2002 This trio pops out with a fuzzy dynamic burst of rock that feels just right while you're sitting outside, waiting for the springtime to really hit. The vocals are very close to a Throwing Muses-style warble, while the guitar fills in the space just right with a nice warm glow--sometimes slow and sometimes as bright and fast as lightning. The drums keep everything on track and everyone seems happy. Singers Jen Stavely and Teri Morris do a nice job of dueling and dueting with each other, the twin female vocals wrap around the sonic acrobatics like a melodic tightrope and the rhythm section keeps a tight safety net below. There's nice shifting dynamics between songs, giving the CD a cohesive feel, though the songs don't all sound the same.

From: THE NOISE, May 2002

Down with the Furies is Tizzy's follow-up to 1999's Scary in Adulthood and with these eleven tracks this Northampton-based trio explores a new pinnacle of mediocrity. Some songs creep to the edge of interesting but fizzle because they stick so stubbornly to a formulaic cookie-cutter pattern. Man, it's frustrating as hell, like when you ALMOST unscramble the porn channel, but then the whole things dissolves intoa distorted mess. "Is that a booby? Yeah! Oh no... it's just a doorknob." Down with the Furies is all doorknobs.

The thing about Tizzy is that you genuinely want to dig their indie girl tandem--vocal cacophony, their everyday trifling lyrics, and their chunky, simple pop beats. Like on Scary in Adulthood, Tizzy's still doing the "let's sound like Sleater-Kinney" thing. But without the trademark Sleater-Kinney manic grit, it ends up sounding contrived. And that's just it. Trademark. Sleater-Kinney is already Sleater-Kinney. Throwing Muses is already Throwing Muses, and the Pixes...well, you get the idea. It's not that Tizzy doesn't have anything to contribute, but we've all heard this kind of thing done so much better. Everyone knows what happens when you make copies of copies of copies.

You're still thinking about boobies, aren't you. Aw yeah, baby.

From impact press dec/jan '02:
"Down With the Furies", Vital Cog Records
Tizzy's second full-length album, Down With the Furies, is an energetic indie-pop record in the tradition of bands such as Tiger Trap and Fuzzy. The dual female vocals ride atop fast-paced, familiar sounding tunes that make you wanna jump around like the indie-pop geek that you are. (That wasn't meant to be derogatory, I fall into that category myself.) This is a fun record guaranteed to piss off your brooding, angst-ridden friends. (CL)

From the Valley Advocate: by Michael Manekin

Before indie rock went electronic (a la Tortoise), retro soul (a la the Makeups), and fucking inscrutable (a log Mogwai), the Pioneer Valley was bursting with indie pop bands, all dying to tour the country and make their band your life.

And in the mid-90's, the Northampton trio Tizzy almost fulfilled the dream. Formed by Jen Stavely nearly a decade ago, Tizzy eventually power-popped its way into the hearts of indie kids as far away as Boston and onto the tours of more successful, like-minded bands (Versus, Small Factory). Alas, even after releasing singles on marquee indie labels like Pop Narcotice and SpinArt, Tizzy never quite took their shit national.

But if anyone still cares, Tizzy is alive, well, and actually better than ever. Influenced by the smarty-pants, scrappy-ass sounds of girl-boy combos like Scrawl, Tsunami, and the Throwing Muses, Tizzy has always been a cut or two above the indie rocks hoi polloi, and their lates, "Down With the Furies", is the slap-happy sound of a punk band in its prime.

In between the rapid tempo shifts, atop the three-chord chug, and beneath the arty dissonance, bassist Stavely and drummer Teri Morris harmonize observations about ennui, roads not taken- and relationships (relationships, relationships, relationships!) The harmonies are hooky; the adrenaline surging; and the lyrics, amusing- especially when sending up a certain kind of cool. ("You understand about me and Husker Du...").

Whether or not YOU understand about Husker Du (not to mention college radio, ringer T-shirts and such perplexing sights as a room full of white kids rocking out with their arms crossed), please know that, after all these years, Tizzy is still one of the finest bands in the Valley. And Down with the Furies- well worth a purchase.

Hey, it's only indie rocks... but it's also exquisite. 4 stars.

From The Hartford Courant: Dec. 27th, 2001

She's A Drummer, But So What?

At 31, Teri Morris has been playing drums for years - and in rock bands for more than a decade. But sometimes when she and her trio Tizzy play places,she still gets approached by people who are surprised to see her back.

