Long time, no see!
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Well, it’s been a while, but I have much to tell. I have literally been around the world in back in just a few short months. Playing bass in the Gore Gore Girls has brought me to five countries in 2003 alone! Our first international adventure of the year happened the first weekend in April when we had a two-night engagement at the Dark Zone club in Mexico City. What a party! (Tequila!!!) The first night went well, with plenty of fans showing up to sing along and dance the night away. The word must’ve spread, because the next night even more people showed up to see what us white girls in white boots were up to. Overall it was a fantastic trip and we hope to return this winter!
Fast forward to the middle of April and you’ll find us driving from Detroit to Phoenix to meet up with legendary psycho-billy punks THE CRAMPS!!! A few months earlier we got a call from their booking agent saying that they asked if we could join them for their U.S. spring tour. We already had three weeks of shows booked in Scandinavia for May, but they said it would be fine if we joined them up until that point. So, in mid-April, Amy, our tour manager George (of Edward the Bear fame) and me hopped in our rock and roll Ford Windstar. We drove straight through until we got to the Wig Wam motel in Holbrook, AZ the following night. Yes, real hotel rooms shaped like wig wams, and each one has a cool classic car parked in front of it! When we arrived in Tempe, AZ we were greeted by rock and roll guy and sex-shop worker extrodinare Gregg Gibbs, who was gracious enough to put us up for a few nights. On April 17th we picked up our drummer Nicky Stixx at the airport and got ready to play our first show opening for The Cramps!! We pulled into the parking lot of Nita’s Hideway and saw the Cramps huge tour bus. We were practically impaired due to our extreme excitement. Lux and Ivy introduced themselves at sound check. They were so nice and quite! It was quite a change from the ass-kicking hell raisers they were later on stage that night!!
The next three weeks were a blast. We followed the Cramps from Tempe through New Mexico, Texas (fortunately there were enough people who weren’t bible-thumping republicans in this state to completely pack three shows!), Oklahoma, and on to New Orleans, where we stayed in the hotel that Johnny Thunders died in! We played two shows at the Shim Sham Club. The first night Rock City Morgue opened the show. These guys were really cool, and perfect for the bill. What’s even cooler is their bass player is Sean Yseult (of White Zombie and Famous Monsters fame). This show marked the night our drummer Nicky Stixx autographed her first boob! After New Orleans we played a handful of shows in Florida, then moved up through the south to play Athens and Atlanta, GA and Asheville, NC.
While in Atlanta we were hosted by Montague, guitarist of the famed Atlanta band the Woggles. Monty was a great host, showing us around town, taking us to the coolest hangouts and even taking us to the drive in his 1960 Thunderbird! The Atlanta show with The Cramps was one of the sweatiest shows I’ve ever played. The show took place at the Masquerade and it was absolutely packed with people. It was quite a party. We managed to tear through several cases of PBR and one bottle of Jose Quervo (which we were lucky enough to obtain at almost every show on this tour!). We hung with the Cramps afterwards (we had the next night off, so everyone was in the mood to party) with Monty and our Atlanta fans and it was good times all around. The tail end of the night is a bit foggy, but I know we hit a few other Atlanta bars. I remember climbing up on a big metal bicycle in my go-go boots and teetering on top of it thinking “hey, I don’t have health insurance…” All in all, Atlanta was a blast. Special thanks to the cute girl from the Star Bar with the yummy pineapple drink. Too bad I can’t remember her name or the name of the drink!
Unfortunately, a week or so later we found out that our friend Montague had passed away in his sleep a few days after we left. We are honored that we got to spend his last weekend with him. We are also very glad that he got to meet The Cramps, for he was a big fan. Monty will truly be missed!!
Forty-eight hours after we arrived home in Detroit from the Cramps tour, we were on a plane headed for Stockholm for our Scandinavian tour. It wasn’t as intense as the Cramps tour, but those Swedes are so much fun! I got to meet Coolgrrrl Lisa Darling in the flesh!! For more reports of debauchery check out the Gore Gore Girls’ tour diary.
With all the touring, I haven’t caught as many shows as I would have liked to the past few months, but it hasn’t been completely uneventful. I was fortunate enough to witness the end of an era in Gainesville, FL: the last Edward the Bear show! For those who don’t know, EtB was driven rock group led by sexy crooner and guitarist George Papanikos. In it’s day the band put out several singles and one album on Sloth Bear Records, and toured from coast to coast. Many fans showed up at Shamrock’s bar to sing along to all their favorite Edward the Bear “hits.” George also led his band in performing some incredible covers of rock standards such as “China Girl” by David Bowie, “Touch Me” by the Doors and the most memorable, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Not only did fans old and new show up to bid farewell, but all the members of Edward the Bear, past and present, were there to perform. George is now living in Detroit where he is fronting French pop group Bisou Bisou, along with my former Stroke Ace cohort, Jackie O. More on Bisou Bisou soon!
What else is going on in Detroit you ask? Well if you live in the U.K., or if you’ve seen the new Charlie’s Angels movie, then you’ve heard Detroit group the Electric Six. The band had been running wild all over the U.S. and Europe touring in support of their hot chart-busing single “Danger High Voltage.” But fans should know that the band that’s touring now is not the same Electric Six that gave the outfit its original spark. Founding members Surge Joebot and the Rock n’ Roll Indian, along with bass player Disco, have been fired or quit (depending on who you ask). The only original member, singer Dick Valentine, had forged on and replaced them with new members (who are affectionately called “scab workers” throughout the scene). It will be interesting to see how the band will fare in the face of fame without it’s founding crew. In any case, expect hot, new and exciting projects to come from the ousted members soon…
New Detroit releases! My favorite right now is The Singles’ ” Better Than Before” out on Rainbow Quartz International. An obvious Beatles fan, frontman Vince Frederick is a talented songwriter that pens tunes in the vein if hand clapping ‘60s pop. The album sounds great and it’s really easy to listen to. Also on Rainbow Quartz, Outrageous Cherry just released “Supernatural Equinox.” OC will hit Spain next month! Coming up in October, the Dirtbombs will release “Dangerous Magical Noise” on In the Red records. My other band, the Sirens, will also release a CD in October – a debut full-length on Sympathy for the Record Industry. Both the Sirens and the Dirtbombs will hold a double CD release party at the Magic Stick in Detroit on October 17th.
Who’s planning to attend the Las Vegas Rockaround? The Gore Gore Girls will be performing on the Saturday night just before headliner Andre Williams. One of Detroit’s most prominent burlesque showgirls, Sparkly Devil, will also perform. The hotels are filling up fast, so book your ticket at www.rockaround.net soon!
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