The Platforms

Artist Information

Biography

They may look like good girls, but the music says, "I wanna be bad . . . !!" Once playfully described as Josie and the Pussycats meet Kiss, The Platforms mix noisy but melodic rock with a flair for 60's and 70's inspired fashion. In 2001, guitarist Junie Tune and vocalist Laurie Libido hatched the idea of a band that merged the wild-girl persona embodied in garage and glam music with a sense of style tinged with mod girl flair a la Edie Sedgewick.

Though the Platforms love playing dress-up onstage, the band’s costumes and visual antics are certainly not the first priority. From the beginning skeletal chord progressions and lyrics the girls scratched out on pink Hello Kitty notebook paper, the singular goal was to develop melodic songs that rock and reflect a fun, carefree spirit. Such spirit was inspired by everything from The Kinks and Stooges to T-Rex and AC/DC . . . and throw in a little Ronnie Spector on the side.

The band’s first full-length CD, “Kicked Off,” was launched in late 2004. Produced by Amsterdam-based Mike Stewart (Poi Dog Pondering, True Believers, Jewel in the Mire -- www.texasmike.com), the self-released CD was the subject of a successful college radio campaign in Spring 2005, a collaboration with Minneapolis-based Tinderbox Music (www.tinderboxmusic.com).

For release this Winter 2009/2010, the girls are currently working on their second full-production recording (an EP or LP tentatively title "Stepped Up") with Frenchie Smith at Austin's The Bubble. On August 15, 2008, the first single, "Hot Little Ride" was released along with the band's first video, filmed in January 2008 on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Directed by Johan Grimm).

**NEW** Endorsements:

Daisy Rock Guitars

Epiphone Amplifiers

Instrumentation

Laurie Libido -- Vocals
Junie Tune -- Guitar
Rockhelle Belle -- Drums
Goldie Shifter -- Bass

Discography

EP or LP "Stepped Up" [Tentative Title] -- Scheduled for Release Winter 2009/2010 (Ankle Injury Records)

Video "Hot Little Ride" -- Released August 15, 2008 (directed by Johan Grimm)

Single "Hot Little Ride" -- Released August 15, 2008 (Ankle Injury Records)

"Walk of Shame" featured on Topplers Records Compilation -- UK Rel. 2006

LP "Kicked Off"-- Released November 27, 2004 (Ankle Injury Records)

EP Demo--October 2003

Official Website

http://www.myspace.com/theplatforms

Audio

• Get It (Stepped Up 2009 -- UNRELEASED)
  Listen  
• Eddie Can't Dance (Stepped Up 2009 --UNRELEASED)
  Listen  
• Hot Little Ride (Single 2008)
  Listen  
• Walk of Shame (Kicked Off 2004)
  Listen  
• Strange (Kicked Off 2004)
  Listen  
• Bang Me (Kicked Off 2004)
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Hot Little Ride
• Strange
• Walk of Shame
• Vespa Girl
• Get It
• Eddie Can't Dance [about Eddie Izzard]

Video

Hot Little Ride (2008)

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Platforms Unveil a Hot Little Ride at the Alamo Tonight [+ Show ]
  

  August 15, 2008 Austin's delicious garage fashionista girl-group The Platforms are unveiling the ...August 15, 2008
  
  Austin's delicious garage fashionista girl-group The Platforms are unveiling the video for their song "Hot Little Ride" tonight at the Alamo Ritz.
  
  The ladies are best known for their '70s glam meets '60s garage rock sound, and their outfits help demonstrate the relationship. Often described as "Josie and the Pussycats meet KISS," the Platforms take all the good parts of Kinks-ish rock, Blondie-inspired sass and all the Angus strut a handful of ladies can possibly muster to deliver chunky, old-school rock'n'roll that's sure to get you movin'. "Hot Little Ride" might be the most intelligently designed reformation of a typically male-owned metaphor. Her motor is running fellas, it's time for you to go for a ride. Take that, Springsteen.
  
  They'll be performing with the Dirty Hearts hot off the release of their latest, Pigs.
  