"I still get a lot of: `I've never seen a girl play drums before,'" Morris says. "I mean, it's 2001. How sad is that?"

Still, she tries to keep optimistic about it. "When a lot of guys say, `You're pretty good for a girl,' you can either take it as an insult or as a compliment," says Morris, over the phone from Baltimore, where she was spending Christmas at her sister's house. "I've tried to have a mindset that since these people never saw a woman play drums before, next time it won't be such a big deal."

If she's opening doors for women in rock, that's cool with her. After all, she didn't have that many role models to follow.

"We get compared to Sleater-Kinney a lot," she says. "I don't know how fair it is, since they're one of the only other bands with two women kind of thing."

There would be more female drummers, she says, but "a lot of women are never told they can play."

"I remember in sixth grade auditioning for a marching band, and there were too many drummers - there were 10 of us. I was the only girl. The music teacher looked at me and said, `You're going to play flute.' I said, hey I've been taking drum lessons two years. And, in a big mark for feminism, I started to cry. So he left me alone. It's just that some people have an inherent sense that drums aren't for women."

Morris kept playing drums in marching bands when her family moved to Connecticut. And it was while she was in the Tolland High School band that she was told about a local band was looking for a drummer. As a teenager, Morris played in Hartford's Crystallized Movements a couple of years before she moved north to the Pioneer Valley to attend the University of Massachusetts after a stint at Berklee School of Music. There, she played in a couple of bands before joining forces with Jen Stavely, the lead singer who started Tizzy. With Tizzy for the first time, she was encouraged to contribute more to the songs' arrangements and sing a lot of background.

The harmonies in Tizzy are now what helps set them apart. The threesome has weathered a recent change when guitarist Joel Boultinghouse left at just about the time the new album came out. The replacement is another Northampton musician, Caleb Wetmore, formerly of the Mitchells.

"He definitely has a different playing style," Morris says. "Caleb is more precise, and very particular of tone and accuracy, while Joel was more free-spirited. They each bring a lot that's definitely interesting."

From delusions of adequacy:
Only after I was able to get over the fact that Tizzy is not and will never be a death metal band (the dark and blurry cover combined with the album title…) was I able to enjoy their music. With their dual female vocals, Tizzy shares similarities with the likes of Sleater-Kinney's recent work. But compared to that almost universally praised band, Tizzy is less focused, darker, and more on the chord-poppy than finger pick-angular side. Perhaps the biggest contrast between the two bands is Tizzy's use of bass and love for extreme tempo changes.

Tizzy consists of Jen Stavely on bass and vocals, Teri Morris on drums and vocals, and Joel Boultinghouse on guitar. The straightforward "Reminders for the Reactive" starts off Down with the Furies with fast tempo. "Pushing Positive" lightens things up with a harmless "You're No Rock 'n Roll Fun" nature, "A cold beer on a cold day / Outside in a parking lot / I felt like a queen and not so mean / As I decide what I am and what I'm not." Then comes "Forgiveness is a Curse," which is a little too punk, not sounding like the same Tizzy that I was introduced to on the album's first two songs. Fortunately, the bass-driven pop/punk of that song breaks into a pleasant vocal harmonization, reminiscent of That Dog. But the song ends in the same punky way that started the song.

Stavely reveals her frustration with the work life in the half slow and droning, half fast and guitar-driven, "Work Ethic": "I feel driven as I drive to work / To make good and earn my keep / But then I wonder why as life is passing me by / What it's worth when my big reward is sleep?" One of Down with the Furies' more interesting songs is "Turnstile Girl," which alternates from the slowly spooky to the jagged, with dark lyrics like "Split like bone / Stick like skin." That bass-driven punk found in "Forgiveness is a Curse" makes its return on the instrumental "Econoline." This song too detracts from the overall sound Tizzy creates with the other songs.

"The Day Duran Duran Finally Came to Town" pleases mainly because it is about a subject that I can relate to: the 80s. "Slow syrup songs and sticky synth licks / I had to have my pubescent fix / Throw merchandise and memories into the mix / Who was your favorite? / Mine was Nick." Although it is among the album's more memorable songs, Down with the Furies' strongest track is the ever-evolving "Half Step Century." The song is dark and aggressive, involving fractured vocalism for the majority of the song. But with just over a minute of the five-minute song remaining, it evolves into an airy dream. The album ends with "Fighting in the Bookstore," which has too many tempo changes to count on one hand, and "Shopping Car Joyride," the most accessible of the 11 songs that makes reference to Husker Du.

