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Hardly a Lullaby
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Surf-punk, math-pop, pop-punk, Sleater-Kinney, the B-52s, David Bowie, The Go-Gos — Demimonde Slumbe...Surf-punk, math-pop, pop-punk, Sleater-Kinney, the B-52s, David Bowie, The Go-Gos — Demimonde Slumber Party (DSP) has been bombarded with labels and comparisons. They describe themselves as “a female-led trio whose sound is an exuberant blend of pop punk & ’60s garage rock with a sense of humor.” Regardless of how you describe the band, DSP is known for their light-hearted, eclectic tunes perfect for dancing and (gently) moshing.
Originally from San Francisco, DSP adopted Eugene as its new home several years ago. Lead singer and guitarist Melissa Lubofsky brings the idealism; drummer/vocalist Kim Lindquist adds the punk and bassist/vocalist Tim Romain brings the rhythm — rock, jazz and reggae, to name a few.
DSP formed in the ’90s, but hibernated for a while after Lindquist and Lubofsky moved to Eugene and Romain moved to Seattle. They got back together in 2005 to record their first CD, Green. Five years passed before they created their new EP, Heart in Outer Space, a six-song collection that showcases themes ranging from chocolate and floating hearts in outer space to a girl named Jolene who is compared to caffeine.
There are no snoozers here. From the opening notes of the first song, “Jolene,” DSP plays catchy chord progressions, making use of echoes and varied tempos. It’s a sing-along, clap your hands and pump up the energy crowd-pleaser.
All three share vocals, but lead singer Lubofsky is a noteworthy vocalist. Instead of broken-heart ballads, her songs are chock full of playful rhyming lyrics and feel-good metaphors such as in the title track: “My heart went off to outer space / It disappeared without a trace / It told me not to worry it had a plan / No one would ever leave us again.”
Lubofsky brings a green idealism to her music, and there are no hidden messages when it comes to her quest to save the planet — she comes right out and says it. In the second to the last track, “Endangered Species Chocolate Bar,” she sings: “Help me endangered species chocolate bar / Please help me save the world.” She hopes that through music and chocolate she can make this world a better place. And as in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, her bandmembers chime in like a chorus of oompa loompas. To dip into this flavorful smorgasbord of lyrical explosions and schizophrenic musical genre blending, visit www.dspband.com
Demimonde Slumber Party celebrates the release of its new EP at 4 pm Sunday, June 6, at CD World. There will be free chocolate bars at the free event. — Catherine Foss
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Demimonde Slumber Party
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Appeared in print: Friday, Jun 4, 2010
Finally, Demimonde Slumber Party wakes up from being half ...Appeared in print: Friday, Jun 4, 2010
Finally, Demimonde Slumber Party wakes up from being half asleep, at least with regard to playing live local gigs.
Sunday at 4 p.m., the trio releases “Heart in Outer Space.” Five years ago, the group released “Green” and attracted some praise from the music press for its eclectic blend of ’60s surf, psychedelic rock and poppy punk.
The new EP is six tracks but only clocks in at a bit less than 12 minutes. The Eugene band formed in San Francisco in the 1990s, but has been based in Lane County for some time now.
The new songs show a complete and rather refreshing lack of self-consciousness. You know how 18-year-olds sometimes appear to be more advanced in age than 25-year-olds because they try so hard to look grown up?
Not here. These are experienced musicians who aren’t exactly acting like kids, but they certainly are having a good time.
The band’s strength is exhibited best on the utterly addictive “Endangered Species Chocolate Bar.” Singing about blood sugar is punk rock in this everything-goes era of music.
It is not surprising that the band’s founders, Melissa Lubofsky and Kim Lundquist, took forays into stand-up comedy and musical theater when the band was on hiatus for lack of a bassist. Tim Romain, who played bass on “Green” and the new EP, does not live in Eugene; hence, the dearth of local appearances.
Come help them celebrate their quirky accomplishment during Sunday’s release party in-store performance at CD World, 3215 W. 11th Ave.
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Rocking out with Demimonde Slumber Party
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Lane graphic design graduate to dedicate next album to former instructor
Chris Cooper and Brandy Do...Lane graphic design graduate to dedicate next album to former instructor
Chris Cooper and Brandy Dominguez
Issue date: 6/3/10 Section: Arts
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With a unique sound that is guaranteed to transport any listener back to the days of Jefferson Airplane, musical veterans Demimonde Slumber Party are set to release their second album "Heart in Outer Space" June 6.