  Paige Maguire -- The Austinist
  

• Feature: HyperFest 3 -- August 14, 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  By Dan Mayfield When Allie Shaw kicked off her Hyperactive Music Festival music festival three ye...By Dan Mayfield
  
  When Allie Shaw kicked off her Hyperactive Music Festival music festival three years ago, it was a grand experiment like nothing Albuquerque had ever seen.
  She had been to the famous South By Southwest music conference in Austin, and thought Albuquerque should have its own festival that brings together bands, music industry reps and experts to talk to musicians about everything from recording and marketing to booking and writing songs.
  Shaw was in a unique position to pull it off. As publisher of the regional, and later national, Hyperactive Music Magazine, she had the industry contacts to make it happen.
  The last two years have gone smoothly. Several of the bands from last year's slate have even made it. The Flobots are the big success story. The band played one of the showcases at the Atomic Cantina last year, rocked the bar, and now is seeing success with the song “Handlebars.” Bands Tickle Me Pink and Green River Ordinance have been signed to major labels since last year's festival.
  Last year featured almost 300 bands, but this year it's been a bit tougher to persuade bands to make the drive.
  “Because of gas prices, bands can't budget,” Shaw said. “They're staying close to home.”
  Regardless, she's booked 75 bands from across North America to play at the event, and there will be a full day of panels with industry executives at the Hotel Blue Downtown.
  And several of the bands, Shaw said, are right on the verge of making it like the Flobots or Green River Ordinance.
  
  
  * * *
  
  The band The Platforms may not be local, but the group has spent a lot of time here. The band has performed at the last two Hyperactive Music Festivals. in January, the band filmed its first video here.
  “We shot at Burt's Tiki Lounge, and the performance scenes were at this little art space,” singer Junie Tune said. “It was fun. It's just goofy, girlie car fun.”
  The video was for the song “Hot Little Ride,” a punky girl take on hot rods, based on Tune's personal Audi TT sports car.
  “We were going to get a stunt car, but it just wasn't the same,” Tune said. So, she packed up the car with all the band members' gear — which was really just massive amounts of shoes — and drove from Houston to Albuquerque.
  “It was a lot of teeth gnashing and bitching over shoes,” she said.
  But the video came out great, she said, and will be screened at the Blackbird Buvette bar on Aug. 21 for its New Mexico premiere.
  

• **Press Release** 09.20.07 Original Vocalist Laurie Libido Returns to The Platforms [+ Show ]
  

  Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . . THE PLATFORMS GET THEIR LIBIDO BACK Austin, Texas...Press Release
  
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . .
  
  THE PLATFORMS GET THEIR LIBIDO BACK
  
  Austin, Texas / September 20, 2007 -- Original vocalist Laurie Libido returns to Austin-based mod-glam girl band, The Platforms. Sans stilettos, Ms. Libido is actually Laurie Gallardo, an announcer and producer for KUT, columnist for The Austinist, guest vocalist for Kitty Kitty Bang Bang and A Broken Clock Cabaret, and a voice-over actor. One of the original founders and songwriters for the band, Laurie left in 2005 to pursue other interests. Ms. Libido’s first show back with the gals of glam will be opening for Tokyo’s petite punk darlings Gito Gito Hustler, October 11th at Beerland.
  
  Laurie will also be belting out the tunes on The Platforms’ second recording, when the girls return to the studio in November. The disc is scheduled for release on the band’s vanity imprint, Ankle Injury Records, in early Spring 2008. Chris “Frenchie” Smith (The Bubble, Young Heart Attack) is signed on as producer.
  
  The Platforms include full and part-time members:
  Jason Crow (Alvin Crow, Rockland Eagles) a/k/a Vaughn Zipper on bass and drums,
  Lori Sue Hale (Irie Jane, The Bad Apples) a/k/a Rockhelle Belle on drums,
  Allison Branch (The Bonnie Bishop Band) on bass, and
  June Higgins a/k/a Junie Tune on guitar.
  
  http://www.sonicbids.com/theplatforms Electronic Press Kit
  http://www.myspace.com/theplatforms
  http://www.theplatforms.com
  
  

• Endorsements: Daisy Rock & Epiphone [+ Show ]
  

  The Platforms are endorsed artists with Daisy Rock Guitars (see Goldie and Junie's matching pink bas...The Platforms are endorsed artists with Daisy Rock Guitars (see Goldie and Junie's matching pink bass and guitar).
  
