Before grunge, before SoDo stadiums, and before Seattle as a "world-class city," the Student Nurse band insistently plied their brand of participatory weirdness. They're back now with a new lineup and new music. Leader Helena Rogers recently took some questions from the SGN.

Andrew Hamlin: How long has the band been back together? Who's in the lineup now?

Helena Rogers: We re-formed the band on a bit of a lark back in May of 2022. Eric Muhs and Dennis White put together a 28-song compilation from 1979 to 1984 called Think for Yourself. We were invited by Larry Reid of Fantagraphics to play a few songs to commemorate the release.

The current lineup is David Ehrich on guitar, James Lord on drums, Eric Muhs on bass, and myself on lead guitar and vocals.

AH: How does playing live now compare and contrast with the old days?

HR: Playing live now is incredible; I feel way more intentional and can own my power as a musician much more easily. Also, putting the gigs together has been so much easier, no more cold-calling and a lot less scrapping in general!

AH: You were always butch, or at least a nonfemme, in your presentation. How has your treatment in public and private changed over the years?

HR: I am and have always been oblivious to this, then and now. I don't have the time or the inclination to be other than who I am! No one comes up to me and says, "Hey you, tone down that butch thing" or "Why don't you wear a skirt once in a while?"

However, lately I have been thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, people do have internalized opinions, and I may rub some people the wrong way. But as a septuagenarian, do I really need to give a rat's ass? To put it in Muhammad Ali's words, "I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

AH: How has the acceptance of your out-and-proud stance changed over the years in the Seattle music scene?

HR: Again, I am too busy living to contemplate this issue. I, probably like many people, have struggled with group acceptance, before and after coming out as Queer, so I just row my own boat and hope it doesn't spring a leak!

AH: What are your favorite and least-favorite things about the current Seattle scene, LGBT+ and otherwise?

HR: It is much harder to identify LGBT+ folks these days, Everyone looks a bit Queer to me, and that's kind of the way I prefer it. Labels, separatism, group affinity — not my cup of tea.

I do have a certain respect for the folks out there who have remained LGBT+ activists and keep the ball moving forward, even if it has become a bit more of an uphill climb. Thanks for that, you know who you are!

AH: You took up painting about a decade ago. Who are your favorite painters, and how do they influence you? How do your painting and your music influence each other?

HR: Seeing Vincent van Gogh's work in Amsterdam left me haunted by the ability of someone [to squeeze] goop out of a tube onto a piece of board or cloth and [transform] it to a living, vibrating entity. I will never forget that experience. For me, without music, there would be no painting. The transitions back and forth are ethereal in nature to my sense of being.

AH: What's in Student Nurse's future, gigwise and recordwise?

HR: We are currently planning a record for early 2025. We have the material for it, but first we need to repair a couple of body parts, which will mean a couple months of rest. Gig invitations are starting to roll in for late spring!

Student Nurse will play Tim's Tavern in White Center on February 1. Doors open at 4:00 p.m.