Down with the Furies is not terribly innovative for being released in 2001. It has a very familiar sound that fans of Sleater-Kinney and That Dog will take to. And I recommend it to fans of those bands.

- Patrick

From mish mash: November, 2001
"Down With the Furies"
A band with two female vocalists? That's not unusual, but when one of those females is the drummer then it's safe to say the situation is a little unique. The dual vox of bassist Jen Stavely and drummer Teri Morris provides the strong "grrrl" foundation for this cacophonous little trio, even though the powerhouse guitar work is provided by a male in the form of one Joel Boultinghouse. The key to Tizzy is dissonance. They specialize in a fuzzy and muddy guitar/bass/drums mix that bounces along in a happy yet haphazard pop fashion. Stavely and Morris blend their voices in blissful harmony, juxtaposing their sweet sounds against the noisy background with perfection. I have to say my favorite tune (mainly because I can relate to the 80s subject matter) is The Day Duran Duran Finally Came To Town , a messy little song which ironically does not belie the slightest shred of influence from the clean and neat boys of double Duran. Tizzy's teen angst is conveyed in a most optimistic fashion, and perhaps that is why they seem to get under the skin so quickly. MISH MASH Mandate: Sing Blue Silver

From Philly City Paper: November, 2001

Steeped in the stylistic sisterhood of Throwing Muses, Swisher and The Rondelles, Tizzy pushes all the key femme-pop buttons. The Massachusetts-based trio’s 1999 promising, recently reissued debut Scary in Adulthood often bounces from bashing punk to minor-key melancholy within a single verse. The sudden tempo changes go a long way toward establishing the band’s technical proficiency, but they’re frequently distracting. More impressive is the range of subject matter: Targets include bumper-sticker ideologues, corporate color schemes and, in "The Underground Eats Its Own," the annoying way "Movie stars prove their hipness/Talking about bands between their tips on fitness." Drummer Teri Morris and bassist Jen Stavely’s vocal banter is swift and sweet; the two trade lines in similar but separate voices. Recently departed guitarist Joel Boultinghouse’s short and bitter vocal take on "Snowman" is more head-scratching than thought-provoking, but his tangent is a nice touch. Down With the Furies has fewer memorable melodies than Scary in Adulthood , but benefits from more complicated vocal arrangements. Once again, the pacing is all over the place. "Half Step Century" mixes a riot grrrl sensibility with loping interludes, while "Work Ethic" peaks with perky pop and sinks when it slows. "Turnstile Girl" stands out by picking a mood (sensual) and sticking to it. The lyrics address more standard fare, but they resonate when the band defends teen-pop fans in "The Day Duran Duran Finally Came to Town" ("Who was your favorite? Mine was Nick / Slow syrup songs and sticky synth licks / I had to have my pubescent fix") and flirting with a friend in "Shopping Cart Joyride" ("You understand about me and Hüsker Dü").

From www.babysue.com: November 2001
"Down With the Furies" (CD, Vital Cog, Rock/pop)
Smart, cute but not cutesy, provocative, and totally entertaining. Tizzy had already caught our attention on the basis of their last release which was strong indeed. Down With the Furies picks up where the band left off, and is an even stronger album in terms of focused songwriting, playing, and production. As was the case with the band's last album, these tunes are part pop and part progressive rock. The band consists of Jen Stavely (bass, vocals), Teri Morris (drums, vocals), and Joel Boultinghouse (guitar). The vocals on this album are wonderfully on target...and those heavenly harmonies ought to have pop fans floating up into the clouds. Tunes like "Reminders for the Reactive," "Rushing Positive," "Work Ethic," "Econoline," and "Shopping Cart Joyride" give us cool rushes of spastic glee. This is a fantastic and...for the time being anyway...obscure band that is worth seeking out. GREAT goddamn stuff...! (Rating: 5++) (out of 6)

From mish mash: November, 2001

"Down With the Furies"

A band with two female vocalists? That's not unusual, but when one of those females is the drummer then it's safe to say the situation is a little unique. The dual vox of bassist Jen Stavely and drummer Teri Morris provides the strong "grrrl" foundation for this cacophonous little trio, even though the powerhouse guitar work is provided by a male in the form of one Joel Boultinghouse. The key to Tizzy is dissonance. They specialize in a fuzzy and muddy guitar/bass/drums mix that bounces along in a happy yet haphazard pop fashion. Stavely and Morris blend their voices in blissful harmony, juxtaposing their sweet sounds against the noisy background with perfection. I have to say my favorite tune (mainly because I can relate to the 80s subject matter) is The Day Duran Duran Finally Came To Town , a messy little song which ironically does not belie the slightest shred of influence from the clean and neat boys of double Duran. Tizzy's teen angst is conveyed in a most optimistic fashion, and perhaps that is why they seem to get under the skin so quickly. MISH MASH Mandate: Sing Blue Silver

