Catching up with Stine Bendiksen, the Cocktail Slippers’ Rocket Queen

The Cocktail Slippers are musically and visually dazzling — playing everything from cool surf-rock riffs to fired-up punk anthems while prancing the stage in sparkly, sequined bodysuits.

But above all else, the stylish quintet hailing from Oslo and formed in 2001 is devoted to the carefree spirit of rock n’ roll. They live to defy expectations around what they should look like or sound like. They also live to defy expectations of what motherhood, and the juggle between day jobs, band life, and raising kids, can or should be.

“My child was about four years old when I formed the Cocktail Slippers,” Stine Bendiksen, Cocktail Slippers’ guitarist and founding member, also known as Rocket Queen, tells Rockmommy. “Music has always been it’s such a big part of me that it was never an option not to play in the rock n’roll band.”

As such, the formidable Norwegian band’s latest single “I Still Dream You” — out March 8 on International Women’s Day — celebrates that freedom and passion.

We recently caught up with Bendiksen to talk about all of the big things — from signing with Steven Van Zandt’s (aka “Little Steven”) Wicked Cool Records, to playing with big international stars and riding the wave of rock n’ roll sisterhood.

Rockmommy: You’ve been a band, technically since 2001! Tell us how the Cocktail Slippers got started!

Stine Bendiksen: We started in like 2001 so it’s been it’s been a couple of years. The Cocktail Slippers sprung out of another old girl band — with me and Sugar Cane our bass player [née Astrid Waller]. When the lead singer quit we were kind of like, ‘okay, let’s start something new.’

The thing about being a woman or a girl in a rock band with ambitions is it’s really hard when you have kids. You know, because we breastfeed and have other responsibilities, we can’t have control of the schedule like the guys can. A lot of women give up because it’s too hard. It is very complicated. So that’s why I guess we have had like a lot of people in and out of the band.

Rockmommy: How old are your kids?

Stine Bendiksen: Oh, my kids are 19 and 25. My oldest child was about four years old when I formed the Cocktail Slippers. Music has always been it’s such a big part of me that it was never an option not to play in the rock n’ roll band.

Rockmommy: How did you get your start as a musician before you became a mom?

Stine Bendiksen: I started playing drums when I was seven. My dad had a drum kit in the kitchen but I stopped playing because I got discouraged. My mom had an acoustic guitar and taught me a few chords and then I started playing the guitar and the piano. The guitar was just the instrument that fit me. It wasn’t planned — it just happened.

Rockmommy: So how did you meet Steven Van Zandt?

Stine Bendiksen: It’s one crazy story. We had just released our first album and then maybe a year after we released it, we get a phone call from an American lady who says, like, ‘hi, I’m calling from Little Steven’s office.’ And we’re like, ‘yeah, right.’ But she’s like, ‘there’s this festival at Randall’s Island in New York. He’s been playing your song on his radio show a lot. And he really wants you guys to come play at that festival.’ We thought it was fun prank. But it turned out to be true.

That’s when we first met Stevie. And I was seven months pregnant at the time, so I play my guitar on the side, you know? I ended up talking to Stevie] because obviously I couldn’t party like all the other girls.

We were talking about the music scene in Norway and I told him I found it really frustrating not to have a record label that just believes in the music that’s not, like, all about the numbers. So, then he called me about a year later and said, ‘I’ve been thinking about what we talked about and I’m starting a label, and I would like to sign you guys on my label.’

Rockmommy: I read in an interview that you don’t like to be limited by genre, like punk or metal, but I love your cool glam rock vibe!

Stine Bendiksen: We don’t want to just go on stage in, like, everyday outfits! But yes, I guess like maybe 10 years ago or something, we got a little fed up when a Norwegian journalist would always just comment on our outfits, like, ‘why do they have to be like such an image band?’ So we were like, ‘screw it. Let’s just go all the way with sequins and glamour.’

Rockmommy: I love that so you just ownership of the negative criticism, and were like, ‘you know what? We’re going to push it even further.’

Stine Bendiksen: Even more, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Rockmommy: Who are your musical influences, as a band?

Stine Bendiksen: I love the ’70s drummers, and I also really love the old New York punk scene from the 70s and early 80s. So I’m more rock ‘n’ roll punkish — and I grew up with Michael Jackson and Madonna. Other members are more into prog rock, or other stuff. But when we start playing it together, whatever we’re doing just becomes a Cocktail Slippers song.

Rockmommy: How do the moms in the band make everything work?

Stine Bendiksen: Sugar has three kids and Hope has one, too! When you have kids, you need to be with them, regardless of if you have a partner or not. And then all of us have full-time day jobs as well. We’ve been fortunate — I had my kids really early so they were bigger when Sugar started having kids so eventually, my kids were big enough to look after the small ones while we had the soundcheck, but it is hard.

Rockmommy: It’s so hard to make money on tour. How do you keep your band going, financially?

Stine Bendiksen: We still have day jobs and we are fortunate enough that in Norway, we get quite decently paid, especially on festivals and stuff like that. But we go to other countries, it will cost a small fortune to travel.

Rockmommy: I was watching you play guitar and I was blown away. What kind of gear do you love?

Stine Bendiksen: Oh, well, I play Gibson guitars. I mean, I’ve tried a lot of different guitars. I really wanted to have a Telecaster. I’ve tried them like 100 times. I mostly play the SG now — I have what’s called Jr. Special Edition, which I love. I like Melody Makers and SGs because they are smaller.

Rockmommy: What’s next for the band?

Stine Bendiksen: We’re coming back to the United States and have quite a few festivals in Scandinavia pretty soon that we already booked so it’s gonna be a good year.

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.