Cinderella Motel

"Cinderella Motel were next to take this stage, and their performance alone vindicated my decision to attend this gig, as they put on quite a powerful show. ...When the guitarist/vocalist line-checked her guitar before the band started their set, a crisp sound emanated from her instrument and caught my ears straightaway, and even those mere two seconds were enough to raise my expectations and hopes surrounding this band’s set. Sure enough, the band’s tunes were delightfully loud and filled to the brim with a biting, seductive sense of edginess. To someone reading this and not knowing anything about this band, it’s hard for me to pinpoint what they sound like, because their music is quite a unique and weird combination of a variety of styles ranging from early punk to garage rock to 80s hard rock, but the most striking feature of Cinderella Motel’s performance was certainly the attitude they brought forth to this stage, specially through frontwoman Tomahawk whose enormously strong voice filled the room. She played guitar for the first half of the set and once she put it down, she let her personality free to an even greater extent and put absolutely everything into the vocals. Unlike some other singers whom I’ve had the misfortune of seeing very recently, her level of alcohol consumption before and during the set seemed to be just about perfect and wasn’t overdone to the extent that it would ruin the show. Overall, I would say Cinderella Motel is more than meets the eye, and even though the music is not easily ‘accessible’ by any means, it’s extremely interesting for explorative hard rock fans, specially in the live setting." - Metal Assault, Andrew Bansal

“ I listen to a lot of music every day and the Cinderella Motel CD Automatic Pleasure is one of the best indie albums I have heard yet in 2012”. - Rick Kratcoski (March 5, 2012) - Music Caravan

"Has an accordion ever sounded cooler than when Cinderella
Motel frontwoman T.Tomahawk is wielding it? ......The title track reaches out and grabs you by the throat and Cinderella Motel don’t let
go through a series of keepers that include “Clearance Valentine,” “Saddled Unicorn,” snarky personal favorite “You Were Never
My Boyfriend (So Let’s Dance),” “VampireMan,” “Textual Relationship” and “At Midnight, I Turn Into a Pumpkin.” Thisis a band I look forward to seeing perform live. Should be a blast." - Jeffrey Sisk (February 21,2012) - IN Tune - The Daily News

"Cinderella MOTEL lead singer Tammy Tomahawk throws down crankingly kittenish vocals, her rich, port wine voice channeling semi-namesake Martha Davis (The Motels) in its sultry intensity…delivered with a theatricality that speaks to her other life as a performance artist." - Shana Nys Dambrot - Flavorpill

..."a punk rock powerhouse.....This band whips out tempo variation so quickly and flawlessly they leave you wanting more. These, combined with killer hooks, booming drum rhythms and metallic guitar riffs makes Cinderella Motel a punk rock bullet train people need to take a ride on." - Bad Ass Bands Blog

www.thedelimagazine.com/la - Deli Magazine LA

If you are a modern day rock and roll band and you have an accordion player in your band you are automatically a zillion times cooler in my book. This makes Los Angeles bred, Cinderella Motel, officially one of the coolest bands on the planet. Their album Automatic Pleasure is a rough and tumble polka ride through hell; just kidding about the polka ride.

What Automatic Pleasure is though is the sound of a more strung out, more fuzzed out version of The Kills. With aggressive punk chord changes, almost riot grrl like vocals and a general feeling that things are not going well, Cinderella Motel are not living in a fairytale. This musical nightmare is an attacking, disruptive affair that's bound to cause anarchy wherever it is played and that's why it's fantastic. Rebellious to the point of rebelling against rebelling, Cinderella Motel plow their way through songs with bulldozing like efficiency. In their wake there remains nothing but burning embers and the remains of lesser musicians.

With accordion cranked to 11, guitars running on what sounds like four or five Big Muff pedals, and drums shattering skins this is not an album for the feint of heart...and yes I said accordion cranked to 11. Automatic Pleasure is a great album of hostile riffs, dominant vocals, and dirty scuzzy rock and roll songs that combine together to create a sense of impending doom. If you ever wondered what a roll around in the gutter would sound like, Cinderella Motel have just provided you with the soundtrack and it ain't pretty. - Paul POP! - The POP! Stereo Review Roundup -

Cinderella Motel’s thrashy old-school squalor owes a huge debt to black-dressed songstresses of the past — fans of Siouxsie Sioux and Joan Jett, take note — with frontwoman Tammy Tomahawk juggling guitar and accordion and howling at ghosts wearing studded belts and leather collars. Or maybe they’re not ghosts at all. The quartet, working on a full-length scheduled for a fall release, features thundering rhythms from bassist Dustin Robles and drummer Raul Guerrero, and appropriately shreddy licks from lead guitarist Janice Reid. L.A. once thrived on a steady diet on a steady diet of post-punk like Cinderella Motel’s; now we have only occasional side dishes to make you scream like a banshee. - Buzzbands.la - Kevin Bronson

"...a female reincarnation of Iggy and the Stooges...if Iggy also played accordion!"


- Jorge Barriere - Flavorpill LA

Deli LA Magazine's Band of the Month - JULY :

In many ways Cinderella Motel fits the mold of a typical garage band, but after a few listens it’s clear that these rockers have an edge over their peers. Combining frantic beats with eccentric charm, the foursome has mastered the art of innovation. Their songs are driven and upbeat, and refuse to sacrifice whimsicality even when taking a serious turn. Tammy Tomahawk’s vocals are stellar, retaining a feminine quality despite a rough Joan Jett-esque howl...
- Stephanie Freitag

DELI: What food item best describes your music?


CM: Bratwurst covered in FunDip.
DELI: What instrument have you wanted to include in your music but have yet to find a way to fit into your sound?
CM: The trumpet, but first Raul’s gotta take lessons from his mariachi brother-in-law.


DELI: Who in the band gets hit (on) after your live shows and why?
CM: Usually Tomahawk – but it’s DURING the set. Eh em…Shall we say some of her‘wardrobe’ is made possible by Nippies..? www.bristols6.com
DELI: What's your current addiction?
CM: Interstate carnivals. Swimming at the public pool. Burt Reynolds circa 1982. Any sort of beef product. Adding more members to the band to turn into Polyphonic Spree. Just kiddin – We’re tying the tubes at 4 now.


DELI: Time travel or space travel? When or where?
CM: Medieval times in England - Tomahawk loves those suits of armor and those battle moves!…Or The Wild West era (same deal).Raul would probably want do both time AND space travel though – he really wants to go to Mars during the Stone Age to see if there was life on that planet then. He’s a curious fellow…

www.thedelimagazine.com/la - Deli LA Magazine

Gypsy punk, loaded with all the controlled trashiness that could actually make music exciting again. There is nothing remotely conventional about CM, but in creating eccentric audio arrangements, the band manages to steer away from being pretentious. CM’s talent isn’t rooted in their differences; the two go hand in hand. - Skinnie Magazine - Feb 2010