  Junie Tune is endorsed by Epiphone Amplifiers
  
  http://www.epiphone.com/news.asp?NewsID=1386

• Selected [+ Show ]
  

  - HyperFest 3 Music Festival 2008 - Goldie's Garage (Little Steven's Underground Garage ~ Sirius ... - HyperFest 3 Music Festival 2008
  - Goldie's Garage (Little Steven's Underground Garage ~ Sirius 25) 2008
  - HyperFest 2 Music Festival 2007
  - Heart of Texas Bypass Festival 2006
  - Invasion of the GoGirls at SXSW 2006
  - Hyperactive Music Festival 2006
  - Millenium Music Conference 2006
  - Battle of the GoGirls 2006 - Finalist
  - Midwest Music Summit 2006
  - MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF) 2006
  - South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) 2005
  - MidPoint Music Festival (MPMF) 2005
  - Battle of the GoGirls 2005 *Second Place*
  
  

• Feature Article -- June 8, 2006 [+ Show ]
  

  **Girls shun whiny rock** by Joe Buffaloe June Higgins couldn't play an instrument in 2002. B...**Girls shun whiny rock**
  by Joe Buffaloe
  
  June Higgins couldn't play an instrument in 2002.
  
  But what she lacked in talent, she made up for with inspiration.
  
  "I just got tired of all this whiny music," Higgins said. "I wanted something fun, upbeat and energetic."
  
  Higgins, aka Junie Tune, is the founder of the Platforms, an Austin-based female rock group. The band is stopping off in Albuquerque for the Hyperactive Music Festival on Friday before beginning a tour of the West Coast. They will perform at The District Bar and Grill.
  
  The Hyperactive Music Festival is a series of shows from Thursday through Saturday at six different venues in Albuquerque. It features 50 all-independent bands.
  
  Higgins gave an anecdote about the Ramones to explain the Platforms' first efforts at music.
  
  "They started writing original material because cover songs were too hard," she said.
  
  The Platforms' main influences are '70s glam rock, garage rock and proto-punk. The band lists artists like Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, David Bowie and the Kinks as inspirations.
  
  "I remember learning 'Twentieth-Century Boy' by T-Rex at my first guitar lesson," Higgins said. "It was so easy, and that's when I realized that the songs I love are the really simple ones."
  
  Though their music is as free of frills as possible - the band only has one guitarist and refuses to use over-dubs on recordings - the Platforms' clothes are a little more flamboyant. Part of its appeal is a heavy dose of over-the-top mod-girl flair.
  
  "It goes back to the time when rock could be about fast cars or wearing cool outfits," Higgins said.
  
  However, the band's history hasn't been all fun. Numerous line-up changes slowed the band's progress its first couple of years, and its 2005 tour of the Midwest was filled with tension.
  
  "With girls it's really hard to keep it together in a band," she said. "Maybe we've all just watched too much reality TV."
  
  Despite the previous hardships, she doesn't regret starting an all-female band.
  
  "Women aren't taken seriously enough in rock music," she said. "But our songs speak for themselves."
  
  As for the future, the Platforms aren't holding their breath for an offer from a major label.
  
  "I don't know if the great record deal exists anymore, for anybody," Higgins said. "If we got offered a decent deal, we'd consider it, but we're definitely putting out the next recording ourselves."
  
  Higgins has one other goal for the band.
  
  "My fantasy would be to tour with the Mooney Suzuki," she said.
  

• Austin Music Critics' Poll: Best New Local Act
  

  The Platforms Voted: "Best New Local Act" (the only band named on multiple ballots)

• CD Reviews: Kicked Off by The Platforms [+ Show ]
  

  The Platforms strut into the spotlight with Kicked Off, 10 punchy, pop-punk tunes produced to perfec...The Platforms strut into the spotlight with Kicked Off, 10 punchy, pop-punk tunes produced to perfection by Mike Stewart. The femme quartet's strappy, scrappy sound ("Kick Your Rock Off," "Scorn") and ultra-cheeky lyrics ("Bang Me," "Strange") owes as much to Joan Jett as the Bangles without name-checking the Donnas, and prove style and substance are not mutually exclusive. Four pink stars for the Platforms!
  
