Subject: Letters to Cleo Article in The Noise (Jan. 1995) (The Noise is a Boston Rock Magazine) LETTERS TO CLEO by Kim Genereux 1994 was a very good year for Letters to Cleo. In fact, lead singer Kay Hanley says it best: "It's been pretty fucking amazing!" But before we blast off into the upper stratosphere of Cleo's recent successes, let's check out how this determined bunch of alterna-popsters struggled with some tough times, worked hard, and got noticed. Kay Hanley and guitarist Greg McKenna have been playing music together since they were teenage pals. About four years ago, their first band, Rebecca Lulu, bit its ska-ish dust and became Letters to Cleo. And, right about this point, lead guitarist extraordinaire Mike Eisenstein got involved with the project. Things just started clicking and the three slowly forged the core of the Cleo sound as we know it today. With the local radio success of "I See" in 1991 (the song that Kay loves to dis as "a really dumb, nothing pop song"), the band posted some modest, although somewhat ambivalent musical gains. Nonetheless, "I See', had hit a raw collegiate nerve, which they continue to key into, and is no doubt a factor in their rise from the ranks of other strong local acts. By 1992 Cleo was getting some decent club gigs and gaining a wildly loyal following of college crowds and pop-addicted scenesters. In the spring, they played a well-earned spot in the WBCN Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, winning their first round. But in that Rumble's awesome semifinal, they were pitted against the likes of Sam Black Church, Stompbox, and Big Catholic Guilt. (For anyone unfamiliar with these other bands, try to imagine singing around a campfire at the foot of an erupting volcano.) Suffice it to say, Cleo wasn't able to bring home the marshmallows that night. I mean, those other guys were just so LOUD. And besides, the band wasn't yet into full power-pop warp drive mode. That wouldn't happen until later, when Cleo disengaged from decidedly mellower funk underpinnings -with the assistance of a serious personnel laxative. Back to our story. Along with all the Rumble hoopla came some good times. The band's plucky underdog performance reaped them a good in-town buzz. But storms would soon be, shall we say, abrew. One of the rewards of their popularity was a beer company sponsorship, which reaped some needed cash. As Kay puts it, "Our old van had shit the bed." Unhappily, the beer deal went a tad sour and became an ailing (or should that be aleing?) alliance. The company's support unwittingly precipitated a brand of promotion about which Kay, in particular, felt major angst. Indeed, 1993 was beset with obstacles and conflicts that might have dealt mortal contusions to musicians of fainter hearts or aspirations. Almost literally so -in the summer, Kay had a bout with police brutality after a sweltering show at T.T. the Bear's in Cambridge. (Hey Kay, I love the mug shot of you that's pasted to the inside cover of the new Aurora Gory Alice re-release from Giant. And, fans, that picture alone makes it worth purchasing a second copy). But most difficult and insidious of all, the band was suffering from a plethora of musical and personal incompatibilities, and almost dissolved after recording their first CD, Aurora Gory Alice. The Letters were all certain that the choking crescendo of bad vibes they were feeling pointed toward a fundamentally "gory" reception for their recording. (Yep, kids, they all thought it was going to be a great big flop.) Sometimes it's nice to be wrong, isn't it ? At this point, Kay, Greg, and Mike decided to be pragmatic instead of self-defeating. They opted to stick it out and purge the band of its "fixable" chronic problems, and here's where the aforementioned "personnel laxative" dosage was applied. Yes, it was pretty messy; details were never divulged. Soon after, Scott Riebling (bass) and Stacy Jones (drums and stage diving) were invited to join the band. Surely these two budding rockers had no idea that they would soon have to give up their day jobs! My sympathies, guys. The rest of the story takes place in 1994. If you can stand it, here's a lengthy litany of some of the high points of Letters to Cleo's past year: a publishing deal with Famous Music, signing with mega-major label Giant Records (with a national re-release of Aurora Gory Alice), exposure for their first video "Here & Now" on Melrose Place and MTV's 120 Minutes, a guest appearance on the new late-night Jon Stewart Show, a two-month U.S. tour, and a supercharged "homecoming" performance at a practically sold-out show at Avalon. But all this only gets us through to December 1. Can you imagine what these guys might get for Christmas? Over some fragrantly steamy bowls of risotto, we chatted about a profoundly diverse range of salient topics, from girls in rock and the cultural phenomenon of moshing to the importance of combat boots and the tacky allure of false eyelashes. Here are some of the highlights: Kay on moshing...... "If you're at a Sam Black Church show then that's what you're supposed to do- I mean you expect it at least. That is what that kind of music [hardcore, thrash] is for. I'm totally into that. But these kids have been watching way too much Pearl Jam on MTV, and so they think pop music is for moshing- but it's not. The consensus at a pop show is to have a good time and not to be smashing into everybody. It's always a few people who have to slug down seven beers before the show, just so they can be assholes and spoil it for everybody. It really gets me pissed off. On being compared to other bands...... "When we get on the road and we hear these people talk about us in other places, they always say that I sound like Juliana Hatfield. Personally, I don't get that at all, but somehow it seems to be the only reference point that most people ever seem to have. However, critics' comparisons of us to bands that we think are awesome - like Big Star or even Galaxie 500- that's totally cool. "On guest lists....... "You wouldn't believe the fuckheads that call me up three days before any of our shows and ask if they can be on the list. I mean, people who don't even know me or would just as soon walk by me on the street will call. I have no problem with putting real friends on the list, that's different. But personally [she laughs], I always try to get on the club's list; I'll never call the bands. 