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The first opening act The Heels definitely had something special going on as well. It was this all girl group’s first show, after a number of the members of a former group reformed as the Heels. They played a fun set filled with humorous punk to a packed room that made me wonder who the headliner should have really been. Oh, yeah, did I say I love their songs “He’s My Frankenstein” and “Natural Disasters”? - Sound on the Sound Music Blog
April 13, 2007
I had the misfortune of being a teenage girl during a fad called “girl power,” prostelytized by The Spice Girls. If you were lucky enough to have missed the Spice Girls, they were a straight girls version of The Village People. A pop group capitalizing on the music of its time, featuring members who each had a cultivated identity based on gender or sexual stereotypes. Apparently girls came in five different varieties: sporty, scary, posh, ginger, or baby. They preached a watered down, sexualized feminism - where girl power was choosing which pre-conceived type of girl you were and which mini skirt to wear.
It was acts like The Spice Girls that made me wary of female musicians and an avowed detestor of all-girl bands. It had convinced me there was no longer such a thing as a genuine girl group. About five years ago, with my introduction to the wonder that is Chan Marshall, I abandonded my wariness of female vocalists. But I still hated the examples of all-girl groups that I saw, espescially the latest example of the genre - the particularly vile Pussy Cat Dolls. Yes, “the number one girl group in America,” is now literally a group composed of strippers, including one who can sing, sort of. This was not helping matters out.
And then, in the hallowed hall of Jules Maes Saloon, I heard a band that changed everything. Behold, The Heels. Finally! A “girl group” I can love and appreciate. These ladies rock on stage like they were born to be there. They actually play instruments and they write their own material, which is catchy and clever. I will love them forever for rhyming Lichtenstein and Frankenstein in their song “He’s My Frankenstein.” Further proving their difference from previous girl groups, as I am quite certain members of The Spice Girls and Pussy Cat Dolls think Lichtenstein is the new hot, one name German designer. Unlike previously mentioned groups, these ladies aren’t playing for the crowd of fawning men or million dollar endorsements, they’re playing because punk pulses through their veins.
I loved every single song The Heels played when I saw them, but it was the song Natural Disaster that made me fall so hard for them.
"Some girls like flowers, but that’s not me. And candy won’t satisfy my soul. Diamonds won’t send me into ecstasty, like when I hear the sweet thunder roll. … Baby! I love natural disasters. Natural disasters. Little boys you want a piece of this tail? You better learn how to shake my Richter scale.”
Now that is my kind of love song. A song not inspired by the desire of shiny things and sung by real powerful women instead of caricatures of them. Despite The Jules Maes performance being their first concert, The Heels easily stole the show with their exuberant stage presence and instantly memorable songs.
- Sound on the Sound
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to whom it may concern
I had the pleasure recently of working with the seattle band known as the Heels
here in my recording studio, egg studios.
I found them to be talented, honest, and a lot of fun to work with.
I can highly recommend them as a rock and roll act.....
because, afterall, they do rock.
sincerely
conrad uno
owner / operator
egg studios / Popllama Products
seattle, wa
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Bio
The Heels
Whether they admit it or not, everyone's got a bit of a Heel fetish.
Inspired by the bravado of Joan Jett, the grittiness of The Dirtbombs, and the sugary melodic hooks of the Buzzcocks, The Heels will pump you up, stab you in the heart with their stilettos, and make you purr like a kitten. You'll be sore as hell the next day, but it's such a good hurt.
With their sassy stage presence and shout-along set which local music blog Sound on the Sound calls "exuberant" and "catchy and clever," The Heels are taking Seattle by storm. Pixy stix-sized bits of rock like "Knockout" will reach out and kick you in the face. "Pink Eye" delivers a one-two punch in the gut. And the devastating "Natural Disasters" will leave you in search of the nearest fall-out shelter. But don't worry, after The Heels beat you up, they'll sprinkle glitter on your boo-boos and then kiss it and make it better.
And this isn't the girls' first time to the rodeo either, my friend. Formed in early 2006, The Heels are guitarist/vocalist Paula Spas, guitarist/vocalist Shelly White, bassist Mikhel Boldyn, and drummer Heidi Jessup. Past and present tours of duty include The Angoras, The Real Minx, The Gloryholes, The Hot Rollers, The Electric Kisses, and A/C Autolux.
The Heels recorded six songs from their arsenal with former Cripples member Greg Heino at Studio Pre-Op. You can look forward to having this EP wedged in your ear in the Fall of '07 and indulge your fetish in the privacy of your own home.
Take a belt of this no-nonsense rock that's tough as a Doc Marten and as sexy as a patent-leather stiletto…then call me in the morning.
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