October 15.2QQ4 • J l l S t O U t 53
MUSIC
Think twice
Mixed drink
Queer sisters are doin’
it for themselves
Swizzle Chicks: One part lesbian,
three-part harmony
by
C or i T aratoot
by
can’t tell the difference between Tegan and
Sara. (To be clear, I know that Tegan
is the twin with the mullet and the chin
piercing. I just can’t definitively tell which
songs are hers when the headphones are on.)
So when the Canadian duo come to town
next month, I’ll be looking to see how well I
know the Quin sisters. Likely, not so much.
T hat’s because even the most enthusiastic
and well-informed fan doesn’t get a glimpse of
either girl behind her public mask. Blame it on
fame combined with youth, or the perpetual
inside joke perpetrated by precocious identical
twins; they seem uncomfortable letting fans get
too close. It might just be a healthy reaction
for 23-year-olds in the white-hot spotlight.
In a Just Out interview last year, Tegan
couldn’t hide how much fame was freaking her
out. In between manic A.D.D. outbursts and
sandpaper-dVy sarcasm, she talked about the
risks o f being yourself, on stage and in the
press. (Both sisters are queer and out.)
“Yeah, we’re real on stage,” Tegan said. “It’s
rare, and it’s also dangerous. We’re at a
place...where there’s all this pressure to give
MORE. Be more professional. Don’t talk so
much. Add a keyboardist.”
After extensive touring on their second
record, If It Was You, opening for a weird col
lection of headliners (including Ryan Adams
and Ben Folds) and watching their futures
expand by the day, Tegan and Sara disappeared
I
for a bit. Their return, So Jealous, picks up right
where they left off.
Infectious and tight three-minute pop
songs. Fuzzy, distorted, warm electric guitars.
A n obvious bent for 1980s FM radio singles
(e.g., The Cars, Devo, The Outfield, Pat
Benatar). Smart and subtle production from
John Collins and David Carswell (New
Pomographers). One new addition: Matt
Sharp (Weezer, The Rentals) makes a guest
appearance on keyboards and strings.
So Jealous documents the twins’ next step
away from lesbionic acoustifolk, moving closer
toward the hot sun of rock ’n’ roll. It’s thor
oughly enjoyable stuff, consistent with their
last recording effort.
But have hope for the future, for the
day when Tegan and Sara grow thicker skin and
venture out beyond the sweet-and-sour pop for
mula, letting us in a little bit, so that we can see
more o f ourselves in their reflection. in
M e g D aly
est of show biz spots, Las Vegas. Torres and
Rambo both lived there as children, and Kahlen
toured there professionally in a show band.
The Swizzle Chicks bill themselves as “three-
part harmony wiih a twist." But they aren’t
referring to being two straight girls and a lesbian.
“Our music is definitely unique,” says Tor
res, the resident lesbian. “We’re kind of a cross
between The Andrews Sisters and The B-52’s.”
Torres says the trfo share “a love of collabo
ration.... You can’t sing three-part without
being heavy collaborators.”
Collaboration comes in handy in Tones’
day job, too. A self-employed fund-raiser and
event planner, she says her vocation is all
about “working with a group of people... to cre
ate a vision, make it come to life and inspire
people to donate to it.”
The former New Thought minister says
Kahlen and Rambo are two of her closest friends.
“What’s remarkable about us is that in eight
years we have never had a significant fight or
disagreement,” she says. “It’s the best of what
one would hope friendship would be...we
get along and respect and support one
another.”
«
Or, to channel Cole Porter, “I get a
kick out of you.” |T1
t’s Cocktail Nation meets West Coast opti
mism on the Swizzle Chicks’ new CD,
Shakin , blot Stirred.
I
This trio of thirtysomething female
singers have been big-band-ing it up around
town for four years, singing at festivals and cor
porate functions. Their new C D features all orig
inal songs with a quirky take on the jazz stan
dards template. Tunes like “Alien Love Song”
show off the group’s playful sense of humor.
Portlanders Stephanie Torres, Beth Kahlen
and Carrie Rambo began singing together eight
years ago. “ It took a while to find a style that
really fit for us,” Torres says.
They were no strangers to performing—
Kahlen had appeared in commercials, Torres
had acted for years in the Portland Women’s
Theater Company, and Rambo had sung with
Portland Opera Chorus.
That’s not all they have in common. Each
has a special place in her heart for that swanki
TEGAN AND S a r a open for queer musician
Melissa Ferrick 8 p.m. Nov. 4 at Aladdin
Theater, 3017 S .E . Milwaukee Ave. Tickets are
$13.50-$15 from the box office or Ticketmaster.
From left, Swizzle Chicks Beth Kahlen,
Stephanie Torres and Carrie Ram bo toast
their new disc Oct. 18. Above: Tegan
(left) and Sara pay homage to 1980s
FM pop music on their latest, So Jealous.
S wizzle C hicks will hold a C D release
party 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Blue Monk,
3341 S.E . Belmont St. Admission is $5.
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