Spread The Rumor: Native Staten Island Band

Hilary, Sabrina, KT, Val and Pete of Spread The Rumor are giving the “Forgotten Borough” a reason to be remembered. The girls (and boy) are taking Staten Island by storm. They are young but they know how to rock.
Thankfully I was able to have a chat with them.

How did “Spread The Rumor” start?

Val: STR started my freshman year in high school. Hilary and I were walking across the street and she almost got hit by a school bus. That got us talking about band names and eventually led to the fact that I played bass and Hilary played keyboard. We decided to start a band.

KT: Hilary and Val found me at our friend's house, then Val found Pete on the bus, and we kidnapped Sabrina. We have been a full band for a year in October.

Well that is a pretty interesting start. So once all members were acquired how did you come up with the name “Spread The Rumor”?

Sabrina: Before we were called “Spread the Rumor”, we were the “Flashlight Refugees”. We all thought we needed to upgrade our name. One of Valerie's favorite bands, Socratic's, CD was called "Spread the Rumors" We thought it was pretty cool.

What is the deal with an album? Is there a Spread The Rumor album on the horizon?

KT: Yes, we're working on our first demo now, and we're writing new songs all the time so we will have a sufficient amount of material when the time for an album comes.

Can’t wait to hear it! Who would you say are your biggest influences?

Val: Blink 182, Ben Folds Five, Green Day, and Motion City Soundtrack.

Sabrina: My biggest influence is Green Day. They're the ones who inspired me to be motivated in learning guitar.

KT: The Beatles, Evanescence

Wow! You have some great motivating you through this. All the artists that you girls listed are amazing performers. What is your favorite part of performing?

Sabrina: When I'm performing in front of people, I just get this feeling, it just feels like I'm doing the right thing in my life; like I'm headed in the right direction for my future. It just feels right. It's an indescribable feeling.

Val: I love positive crowd reaction and making the performance as enjoyable for everyone there as I can. It's a lot of fun.

KT: The whole experience of playing on a stage for a whole bunch of people you may or may not know.

This has been a great little Q&A. Any last words? Anything you want the readers to know?

Sabrina: Hmm. Not really sure. But one thing I do know is that if you ever have doubts in anything you want to pursue, keep thinking positive. I know corny lol.

Val: Ha ha. Never be in a band, it eats all of your time and money. Ha ha ha ha.

Take a trip to Staten Island and check them out!!!

Peace and Love,
Daniella

Kittie's Intense Prowl

Hey GRGR rockers,

I've been gone, but only to pursue my studies upstate at school. I could never forget about the girls at GRGR. While up here, I heard about this metal band called Kittie who'll be playing at the Northern Lights arena in Clifton Park, NY on Oct. 29. I was very pleased to hear that the North Country does embrace women in rock. I just had to check their sound out for myself.

They just had an album come out called "In the Blade" which was released on Sept. 15. Their song "My Plague" evoked a feeling of war. Hell could be felt rumbling under me as I felt the strong bass of the guitar. Their screams were heard like a battle cry as the music battled against their inner demons. It was like they were battling against a plague within themselves. Their song "Cut Throat" was very hardcore. My head was having a seizure with the amount of times I rocked my head to this tune. Rage and desperation could be felt through the intensity of their drums. Their music had me ready and energized for a fight. Too bad I have nothing to fight but a pile of homework waiting for me. Homework, you're going down.

Hopefully, the north country will have more rockin femmes in the near future. Bands like Kittie needs to be heard more often. This awesome music needs to claw its way to all parts of New York. Maybe even the United States. Maybe even the world. Until next time. Peace out.

-Tiffany

Lessons I Learned at Willie Mae Rock Camp

Hey it's Harlee the teen correspondant again sharing some more of my experience at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls! In addition to lots of music time WMRC also offers the campers lots of great workshops that run the gamut from songwriting to non musical topics to build self esteem and confidence. One such workshop that I participated in was "Self Care Skill Share". It was about boosting self confidence and some cool tools to do so. First we were told to write down in the third person what we thought a stranger would think and see when they look at us. Next the girls wrote "their story" -- which could be anything from when they were born to the previous days breakfast-- but this time in second person from an objective point of view referring to themselves as "you" because as we learned that day, it's easier to talk about yourself in second person. After we all compared the two lists, finding what was most different and most similar they were told about something called a Crisis List. A Crisis List is where on one side there is numerous feelings and things that put you in a bad place and on the other side is filled with good things to improve your mood. They were told that there are no ends to the lists and more can be added every day and to use the lists when feeling down about self appearance, friendships, or anything. This particular workshop shows how the camp is not only about music but about empowerment and strength as well. More on my WMRC experience in the October issue of the GRGR RockHotsheet! If you haven't already sign up this month and be entered to win a Daisy Rock Guitar!

Renown Rocker Chicks to Grace the Stage at VH1's Divas

Hey Rockers and Rockettes!
It's been a while. I'm back at school finishing up my SENIOR year. It's been hectic, but I wouldn't turn my back from GRGR even if you paid me.

It seems some of our favorite rockers chicks will be honored at VH1's Divas Live. The star studded night will include appearences from Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and Kelly Clarkson. While this is Lauper's third time to Divas, the rest of the ladies are first timers. This year's performance will aired live on September 17 and will be the first one since the Divas 2004 show.

Are there any rock queens you'd like to see in the future? Share your predicitions.

-Ang xoxo

Blame the Patient

I recently discovered, Blame the Patient a popular new band in New York City. Almost everything about this fresh new band is unmistakably their own including their three choices for T-shirts that have a Casino Gnome drawn by the talented lead singer Sofie Kapur herself. The band consists of brother and sister bassist and singer Anders and Sofie Kapur from New Jersey, drummer Annie Stabenau and guitarists Hunter Lombard and Andrew Leopold from all over the city. Their retro sound is catchier every time you listen to their songs and Sofie’s raw but clear voice is unmistakably distinctive. Not only do they play their own songs like “Subway Song” and “The Wind” but they do an awesome cover of the Pixies cult classic “Where is My Mind.” Recently opening for ACAMP, Blame the Patient is easily on their way to being one of the few good “rock” bands out there. Check out Blame the Patient now at myspace.com/blamethepatient or even become a fan on their Facebook page!

Harlee, GRGR Teen Correspondent