hot rollers
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hot rollers

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The best kept secret in music

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"The Hot Rollers-Got your Number"

by Ken McEntire-Crush-worthy Seattle skirts The Hot Rollers not only present us with the best sex/butcher shop themed record cover since Cannibal Corpse here, but they’re also so goddamn charming, it’s almost evil. They’re sound is primitive-but-melodic garage punk, heavy on the wavering bad-girl vox of Lori Campion and the mastodon stomp of her rhythm section (Kristin Ballweg on bass/Farfisa, Heidi Jessup on drums), with lotsa hot rod rumble guitars and girl-group back-up yelps. Lucky for us, the Rollers aren’t hardcore no-fi fascists, so the sound is crisp and warm and livable, and the songs are fun and snotty, sorta like the Donnas-gone-retro. I mean, even more retro than they are already. Opener “You Don’t Do It” is the brashest and boldest kiss-off on deck, but “Got Your Number” and the fur-flying “Ice Princess” are almost as mean, and you really gotta hand it to ‘em for beating the boozy piano man outta Billy Joel on their riotous cover of “You May Be Right”. Word has it there’s an even dizzier re-do in hidden-track land, but that’s for me to know and you to find out, really. At any rate, if you like girls, than believe me, you will like the Hot Rollers. That’s pretty simple, man. - Sleazegrinder-Boston MA


"The Hot Rollers - Hide Your Girlfriend and Wear a Jockstrap"

The Hot Rollers choose not to play the Cute Card. You know , the dimpled cuteness Tee-hee-giggle-“Can someone tune my guitar cuz I’m a fragile unicorn princess” act that too often nets girl bands undue attention. We should all be grateful that the Hot Rollers would rather start a grease fire in their amps and rock the Jell-o wrestling party like they’re angling for a knife fight with The Donnas.

The band’s MySpace profile describes them as “very sweaty/beery tits harmonizing with each other in a garbage can bra.” They rock hardest in Seattle’s dirtiest joints and refuse to clean up their act when they storm the more lauded venues. They’ve been known to scrawl set lists on their thighs in Sharpie. (“Nice pair of setlists” “If I compliment your setlist, will you show me your encore?”) If I remember correctly, Guitarist Lori’s guitar strap reads “Fuck” to Kirsten’s “Off.” See, a little teamwork goes a long way, especially when they don theme-apparel for events. Last Halloween they stormed the Lobo as brides of Frankenstein. They’ve also done the rollergirl and Catholic schoolgirl thing, but that doesn’t count as playing the Cute Card. It’s parody, the hotness is just part of the show. They aren’t, after all, the Lukewarm Rollers.

Got Your Number contains enough balls-to-the-wall girl power to light up a city. Stripped down and retro-sassy, listen for that 1960’s influence of engineer Kearney Barton, a music legend who recorded the Sonics, Ventures, and the Kingsmen's “Louie Louie.”. The end result is what you might imagine a monster movie soundtrack would sound like if it was made by go-go dancers in knee-high white boots. There are power chords, punk riffs, and the lyrics preach having power in relationships while not glossing over past mistakes, usually involving young boys, cars, and alcohol. Flirting with a little axel grease behind the ears and a wrench in the back pocket

Check out this lyric from the title track - “I was a single girl/ I had double vision/ He gave me three steps baby/ ‘Til I was four on the floor/ I got a five finger discount/ On a fifth of Jack”

Other highlights include a sloppy, screamy cover of Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right,” and a lambasting of the aforementioned pretty-pretty-princess girls on “Ice Princess.”

While a sizzling and impassioned debut, chances are that the girls will need to push future recording sessions into more creative territory if they want to pull down some serious radio time and differentiate their songs. But in the meantime, it’s all about the live show. Hide your girlfriend and wear a jockstrap. This could get ugly. - (8/10)
- NadaMucho.com


"The Hot Rollers — "Got Your Number" {7.2}"

by chilly c

Don't call 'em dirty. Ok, call 'em dirty — but only if you call 'em sweet too. The Hot Rollers play scrappy garage rock with plenty of energy and a reputation for in-yer-face live shows that feature themed costumes (from wedding dresses to mod swingers) and a consort of on-stage go-go dancers (the Rollettes). But theatrics can only get you so far. Ultimately, the Hot Rollers' songs need to stand on their own, especially on CD without the benefit of the band's well-honed visuals.

The Hot Rollers deliver the goods on debut Got Your Number {Sweaty Betty}. Chief songwriter Lori Campion plays a mean guitar and sings like a Catholic school girl who's just chain-smoked her first pack of Winstons behind the gym. Kirsten Ballweg handles the bass with a Bill Wyman-style detached panache (Ballweg is also a killer Farfisa player). Drummer Heidi Jessup keeps it simple and strong the way a garage drummer oughta. The Hot Rollers work well together; their four-chord minor-key stompers are plenty catchy, and they rant and rave in all the right places.

The production is appropriately lo-fi given the band's devotion to garage rock, but at times the record sounds a little too clean: I'd have liked to hear fuzzier guitars, buried vocals, and washy, distorted drums. Of course, not every garage band needs to sound like the Gories, but the clarity of the production on Got Your Number sometimes works against the dirty content of the songs themselves.

Lyrically, the Hot Rollers are cutting and catty, but Campion always delivers her vocals with a smile — even when she's singing about trashing your room or kicking you to the curb. From the get-go, most of the songs are kiss-offs to various deadbeat boyfriends. Lead-off track "You Don't Do It" hurls a barrage insults like "When you're around/I want you to go away," and the classic "Get your fingers/Away from my socket." The CD takes off from there: along the way, prostitutes, ice princesses and man-stealing tramps all get skewered. The Hot Rollers are not a band you want to cross.

