Cypher In The Snow
Cypher in the Snow was an all-women queercore band from San Francisco, California. Active in the mid-to-late 1990s, the group became known for its feminist politics, confrontational live shows, and a sound that combined punk with an unusually wide range of instruments. Their lineup shifted several times over their short existence, but the band left a mark on the queercore movement through recordings, tours, and contributions to important compilations.
How The Band Got Started
Cypher in the Snow first gained attention at the 1996 Dirtybird Queercore Festival in San Francisco. The festival was a landmark event, bringing together bands like Tribe 8, Sta-Prest, The Need, and Behead the Prophet No Lord Shall Live. A review of one of the group’s shows the following year in Santa Cruz described their sound as “feminist punk” rooted in sharp political anger. That description captured the mix of energy and activism that defined their music.
Lineup and Instrumentation
The original lineup included Anna Joy Springer, formerly of Blatz and Gr’ups, on vocals; Daniel Sea (then known as Dan-yella Dyslexia) on guitar; Rusten (as Shari Lambchop) on drums; Ulla McKnight (as Ulla Imd) on vocals; Margaret Hitchcock on trumpet; Chloe Sherman (as Chloe Little Hope) on bass; and Lala Hulse on banjo and lap steel. Juliana Snapper later joined as a guest vocalist on the song “Rock Opera.” When Rusten departed to play with The Third Sex, Paula Cronan stepped in on drums.
Unlike many punk groups of the era, Cypher in the Snow incorporated instruments such as accordion, trumpet, banjo, and lap steel into their arrangements. This gave their music a distinctive edge, merging traditional punk aggression with unexpected textures.
Second Incarnation
The band later re-formed with a new lineup that included Dorothy Wang on guitar, Elitrea Frye on guitar, and Carmen White as vocalist and lyricist. This version of Cypher in the Snow toured the Pacific Northwest and continued to play shows in the Bay Area before disbanding.
During this time, Toni Gogin of Sleater-Kinney also joined the group on tour as a guest guitarist, adding further links between Cypher in the Snow and the wider punk community.
Recordings and Contributions
The band’s discography included a 7-inch single with Outpunk, the first record label dedicated to queer punk, as well as a full-length album released on Candy Ass Records. They also appeared on Free to Fight, a compilation created with Sleater-Kinney and others, which was focused on women’s self-defense. Their music combined the personal with the political, offering both direct calls to action and raw, emotional expression.
Cypher in the Snow also appeared in the documentary film She’s Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane, which highlighted voices from across the 1990s queer feminist punk underground.
Post-Band Projects
- Anna Joy Springer toured with Sister Spit and later became an author and professor at UC San Diego.
- Juliana Snapper and Paula Cronan collaborated on intermedia art projects.
- Lala Hulse joined the band The Whoreshoes.
- Margaret Hitchcock formed Dyspecific and The Galloping Sea, both queer-focused bands in San Francisco.
- Daniel Sea came out as non-binary and became an actor, best known for playing Max Sweeney on The L Word.
- Rusten played in other punk groups, including the all-female band Harum-Scarum.
- Ulla McKnight earned a PhD in Sociology and conducted research on HIV specialist antenatal care.
Discography
- Badass and Free, 7” single (Outpunk, 1996)
- Blow Away the Glitter Diamonds From the Crown, CD (Candy Ass Records, 1997)
- Free to Fight, compilation single with Sleater-Kinney and others (Candy Ass Records, 1998)
- So You Have an STD, 7” single (Bad Monkey Records, 1998)