'Cause the way I figure it is that I've been playing in these clubs since high school and I'm now part of a band that has worked their way up to selling out most of the small places in town, and I deserve to be on the list. " On "Here & Now" being featured on Melrose Place...... "I actually missed the episode when our song was first featured, but I did see another one when they showed part of our video, and that was fun." I mention to Kay that the following week there was also a snippet of "Here & Now" as part of a disco scene. She grimaces at this one. "Oh God, I know, but I was so glad that when it was playing nobody was actually dancing to it. The thought of a bunch of yuppie white people dancing to our song at some fake disco club just makes me feel like throwing up. Well, maybe if they played us when that guy [Amanda's boss] had his heart attack- now that could have been cool." On making their video...... "It was hard, but it was definitely more fun than hard. The director, Mark Kohr, was great. We really like how it turned out. There was this woman doing makeup who put false eyelashes on me, and I even got to keep them. That was cool." On reading The Noise...... "I've been reading the Noise religiously since1989. 1 remember the first, issue that I ever read. It was the tattoo issue that my friend Lois McGee was in. She used to book The Rat. That issue was a great. I remember being jealous because I wanted to be a famous tattoo also." On high school and getting into music...... "I went to St. Greg's in Dorchester; it's a Catholic girls' school. I was popular- captain of my cheerleading team, teased hair, pink lipstick-you know. But I always liked to be friends with the geeky people, too, because I liked them. I was in a lot of accelerated-type classes with them. That stuff was important to me, too. Otherwise, I was pretty normal. I remember, one day, this girl Annette came to school with this totally rad mohawk. I mean, it was totally way up there. A lot of people were laughing, but I remember feeling this incredible envy. I just thought it was so cool and wished that I could be different, too. Most of my classmates are married now and live ordinary lives. That mohawk was a real turning point for me. It wasn't long afterward that I started to really get into music and wanted to be in a band. Back then it was stuff like Devo and even 2 Live Crew. But I was excited by it, and that's what mattered." On moving away if the band gets big...... "I've been in Boston my entire life, and I don't think I could ever leave. My family's here, and I'm really close with them." On women in rock....... "Sure, there aren't many women in the power-broking end of things. But I think what's even more telling is how few women there are in bands. Out on the road for two months, we hardly met any girls in bands. It was weird." On their recent tour....... "It was great, but by the end we had to cut things a week short because we were so exhausted. It seemed like every show we played was nine hours away from the next one. Also it didn't help that we managed to lose two ounces of great weed (we only brought four) by leaving it behind in our hotel room. That was incredibly depressing. But there were some great days, too. Like our day in Tampa. We played minigolf and pinball all day long. Eventually we got to the Stone Lounge club and suddenly there was this wild tropical storm, and I'm a huge fan of any natural chaos. I love it. Especially the weird stuff like hurricanes, lightning, thunder. When you're down south and get these gulf storms, it's nothing like you've ever seen up here. I was as happy as a pig in shit. Anyway, we're at the club and it turns out that two doors down is this tattoo parlor. So, I got a tattoo while this tropical storm is going on. It's my second tattoo." [She displays the indigo design on her upper left arm. I say it looks like a yin-yang elephant. Kay insists that it's artistic abstraction. But Mike says it looks like a headless guy with a soccer ball.] Kay continues: "We go back to the club and-yeah!! - we find out it's an all-ages show. We're playing with these other three bands, and the first band is the worst band I've ever heard in my life. It was so funny, but the next two bands (both with girls in them!) were the best bands we played with on tour. They were all 16- or 17-year-old kids and it was a "school night" for them. They were from Tampa and they were doing this Velocity Girl-ish indie-style rock. It was very refreshing." On the expense of touring... "Thats why we didn't fly anyplace. We have our own van, because it saves us money. For example, when we met up with friends the Gigolo Aunts in St. Louis, they told us that their van rental was costing them something like $30,000 a month. Now, the Gigolo Aunts are not stupid, so I'm sure they know what they have to do. But getting back to what we were talking about, a lot of people do think that this money is falling from the sky. It's not! It's all recoupable through your teeny weeny little portion of all the money that is made off you. And that's the truth of it." Best thing you remembered to pack...... Probably my birth control pills and my combat boots." Something you wished you had packed...... "Dr. Kevorkian, for those days that wereso awful that you wanted to just end it all as quick and painlessly as possible." --------------------------------- Backstage at the Letters to Cleo at Avalon, I manage to hunt down Scott, Mike, Stacy and Greg to ask each of them the last two questions I had posed to Kay. Their responses might extend some sage advice to all of you rock stars packing for your next tour, so take notes. What's the best thing you remembered to pack? Scott: Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions Mike: A nail clipper Satcy: Tylenol and extra pairs of socks Greg: The "itty-bitty"book light. It ruled for reading maps, finding stuff (like pot) that would always get lost under a seat, and even looking under the hood of the van. What's the one thing you wished you had remembered to pack? Scott: My Sega game gear, for long drives. Stacy: Well, it wasn't sneakers. I brought three pairs and bought four on the road. Eight pairs is more than you need. Greg: I'm glad I don't have to say condoms. I think I didn't even bring any, but had four left when we got back.