Saddle sorority

>> Frolicking fillies at the Cowgirl Cabaret

By GENEVIEVE PAIEMENT

There's more to wild western women than the damsel-in-distress, the whorehouse madame with overflowing cleavage, petticoats galore, perfectly ringleted hair and a knack for getting kidnapped by the bad guy. Some brazen vixens actually prefer chaps to corsets.

"Every girl has a fantasy about being a cowgirl!" gushes Sonia Auger-Guimont, local actress-about-town and organizer of the upcoming Cowgirls Cabaret. "The cowgirl is a symbol of independence, freedom and solitude. I wanted to give the girls top billing because, whether it's in western movies or country music, this is pretty male-dominated territory."

It's no small feat to round up a posse of urban cowgirls in a city like Montreal, where you're about as likely to hear a country song in a nightclub as Nashville's Grand Ol' Opry is to have a scratch DJ grace its stage. "I came up with the idea for a cowgirls' cabaret about a year ago," Auger-Guimont explains. "I wanted to invite musicians, many of whom may not make country music on their own, to interpret country-style music their way. And basically, this was a way for me to get a bunch of friends together and let them have fun."

The Cabaret, which fittingly takes place on International Women's Day, will feature more than 15 acts doing a song or two each, a pair of cowgirl MCs (the dynamic duo of actresses Anne "Calamity" Casabonne and Marika "the Kid" Lhoumeau) and an authentically researched Wild West saloon decor. Apparently, several of the performers are in the midst of slaving away on their elaborate costumes in a most zealous fashion. But it's not all about looks--the real point is to party like Wild Turkey's going out of style.

"The important thing for me is the family feel, that it's happening and that nobody's taking themselves seriously. I think that country music inspires that--like all folkloric music, whether it's zydeco, country or Quebecois rigodon. There's a very festive element that's important."

Chloe Sainte-Marie and Mara Tremblay will be on hand, serving up their brand of hip, modern country. Les Slot Machines, featuring ex-Secretaires Volantes singer Cocktail, bring their '60's punk-sounding rock 'n' roll foray into country, Pascale Coulombe will deliver her trademark hick-hop eroti-country song "I'm a Cowgirl" and les Secretaires Percutantes bring their cheeky, irreverent drum banging. Plus, more Montreal cowgirls and cowboys than you can wiggle a lasso at, including new trio on the block, les Lazyboys, featuring an ex-Secretaire Volante, an ex-member of Demolition and a member of Cafeine.

"The Cowgirls' Cabaret will be pulled off with a wink and a tongue in cheek. It'll be a real family-style hoedown." Hos up, Gs down? No way, pardner. "This night could not happen without the loving support of a couple of dedicated cowboys." So saddle up to celebrate Women's Day, country style. Yeeeeeeehaw! :

At Lion d'Or on Wednesday, March 8, 8pm, $17