Lead vocalists and guitarist Melissa Lubofsky, drummer and back up vocalist Kim Lindquist and bassist and back up vocalist Tim Romain make up the band.
Lubofsky and Lindquist started the group in San Francisco in the early '90s, but it wasn't until they played with Romain that the trio really became complete.
"Tim is a great musician," Lubofsky said. "His goofy sense of humor makes playing with him fun."
Since then, Romain has moved to Seattle, Wash., while Lubofsky and Lindquist have settled into Eugene.
"We needed to take a break from the high-priced, high-stress city of San Francisco and found Eugene to be a beautiful, creative town," Lubofsky said.
The band is set up to play at CD World in Eugene on June 6 for the release of their newest album "Heart in Outer Space."
"My favorite song on this album is 'Endangered Species Chocolate Bar,'" Lubofsky said. "In it, I was able to poke fun at the part of me that can get completely overwhelmed about many things in life - in this case endangered species."
Lindquist is a graduate of Lane's Graphic Design Department and designs the CD covers for their albums. DSP has dedicated their next album to former Lane design instructor Thomas Rubik who passed away in 2009.
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Demimonde Slumber Party finally gets it down on CD
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May 27, 2005
Demimonde Slumber Party is a fairly new player on the Eugene music scene, but the ba...May 27, 2005
Demimonde Slumber Party is a fairly new player on the Eugene music scene, but the band is no newbie.
The San Francisco-born trio originally formed in 1993 as the duo of Melissa Lubofsky and Kim Lindquist. After playing with a few Bay Area bassists, they teamed up with Tim Romain.
But in the late '90s, Romain moved to Seattle and Lubofsky and Lindquist moved to Eugene. The band went on hiatus for several years.
That changed in 2003. With help from Romain on long weekends, Lubofsky and Lindquist set up a makeshift recording studio in the Eugene home they share and set about recording some songs.
The result is the debut full-length CD, "Green." Demimonde Slumber Party will celebrate the CD's release with a party today at Luckey's Club Cigar Store, and again with a free in-store appearance Saturday afternoon at CD World.
After a few years off, Demimonde Slumber Party got back into playing live last year with gigs at several Eugene venues.
The music, which the band describes as samples different influences. X is evident on "Velveteen" - Lubofsky's vocals are reminiscent of Exene Cervenka's - while the opener, "Santa Barbara" sports a beat as catchy as anything performed by the Go-Go's.
Some of the songs date back to the '90s, while others are much newer.
"The newest songs were finished just as I recorded them," Lubofsky said.
Lubofsky had studied a little bit of audio engineering, so she did the recording herself. The nine-song disc took longer to produce than they planned, but they learned a lot for next time, she said.
"The next step is to record a full-length CD with some engineering help," she said.
During the band's off time, Lubofsky did some theater while Lindquist tried her hand at stand-up comedy.
"I have a lot of creative interests," Lubofsky said. "But I'm ready to sacrifice a few of them to go back to my original passion, which is music."
The band started playing live again last year - with gigs at Luckey's, Samurai Duck, Cozmic Pizza, John Henry's and Lesbopalooza. Romain played when he was available, with local bassist Kathy Moore filling in when he wasn't.
"It would be our preference every time we play to play with (Romain)," Lindquist said.
"He is willing to come down as much as he can," Lubofsky added.
Lubofsky and Lindquist made the move to Eugene partly out of necessity - their landlady is San Francisco was selling her house - and partly by sheer luck: Lindquist's dad owned a rental home here.
So far, they've found the Eugene scene to be accepting and diverse, Lindquist said.
"San Francisco at the time was focused more on noise and people screaming their songs," Lubofsky said, adding that while she has a bit of that in Demimonde Slumber Party's music, she likes things a little more melodic.
As with most rock 'n' roll musicians, the women behind Demimonde Slumber Party dream big. Lubofsky, however, hedges her bets.
"I think the ideal would be a kind of long-term moderate success," she said. "I'd like to have at least part of our income be from music."
Lindquist doesn't hedge anything: "We'd like to quit our jobs and play music all the time."
