Photos and interview by Stacie Joy
Hours before the city’s first significant snowfall in years, TDA (aka Total Display of Affection) took the stage at Night Club 101 on Avenue A on Saturday, Jan. 24 — loud, hypnotic and very much reborn.
The local band, which began as a trio and built a following with EV shows in Tompkins Square Park, Berlin, and Baker Falls, has entered a new phase: a new name, a new lineup and a shift toward heavier, more ritualistic soundscapes.
We caught up with bandleader Julia Pierce (below), a onetime East Village resident, after the show to talk about the evolution of TDA, the meaning behind the name change and what comes next.
About the new band name:
We're introducing a new era of the band under the name Total Display of Affection — a clean slate and a shift toward hypnotic, groove-driven drone rock. It's about embracing intoxicating rhythms and a fresh sonic palette while still acknowledging where we came from.
Even when we were billed as "Tits Dick Ass," we were technically always "TDA" first, which allowed the meaning to evolve. Right now, Total Display of Affection feels like a maturation — a collective approach to writing, recording and performing that lets the project grow without being trapped by the past. The name can keep shifting as we do.
On why the original name mattered:
The old name was abrasive on purpose. Punk thrives on confrontation, and we wanted to mirror discomfort back at the audience the way our music did. But it also came from something more personal.
Conversations around trans people are often reduced to body parts. We are so much more than that. We have souls, thoughts and love to share, yet society politicizes our bodies and overlooks our humanity. The name acted like a mirror reflecting that tension. Using our platform to spark that conversation mattered to me.
Over time, I noticed people became desensitized to it, which I see as progress. It opened space for other artists to take risks with language. There's something profound in the profane, and that contradiction perfectly captured what we were trying to say.
On the new TDA:
Previously, the band leaned into fast, abrasive punk — big noise, speed, and turbulence. We made that statement already. Now I’m drawn toward something slower, heavier, and more spiritual. It feels ritualistic, hypnotic and intentional.
We’re building on no-wave roots while bridging psych traditions: Public Image Ltd., Lydia Lunch, Sonic Youth, Psychic TV, Rowland S. Howard, Spacemen 3. We’re exploring Eastern guitar scales, alternate tuni,ngs and the mystical side of sound. It’s still noisy, but the noise has shape.
Is having a punk band still considered punk? Once you reach that status, how long can you maintain it before it feels redundant? I believe we made our statement in that era. Now I find myself in a different phase of life. Expressing existential frustrations through music feels lower frequency compared to the direction TDA is pursuing — something more spiritual and ritualistic, blending musicality and mysticism.
Rather than let the project fade away, I want TDA to reclaim its status as a New York institution while advancing my musical career as a guitarist. I’m trying to break free from tradition while still honoring it. Turns out we're not The Ramones — sorry. There’s still so much space for us to grow as a band.
On the new lineup:
The original members moved on to other projects after we were named New York’s Hardest Working Band by Oh My Rockness in 2023. We tried recreating that version, but I learned that replicating the past can stifle creativity.
Now we’re embracing a new chapter — and we love Bob Bert. [The veteran drummer has played in Pussy Galore, Sonic Youth and the Chrome Cranks, among others.] We're recording our debut EP, Snake Pit, in Hoboken in the same building that once housed Sonic Youth's Echo Canyon West, where Yo La Tengo still works and where Bob has been a fixture since 1981.
Mark C. from Live Skull will be engineering the recording session at Deep Sea Studios. We plan to release the EP (tentatively) through Boycott Sleep [an artist-led collective creating spaces for live music outside the existing venues], making it our first official project and debuting as a New York label!
Jesse Sattler on bass...
DethRok on theremin and shaker...
Bob Bert on drums...
On the past year and what's ahead:
I spent a year traveling with just a suitcase and a guitar — Australia, Bali, Mexico City, Los Angeles — playing almost every day and making occasional trips back to NYC, which I've called home for more than a decade. That distance helped me imagine a more sustainable direction for the band.
As we move into 2026, I'm focused less on identity politics and more on musicianship. This phase is about growth, discipline and building something that can last.
Follow TDA on Instagram here.
