The Ballard rock band The Kegels calls itself a “mommy band.” The three musician-moms played recently at the Poggie Tavern in West Seattle. From left to right, Penny Webb on bass, Kristen Hamann on drums, and Jennifer Murphy Taylor on guitar.
While the Ballard band The Kegels call themselves a “mommy band,” they nurse their audience with an edgy vibe.
The band’s name refers to pelvic floor exercises, and their CD’s name, “Totally Effaced,” refers to the cervix becoming completely thinned during labor to allow delivery.
“It’s a ‘mom thing,’” said bandleader Penny Webb, a mother of two, who plays bass guitar. Drummer Kristen Hamann and guitarist Jennifer Murphy Taylor are also Ballard moms.
“When our band started I didn’t really care if we were good,” Webb said. “I just wanted to play and get it off my chest. Our music is about parents, kids, and getting pissed off. We’re each about 40, and are seizing our creativity. Throughout our lives we’re told we’re not good enough. Then we have kids and have no life and forget who we are.”
Webb did get strong encouragement from her husband, Dean, also a musician. She said he was the band’s biggest fan.
“I started the band in 2004, a year after he was diagnosed with cancer,” said Webb. “He died in 2006. The band was a good release, and my band-mates urged me to continue after he died.”
The Kegels made their debut at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club in Ballard.
“Our band is about letting our feelings go free,” said Hamann, adding, “You go into this total mindset when you’ve had a baby. Nobody tells you what it’s like and nobody else understands you unless they’re a parent.”
Added Taylor, “Our kids all go to Adams (Elementary). It feels like we go there too because we’re there all the time.”
So how do they get away from the kids to gig? Not easily.
“We’re a mommy band, and the bane of our existence is that it’s hard to find a baby sitter," said Taylor.
