Liz Phair shares her "Fun" in D.C.

Some artists tend to make a splash with every career move. Liz Phair is one of them.

The indie music queen of the '90s made waves with her brazen lyrics of one-night stands, divorce, and oral sex. Backlash came in 2003 when Phair signed to major label Capitol Records and hit the mainstream with hit single “Why Can’t I?” Though the record spawned Phair’s highest-charting single, many denounced her a bubblegum-pop sellout.

“I’m coming to realize the only way I can boil it down, and I would have never said this before, but I’m a female who pretty much does what she wants,” said Phair, 43. “And I’m afraid, even in our modern age, that’s pretty radical. I think I pay for it in a lot of different ways, but I’m also sort of noticeable for that.”

Still raging the waters, Phair plays Washington D.C.’s 930 Club this Friday to promote her latest record, “Funstyle.”

Phair’s ties with Capitol were short-lived. In 2008, it seemed she was returning to her indie roots when she signed to ATO Records and reissued her legendary 1993 album, “Exile in Guyville.” However, after submitting a batch of new songs to ATO in 2010, Phair was shot down by industry heads who wanted a more “Guyville-esque” sound. Phair, tired of waiting in limbo and refusing to alter the tracks, asked to be let go from her contract.

            “They were making me hide my ugly stepchild in the closet, and you don’t put baby in the closet,” said Phair. “You just can’t ask a true artist to clean up and fly right. That’s not what we do; we’re called upon by some other voice.”

The risqué songstress – not one to cower in the face of rejection – packed her songs, called her lawyer, and said she wanted to release a record in three days.

            “I don’t want this music that I love, just because it’s weird, to be buried alive,” she said. “I just don’t like to be told what to do.”

            Phair’s sixth album, “Funstyle,” was cryptically released via her website in early July. The new material caught fans and the music industry off guard. The hushed release wasn’t backed by press or a promotional tour; only a brief statement on the site:

“You were never supposed to hear these songs. These songs lost me my management, my record deal and a lot of nights of sleep … love them, or hate them, but don’t mistake them for anything other than an entirely personal, un-tethered-from-the-machine, free for all view of the world, refracted through my own crazy lens,” Phair posted.

In October, “Funstyle” received a proper CD launch online and in stores through Rocket Science Ventures.

Phair said it was “refreshing” to share material in such an untraditional form. She had no reservations about the initial low-key release because she knew she’d promote it later and preferred not to have everything planned ahead of time.

“I want to grow just like a plant does or a relationship does. I want to grow with the record,” she said.

            “Funstyle” is an extremely experimental, tongue-in-cheek collection that includes rapping, heavy voice distortions, disco, soul, sing-speaking … you name it. At times, Phair takes aim at record execs who shunned her (“U Hate it”) and blasts high-power antics of the music biz (“Smoke”).

            The new songs have received some healthy praise, along with a hefty amount of harsh reviews, all of which Phair takes in stride.

            “Sometimes you win the lottery ... sometimes you’re villainized and you’re and idiot or offensive or horrifying. It’s been going on since impressionist painters,” said Phair. “Why people get pissed about art, I’ll never know.”

            Responding to critics questioning her musical direction, the “Whip-Smart” crooner decided to make “Funstyle” a double-disc to include an assortment of demos from “Girlysound,” the underground sensation of three cassettes Phair recorded in the early '90s prior to “Guyville.”

            Phair said pairing the collections was a natural fit because “Girlysound’s” tracks show the root of “Funstyle’s” playful approach.

            The “Polyester Bride” singer is currently having fun playing a slew of East Coast dates and plans to tour well into next year.

            “I’m in no way stopping touring because I’ve actually taken to it for the first time,” said Phair, who is amped to return to the District.

“I absolutely love coming to D.C. I think it’s one of the best kept secrets in America,” she said.

Phair explained people tend to focus on D.C.’s politics and often overlook the
architecture, restaurants and culture.

Fans need not worry that Phair’s concert will rely only on new tunes; she said she’s prepared an eclectic mix for her sets. 

“We really are playing songs from all the different records. The show is a lot bigger … in the sense that it’s my whole career,” said Phair. “It’s for any fan of any era; you’re going o get two or three of your favorite songs.”