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rock ’n’ roll-up
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The Cherry Persuasion rawk out with
their Roland out
 by
LORRAINE CARPENTER
If you’re craving sweet, sexy, rockin’,
new-wave trash, local co-ed combo the Cherry Persuasion should hit the
spot. Lipstick glam night hostess Lee-Lee L’Amour sings, Boston
band vagabond Aleece Germano handles keys, soundman and guitarist-about-town
Andrew Lord plays six-string and the honed but hidden rhythm of bassist
B.K.B. (aka Etienne) and drummer Samantha Diamond top this tasty quintet,
named after Diamond’s poetic description of a Starburst candy.
The Mirror gabbed over java with the Persuasion ladies, all psyched
and suited for their first proper gig.
Mirror: Samantha, you
started drumming when you were 12?! How come it took so long to find
a functional band?
Samantha Diamond: I’ve been asked to jam and
join bands so many times, I always say yes because no one ever calls,
but this time there was follow-up! It was fun for all of us from the
beginning, and I’ve only ever played with guys. This is much more
democratic.
Aleece Germano: It’s a good dynamic. I’ve
always been the token girl among macho guys, so it’s nice to have
polite conversations with bandmates.
Lee-Lee L’Amour: It’s not always polite,
unfortunately, but we try.
M: Where are the guys,
anyway?
LA: Oh, they’re our sugar daddies. They pay our
rent and we just goof around all day. No, they just couldn’t be
here, but we were thinking this might look bad. A lot of people assume
we’re an all-girl band because we’re three women.
SD: The second I say I play drums, “Oh, it’s
an all-girl band.” No—
LA: It’s not really relevant if we’re girls
or boys, we’re just having a party, no politics. With this line-up,
everything happened so naturally, that’s why we’re taking
it places. I’m really itching to do this, and people who’ve
seen me on stage know that I need to be there.
M: So Lee-Lee and Andrew
are the songwriters?
LA: For now, yeah, but everybody contributes. We all
come from different musical backgrounds so, when Andrew or I present
something, it goes through a cycle that completely changes the song.
SD: I think Aleece and I are polar opposites, you know,
I play garage drums.
AG: I’m the new-wave, electronic part of the
band. I’m willing to try anything, but I always put my slant on
it.
M: Do musical differences
ever cause tension?
LA: We don’t always understand each other’s
lingo. Andrew, for example, really loves Prince and when he talks about
Prince, he means something really serious, whereas, when Samantha hears
Prince, it’s just cheesy ’80s pop music.
M: Would it be crude to
say that you fall somewhere between the alleged second coming of rock
’n’ roll and electroclash?
LA: What’s great about music is that, let’s
say, if Blondie fans thought they were listening to punk and not pop,
that’s okay, let them enjoy it and write about it in punk magazines,
and if people in the electro scene think we’re electro and wanna
buy our records, let them. If people think we’re a rock band,
let them. I won’t complain when Rolling Stone calls and asks me
to be on the cover. :
Lipstick Back to School glam party
with the Cherry Persuasion at the Jupiter Room on Saturday, Sept. 21,
10pm, $5–7
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