BOX

Live!
Who: BOX, Divine Nation When: 9 p.m. Saturday Where: Firehouse Grill, Fairfax City
Thursday, March 15, 2007; Page VA28


Michelle Burleson, songwriter, lead guitarist and vocalist for the Virginia-based trio BOX, was home sick, but other than a few carefully restrained coughs, she sounded in fine spirits last week.

Her hard-rocking band capped off the summer headlining the Chesapeake Pride Festival, and has since been rocking joints throughout the mid-Atlantic while preparing for the recent release of its CD debut, "Just a Phase," on Boy Dog Records.

That's the band's own label, which, as Burleson said, makes the official release date "when UPS puts 'em on your porch." (You can sample some of the material at the band's Web site, http://www.boxband.com.)

The official release party for the nine-track CD, however, has a very distinct date -- Saturday, at the Firehouse Grill. "We're in this continuing residency program," Burleson said with a laugh. "We try to get there once a month. Joanna, the owner there, is so good to bands. Playing there is like playing a house party. So when we decided to do a record release party, it was a no-brainer."

BOX came into being in 2004, when Tammy Hooper, former drummer and songwriter for D.C. punk band the Sirens, joined Burleson, who'd played solo and in bands in Athens, Ga., and the District. They enlisted New York's Ed Morrissey, formerly of Ruben Kincaid, to join them on bass.

Other players have come and gone, including recent guitarist Lee Cain, who appears on "Just a Phase," but recently left to pursue other, non-musical interests. "He just has a million other things going on," Burleson explained. "He works really passionately with the Anacostia Waterfront Project and that pretty much takes up all of his time. We've all been really simpatico."

For now, BOX intends to proceed as a trio. "We're not actively searching" for a new guitarist, Burleson said. "We played at DC9 last week just as the three of us, and I think we liked just being us three."

Still, Rick Grohovsky, of the alternative hard-rock outfit Demivolt, will be sitting in on guitar. He should know all the songs, having worked as co-producer with the band and engineer of the new CD. "He knows the material really well, and he's on the album a little bit here and there, so we thought it would fun, because the March 17th show is just gonna be nuts," Burleson said.

Also on the bill will be Divine Nation, other friends of the BOX team. "Great guys. Great musicians," Burleson said. "A couple of the guys play in a bunch of different local bands, and this is their debut show as the four of them playing out. They've got kind of a Led Zeppelin-ish sound. Actually, I went over last night and crashed their practice and came away like 'We need to get it together or that's going to be a hard act to follow.' "


-- MARIANNE MEYER

The Firehouse Grill is at 3988 University Dr., Fairfax City. Admission is $5 and limited to those older than 18 with valid ID. For more information, go tohttp://www.thefirehousegrill.comor call 703-383-1030.



- The Washington Post

Thursday, April 14, 2005; Page VA26


Sure there are many female artists on the charts these days, but how many can strap on a guitar that isn't a mere stage prop? How many can really cut loose on wailing leads and pounding drums and do some serious damage to the loose paint on the walls?

If you're a fan of The Donnas, Joan Jett or the Washington-area female rock band the Sirens, you'll want to be at The Firehouse Grill this weekend to make a little noise with a trio known simply as Box.

Songwriter-drummer Tammy Hooper was a member of the Sirens until December and still sits in with them when the band's new drummer can't make it. But she wanted to take her sound in a new direction, which happened when she met singer-guitarist-songwriter Michelle Burleson. Before getting Box-ed, Burleson had played as a solo artist and with a variety of bands in Athens, Ga., and D.C.

According to the band's bio, bass player "Kate Coffie joined after more than a few beers at a show in Baltimore. They haven't let her sober up since."

The trio started recording last year, and the first three-song demo shows a nice range of styles. "I Am the Boss" is a hard-edged tribute to a life outside the norms of 9-to-5 jobs, while "Rainbow Sticker Hot Rod" is a sexy come-on to a hot gas-station attendant. Meanwhile, "You Don't Know" is an acoustic ballad that isn't afraid to use a laundry simile for love ("like a blanket fresh from the dryer . . . ") The band's innuendo-giddy Web site, www.boxband.com, offers a kind of cheeky Grrl Power pride that would make the Spice Girls run for cover.

"They don't take themselves too seriously, they don't take any caca and they don't take American Express." You've been warned. You can also hear the three songs mentioned above, check out lyrics for other songs (maybe they'll play "Mullethead Girlfriend" at the show) and get some arch descriptions of the players' backgrounds, to be consumed with a generous dose of salt.

