Relaxing in a corner booth over a hot cup of coffee and a
plate of fried zucchini at Bad Dog Bar and Grill in West Chicago, Kimmie
Hayes - the slender, blonde guitarist / vocalist of The Fabulous Janes smiles
and says in a sarcastically emphatic voice, "I sing because I can,t
do anything else.
The woman seated next to Kimmie - the other guitarist / vocalist
and founder of The Fabulous Janes, Dea DeMarco - brushes her curly, blonde,
shoulder-length hair out of her eyes and laughingly says in an equally sarcastic
tone, "I sing because I can,t wake up in the morning, so I had to find
a different job.
Hunched over the table in the corner is the perpetually wacky
(both onstage and off) bassist / vocalist Paula Marr, licking her lips and
doing her best phone sex voice, "I just want everyone to know I would
do anything for Fleetwood Mac tickets - completing the sarcasm with a wink
and a smile.
Rounding out the line-up are the testosterone bearing members
of the band, drummer Adam Heisler and keyboardist Steve Stroz. "For
the record, I,m as straight as straight can be, laughs Adam. And then jumping
into a sudden lisp, "just because I wear cheerleader outfits means
nothing about my sexual preference. The entire table erupts with laughter
as we continue our conversation.
Keeping a straight face with this band is next to impossible
when talking to them. Their constant quips and jabs keep you entertained
for hours. There seems to be only one thing this band is serious about -
their music. They take playing music very seriously, but that,s not to say
that they don,t have fun with it. The way this band acts offstage is the
way this band acts onstage. Onstage antics are a signature of The Fabulous
Janes and their live show is not something you go to watch, it,s something
you experience. "We try to get the audience involved as much as possible,
explains Kimmie.
"There was one show where I was feeding the audience
tattoos (a drink with colored liqueur that stains your tongue blue) from
the stage and well, I couldn,t aim very well, continues Dea. "That
stuff,s very messy and it kind of got all over their clothes too. We,re
still paying off that dry cleaning bill, she adds with a smile.
Another trademark of The Fabulous Janes are their "theme
nights. Every few gigs they will attach a theme to the show and the audience
is encouraged to participate in the show. Some theme nights have been a
"slumber party, where the members of the band played wearing pajamas,
ordered a pizza onstage, and they even went so far as to put the first person
to fall asleep,s hand in warm water and then got hollered at by dad. They
have also used themes such as "childhood food, where each member brought
in their favorite childhood food, "I brought in Pop-Tarts, explains
Kimmie. "Adam brought in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Dea
brought in some weird shit like granola or something and we fed the audience.
They have also done "superhero nights where Dea has dressed as Xena
- Warrior Princess, Kimmie was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Paula was Smiley
Girl wearing everything with yellow smiley faces on them, including ear
rings and boxer shorts, and Steve was Superman. "Adam was two superheroes
that night, explains Kimmie. "For the first set he was Super Gay Man,
and then for the second set he was The Hulk,. Adam continues, "It was
supposed to be The Hulk,, but I looked more like Sprout,.
"We are the most original cover band you,ll ever see,
says Kimmie. "The object is to make everyone smile and not be a stale
cover band, continues Adam. "If you,re going to whore yourself, you
may as well have a lot of fun doing it. Or as Dea puts it, "It should
be like an adult Disneyland.
Disneyland,s got nothing on this group of musicians. Let
me put it this way, following our interview the band played a show at Synergy
II in West Chicago and halfway through the first song there was a loud clunking
sound as my jaw hit the floor. They opened with "We Got the Beat by
The Go-Go,s and if I closed my eyes, I would swear it was Belinda Carlisle
singing. Other songs in the set included "Waterloo by ABBA (the best
band ever according to Kimmie - who sang the song), "Zombie by the
Cranberries, and early 80,s hit "Mickey which is when members of the
audience were invited onstage to help sing backup. Each song was tight,
fun, energetic and showed that this band had some true talent. Another highlight
of the show was their rendition of "I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett.
Paula took over the lead vocal slot, Steve strapped on a guitar, and Dea
played bass. The band never knows what to expect when they play this song
because Paula is full of surprises, explains Dea "One time she came
out wearing a child,s Wonder Woman costume and started singing the song.
We were all laughing so hard we could barely play.
This band really knows how to have a good time, while still
taking their job very seriously. They also have an extra hurdle to overcome
with club owners and audiences alike due to the fact that there are three
women in the band. "It,s hard sometimes because you can see the drunk
guys at the front of the stage just looking at the women,s butts, explains
Dea. "But when we start playing and they realize we,re not there just
because of our looks, their whole attitude changes.
"I,ve only been in this band for about 6 months, not
since it,s inception, and I,ve been playing music for professionally for
over 10 years, continues Steve. "But not until I got in this band did
I ever hear wow - that sounds too good. Are you guys really playing? It,s
pretty awesome because these girls rock - girls can do it.
The members of The Fabulous Janes all have other projects
that they are involved in as well. Dea and Kimmie are also Sweet Jane, an
all original acoustic duo that plays three to five times a week. Steve has
played with around a dozen bands this year alone. And Dea and Adam both
play in Kevin Matthew,s band. Paula,s other project doesn,t directly involve
music. She,s a graphic artist and she designed the band,s logo with the
help of a close friend named Jake and she does all of the band,s promotional
products, including a line of clothes coming out this month that will be
called "Janes Wear featuring t-shirts and boxer shorts.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and The Fabulous Janes
are a sight to behold. Behold them on Oct. 3 at Lyons Brewing Co. in Lyons,
Oct. 4 at Side Out in Island Lake, Oct. 10 at Penny Road Pub in South Barrington,
and at a Halloween Funhouse at Faccaccia,s in Elgin on Oct. 17.
You can catch Sweet Jane on Oct. 2 at Fuzzy Navel in Addison,
Oct. 9 at Durty Nellie,s in Palatine, Oct. 16 at Fuzzy Navel in Addison,
and Oct. 23 at Bungalow Joe,s in Hanover Park. You can also call 630-415-2515
to find out the latest information about both The Fabulous Janes and Sweet
Jane.
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