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"Green" by Demimonde Slumber Party
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Posted on November 17, 2005
I can't decide what genre this album is. Is it punk? Kind of sounds l...Posted on November 17, 2005
I can't decide what genre this album is. Is it punk? Kind of sounds like it on the opening track, "Santa Barbara" This tune could be a B-52s song. Fun party song.
Then there's some fun funky guitar on "Skin Hunger".
By track 7 ("Delight Me") I'm completely confused. This is sort of a poppy dirge if there can be such a thing. It's got an almost rock-a-billy sound. Reminding me of an old, now defunct group, Tarnation.
Demimonde Slumber Party is obviously talented and have put together a nice fun collection of well written, well performed songs. It's an eclectic band that has released a fun and interesting CD. For something fun and new give them a spin.
Stand out songs: "Santa Barbara", "Velveteen" reminds me of a Ramone's song. I really like "Delight Me".
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Genreless
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May 26th, 2005
It's easy to slap a label on a lot of bands out there, but Demimonde Slumber Party...May 26th, 2005
It's easy to slap a label on a lot of bands out there, but Demimonde Slumber Party isn't one of them. The band originated in San Francisco, but the members currently live in Eugene and recorded their latest album, Green, at drummer Kim Lindquist's father's home.
Nine tracks later, Demimonde Slumber Party has proven that it's easy to pack upward of four genres into a nine-track album. It's difficult to guess what DSP might sound like before listening to their record, and even then there isn't a predominant genre more narrow than "rock."
Green contains songs that range from '60s psychedelic rock to fast, angsty pop punk, with a folk ballad or two thrown in for good measure. And while their retro-style album cover deceptively features three skirted silhouettes with '50s hairdos playing instruments, DSP is not actually an all-girl band. Bassist Tim Romain, drummer Kim Lindquist and lead vocalist and guitarist Melissa Lubofsky make up the female-dominated trio. Demimonde Slumber Party play a cd release show for Green 10pm Friday, May 27 at Luckey's ($3-$5) and a free in-store at CD World at 3pm Saturday, May 28.
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Album Release Marks New Beginning For DSP
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June 2, 2005
Local band returns to music scene with 'Green'
______________________________________...June 2, 2005
Local band returns to music scene with 'Green'
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Demimonde Slumber Party is demanding new attention with the release of its new CD, "Green."
The CD release is bound to birth new attention on the Eugene scene, as the band has lain dormant or close to it for several years after bassist Tim Romain left for Seattle.
Since the late '90s the band has played off and on for various benefits, but the shows so few and far between could not satisfy Melissa Lubofsky or her right-hand woman, drummer Kim Lindquist. The two invited Romain to take a few long weekends in Eugene to produce "Green."
DSP offers an eclectic sort of music that is reminiscent of '60s psychedelic rock, but with sporadic pop-punk sounds that keep listeners on their toes. While both the music and vocals often sound light and bubbly, the lyrics are profound and the end product is more than just catchy.
Lubofsky, lyricist, vocalist and guitarist, is probably to credit for any fragments of psychedelic rock, as she names a lot of '60s rock and early Bowie as her influences. IT is these influences that take DSP from the dime-a-dozen pop-punk bands littering the music scene to a unique and talented band that offers an all-around fun experience.
Despite her great influence, Lubofsky alone could not carry the band. Sitting right behind her at the drum set is Lindquist, who holds the band together with her ability to play anything.
Lindquist began playing drums at age 12 and her many experiences with various bands in the Bay Area allows her the talent to wail on the drums in true thrash punk style one second then switch it up to something mellow and melodic the next.
There is no denying the chemistry between Lindquist and Lubofsky, but DSP wouldn't be DSP without Romain. Romain commands personal attention, not just because he is the only male in the group, but because of his versatility. Jazz and reggae are just a couple genres Romain tackles in addition to rock. Not only does he employ the use of several basses throughout the CD, but he also lends his vocals in harmony with Lubofsky.
The track list on "Green" is just as diverse as DSP's band members. The first track "Santa Barbara" characterizes the band's early beginnings in the California Bay Area with a light-hearted bubblegum punk feel.
The CD's title track "Green," however, is clearly old rock reborn with Lubofsky's haunting voice.
"Green" is now available at CD World and at www.cdbaby.com.
