Phranc, at Pine Street Theatre, Portland, OR, January 26, and at The Backstage, Seattle, WA, January 27, 1990

This poster advertises two performances by Phranc, a self-proclaimed “All-American Jewish lesbian folksinger,” at Pine Street Theatre in Portland and The Backstage in Seattle, in January 1990. 

Phranc, born Susan Gottlieb in 1957, is a singer and songwriter who began her career in the 1970s Los Angeles Punk Rock scene. Her first band, Nervous Gender, was influential in the development of the Electropunk genre. She has opened for bands including The Smiths, Husker Du, Violent Femmes, and Billy Bragg. Phranc was influential in the Queercore movement, recognized by performances with Team Dresch, Bikini Kill, Hole, and others. She has since become a visual artist and resides with her family in Santa Monica, California. 

The Pine Street Theatre opened at 221 SE 9th Street in Portland, Oregon in 1980. Until it closed in 1991, the theatre hosted numerous Punk bands, including Soundgarden, Nirvana, and The Replacements. The Backstage was a Seattle nightclub which opened at 2208 NW Market Street in Ballard in 1985 by Lowen Clausen, who sold it to Ed Beeson, and then Craig Osbun. The Backstage hosted musicians from all genres, from Folk to Rock to Reggae, among others, including The Presidents of the United States of America, Merle Haggard, The Subdudes, The Posies, Mudhoney, and Billy Bragg. The venue closed in 1997.