The women on stage wear dresses and hair ribbons, dangling beads and coy
smiles. They sing to a captive, hand-clapping audience in Memorial Union:
"Nice girls -- they all wear brassieres; They have since age twelve and
they will for years, Those nice girls . . . "
Suddenly, dresses and delicacies are flung aside as the women strip
down to jeans, t-shirts and shorts. "I'd rather be an Art Slut," one of
them yells. The four-member female band, the Art Sluts, then swings into
their original song, "Dirty Girls," and a boisterous, humorous and often
intense performance.
"We don't want everyone to love us," says band member Sheila, 25. "The
message I want to put across is, 'Hey you guys, be real.'"
Ann, 23, adds, "A lot of what we're saying is, be yourself. If you're
yourself, how can you go wrong?"
Some of the band's songs, such as "Umbilical You," "My Libido Is Killin'
Me," and "Contraceptives Are a Bore," were created just "to shock people
into thinking," Sheila says. "Just to get people out of their cocoons."
At times, it's impossible not to be shocked by the group. "Give me a
C," Ann screams; the audience responds "C!" Then, "Give me an O," and so
on, until everyone has spelled out "CONTRACEPTIVES." There are giggles
and gasps at the song's conclusion, when the women fling out contraceptives
to unsuspecting -- and embarrassed -- listeners.
But at the end of the song, many in the audience aren't offended. Perhaps
it's because of the group's appearance; they don't look anything like their
name suggests. Or maybe it's because of their on-stage rapport. At one
moment, the Art Sluts will sing about feminine hygiene, but when the song
is over, the lead singer is likely to get a twinkle in her eye and remark
to the audience, "Now, wasn't that fun?"
"There are just so many subjects that are considered taboo, that people
don't talk about what they should talk about," Pam, 24, says.
The group's name alone has caused several raised eyebrows. It came about
at a "creativity session," Sheila says, when she and Ann were hanging out
with painter and musician friends.
"I was wearing a huge grey t-shirt that hung down to my knees, and people
were painting on it. Someone said, 'You guys are just a bunch of art sluts,'"
Sheila recalls. "After a while, when we started doing music, we thought
'What a perfect name.'"
The idea to bring all of the women's musical experience and talents
together to form a group came last fall. Sheila lived with Ann then, and
she says they "got together and started writing silly songs around the
kitchen table." Teri soon joined in, banging on pots and pans, "whacking
on shelves and coconuts and anything else she could find in the kitchen."
The women started recording some of their music, and a November performance
to an enthusiastic crown at Chautauqua Center helped them decide to make
a go of it as a group. Pam had joined the band a few days earlier.
On stage, the women swap percussion instruments, guitars, and a toy
piano throughout the performance. They look almost incongruous next to
each other: Teri, short and dark, bellows out lyrics in her alto voice,
while Pam, tall and blond, strums a guitar next to her, lilting notes in
her soprano voice. Ann props one leg on a table, microphone in hand, and
Sheila stands to her left, guitar around neck and dark hair sweeping her
face. They are usually in tune, but sometimes not. Voices occasionally
clash, someone may forget a word, bit it's never a problem. They simply
apologize to the audience and go on.
The Art Sluts' music, all original, is largely experimental. Not only
do they try rock, folk and reggae, but also dramatic poetry readings and
chants.
The first half of the group's performance features light, humorous songs,
much of their early work. The second set features later compositions, serious
and sometimes angrier in tone, evoking a more subdued response from the
crowd.
"Our music changes because we change," Teri says. "It's a direct reflection
of ourselves."
One woman at the performance, Kim W., says she like some of the band's
songs. But she adds, "You kind of get the impression that they're mad about
things, and they sing sarcastically about it."
The Art Sluts say W.'s reaction isn't typical. "Most of our response
is either extremely positive or extremely negative," Pam says.
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