Girls in the Garage
Julie Patchouli of the Pandoras dishes to VenusZine about the difficulty of being an all-female garage band in the '80s
By Bess Korey
Published: February 17th, 2007 | 9:28pm
Every so often a band of legendary proportions, that in a perfect world would have been a huge success, ends up slipping through the cracks and do not receive the credit or recognition they deserve. This is true for the Pandoras, an all-female band that existed in the '80s, and despite the fact that the group's first two records, It's About Time and Stop Pretending, were critically acclaimed and on well-known independent labels Voxx and Rhino. Outside of their local music scene, the Pandoras were below the radar and sadly remain that way twenty years later.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, they were embraced by the city "paisley underground scene, a collective of bands whom all shared a love and were influenced by" 60s garage and psychedelic music. The Pandoras were especially unique because they were the only all-female band in that scene. You would think in the post-women's movement world of the "80s, female musicians would not have to adhere to the same stereotypes and rules which made things so difficult for their" 60s and 70s predecessors, but such was not the case.
The Pandoras story is a rather complicated one because there were many line-up changes over the years. However, there was always one person at the group's core, and that was Paula Pierce. When Paula decided to oust three of the group's original members - Gwynne Kahn, Bambi Conway, and Casey - from the band, and have them be replaced by Julie Patchouli, Melanie Vammen, and Karen Blankfield, it didn't just lead to drama, it led to an all out war. The exiled members tried to start their own version of the Pandoras, but since Paula had written all of the songs, they did not make it very far without her. The supposed antics of the two warring factors of the group, the Pauladoras and the Gwynnedoras, was eaten up by fans and the local press.
As mentioned above, Julie Patchouli entered the group in the midst of the Pauladoras and Gwynnedoras drama. She was the bass player between 1984 and 1986, and she has been kind enough to share her side of the Pandoras story. Julie is also the group member who maintains the band's official Web site, and their official My Space page.
When did you start playing bass? Had you been involved in any other bands before you joined the Pandoras?
Well, it was an interesting development. I began flirting with the idea of playing bass at around sixteen years old. I never did learn to play all six strings, so I plucked out Sex Pistols and X songs on the E,A,D,G strings and the rest is history. My musical roots and influence were definitely old school punk rock — the Bags, X, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Buzzcocks. I did play in some punk bands, like the Stains, but not as a permanent band member.
How aware of the group were you before you joined, and how did you become involved?
In 1979, I had just begun collecting records, first punk, and then 60s garage 45's and Pebbles compilations. It was at the Hollywood Record Swap Meet that I met Paula Pierce. We hit it off immediately and talked at length about our love for 60s garage music. We specifically discussed how stupid it was that NOT one single girl band had ever tried to replicate this sound. She went on to tell me about the Pandoras and how she was breaking that myth with their sound. She asked me to come over to her apartment where we began jamming together and I learned all of the bass for the songs. It's About Time had just been released on Voxx Records. Almost immediately she dumped Gwynne, Bambi, and Casey from the band.
What bands were you most influenced by when you joined the Pandoras?
The bands I loved most were Question Mark and the Mysterians, the Standells, Chocolate Watchband, 13th Floor Elevators, and Dutch ‘60s bands like Q65, the Outsiders, and Ugly Things. I also looked up to a few women in film, particularly Tura Satana, the tough cookie in Faster Pussycat Kill, Kill, Kill. Tura played a karate-chopping, man-eating, femme fatale that didn’t let men push her around - revolutionary for a 60s movie and, ironically enough, was the Pandoras philosophy as well.
How would you describe the Pandoras sound?
As I said earlier, so many girl bands at that time were sugar-coated, pop radio music. The Pandoras consciously avoided this stereotype. That is what separated us from other girl bands of the time. The Pandoras had sex appeal. Our sound is best described as authentically raucous 60s distorted garage music, at its disturbingly best with a hint of surf musical influence thrown in for good measure. Paula's vocals expressed that same punk angst and pent up teen frustration heard by our 60s male predecessors. Her rebellious twangy/fuzz guitar and gut wrenching wails, were the creme de la creme. Paula always expressed that women could sound, act, and do anything that male bands could do, but even better. Not only did she express this heavily, she demanded it.
Do you feel the band was respected by your male audience and peers, and in your opinion, was it any easier to be in an all-female band in the ‘80s than it would have been in the 60s or 70s?
I think overall the Pandoras did earn a certain amount of respect with our male counterparts, however in the beginning we were not taken seriously. We were thought of as some kind of burlesque stage act that happened to play musical instruments. But respect is earned. It certainly was a lot easier in the ‘80s than it would have been in the 60s or 70s, especially because of the nature of our music. The only one female that I can think of that even came close to our sound in 60s/70s was Janis Joplin and that was blues, not 60s garage music.
What all-female bands that came after the Pandoras have you enjoyed most?
Wow, what a tough question. I have to be honest here, I have not been impressed by many all girl bands until very recently. I love a band out of Seattle called the Hot Rollers - they are very cool with a great stage presence, they do a cover of the Pandoras song "You Don't Satisfy" that would make Paula proud.
Another great band I recently heard is from Brazil, called the Lunettes - they do a great song called "Cherry" and I love it!
What have you been up to musically since the Pandoras, and how much of a role does garage music play in your life now?
Since the Pandoras, I have been involved in several projects as well as being in a band. After leaving the Pandoras, I joined a band called Out Of the Fire, produced by the famous Bruce Joyner, lead-man and crooner of the late 70s band Bruce Joyner and the Unknowns. I toured with OOTF and played on our album entitled Out Of the Fire into the Frying Pan. I also played bass on a few recordings for Bruce Joyner and The Plantations.
These days my schedule is too frantic for playing music. Currently, I am a full-time nursing student, and I also have a ten-year-old daughter. Maintaining the Pandoras Web site takes a lot of my time as well.
Do you still keep in touch with any other Pandoras members?
I am still in contact with Karen Blankfeld, the drummer of the Pandoras - she gives me feedback occasionally regarding the site. I have contacted Melanie Vammen and Kim Shattuck.
Being a part of the Pandoras was a milestone for me in my life and my wish is that we influence many bands in the future. I have so much respect for what Paula so emphatically believed in and expressed in her music and in her life. Thanks and ROCK ON!
Issue #35
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