Penelope Houston is an iconic punk rock queen. As the fierce singer and songwriter for San Francisco’s legendary band The Avengers, she was among the first boundary-pushing wave of American women fronting punk bands. A year after forming, The Avengers made a splash opening for The Sex Pistols’ last show at Winterland Ballroom. Over the years, Penelope’s music took a softer turn as she helped originate the West Coast neo-folk movement, touring incessantly through Europe and winning several awards in the 1990’s. Forty five years after forming, The Avengers are back and still going strong. In this episode, Penelope and hostess Pleasant Gehman chat about the band’s recent European tour, the band’s early years, and the late 70’s California punk scene in both San Francisco and LA. Penelope also talks about her close connection with The Screamers; working with director Renee Daalder, what that infamous Sex Pistols show was really like, and much more.

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