EAR CANDY - Eclectic internet only music mag

10/01 - http://earcandy_mag.tripod.com/

Tizzy "Scary In Adulthood"-Papercut Records -

Review by John Hendrickson

The Boston Phoenix

August 2-9, 2001

     Tizzy, a punk-pop trio from Northampton, have spent the past seven years on the well-traveled road to indie-rock respectability, slowly working their way up to this, their first full-length, by touring behind half a dozen assorted singles and EPs on labels like Pop Narcotic, Darla, and spinART. Scary in Adulthood splits the difference between the feminist punk of Sleater-Kinney and the more innocuous commercial power pop of Veruca Salt. The disc’s best tracks — the raucous " Cut Down Fight " and the more melodic and contemplative " Charmed Life Girls " — demonstrate the knack bassist Jen Stavely and guitarist Joel Boultinghouse have for combining crisp female vocals with distorted guitar sounds and lots of feedback; and drummer Teri Morris contributes some pleasant background vocals. But the group’s limitations surface on " Bumper Sticker Town, " a plodding and joyless indictment of Northamptonites who view putting political bumper stickers on their cars as some kind of rebellious act; the song is about as potent as a " No Nukes " sticker on a brand new Saab. Tizzy have figured out how to get the grrrl-punk sound without losing the infectious spirit that come with being a young and restless indie-rock band. They just haven’t had enough practice filling a full-length album to keep out the clunkers.

 babysue.com: June 2001

     Tizzy - Scary In Adulthood (CD, Vital Cog, Rock/pop) Fun, simple, playful pop rock played with gusto and style. And such a great band name...wonder why no one ever thought of it before...? Tizzy consists of Jen Stavely (bass and vocals), Teri Morris (drums and vocals), and Joel Boultinghouse (guitar and vocals). While some of this band's material falls into the pop/rock vein, it is actually the offbeat numbers that are the strongest on Scary in Adulthood. In particular "Charmed Life Girls," "I Hate Football," and "The Underground Eats Its Own" are extremely strong tunes and prove that this band is a lot more diverse than most pop/rock outfits. Tizzy is a sincere and genuine trio who give the impression that they are making music for the pure fun of doing so, and there's no better reason than that... (Rating: 4+)

BLISS / AQUAMARINE  ZINE   U.K.

Reviewed by Kim Harten       5/2001

TIZZY - Tape/Dagger Promotion

     Also from Dagger came a 4 song tape of pop-punk and noisepop from Tizzy, Forgiveness Is A Curse.  This has noise but the emphasis is on melody.  Fairy Godfather has so many changey bits it's like about 3 or 4 songs in one.  The Day Duran Duran Came To Town is a tale of pre-teen obsessive fandom.

Go Girls Music  www.gogirlsmusic.com

Tizzy
" Scary In Adulthood "
Genre: punk
reviewed by Mary Lemanski

 The members of Tizzy have played with various bands for many years. Their music sounds like a combination of pop-punk and emo. In case you don't know what emo is, look into early Fugazi, Hum, or Braid. Anyway, their lyrics speak of everything from cut-down fights to turning 25. Having just turned 26, the lyrics to "A Quarter & Counting" really hit home. If you are looking for music that reflects on life's issues, check out Tizzy's "Scary In Adulthood."

Hit Picks: "I Hate Football" and "Elder"

Metal Maidens - The Ultimate Magazine Dedicated to Women In Hard Rock & Heavy Metal 

No. 21/September,  2000

"Scary In Adulthood"  CD,  Papercut Records

 written by (TvP)