-- MARIANNE MEYER

The Firehouse Grill is at 3988 University Dr. Demivolt, an alternative hard-rock quartet featuring former members of the D.C.-area band Ursula Major, is also on the bill.

Admission is $5 and will be limited after 10 p.m. to those 21 and over with valid ID. For more information, call The Firehouse Grill at 703-383-1030. The Web site is www.thefirehousegrill.com.


- The Washington Post, April 14, 2005

OUT IN DC

Sittin’ on the dock of the Bay
Organizers expand the lineup for this weekend’s Chesapeake Pride Festival

By KATHERINE VOLIN
Friday, August 25, 2006

Chesapeake Pride offered a simple picnic for its 100 or so attendees during its first six years in operation. But this year, the event’s founder and chair, Wayne Schwandt, is planning to expand the celebration.

“Last year I decided that we were going to do it differently in 2006,” says Schwandt, who also serves as pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of the Chesapeake. “We wanted more support, we wanted more people, we wanted more entertainment. We wanted to make it an event that people would come to.”

Renamed the Chesapeake Pride Festival, the event now hopes to draw several hundred participants from the Chesapeake Bay area during the event on Saturday, Aug. 26.

“I’ve heard so many people say ‘You can’t do a Chesapeake Pride Festival in the Annapolis area. No one will come.’ We’re going to prove that wrong,” Schwandt says.

Support from local businesses has been greater than anticipated, according to Schwandt.

“We have 35 organizations and business vendors and we did not expect to get that kind of support from the community and I’m very pleased about that,” Schwandt says.

The event will be held from 1-7 p.m. at the Historic London Town & Garden, a 23-acre park in Edgewater, Md., and will feature food and beverage vendors, speakers and musical performances.

“If anything, we thought it was too small for our venue, but I think it’ll be wonderful to be packed,” Schwandt says.

PART OF THE REASON that some doubted the viability of the event is that the gay population along the Chesapeake Bay is so dispersed.

“There’s a very disjointed community around the Chesapeake Bay,” Schwandt says. “People are very isolated and in small pockets. We hope that we will be able to bring the GLBT community out into the light.”

Performers will include drag queens, singer-songwriter Ana Lockett, a feminist singing group, folk singer Steve Gellman and jazz and rap artists, among others. Headlining will be Box, an Alexandria-based lesbian-led band.

Lesbian Michelle Burleson, who plays guitar and sings for Box, says the band has never played at a Pride, but saw an ad for acts and decided to respond.

“I’m gay and my partner who plays the drums is gay so we were like, ‘Let’s go be gay,’” Burleson says. “A lot of our fans are gay. The two guys in our band are straight, but they think they’re lesbians and they could care less, so we thought we’d give it a shot.”

Tammy Hooper, Burleson’s partner, plays drums for Box, Ed Morrissey plays bass and Lee Cain plays guitar and sings. The band will play two sets.

“This is our first time even playing outside, besides playing on our front porch to the dismay of our neighbors,” Burleson says.

The band has some gay-themed songs, like “Rainbow Sticker Hot Rod” and “Mullethead Girlfriend.”

“Everybody has the opportunity to get offended at one of our shows, although we’re going to keep it clean for Pride, I think. I hope. I don’t know,” Burleson says. - The Washington Blade

Sept/Oct 2006

Michelle Burleson places fourth in American Songwriter Magazine songwriting contest!

"The Blue Route"
Written by Michelle Burleson
Alexandria, Virginia
Contact

She hit him while he killed her
She gave him a black eye
Her mother found forgiveness
Now we're gonna see him die

By the time we turned on the Blue Route
Her blood had painted the road
We sat in the dirt where he tore off her skirt
And felt something you'll never know

Forgive me for having no mercy
Forgive me and my friends
We were a little too late on the Blue Route
Forgive how we seek our revenge

We've got big plans for you, Bomar
You better keep your ass right there in jail
Because if death row doesn't do you justice
Our justice will not fail

That soggy night of early summer
You made the biggest mistake of your life
You beat her, you raped her, you mutilated our girl
And then you went home to your wife

You had us jumping at shadows
You had us scared of men we don't know
You made wickedness real and we learned not to feel
But that was a long time ago

By the time we turned on the Blue Route
Innocence and Aimee had died
We sat in the dirt where he tore off her skirt
Too late and angry to cry - American Songwriter Magazine

Without warning, it's the

Washington City Paper's superficially revealing inquiry into the musical mind.