  Margaret Moser - Austin Chronicle (February 18, 2005)
  
  Credit this Austin-based foursome with a freewheeling glam sensibility, unbridled enthusiasm for its chosen idiom and, of course, tunes. The latter is what it's all about anyway, and with sweet chunks of libidinous hooks like "Walk of Shame," "Scorn" and, of course, "Bang Me," the Platforms make themselves impossible to resist. "Sue's Blue Shoes," an insanely catchy ode to a friend's footware, is a bonus.
  
  Michael Toland - www.highbias.com (December 5, 2004)

• Concert Review: The Platforms CD Release Show [+ Show ]
  

  Live Shots: The Platforms - CD Release Show @ Red Eyed Fly Don’t let anyone tell you differentl...Live Shots: The Platforms - CD Release Show
  @ Red Eyed Fly
  
  Don’t let anyone tell you differently...the largish crowd at the Fly this Saturday night was there for a little voyeuristic pleasure.
  
  Platforms singer, Laurie Libido, was happy to please with a saucy mix of brassy belting and R rated game show hostess kitsch.
  
  Through the early half of the band’s set, sound problems (especially an annoying recurrence of feedback from the snare mic) kept the songs from really shining. Thankfully, when the band got to crowd favorite, “Walk of Shame”, the mix was right. Junie Tune was warmed up and really laying into her guitar. Steadier than Meg White, Gigi Bada Bing kept the beat thumping. Although they were fine with original bassist, Sweet Georgia Bram, the Platforms have unquestionably become a much better band with the addition of new bassist, Miss T. The coy finesse with which this Vulcan queen handles that fabulous Gibson EB-0 undoubtedly leaves audiences smitten. Add in a bitchin’ cover of the Zeros’ “Wimp” and a murderous retelling of the Nancy Sinatra classic, “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and you’ve got one hell of a night. - Chris McMillan

• Fashion Column: "After a Fashion" [+ Show ]
  

  Evidently, attorney/guitarist June Higgins (aka Junie Tune) needed a recommendation for a salon, and...Evidently, attorney/guitarist June Higgins (aka Junie Tune) needed a recommendation for a salon, and I sent her to Pink on the chic SoCo Strip. It was there that she met stylist Georgia Bramhall (aka Sweet Georgia Bram ... yes, of the Bramhall musical dynasty), who was to become bassist for the band that Higgins had started in 2002 with former Chronicle intern Laurie Gallardo (aka Laurie Libido) on vocals. Along with photographer and former ballet dancer Gina Lopez (aka Gigi Bada Bing) on drums, they are called the Platforms -- once playfully described as Josie & the Pussycats meet Kiss. The Platforms mix noisy but melodic rock with a flair for vintage Sixties and Seventies fashion and, of course, fabulous shoes. They swear they're not just about the clothes and shoes, but they did sport hot pink silk satin Gucci pants and platform shoes by St. Laurent and Prada at their debut, opening for Mark Hutchins' Rockland Eagles at the Hole in the Wall. They also rocked the roof down by playing original songs such as "Sue's Blue Shoes," "Vespa Girl," and their signature song, "Bang Me," along with a searing version of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." The band's next gig is Saturday, Jan. 24, at Flamingo Cantina with the Charter Bulldogs, American Idles, and the Ugly Beats. Who knows what those bands will be wearing, but you can bet the Platforms will look totally divoon. Go for the fashion; stay for the music. Stephen Macmillan Moser

Setlist

Typical Setlist [45 minutes to 1 hour]:
Kick Your Rock Off
Fly
Celebrity Life
Get It
Hot Little Ride
Eddie Can't Dance
'Cause You Wanted Me Too
Rock 'n' Roll Loves You, Baby
Scorn
Wimp [Cover of The Zeroes/by Javier Escovedo]
Vespa Girl
Sue's Blue Shoes
Strange
Walk of Shame
Bang Me
I'll Give You What You Want
These Boots Are Made for Walkin' [Cover of Nancy Sinatra/by Lee Hazlewood]
Gimme Some [Cover of The Skunks/by Jesse Sublett & Eddie Munoz]

The Platforms perform primarily original songs written by or for the band, and select from various covers retro-fitted in the band's garage/glam image.

Basic Requirements

Calendar