Fisty Adds Bluesy Punch to Brooklyn’s Rock Scene

Fisty On Stage/ photo by Blair Hopkins / courtesy of Fisty

Chantal, Rebecca, Heidi, and Lola are the front women for the band Fisty, formed in Brooklyn in 2008. Guitarist Heidi calls their sound “alternative, feminist, blues-based rock with a moody atmosphere,” while rhythm guitarist and vocalist Lola describes it as, “Sm58 mics, going through an 8-track analog board, all around a seedy rock bar.”

Coming originally from all over the country and having various musical influences, the band was established over a series of meetings through mutual friends and Craigslist ads. Lola and the band’s drummer, Rebecca, teamed up and after about two years, through answered ads and connections, they found bassist Chantal and lead guitarist Heidi, becoming the group they are today.

The band told Brooklyn Roads that choosing Fisty as their name comes with a literary backstory. Rebecca says, “I was re-reading ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ and there’s a scene where Holden’s sister, Phoebe, punches him in the arm and he says that she can be quite ‘fisty’ at times. I thought it was a funny word and Lola and I both liked it.”

Fisty Gathering/ photo by Blair Hopkins / courtesy of Fisty

Influenced by various types of music genres they grew up with, from classic blues to ’80s pop hits, they released a single this past May entitled “Man Child.” The song was in the works for quite a while, Lola says. Regarding the subject matter, she adds, “Everybody deserves their own anthem, even the narcissist.”

Speaking on new music, “We have at least a couple of songs we’ve been working on. COVID really threw a wrench in things as most bands will agree,” Rebecca tells us. Adds Heidi, “We’ve all been writing at home and once this thing is over, we can all be together [and] bring our ideas to the table.”

What else does the future hold for Fisty? The members of the band say they would love to collaborate with artists such as L7, Kelly Halloran, and fellow Brooklynites Creek and Kills, among many others, and plan to write more songs soon as more influences pour in.

“The political/social climate has been both inspiring and total mayhem,” says Lola. “Rock is most impacting whilst sleeping with mayhem, so let’s see.”