CADALLACA

In the dark, drizzling afternoons of Winter 1997, a light shone from the basement of the Church House in Portland, Oregon. Peering in, a passerby might see that light glinting off a whiskey bottle, a can of hair spray, or a guitar. No, it was not the secret initiation rights of a sorority, but rather the formative moments of the band which became known as Cadallaca.
The passerby notices three distinct sounds coming from the basement as he walks away, and wonders, what was it I saw? What am I hearing? It kind of sounds like a garage band, but like no other I have ever heard before. The piercing wail of the Farfisa organ riding the wave of the single guitar brings more melody and pop aesthetic than their 60's garage foremothers could have mustered. It is loud and melodic, it is also punk rock.

Cadallaca is the alter-ego of Sarah Dougher (the Lookers, the Crabs, solo), Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) and Shanna Doolittle (the Lookers, 1 threw 7). Considering the star studded roster of this wicked trio, an observer might wonder, "Are these ladies moonlighting?" No! Cadallaca is a dramatic departure from the directions of these other musical projects. In Portland's Jackpot studio with Larry Crane and Calvin Johnson, between sips of their greyhounds, Cadallaca channeled the crash-thrashy alleys and deep bucket seats that the producers of girl-groups from time immemorial had attempted to foist on to their acts. But this time, it was strictly "ladies choice":
"We listened to the Shangri-Las a lot before we made this record, but we realized that groups like this had to obey certain rules when they were working with producers who not only dreamed up their aesthetic for them, but also made all the money, " says Sarah, AKA Dusty.
"That's not to say that those images of bad girls doing bad stuff was not a part of their experience or of our own, or of any girls. The way we talk about them in this instance, though, is that we own those images and use them as we like," comments Corin, AKA Kissy.
"I think this band is really sexy, and that's what any good band is really about." adds Shanna, AKA Junior.

After practicing sporadically for a year, and having some shows in Portland area basements, Cadallaca ventured into the recording studio. For inspiration, they explored such classic sound effects as revving engines and squeaky hinges, actively collaborating on the tone of each song. In addition to the non-conventional line-up of instruments, with guitar and Farfisa trading off lead parts, close and complex vocal harmonies were essential to the signature sound. Various percussive elements, such as the vibra-slap, tambourine, and cowbell augment the drums, rounding out the tracks.
The importance of controlling the sound of the record mirrors the efforts of Cadallaca to shape the personae which appear on the stage at each performance -- and often at practice. Sometimes wearing matching accessories, and always dressed to the 9s, girl-group drag controls their aesthetic of masquerade.

These ladies are not nostalgic. They were not born a second too late for what they have taken on, which is nothing less than a radical reassessment of pop power, girl-group-style-now! So ask your mom to borrow the car, adjust your wig in the review mirror and let that Cadallaca tape roll!