COURTESY OF DAWN LAUREEN
Those appealing Eyeshadows (from left): Kelly Wilson, Dawn Laureen, Nicki Skistinas and Stephanie Fitch.
Blondie meets Even though the four women who are The Eyeshadows could probably survive as eye-candy musicians, they're thankfully a cut above being a superficial, Hollywood pop-punk vixen band.
the Ramones
Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com
That's because Dawn Laureen and her self-professed crew of sex kittens have captured the attention of, and aligned themselves with, the creme de la creme of like-minded rockers. Kim Fowley, longtime scenester and the mastermind behind The Eyeshadows' '70s predecessors, The Runaways, is quoted as saying "virginity plus animalism equals The Eyeshadows; orgasmic female energy on a post-9/11 level." Sylvain Sylvain, late of the great New York Dolls, calls them "kicky and energetic." And veteran L.A. punk record producer Geza X says they're "Blondie meets the Sex Pistols!"
With local opening bands Pimpbot and The 86 List The Eyeshadows
Where: Wave Waikiki, 1877 Kalakaua Ave.
When: 9:30 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $10 before 11 p.m. and $12 afterward; must be 18
Call: 941-0424
Also: Maui performances take place March 27 at Hapa's, March 28 at Hard Rock Cafe and March 29 at Casanova's.
While this reporter hears more Ramones than Pistols in their sound, the Blondie comparison is not far off-base; Laureen, who at times sounds like Debbie Harry, once found herself in a recording studio surrounded by the band's Clem Burke, Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante. Infante has even guested, and co-penned some songs with Laureen, on the band's first EP, with Geza X producing four of the CD's seven tracks.
Laureen and her bandmates -- drummer Nicki Skistinas, fuzz bassist Kelly Wilson and guitarist Stephanie Fitch -- are considered Hollywood underground aristocracy, and The Eyeshadows will grace us with their royal, trashy presence late Sunday at Wave Waikiki before heading to the Valley Isle for a trio of gigs.
Both Laureen and Wilson were animated in their long-distance conference call about coming to Hawaii and showing us locals how to "rawk" like a Hollywood girl.
The one rock geek question: What's up with the addition of Wilson's fuzz bass, when Laureen already plays bass?
"It makes for a contrasting sound," Wilson said. "It creates a lot thicker sound, with my playing in higher octaves. It makes for a wall of sound that we like."
The Eyeshadows, on CD, propel their way through such full-throttle attitude songs as "Anything," "Get It" and "So What," and are known to throw in an astute cover or two in their live sets, such as a pumped-up version of The Rolling Stones' "As Tears Go By" and the Sex Pistols' punk chestnut "Anarchy in the U.K."
Wilson was with the band all of two hours when they recorded the video for "Let's Go," and Fitch is The Eyeshadows' third guitarist to date.
"I hadn't had much experience playing live beforehand, but Stephanie and I hope we're bringing in a new, fresh energy into the band, and it's a thrill for me," Wilson said
"And she looks great and sounds great," added Laureen, who's played in earlier underground bands such as Pink Sabbath and Whatever.
After their Hawaii gigs, The Eyeshadows will focus on creating new material and spreading their musical cheer across the country. The band just finished a showcase for the female musical support group Go Girls Music.com at the important South By Southwest music conference that happens yearly in Austin, Texas, and will make a return engagement to the outdoor Gay Pride Festival in San Diego in July.
Laureen says she's happy taking care of business for the band, especially in light of her five-year stint in the legal department of Sony Music. "It always felt weird, being an artist and also seeing the corporate side of the business," she said. She hopes to work on European and Japanese markets.
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