That's not to say the CD has a negative vibe. The band's tongue is clearly in its cheek throughout their tantrums. For proof, look no further than the Hot Rollers' choice of covers. I've never heard any garage band tackle Billy Joel's "You May Be Right," which the Hot Rollers batter into the skuzzy slab of rock power that Billy probably thought it was all along. Drummer Jessup is the secret weapon here. Her steady drumming and perfectly-timed kick action sell the song. And the hidden track cover of Young MC's "Bust A Move" {technically two covers, since the first take dissolves into laughter} is a hilarious surprise ending to a wild, trashy, hook-filled ride.

The Hot Rollers' Got Your Number is a promising debut. And the next time they play at a venue near you? Ok smartie, go to their party!
- Three Imaginary Girls


"Holy Shit Was I Wrong!"

By Dan Halligan

On a recent Saturday night in Ballard the beer was flowin', the kids were dancin' and the bands were fuckin' golden. The Cripples kicked down synth-driven dancey post-punk and the Gloryholes blasted out soul-driven rock'n'roll like no one's business, but the main reason why the masses flocked to the Sunset was to see the Hot Rollers. After all, it was the CD release party for Seattle's premiere all-girl garage rock band. The Hot Rollers brought it all, the costumes and dancing girls they are now famous for, along with plenty of fun, catchy garage rock. The CD, "Got Your Number," has a healthy nod towards '60s garage rock in more ways than just the music; the album was engineered by the legendary Kearney Barton, who recorded bands like the Sonics and Ventures back in the day (and is behind Norton Record's Northwest series). Barton has to be ancient now; there is a great picture of him in the CD booklet with Chris from the Gloryholes, who helped produce the album. It's a fun CD of catchy slow-to-medium-paced garage rock that reminds me of some of the great '60s girl bands, but with the current decade's guitars and flair. - Tablet Magazine


"The Hot Rollers"

By Bill Bullock

MS. LED, THE HOT ROLLERS, THE NEINS
(Fun House) Composed of three West Coast music-scene veterans, new local band the Hot Rollers' sound inhabits a sweaty, snarly-sweet limbo somewhere between the de rigueur girl garage-pop groups of the late '80s and early '90s and, oddly enough, the quirky, lo-fi punk masterpieces of the Dead Kennedys before they went hardcore and all their songs started sounding the same. Lead singer/guitarist Lori successfully mind-melds Kathleen Hanna's most ovaries-out shrieks with Kim Deal's smoky purr to great effect, while cool-as-a-cucumber bassist Kirsten and wild-woman drummer Heidi's tight rhythm section throw in '60s girl-group harmonies (as well as their own grunts, moans, and howls). In a remarkable fit of serendipity, this bill itself describes them almost perfectly, bridging the gap between the all-out fun garage/punk/soul of openers the Neins and the highly confessional, post-Riot Grrrl-inflected punk of headliners Ms. Led. - The Stranger


"Hot, Tough and Mysterilicious"

By Timothy Huber

Before I hit the road here, I thought I might take a second to turn you all on to something I saw last night. Having to fire an employee yesterday (on the instruction of my evil, cheap, cold boss) left me in need of something...something to remind me that there is still pleasant surprises in the world. I found just that in a warehouse last night in Oakland. The Hot Rollers...an all chick band. Now, I have never hidden my preference for Trio Bands. Guitar, Bass and Drums is all that Rock and Roll ever needed in the first place. Everything beyond that is purely fluff. Beat it, pluck it and strum it. Sound sexual? Well try this on for size...dress three hot chicks up in mini skirts and white GoGo boots, amplify them to the teeth, and sit back while they scour your face with their originals. Tasty enough? Not by a long shot, friends. In a stroke of genius, they have also seen fit to make part of their "road equipment" a couple of nice mini-trampolines and two more GoGo girls that shake, shimmy, bop and bounce along with the tunes. Jesus, are you getting the same feeling as me? You know, the one you felt that time you were climbing the rope in 8th grade and got a nice bird's eye view of Debbie Moraga's cleavage? Before that day, I had never made it to the top...I guess I just needed that third leg. (Tick, tick, tick, tick) Sorry, I'm back now. Anyway, it was nice to see some old friends and enjoy the show. Lori Campion, guitarist and honorary Grip Magazine Poster Girl, has a firm grip on the raunchy chords and feedback technique that sent the neighborhood dogs over the fence and yelping helplessly into the night. Kirsten Ballweg, bassist, did two things for me...laid down a wonderfully punchy low-frequency performance...and did it all with a sultry, Mona Lisa smile. Mysterilicious (A new word I made up just for her). Drummer, Heidi Jessup, in additon to keeping things on track for the strings, had an unusually strong influence on which way the booties swung on the Rollettes (those GoGo dancers I told you about). Thank you ladies, for helping me rock through another otherwise angst-filled weekend. - Grip Magazine


Discography

got your number
down and derby compilation

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

All-Girl Garage Rock--

Dripping with sweat & beers, the Hot Rollers are three sweet pieces of tough girly-infused, fuzzed out guitar assault, thundering bass and skin breaking beats.

Live, they are the perfect blend of loud guitar, gut-wrenching screams tempered by layers of sixties girl-group harmonies and go-go boots on dual trampolines.

Influences (Pandoras, Billy Childish, AC/DC, Mudhoney, Pixies, Dead Kennedys)