Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Scott.
Hi Jess, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Subpar Snatch started because our drummer, CeeCee Email, got tired of being told there wasn’t room for her full self in other projects. She wanted to drum in drag, and when the bands she was playing with weren’t interested in making space for that, she decided to start her own. She already had a strong musical foundation with our original bassist, Nate Ribner, from previous bands, so the rhythm section was there from day one. When I came on as frontwoman, I brought a background in comedy and songwriting, plus a vocal style that gave us the freedom to jump between genres without feeling boxed in by expectations.
Over the last four years, we’ve built something we’re incredibly proud of. We’ve developed a loyal following in Austin by putting on energetic, unpredictable shows and staying committed to being exactly who we are. Along the way, we’ve also been lucky enough to evolve as a band. Most recently, we’ve been blessed to bring on bassist Paris Mygatt from local metal band Bat Lips. Paris has injected a whole new level of musicianship and intensity into the band. His style pushes us creatively, tightens our sound, and has helped elevate what we’re capable of both onstage and in the studio. It’s one of those rare lineup changes that fills a role and opens new doors.
Getting here has been a lesson in patience, persistence, and doing things on our own terms. We’ve grown at the pace of our own wallets, which sometimes means slowing down until we can afford the next step. We’ve never had a black book of industry connections, grant funding, or crowdfunding campaigns to lean on. Even when we partnered with a label for our second EP, that relationship only worked because we were able to fund our side of it. Every show, recording session, and release has come from a combination of hard work, stubborn determination, and a genuine love for making music together.
Four years in, we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to survive and thrive in Austin’s music scene. We didn’t get here through shortcuts. We got here by betting on our weird, sh*t-a$$ selves. We build community one show at a time, and continue to grow as musicians and performers. And with the band we have now, it feels like we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been the most fun road. TBH the struggles have mostly been stuff around the music rather than the music itself. Songwriting has been one of the easiest parts of this band. Both of our bassists, Nate and now Paris, have always brought amazing ideas that click naturally with CeeCee and I. Sometimes songs come together so quickly it feels almost suspicious.
The harder part has been wearing all the other hats. For the first three years, social media felt like a completely separate full-time job. When you don’t have a budget, you’re the marketing department.
Design has actually been one of my favorite parts of being in this band. I’ve created about 99% of our merch and release designs myself, and I love having that ability to conceive of an idea and then also make it and publish it. The only exception was the artwork for our EP *Get In Here*, which was created through our partnership with Stupid Monday Records.
CeeCee handles our local booking, and that’s been its own learning curve. These days it’s more like a part-time job because they’ve really learned the ecosystem of Austin venues (at least until all the talent buyers and venue staff/ownership change again.) Regional touring is a different beast entirely, so we’ve leaned on peers who have their own part time gigs booking regional runs for mid-level bands like us. It’s more efficient than trying to reinvent the wheel ourselves.
The biggest challenge has probably been funding needed to remain competitive in today’s market. If the band fund can’t cover something, it comes out of our day-job paychecks. So a lot of our growth has been a balancing act between paying rent, maintaining some kind of personal life, and investing in the band. We’ve had to move slower than we’d like at times, but the upside is that everything we’ve built is ours. Every release, every tour, every weird merch idea, every packed room, we earned it 🙂
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our first full length comes out in 2027 🙂 Stay tuned…
At our core, we make loud, high-energy garage punk rock for people who are tired of being told to sit down or stay in their lane. Subpar Snatch was built around the idea that people should be allowed to show up as their full selves. Whether that’s CeeCee drumming in drag, me screaming about things that make me angry, or all of us finding ways to exist in spaces that weren’t necessarily designed for us.
Musically, we’re known for doing a lot with very little. No guitars. Just drums, bass, vocals, and a lot of attitude. Sometimes we get added to alternative indie playlists as well as garage punk. Also the playlists we get added to are from all over the world- it’s bananas. Retail spots, gyms, work out playlist and make out playlists. Those are the usual Subpar Snatch playlist offenders lol. I think people tend to remember the energy of our live shows, the humor we bring into our songwriting, and the fact that we don’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects. Our songs can be ridiculous one minute and deadly serious the next because that’s what life feels like.
We’ve tried to not treat the band as just entertainment or just business. We care deeply about our community and about the rights of women, especially here in Texas. A lot of people are comfortable posting an infographic and calling it activism. We’re more interested in showing up, speaking up, and using whatever platform we’ve built to support the people being targeted. When women’s rights are under attack in Texas, that’s not some abstract political issue to us. It’s our friends, our families, our neighbors, and ourselves.
What sets us apart is that we’re willing to get our hands dirty. Nobody handed us a blueprint, a budget, or a list of industry contacts. We book shows, design merch, run socials, load gear, drive ourselves across the state, and fund this thing with our day jobs. Every member of this band contributes beyond their instrument. I think that’s part of why people connect with us.
More than anything, I’m proud that we didn’t chase trends. We didn’t wait for permission. If Subpar Snatch is known for anything, I hope it’s that we’re unapologetically ourselves and that we’re willing to fight for the people and causes we care about. We want to leave Texas a little louder, weirder, and a lot harder to push around than we found it.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I don’t think of us as risk-takers in the reckless sense. We still want to pay our bills and keep the band moving forward. But artistically? We don’t pull many punches. That’s not by design, it’s just who we’ve always been and still are.
A good example is our song *Cletus the Fetus*. On the surface, it can sound like a goofy novelty song. People see the title and assume it’s a joke. And it kind of is- the darkest, saddest joke I’ve ever written. Right from the opening lyrics, it calls out local politicians and celebrity comedians who profit from feeding the manosphere and reinforcing some of the worst parts of modern patriarchy. The humor gets people in the door, but the song itself comes from a place of deep frustration and grief.
Releasing songs like this is a risk. Talking openly about politics online is a risk. Remember how I said we all have day jobs? lol. We’ve made TikToks speaking honestly about the realities we see around us and we’ve absolutely watched our reach take a hit because of it. Whether it’s technically shadow banning or just the reality of how platforms work, we’ve seen content get suppressed and engagement drop when we speak too loudly.
The easy thing would be to sand off the edges. Be vague. More marketable. Keep everybody comfortable. But that’s never been the point of this band.
The way I see it, if an artist is lucky they eventually get to decide whether they want to be liked or whether they want to be honest. We’d rather be honest. The people who already support Subpar Snatch expect something real from us, and the audience we’re hoping to reach in the future deserves that same. If being authentic costs us some algorithm points along the way, that’s a trade we’re willing to make.
Besides as a leftist Texas song writer in 2026, it’s more fun to find a way to take a heavy handed subject and spin it into effectiveness. Song writing with a tool satire feels like a cheat code to “Okay, how do I change this idiot’s mind?”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/subparsnatch
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/subparsnatch?igsh=MTYxb3A3M2l5bzdwcw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1E1kNYMnUK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@subparsnatch?si=C5hO12dqZeO-UOPR
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/yCcBYi5j5W3YFFgSks
