Zia McCabe

McCabe was raised in a log cabin her father built himself in Battle Ground, Washington. Her father was an autobody worker who fell ill from paint exposure, later becoming an engineer, and her mother was an artist. She had one sister, who also became an artist.^[4] She graduated from Battle Ground High School in Battle Ground, Washington in 1993. As a child she was a dancer, but stopped study when further training proved too distant and expensive for her family. In 1995, with hardly any prior musical experience, McCabe joined The Dandy Warhols^[5] after a mutual friend told her that bandmate Courtney Taylor-Taylor had an opening for a synth player and was willing to teach her how to play instruments. She had been looking to become a musician, but was disillusioned by the heavy grunge scene that the Pacific Northwest was then known for. She was the youngest band member at 19, and soon after left college to live band life full time.^[4]

She married Travis Hendricks (The Dandy Warhols tour manager) on 7 October 2001.^[5] While pregnant with their daughter Matilda Louise, McCabe continued to perform and record, and managed to complete recording for Odditorium or Warlords of Mars one week away from childbirth.^[5] She split with Hendricks in 2011-2012.^[6] She is licensed as a Realtor/Broker in Oregon, and currently works with Living Room Realty in Portland.^[7][8][9]

In April 2023 McCabe and her daughter were in a car accident. McCabe sustained a concussion.^[10]

McCabe has been politically active since at least 2008, engaging with issues from community initiatives to Federal level policy and candidates. She spearheaded community engagement in Portland, Oregon's Clean Water Portland campaign,^[11] endorsing Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in 2016,^[12] and 2020,^[13] and has been active in supporting and normalizing^[14][15][16] cannabis usage at the state^[17] and federal levels.^[18]