Excuse 17 offer more than just a glimmer of a very bright future. Before rocking the world in Sleater-Kinney, singer/guitarist Carrie Brownstein cut her teeth with Olympia, WA's Excuse 17, developing her distinctive anthemic guitar crunch, spoken-word-to-caterwaul vocal delivery, and personal-is-political lyrical approach that today have become Sleater-Kinney hallmarks.