The Exclaimer
1993 (unknown month)
Shrieking Violets
by Jim English
Shrieking Violets are far more than just another leather-clad rock band . . . the drummer is going for her masters degree in education and the bassist is in a fine arts programme with aspirations of teaching. And the guitarist works for a record lable (Select/Atlantic) as a legal assistant.
NYC's Shrieking Violets have a seven-inch EP out on San Francisco's Broken Rekids, a west coast underground label, and have just finished a recording of Johnny Thunders' "Just Another Girl" for a compilation/tribute CD. Stylistically, the band refuses to limit themselves, preferring to allow the music to evolve and reflect whatever relates to their current interests. One day it might be a Metallica-influenced thrasher, the next day it might be a tune from the Ramones' school of three-chord, four-four rock.
Tina refutes disco and they all hate pretense. They get very upset if you compare them to the Go-Go's (they ain't no Go-Go's, believe me). One gets the impression that these three women come as close to the essence of rock 'n' roll as anyone could, doing it for pure euphoria. It's the kind of feeling that you can only get when synchronicity takes place and you and the band are locked into a song so tightly that you lose yourself completely. It rarely happens between nine and five and probably never in the suburbs. It's dirty, smelly, God-I-love-it rock 'n' roll.
They were in town recently for a show, and took some time out to talk about touring, recording and food poisoning. Also, they dispelled some myths and preconceptions. Here's an excerpt:
!*@# [Thea's note: This is the name of the newspaper; we were told it's pronounced "The Exclaimer"]: How did the band get started?
Thea K: Stephanie and I met at Hunter College Radio. We were the only rock DJ's there. Everyone else was playing rap and stuff. I did a heavy metal show and Stephanie did a hardcore show.
Stephanie: I found out that Thea played guitar. I had been playing bass for about a year. We started jamming and about three months later there was a band.
!*@#: What are your influences?
Thea K: We all have different tastes. Nothing we play sounds like what we listen to.
!*@#: Tell me about the Johnny Thunders CD (available in July on Sky Krebs Records).
Thea K: There are 26 bands on the disc, mostly from New York. We had two weeks to learn the song and the tapes we learned it from were awful.
Stephanie: They were live tapes and he's drunk and slurring the lyrics and stuff.
Tina: Our version's a lot different. We have to make up some of the lyrics because of the slurring.
Thea K: I was actually considering going to the dentist to get a shot of Novocain to make it closer to the original. Also, I got to do guitar overdubs on this tune. Our EP was done on an eight track and this was done on a 16-track. There's a big difference in the drum sound too. It was fun.
!*@#: Where did you record your EP?
Thea K: At a place called Coyote Studios in Brooklyn, for $24/hour. We also rehearse there. We remixed the EP at a place called Electric Plant Studios.
!*@#: Did you record live off the floor or do overdubs?
Thea K: Mostly live, overdubbing vocals. With the CD it was more involved. We worked on each element individually and did some layering. Someone else was paying for the time, so we took more . . .
!*@#: Why did you choose vinyl as opposed to CD?
Stephanie: Partly as a reaction to the way CD's were forced upon the consumer. It's not that CD's themselves are bad or that they don't sound good, it's more the way they're marketed. Price is a big issue. They cost less than vinyl to manufacture and they cost [the consumer] twice as much.
Thea K: I like the fact that we were able to do a limited edition run on purple vinyl. I like the collectable aspect.
!*@#: What do you think of the scene here, compared with NYC?
Stephanie: I like it better. It's smaller. Everyone seems to know each other. They seem to support each other's bands and go see each other. There's just too many bands in New York. The music scene's really segmented and as far as getting paid is concerned. There are some clubs in New York who want you to pay $500 to play. We got paid a lot more here than we ever did there. Another way they pay you there is by the number of people you bring in. You get passes with your name circled and they do a count. They really rip you off. They change the door price at the last minute and say they can't pay you 'cos of that. You don't get a cut of the bar. We were surprised also that there was some discussion at the El Mo show about whether to charge five or six dollars at the door. In New York that is cheap.
!*@#: What's the weirdest gig-related thing that's happened to you?
Stephanie: We were driving home at the end of a mini-tour in Ohio last summer. We were also hit by a tornado. We missed it by a half hour. There were trucks flipped over and cars flung everywhere. We kept getting lost because all the street signs had fallen down.
The EP is a fine example of garage band rock and is best played loud when you either have a hangover or you really want to piss off the neighbours. It may be purchased via mail for three dollars (ppd.) from [outdated info. redacted]. It's also available locally at Rotate This.
photo: Graham Kennedy
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