     Some of our readers like to read a bit more about the Riot Grrrls scene.  That's a bit difficult, 'cause there's not that much stuff available at the moment to review in our magazine.  A lot of bands are pulling themselves back from the scene or have disbanded already.  Maybe TIZZY is something for you.  They hail from Northampton,  MA.   The band members got together after playing in several separate bands.  With these separate bands they toured with bands like BIKINI KILL,  PHRANC and TSUNAMI (no not the metal band!!!).  Now they got together and formed TIZZY.  TIZZY consists of Jen Stavely on bass and vocals.  Terri Morris on drums and vocals and Joel Boultinghouse on guitar and vocals.  The music they play can be described best as a good mix of punk, rock and pop music. Think about the Riot Grrrls sound and you come close.  Twelve songs are on this forty minute disc,  which opens with a fast track called "Cut Down Fight".  "Charmed Life Girls" show us the more poppy side of the band.  But with songs like "A Hand Grenade In A Hair Salon",  they sure know how to create a more heavy sound,  too.  Same goes for the real girls song like "I Hate Football".  If you're into this mix of pop, punk and rock, I suggest you have a listen to "Scary In Adulthood".  It won't do you any harm.  Sometimes, the vocals do sound a bit like Deborah Harry (BLONDIE).  Except for "Snowman",  which has distorted vocals by the only male member of the band.  The band already played live with bands like MAGNAPOP,  HALF JAPANESE and TRIBE 8.

 ON THE CD "SCARY IN ADULTHOOD…"

"The future is bright after all and its' name is Tizzy. Not since D. Boon, Mike Watt, and George Hurley set the standard for power trios with the Minutemen in the early 80s has any band come up with a better combination of great songs, raw yet melodic riffing, and creative intensity that Tizzy on "Scary in Adulthood." Every song on the 12 song, 38 minute CD is great, and great fun. The band shifts tempos with great ease. Keep making great music and working us into a Tizzy." -- Music Revue

"…Well on their way to kicking some ass. Their sound is pure rock-n-roll in a contradiction of styles that become a great release of energy. The album ends with "A Quarter and Counting." This song is why rock-n-roll was invented. One of the Top Ten local CDs of 1999." -- The Noise (Boston)

"…. another sonic homerun. The disc is launched with heavy power chords minced through fuzzed guitars and tempos that change like mood swings. Stavely reminds us that angst is still cool if it is real, not forced by some trend. A throwback to the true alternative sounds of bands like the Throwing Muses, Pavement, and the Pixies, this band counters its' retro influences with clever, vibrant songwriting. One of the top ten local CDs of 1999." -- The Union-News

"This record is loaded with hooks and it is easy to see why this album is so much fun. But Stavely's unique voice brings a certain importance to standard girl topics. The more you pay attention to the lines around the hooks, you see they have lots to say." -- Detours (FL)

ON THE CD "BEFRIEND US…"

"Tizzy could join the dizzying company of Magnapop, Come, Unwound, and Scrawl -- unsung female-led groups banging out excellent, idiosyncratic music, and passionate, well-written songs." -- The Big Takeover

"…..pop and punk with a dollop of humor thrown into the lyrics. Jen S. has an instantly appealing voice. The songs teem with feelings." -- Magnet


ON THE SINGLES

"…makes you want to move to the East Coast and buy their record." -- Alternative Press

"I love when a new band gets me thinking things like "favorite song." Hooks galore and a crystalline voice gives this one a 10 on the singalong and dance charts." -- For Paper Airplane Pilots

"100 times better than your average pop record." -- No Room for Squares

"Great lyrics and tight playing. Started out like Lois but got stronger and faster." -- Maximum Rock-n-Roll

"Both sides of this swell offering will nestle in your frontal lobe, but we especially enjoy "Betty vs. Veronica," which gives a close examination of the tragic relationship between the two heroines of Archie Comics." -- Net Magazine


TIZZY LIVE

"Annual Best Performance (local band). Tizzy was tearing through their set like some crazed offspring of the Sex Pistols. Good show." -- The Union-News

"They were excellent. The dual female vocals were superb and overall they put on an energetic show. The songs are true pop with a of punk and definite hooks." -- Instant Live Reviews

"Performing a strange mix of punk and pop, the trio come off raw and unpretentious. As far as screaming goes, Stavely seldom needs it to show her passion. She shows her anger in a more disciplined fashion. Emotional delivery works within the framework of their songs captivating melodies. Here's a band with a DIY attitude, and who still pack a powerful punch." -- The Boston Phoenix

"Delivered about an hour of driving rock that could be described as analogous to a freight train creaming right at you. And then, just before it hits you head on, it stops, leaving you short of breath." -- The Daily Collegian
"An inspired set that was the evenings liveliest, filled with fiery, frenetic songs." -- The Hartford Courant

"See them live if you can." -- V Mag