If ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ had a house band, it would probably be Glam Skanks. Taking the road by storm the all-female rock band from LA have been opening for pop royalty Adam Ant as part of the North America/UK tour. If that wasn’t impressive enough their CV boasts of performances with countless rock icons including opening for Alice Cooper, jamming with Joe Perry of Aerosmith, have a song appear in Kevin Smith’s ‘Yoga Hosers’ movie, and finding time to release their brand-new album ‘Glitter City.’
The girls have risen to new heights from playing a rock-n-roll laundromat to playing the Royal Albert Hall with Adam Ant.
They’ve made a musical guest appearance on the ‘Night Late’ show hosted by Drew Carey and Alison Rich. Like a true Rock And Roll band, they’ve dodged extremes on the road such as Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and a wildfire all in one week. They may be a female rock group but don’t be fooled by the glittering exterior. Cassie hits her drums so hard that the lugs that hold the skins together unscrew during gigs. I caught a chat with the girls talking tour experiences, growing up in Hollywood and why it’s still rare to see a female rock and roll group.
Kirsty Bright: What made you come up with the name for the band - Skank isn’t the most pleasant of names. Of course, it fits the rock image, but why skank?
Glam Skanks: “We never really thought too much about the word Skank. We just thought the combination of words fit our vibe. We liked that the words contradicted each other, but also somehow worked together to describe what we’re about. Skank is more about an energy and a style than anything derogatory. Even though our intentions were never political, we realize we’ve sort of taken the word back for women.”
On the road
KB: Working with Adam Ant is a big break, how did it come about being able to open for him?
GS: “We have a few mutual friends that have worked with Adam who passed along a few of our videos when they heard he was looking for a possible opener. Adam liked what he heard and asked us to come along on his 2017 North American tour and we’ve been touring on and off with him since. We’ve toured the USA with him twice and the UK too this year.”
KB: What was the worst part of touring?
GS: “We really love touring and don't experience too much that we don't like, but we can all agree that we hate the long drives in the van. After two or three days straight of 10-hour drives, you start to go a little crazy. You also never know what you’re going to run up against. Earlier this year, we started a tour by dodging both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in one week.”
KB: The most rock and roll music experience as a band so far?
GS: “One of our most rock-n-roll experiences was definitely the last time we were in Cleveland playing a sold-out show at the House of Blues. After the show, a dude asked us to sign his b*tt. Everyone around us was taking pictures.”
KB: What made Millie change her mind about joining the band after attending a drag show?
GS: “She was super busy with other bands and had just moved to Los Angeles, so she wasn't sure about joining another group. We won her over with our passion, drive for music and fun personalities, so she gave it a shot.”
Females that rock
KB: Do you feel you are the new voice representing women in the music industry who feel it’s still very male orientated?
GS: “We’re definitely a voice for sure. We’re in a similar place as the Riot Grrrl movement. There are so many great women making music right now that we feel like we’re not the only ones out there representing. But we still have a long way to go before women are treated equally in this industry. Or any other, really.”
KB: It’s still unfortunately rare to see a Girl Rock Group, do you feel very in control on how you wish to determine how you want your sound and image to look/sound.
GS: “It’s still rare, unfortunately. We’re definitely in control of everything from our sound to our image. We’ve made sure that, from the beginning, we’ve been in charge of everything and anything to do with the band. We started off by making our own merch and booking our own gigs. We’ve always written our own songs and dressed ourselves. Now, we’re lucky enough to have a team around us who encourage us to be in control of who we are.”
KB: Who or what is the inspiration behind the music? (Teenage Drag Queen and F**k Off are the stand out tracks for myself!)
GS: “David Bowie is definitely a huge inspiration as well as all the great Classic Rock bands of the 70s like Zeppelin and the Stones. We’re also influenced by all the great females that came before us like Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Kathleen Hanna, Brody Dalle and so many other women who paved the way for us to be the band that we are.
We’re also constantly inspired by the kids and fans who come out to see us play and meet us after the shows. They’re the reason we keep going out and doing it.”
KB: Veronica is Hollywood more like Hollywoodn’t? Do you feel more pressure people expecting you to do well just because of where you were raised?
Veronica Volume: “There’s definitely the good and bad to growing up in Hollywood. I’ve been lucky to have met some amazing musicians and witnessed them working close and for that, I'm so grateful for growing up the way I did. However, Hollywood is a much harder city to break in. We’ve always had an easier time building a fan base out of LA.”
KB: What’s next on the agenda, what would be the ideal next step as a band?
GS: “We’re gearing up for a new album that we’re going into the studio to record early next year and hopefully have finished for the summer. We’re also in the process of booking more tours and hope to spend as much time on the road next year as we did this year. Our next European tour starts on November 29 in France and finishes with a sold-out show at The Roundhouse in London opening for Adam Ant on December 21.”
Catch the girls on the European leg of the tour opening for Adam Ant, with a sold-out show in London. Be sure to buy the new album 'Glitter City' out now.
