HOME > MUSIC >

	Mr. Stephen Taylor's in yer ear*
* aural cavity located on the sides of the head for insertion of local music scene
compass magazine, january 2001

69ACROSS

BAND: 69Across

STYLE: GIRLY-RAP-FOLK-TRASH

INFLUENCES: Ween, Sublime, Luscious Jackson, Zapp Momma, Violent Femmes, Lucy, Kaplanski, Susan Tedeschi, Tone Loc, Sticky Rice, L.T.K., L.L. Cool J, Ghost, Suki, MC Hotdog, Mi-Mei Chan.

MEMBERS:
Leonie Sanderson- keyboard, violin, xylophone, lyrics
Karin Parmelee- lyrics, vocals
Cathy Godwin- bass, vocals, kazoo, lyrics
Aoibhne Hogan- didjeridoo, vocals, shaker
Sandy Schaeffer- guitar
Mary McMee- bass, lyrics, vocals, mover and shaker
Joanne Poole- drum, percussion

It all started back 11 months ago when an 18-wheeler bound for Tungpu jack-knifed on an icy, hairpin curve in Nantou County. The rig, flipping and twisting, smashed and expelled its cargo of watermelons across the road and down a dangerously steep ravine. Unbeknownst to Cathy and Leonie, hard women from the outback of Australia who just so happened to be hiking that same day, they had set up camp at the base of this same, steep ravine.

            "Ah rekkin' th' boonks on th' skahmy lost uh leeftah', said Cathy.

            "Ah rekkin", added Leonie.

Barely escaping unscathed, due to their knowledge of proper tent placement, the two helped with the clean-up and headed for Taichung, determined to start a band. 

Meanwhile, back in Taichung, local underground poet/candle maker Karin witnessed a tattooed, beat-boxing Mary with her scooter-boy posse practicing their 'ollies' at the People's Park on Kung Yi Rd.  Impressed by this undiscovered talent, Karin cold-stepped to Mary and threw down a rhyme and in no time like vodka and lime, two nickels in a dime, they were sublime like cherry wine.

Sandy, the silent guitar fiend from Changhua, joined forces with Leonie and Cathy on their crusade to rock the house.  Mary and Karin both agreed that the mostly-male dominated rock scene here in Taiwan was definitely missing ovaries and firing blanks so they contacted their boy, Kenton, who had Aoibhne, the self-taught didjeridoo phenomenon flown in from Ireland.

Teaming up with drum-percussionist, 'Skins' Joanne and nixing the name, 'Quality Babes', 69ACROSS began writing, playing and soon performing.  Shunning the temptation to play covers, the band boasts an all-original set.  Their unique style and generosity of throwing 'free-stuff' at the crowd, not to mention their almost effortless mixture of Chinese and Taiwanese lyrics wowed and intrigued the crowds at last years 'Spring Scream' Music Festival in Kenting and at the Ho Hai Yang Music Festival held in Fulung last July.

69 ACROSS will also appear on the forthcoming compilation CD produced by TCM Records and due out next March.  You can also check 'em out on their web site.  Go to

www.geocities.com/chicksof69across/index.html

By combining a dash of country, two parts rap, separating the rock and adding a hint of folk, 69CROSS have a recipe that's sometimes in your face, sometimes on your plate with a fortune cookie that reads, 'That wasn't chicken, now do something about it'.