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Sugarpuss is an all female rock band based in Los Angeles whose musical style varies from angry punk to aggressive rock. With grunge inspired guitars, solid bass lines, brutal drumming, and vocals that range from a feral second soprano to a frightening death metal growl, Sugarpuss is overcoming the stereotype "all girl bands".
Sugarpuss was formed in the spring of 1999 when singer Lisa K. and drummer Pat C. placed an ad in the “LA Weekly” looking for a guitarist. Dora S. answered the ad and agreed to audition. She brought with her the sound that both Lisa and Pat wanted, and instantly a bond was formed between the girls. They played throughout the Los Angeles area with their then bassist, J., and guitarist, G., until May of 2001, when J. left the band. Needing a bassist, Dora enlisted her friend Katrina V. (former singer of local band Baggage). While recording their demo in November 2001, G. left the band leaving them with one guitarist. Sugarpuss continued to play shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas as a 4 piece band. In March 2002, Vanessa S. joined filling the unoccupied second guitarist position.
With their current line-up of Lisa on vocals, Pat on drums, Dora on guitar and vocals, Vanessa on guitar, and Katrina on bass, Sugarpuss continues playing shows in popular Los Angeles area night clubs and making their mark on the Los Angeles music scene. |
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It's rather crowded at the Gauntlet II in Silver Lake on a chilly Friday in early April. A couple of Asian girls with pink hair and black lipstick mingle with a mohawked guy who's got a bone through his nose, while on stage all-girl punk band Sugarpuss charge through a decidedly raw little ditty called "Pretty Pain." Lead singer Lisafer tosses her head back and forth while belting out the lyrics to the aggressively feminine love song, her black tee-shirt emblazoned with the words "I have the biggest dick in the band." Over in the smoking room, a line has formed so that people can have their futures predicted by the Madame Fortuna-ish palm reader The Blue Fairy, while other patrons of Silver Lake's premiere leather club step right up to see the world's largest banana.Welcome to the Freak Show, ladies and gentleman, where stompy-booted punk rockers merge effortlessly with crunchy lipstick lesbians, freakishly made-up "sideshow performers" walk on stilts while twirling flaming batons, and backroom displays of proper fisting techniques (simulated, of course) and body piercing etiquette are the norm rather than the exception. It's also the place where our hosts, Freak Show founders Steve Lozier and Eddie Hibbs, have established one of the most kick-ass, hardcore indie rock 'n' roll music scenes this side of early nineties Seattle grunge.::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::Like Iamloved, the all-girl punk rock group Sugarpuss doesn't choose to make a big deal out of their sexuality either, even though four of the band's five members consider themselves to be lesbian."It's about the music," states guitarist Vanessa, who identifies herself as straight but playfully teases that she's not necessarily only attracted to men. "The music is what people want to hear. Good old fashioned rockin' music."Lead singer Lisafer concurs, adding that she no longer feels the need to court the approval of the masses. "In the beginning, we sang more about issues and shit, but that quickly changed," she tells me directly following their successful Freak Show performance. "We don't want to sing about, 'I'm a girl, I'm gay, respect me,' because we're past that."The grrrls of Sugarpuss say they are much more interested in pushing the boundaries of what women are allowed to do in the rock world as opposed to selling their sexual preferences."Who cares if we're gay?" wonders guitarist Dora Sandoval. "We just want to fuck shit up.":::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sugarpuss: Three Song Demo (Self-released, 2001) -- Proving that chicks can rock just as hard as the guys can, this all-grrrl punk band reads the rrriot act on these aggressively feminine anthems of love, heartache and letters to God. Lead singer Lisafer gets all Satanic on the strong "Victim," dropping her voice to a frighteningly monstrous wail, then brings it up a notch or two for "Red Letter," with more than stellar backup from her bandmates on both tracks. But it's on the disc's first track, the killer "Pretty Pain," that these four gals really show us they mean business. Fans of Hole and Sleater-Kinney might hear traces of those bands in these three exceptional tunes, but it's obvious that this girl group is carving out their own niche while proving that they are much more than just a chick band. (www.sugarpuss.net)
-Ken Knox, IN Magazine L.A. |
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Location:
Van Nuys CA, USA
sugarpuss Website
sugarpussvictims@aol.com
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