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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Alicia Bognanno and her band Bully headline Lucky You Lounge

Alicia Bognanno and her band are at Lucky You Lounge on Friday night.  (Angelina Castillo)

Alicia Bognanno is a child of the 1990s. It’s evident after a spin of her band Bully’s latest album, “Sugaregg,” which dropped in 2020. The riffs are hook-laden but grungy ala the Breeders and Weezer.

“When I got to college, I discovered the Pixies, Sonic Youth and Liz Phair,” Bognanno said while calling from her Nashville home. “The first time I heard the Breeders, I was like, ‘Wait, that’s my favorite part of the Pixies.’”

Bognanno, 31, is referring to Pixies bassist-vocalist Kim Deal, who is the vocalist-guitarist of the Breeders. “I fell in love with that style of music even though I got into it at a later time (2007). I love the female singer-songwriters from that period.”

That’s not surprising since the women of that era – Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, P.J. Harvey and Bjork – made an impact with their powerful and provocative songs.

Sonic Youth’s “Swimsuit Issue” is a #MeToo movement anthem from a generation ago, and the same can be said for Harvey’s “Dress.” And then there is the aforementioned Phair’s gamechanger “Exile in Guyville,” which was a huge step forward for women in rock.

No wonder Bognanno was moved by the empowerment from those albums. “Those recording artists make music that matters,” Bognanno said. “They were sending a good message. Before I heard those recording artists, I didn’t play guitar, but I picked one up and learned how to play when I was a freshman.

“And then when I discovered distortion pedals, my whole world opened up. I discovered that I wanted to make music like the musicians who impressed me so much.”

The alt-rocker is impressing, as well, with songs that are dissonant and gritty but catchy. The Minneapolis native will showcase cuts from “Sugaregg” on Friday at Lucky You Lounge.

Bognanno contributed a few songs to the soundtrack of the film “Her Smell,” a 2018 flick about an enigmatic rocker portrayed by Elisabeth Moss. “It was a nice break from Bully, and it was cool to read a script and write from a character’s point of view,” Bognanno said.

However, don’t expect Bully to play any of those cuts. The intense singer-songwriter has eight new songs and a raw and melodic cover of Nirvana’s “About a Girl.” “I have plenty to play,” Bognanno said. “I’m like everybody else. I can’t wait to get out there and play live again.”