Selene Vigil-Wilk has nothing to bitch about

We catch up with the 7 Year Bitch frontwoman who is now happily married with two kids, a beverage company, and a brand-new solo debut

By Niema Jordan
Published: September 28th, 2010 | 10:00am

“I did it for myself. It’s not like [I thought it was] going to sell kabillions,’” explains Selene Vigil-Wilk of her debut solo release That Was Then (Tuck & Roll). The former frontwoman of Seattle punk rock band 7 Year Bitch is taking a break from moving boxes on a hot and sunny southern California day. “I just wanted to get this off my chest. Hopefully some people out there will like it and I’ll be able to break even. That would be cool.” Despite the fact that she’s doing hard labor in weather that she describes as “hotter than my hot tub,” Vigil-Wilk is in a good mood. And she’s ready to share her calm, step-by-step, day-by-day approach to life within her new music.

Living on her own terms by doing what makes her happy and what seems natural is the modus operandi for Vigil-Wilk these days. In the years since 7 Year Bitch disbanded, she has been quite the busy woman. She’s moved to the Golden State, married Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, and had two little boys. She’s also worked a few odd jobs, become a certified Pilates instructor, and started a business. Now, she is back on the music scene with her first solo album.

That Was Then is a collection of songs recorded during different points of her hiatus from the music scene. “I was just sitting there one night and I came to this realization that I wanted to put these songs out,” she notes. The album marks Vigil-Wilk’s coming into a certain “head space,” where she’s made peace with the things that fell apart. Being in 7 Year Bitch, the singer was no stranger to trauma. After the breakup Vigil-Wilk found herself in Los Angeles, navigating a rough patch with former bandmates (they are on good terms now), disconnected from her friends back in Seattle, and not finding many new friends in the fame-searching Hollywood types. Vigil-Wilk tried making music in the midst of it all, but it just didn’t seem to work. So she took a break.

But it wasn’t exactly downtime. While on tour with U2, her husband started having health troubles. Once he was stateside, Vigil-Wilk encouraged him to go to the doctor, and he was later diagnosed with late onset Type 1 Diabetes. “It was a radical change for him and for us,” explains Vigil-Wilk who was working in a health food store at the time. “I found this stuff called Stevia—it’s a sweetner that doesn’t raise your blood sugar, so I brought it home.” Soon their blend of guava, lemonade, and Stevia was a household staple and a favorite of friends. Before long, the couple decided to bottle it up for the masses and start Olade. Now that the company is up and running, Vigil-Wilk finally has had the chance to return to music.

Although this time around, she decided to go the independent route to showcase her music. Once the album was ready to go, people wondered why she hadn’t contacted them to release the LP. “It didn’t come into the picture that I needed to find a record label to put it out for me,” she notes. Releasing an album on her own label offered a change in perspective on the music industry. Years ago she would have done interviews, taken pictures, and scheduled in-store visits begrudgingly. “Now I get what it takes to do this.” Whether she’ll go the independent route again is up in the air. Vigil-Wilk isn’t even sure if she’ll record another album. But, she is open to working with friends and family on personal projects. It would have to be…music that I really want to work with,” she explains. “I don’t think I would go out and just be scouting bands.”

As for the tour, that’s up in the air too.

“If touring seems like a natural progression of things, then great. I just gotta take this thing one day at a time and make my decisions based on how the music is received,” she says. “There are so many things that I have going on.” These days she is up by 7:30 with the kids and spending a lot of time attached to her computer or iPhone. She complains about her attachment to technology, but she also enjoys the perk of being able to have her children around all of the time. “I’m able to travel and be remote in different areas and still conduct business,” she says proudly, noting that she’s never been away from her family for more than one night.

So was this all in the plan? When Vigil-Wilk was recording and playing with bandmates in the '90s, is this the life she envisioned? Except for the beverage company, she offers a resounding yes. “I wanted to be married. I wanted to have kids,” she explains. “I’m happy I am. I’ve done a lot. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. This is what my life is supposed to be. I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

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Selene Vigil-Wilk MySpace page