MORE ABOUT CALENDAR GIRL
Inspired by some of their favorite local bands of the time, Calendar Girl formed in late 1997. They played their first couple of tentative gigs in early 1998. Later that year, the band went into the recording studio to produce a three-song radio demo. This demo was well received by local college and commercial radio. One song, "King of Bad Luck," was included as one of the 90.3 best songs of 1998 by WZBC.
Calendar Girl's first official release, Cool Rocketships in Space, came out in May of 1999. Made up of the earlier radio demo and four new tracks, the seven song EP did well in the Boston area. With a solid debut release under their belt, Calendar Girl began playing out in earnest. They were fortunate to play with many of the bands that inspired them, including Tugboat Annie, Star Ghost Dog, and Boy Wonder. Live radio appearances and a slot in the 1999 CMJ Music Festival were also part of the schedule. Cool Rocketships in Space was picked up by Intelligent Records a few months later. ArieScope Pictures used several songs from the release in the independent comedy Coffee & Donuts. "King of Bad Luck" was picked up for the Troma film Terror Firmer.
Johnny Anguish [guitar, vocals]
Paul Wisner [guitar, vocals]
Eric Krauter [bass, vocals]
Dave Foy [drums]
Throughout the year 2000, Calendar Girl's live shows were winning over fans. Shows with Helicopter Helicopter, Seventeen, The Decals, and *AM Stereo were getting the band's music in front of new faces on a regular basis. These shows were also a way for Calendar Girl to fine-tune the steady stream of songs they continued to write. When the band found time to head back into the studio, they began to shape their next release.
The goal of these new recording sessions was to create something that would be more than just a collection of songs. The band wanted to create a CD that could be enjoyed as an album. They enlisted the help of recording engineer Darron Burke (credits include The Damn Personals, Gigolo Aunts, Mary Timony, Elevator Drops), who was also at the helm for Cool Rocketships in Space. Working in Darron's studio, Calendar Girl was free to indulge every creative impulse. A lot of time was spent trying out musical ideas to compliment the band's live sound. Layered guitar textures, punchy drums, and melodic bass lines interact with the sometimes lush, sometimes sparse vocal treatments.
In April of 2001, Intelligent Records will release Everyone But You. The new CD is Calendar Girl's first full-length album. Everyone But You has songs of movement and layered meanings. The band's playing is more confident and the songwriting more complex. Johnny Anguish continues to write well-crafted pop songs that the band delivers with an aggressive punk and power pop sensibility. Musical influences from The Get Up Kids, Superdrag, The Lemonheads and Sebadoh are apparent, but never overwhelming. The performances reflect several years of playing together as a band.
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