Don't box me in

>> Pandora resists classification, men

by LORRAINE CARPENTER

They're not metal, they're not punk, and they're not "one of those feminist bands who play three chords." Pandora is a local, female rock trio who beautify their guitar onslaught with big melodies and hardy harmonies. Mélanie Auger is the new drummer, a fabulous find with a degree in Latin percussion, while Euro-metal fan and serious guitar chick Julie Filion provides the band with its heaviness, and headmistress and bassist-vocalist Anik Dufresne guides the ship through the dark seas of pesky guys (audiences, music biz-men) and incompetent gals (former band members). The Mirror spoke to Dufresne about male proficiency, Franco-centric culture and the all-girl policy.



Mirror: How much flack is involved in the all-girl band thing?

Anik Dufresne: Well, we get a lot of discrimination and sometimes it's very hard. I've heard some disgusting comments people make when they see us, I guess that's part of the game, but after we play I can feel that they shut their mouths because they see that we know what we're doing.

M: You've gone through lots of band members, but you insist on the all-girl lineup. Have you played with guys before?

AD: Oh yes, I learned a lot from playing with guys. It's amazing how they're so focused on the music. It's because they're loners, I guess that's why they're so good at jerking off! They can practice for hours, they can fuck around with their amps and their pedals until they find the perfect sound. What I don't like is that I've played with guys who've made passes at me, or they get jealous because the girls in the band get more attention than them. Girls understand each other, we're more sensitive... but sometimes that's not good, like when something goes wrong and somebody starts crying (laughs).

M: So you have one French song...

AD: Yeah, and I did it for Quebec, but it's easier for me to express myself in English, even though I'm French. It's a lot harder here if you sing in English, obviously. I won the Democlip contest on MusiquePlus in '97 [with her old band Bloodstone] but they only chose it because it was French. It could have been a shit song, but they'd still use it, that's why there's so many French songs on the radio that suck. If I translated everything, we'd probably have a record deal in Quebec and play on Cool FM.

M: How would things have been different if you'd stuck with the all-girl band you had in L.A. in the early '90s?

AD: Oh, we'd probably be on MTV by now. Producers go to shows every night there. I was going to bars with Billy Idol and Motley Crüe, it was fun. There's a lot of competition, but if you know what you're doing in an all-girl band, it's true, it's gonna be easier, and that's what Brian [Craig, her boyfriend and Ghoulunatics drummer] didn't like. He said, "You're gonna make it just because you're all girls," and I said, "Yeah, well at least we have that!" :

With Deiter Inc., Kermis and N.A.E. at Club Zone on Saturday, Nov. 24, 7:30pm, $6