No more beating around the bush, our new favorite band is BOX. "The Band of Busy Beavers" has busily created the wonderful tune "Mullethead Girlfriend." How can you not love that? Well, you can love that and such classics as "Stack of Fiction" and "You Don't Know" here and here. Michelle Burleson (guitar/vocals), Tammy Hooper (drums), Ed Morrissey (bass/vocals), and Lee Cain (guitar/vocals) are those busy beavs, and will become even busier this Saturday, July 29, when Box plays the Velvet Lounge. And next Monday, July 31, the tireless band will totally rock "Sterling Lesbian Night" at Zaaza Bar in, of course, Sterling. Who knew that the NoVa exurb was so lesbian-rich? Hey, Manassas—time for you to get your gay on!




What equipment do you use and what's your favorite smoke?

MICHELLE: I play a Rickenbacker 620 and Line 6 Flextone Tubetone. I hate cigarettes. However, Ed has me hooked on the pipe—the corncob pipe, that is. The tobacco I'm using right now is a Virginia-grown (supporting the local economy), vanilla-flavored delight. Nothing says, "Take me home" like sucking on a corncob pipe.

ED: A Hartke head through a Peavey 1820. Smoking Padron 2000s, described by a tobacconist friend as "a good everyday smoke."

TAMMY: No fumar.

LEE: I play a Stratocaster guitar through the Rivera "Jake the Rake Reverb" head, which then goes into this cabinet I found with no brand name on it. It looks real old, and it sounds kind of shitty. I like that. I also like cloves.



What kind of drums do you play and what pets do you own?


TAMMY: Pearl drums with a DW snare, Zildjian A and K Custom cymbals, and Tama hardware. Three dogs, two cats (see below).

MICHELLE: The apple of my eye is my boy dog, Tugboat. Everyone thinks their dog is the best, but I've met your dogs, and let me tell you, Tugboat is the Man. We also have a Jack Russell and just adopted a dog named Budgie. Oh, there's more: We have two cats, Steven and Jeffrey.

ED: An overfed tortie named Winona.

LEE: I played Tammy's drums last night. I think there's a tapeworm in my body because I can eat tons of food, and I really don't know where it goes.




What's your favorite D.C. hangout and your favorite automobile?


MICHELLE: Anyplace that still insists on carding me. Los Tios in Del Ray: this great El Salvadorian place run by a fantastic guy, Germon, and his family. Great big margaritas, great people, cheap, yummy eats. For music, the Firehouse Grill, Iota, DC9, Black Cat, Galaxy Hut—usual haunts. I love vintage Mustangs—oh, and Rainbow Sticker Hot Rods.

ED: Galaxy Hut. 1969 Chevy Impala.

TAMMY: Black Cat is cool. I also like DC9. Favorite ride: the Batmobile. I wish my car could do all that stuff.

LEE: Carderock is where I do most of my hanging around. Although I am very green, I would drive the fuck out of a Barracuda if I had one.



What's the worst place you've crashed and your worst haircut?


MICHELLE: One time in Okinawa, my plane was delayed overnight so they put us up in some shady hotel. There were dead, crunchy cockroaches in the bed and a used condom on the floor. Bright side: At least the people before me used a condom. Worst haircut was definitely my mullet. Man, I used to work on that thing like a piece of art every morning. I am obsessed with mullets. Just listen to our song "Mullethead Girlfriend."

ED: Parents' front lawn. Hair: mop-top from high school.

TAMMY: Cherry Blossom Motel, circa 1984. I'll leave out the sordid details. Worst hair—mullet, of course. Permed on top with accompanying rat-tail (also circa 1984). Looked great with my parachute pants.

LEE: My car. Supercuts.


Worst roommate and best audience?


MICHELLE: All my bad roommates have mysteriously disappeared; however, my meat locker is always stocked. Best audience: Hard to name, but when the Firehouse gets going, it's a fantastic time. They are really good to us there.

ED: A college roommate with a penchant for food fights, and a lawn-chair crowd at a trailer park in high school.

TAMMY: Kathy, the woman who could not do anything quietly. I could hear her gulp water from two floors up. Best Box audience: I'd have to say our debut gig at the Firehouse Grill last year.

LEE: Dave Dosberg. He's my roommate now, and he's lousy! Sike, Dave's pretty cool. My best audience is probably my mother. I could play her the crappiest song in the world, and she'd think it was good.


Explain your band name and define your sound.


ED: I'll let the ladies explain. Sound: simply rock.

MICHELLE: Ha. The name speaks for itself. We first started out as a three-piece chick band; not consciously to be all women, it just happened that way. Come on, we haven't used up 1 percent of the jokes we can make with our name. Our Web site (www.boxband.com) is full of them. Shameless pl - The Washington City Paper