COURTESY OF THE RIFF RANDALS
The all-female Riff Randals in action.
Sex isn't as important to the Riff Randals as it used to be, admits singer/guitarist Lory Randal, whose all-girl punk rock quartet from Sacramento, Calif., once based their musical careers on promoting the virtues of the dirty deed. Sex isn’t everything
Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
for all-girl band
lopes@starbulletin.com
"These days, I'd say about 40 percent of what we sing about is very strongly sex-based," she ventures. "I've seen a lot of guy bands sing about sex and I feel there's nothing wrong with girls singing about it. I guess I'm telling girls to say what you want and say what you feel and not let anybody say you're wrong to say and feel it, because everyone feels the same things. It doesn't matter what your gender is."
The Riff Randals with The 86 List and Tanner Boyle Quartet In concert
Where: The Coffee Factory, 1372 S. King St.
When: 10 p.m. tomorrow, all ages
Admission: $5
Call: 949-8858
Named for the lead character in the punk rock celluloid classic "Rock and Roll High School," the Riff Randals formed five years ago after Candy Randal (the band shares their surname on stage, a la The Ramones) took in a Sacramento performance by female rockers and current MTV darlings The Donnas. Inspired to start her own band, Candy rounded up a group of friends to knock out a few tunes. "We all started at the same point musically," recalls Lory, who, like her bandmates, had a rudimentary knowledge of her chosen instrument. "And it's been really cool because we've all progressed at the same speed and learned from each other."
The band toured in support of their first CD in August, driving through seven states. "We bonded in a great way and got a lot closer and tighter musically, as well. That was an awesome experience." It was while meeting up with Honolulu punk outfit The Sticklers during a recent mainland tour that the Riff Randals began forging friendships with the Hawaii band.
Last September, Lory accompanied fellow Sacto punks The Secretions to Honolulu and came away impressed with the local underground rock scene. "I was really excited to see so many kids out for a punk rock show," she says.
"I noticed that it was kind of a mishmash of a bunch of different scenes. It's kind of refreshing that nobody judges your style of music, unlike in bigger cities, where you come across people who only listen to one specific style of music. It's really cool."
Having saved enough money for airfare and getting time away from their day jobs, the Riff Randals are thrilled to be performing in the Aloha State this weekend. "I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for (us) to get out of California and go to Hawaii for a little trip," she remarks.
Riff Randals
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