The Randies
At The Friendship Motor Inn
The Randies
I'm always a bit unsure about the whole "girl group" concept as a marketing angle. It seems a bit too precious, like "oh, look, how cute! A GIRL drummer!" Like that matters somehow. Yet, The Randies DO have a sound that's a linear progression of the LA punk girl group sound, something like The Go-Gos or Bangles, or even The Avengers. The Randies -- who have a token guy drummer -- make a rough, high energy post-punk sound, complete with slightly mistuned guitars straining against their tight harmonies. Occasionally, the dissonance rises higher than it ought, as on "Stop."
The Randies have a good look, picking up on the Betty Rubble sexuality of the mid-sixties. The look is reinforced with a neat looking website, offering the usual gigs, bios and song downloads. Are these gals destined for greatness? Maybe, maybe not. They've got a sound and skill set that could get a video on MTV -- or whoever actually shows videos these days -- but they might be just "the same enough" to work a tough and unprofitable tour circuit. Either way, they qualify as excellent material for your obscure band knowledge file. I've spun the disc about 5 times, and it keeps growing on me.
