D.C. Musician Erin Frisby on the Minneapolis Tragedies That Fueled Her Haunting, Cathartic New Music

Erin Frisby didn’t want to write the song “Fuckin’ Bitch.” But events that transpired in Minneapolis in January 2026 changed everything. Triggered by the aftermath of an ICE agent’s killing of Renee Good, a queer mother, the Washington, D.C., artist couldn’t get the final words that transpired between perpetrator and victim out of her head.

And when she’d barely finished writing that song when ICU Nurse Alex Pretti was killed, also in Minneapolis, less than two weeks later.

“It cuts emotionally in so many ways,” Erin tells Rockmommy. “Anger and sadness for the family. Devastation for her wife. And the aftermath of watching the murder justified over and over again. The character assassination. The homophobia. The cruel laughter. The words “fucking bitch’, the words the murderer said after he shot her. The words that revealed his motive kept going over and over in my head. I’ve had them directed at me so many times. I think so many of us feel the weight of their meaning. Then one day they came out of my mouth really soft and I was like, ‘oh yeah that’s a song.’

While both songs are painful to listen to, they’re nevertheless beautifully created, with Erin’s haunting vocals taking on the full weight of the pain she feels, through each lyric, ultimately seeking catharsis — and community. And while these songs — available on her Bandcamp artist page — aren’t for the faint of heart, they’re important bodies of work, nonetheless (you can also watch the video, posted here, created by musician, visual artist, and Erin’s partner Selena Benally).

We caught up with Erin to talk more about “Fuckin’ Bitch,” “Storm of The Century,” and staying creative during divisive times.

Rockmommy: Hi Erin. Let’s get right into it: You’ve released two powerful singles this winter— songs you didn’t even envision writing. Let’s talk about “Fuckin’ Bitch” first. It’s haunting, angry, and powerful. Tell us how the events in Minneapolis ultimately propelled the song into existence. 

Erin Frisby: There’s so much going on. It’s difficult to process day to day. I think a lot of that is by design. A deluge of despair. It gives the appearance of insurmountable power by sheer quantity and horror. I had been waking up to constant ICE raids in my own neighborhood and escalating news.

For some reason I had started to think a lot about the climax of The Great Gatsby where Gatsby demands that Daisy say she’s only loved him and never loved Tom. Instead she says she loved him too. On some level it’s revealed that the American promise is a lie and that the country will never only love the self-made man and reject European-style inherited status and wealth. And it’s a ridiculous thought because we can see how Black and blue collar people have been treated in the story. I had been thinking about this in the context of American white women. Like, when will you know that this country will never choose you? No matter what you do. This country will choose the worst, most horrific, most undeserving man before you every time. And then Renee Good was shot. And it cuts emotionally in so many ways. Anger and sadness for the family. Devastation for her wife. And the aftermath of watching the murder justified over and over again. The character assassination. The homophobia. The cruel laughter. The words “fucking bitch’, the words the murderer said after he shot her.

The words that revealed his motive kept going over and over in my head. I’ve had them directed at me so many times. I think so many of us feel the weight of their meaning. Then one day they came out of my mouth really soft and I was like, oh yeah that’s a song. It’s angry but it’s something other than a scream. It’s the acknowledgement of something painful but true about our culture and about our country.

Rockmommy: Your liner notes on Bandcamp something that isn’t talked about much — that the perpetrator of Renee Good’s killing was “roused to violence by the existence of a lesbian couple” and his contempt for them. Why aren’t more people talking about this? From your vantage point as a queer woman and artist, how does that sit with you?

Erin Frisby: I know that a lot of people saw themselves in Renee Good. Some people because she was a young mother. And some people woke up to this killing specifically because she was a white victim of state violence, which several Black writers have excellently and rightfully pointed out. I was surprised though to see that in many places her queerness was erased. Becca Good was marginalized in the story in some places and mocked or blamed in others. 

And to me, as a gender-fluid lesbian, that was such a crucial part of what happened. I saw something so familiar in male rage being provoked by a queer couple, by a butch woman. That was the motive right there. The refusal to reflect back deference to his masculinity in the way that was demanded resulted in punishment. That’s a really common occurrence and something I’ve experienced. You see people go into a fawning response to prevent it. You even see admissions of it. People will literally advise you to just “act right” in your gender in order to prevent violence being done to you. 

Rockmommy: Barely two weeks later, ICE agents murdered Alex Pretti, you wrote another song, “Storm of The Century.” Yet again, this was one you didn’t want to write but felt like you needed to write. Other artists (e.g., Bruce Springsteen) are also releasing songs. Why are these songs important? 

Erin Frisby: For so many reasons! We’re documenting this moment. Not just the facts but the feel of it. Music helps people to process difficult and complex emotions and to make it through dark and heavy times. Songs help us to pull together and give us inspiration and energy to keep going. You’ll notice how little new music and art comes out of MAGA. You see a lot of AI and a lot of rehashed covers, spoofs, and generic types of “jokes”. Creativity is power. Art and music are power. 

Rockmommy: Nationally, the silver lining of tragedy and the loss of normalcy is that we’re seeing a revival of political folk in the mainstream. How can we seize and expand this moment?

Erin Frisby: Much like organizing, the key is to get to the local level. Organize and support local events and local artists who are doing the work with their neighbors and local organizations. Share music! Make playlists and share videos and tracks. Keep everyone’s spirits up with new protest music. This especially helps smaller artists. And it’s great for everyone to have diverse artists to draw on. I’ve heard some great protest songs, but men are a little overrepresented in the genre in the media at the moment. Check out Carsie Blanton, Crys Matthews, Heather Mae, and Lucinda Williams’s new record.

Rockmommy: Let’s talk about the video you are releasing with Selena Benally, your partner. How did that come together? 

Erin Frisby: Selena is incredibly talented. She’s one of the greatest musicians I know. She’s in Ammonite and More AM Than FM. She’s also a great graphic designer and video artist. She just jumped right in and was like, come on, we’re shooting a video. We shot it in the house during a blizzard. We’ve been pulling a lot of all nighters, recording, writing, and editing. She had all of these incredible ideas for scrolling words and static and lights. We were able to make something impactful with basically no budget. 

Rockmommy: Any last words for musicians who might be afraid to create protest songs or radical art during divisive times? 

Erin Frisby: It doesn’t have to be one thing or one style. It’s most important that it’s real and emotionally connected. Think about what you need, whether that’s comfort, or an outlet, or to know you aren’t alone, and let that feeling flow. 

[SEE RELATED: D.C. Indie Rocker Erin Frisby on Ecdysis — and Navigating the Uncharted Territories of Love and Inspiration]