Flotard

It's no wonder National Public Radio called Flotard "the human incarnation of the Energizer Bunny."

The Seattle Times 2011

Flotard used that propulsion to push her voice and tightly wound song structures to the limit, resulting in a stream of influences - from their native grunge to The Ramones and the Raspberries - flashing through the songs.

In concert: Visqueen at Black Cat 2010

Live, supported by the bass and vocals of Christina Bautista and the electric cello of Barb Hunter, Flotard coiled and struck like a snake, more powerful and aggressive than Case ever was.

In concert: Visqueen at Black Cat 2010

The busiest of days, though, doesn't go by without Flotard thinking about her dad George, a New Jersey native and construction worker who passed away April 7, 2008, after battling prostate cancer that was first diagnosed in 2001.

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009

Yet Flotard remains a constant woman in motion, a whirling dervish with freckles as identifiable as the flaming red hair color on her head.

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009

Flotard provides the spark and supplies the heat to keep this flame burning through a downpour.

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009

The group adopted the name "because Kim Warnick loved the word," Flotard said.

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009

Kyla Fairchild, the publisher of Americana/roots music website NoDepression. com who is plugged into the Seattle music scene, has been following Visqueen since its inception, when Flotard and drummer Ben Hooker left behind Hafacat and joined forces with Kim Warnick (previously a member of one of Seattle's finest, the Fastbacks).

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009

While "So Long," Flotard admits, is definitely a paean to pa, haunting words on other songs suggest dying is a constant theme, albeit played as a high-energy assault on the senses.

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009

Writing such personal prose for an album that plays at a frenzied pace could have been an exhausting examination, especially considering the emotional circumstances staring down Flotard.

Michael Bialas: Interview: Visqueen's Rachel Flotard Sends a Powerful Message 2009