When Dragqueen opens for Bow Wow Wow on Tue., Dec. 16 at The Hurricane, it will be one of the few shows the band hasn't headlined since it first started playing out in February of 1997 - a pretty remarkable feat.
"DRAGQUEEN is reminiscent of the early '80s new wave/punk scene of LA - much like the band X." -Joel Hornbostel of The Living Room on KISF 107.3
"The yummiest new band in KC!" -Linda Dryden, booking agent for The Grand Emporium
"Kansas City's DRAGQUEEN…they know how to flat out rock!" -Shane Dolbier of PitchWeekly
THE NOTE
Pitch Weekly October 8-14, 1998
By J.J. Hensley
Choosy moms choose rock
Noticed something missing recently? maybe it's a healthy dose of glam-punk from Kansas City's only purveyors of this hybrid, Dragqueen, whose manic live act has been noticeably absent for a few months. Whereas most bands might have used used this off-time to record, Dragqueen managed to start up a Web site at www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/5754, and at least one of their members was working on something a little more strenuous...a kid. Unfortunately, somewhat out of step with recent traditions, the events are not related.
"Our last show was at Fred P. Otts on July 26, and we were going to take some time off after that so I could rest and have the baby," says lead mutha Jessica Delich. "So we played our set, then the next day I went in for a doctor's appointment, and the baby wasn't even due for another six weeks, and they asked me if I could feel contractions. I had just thought it was part of being pregnant, but it turned out I was in labor the night before when we were playing and I didn't even know it. I was like dilated to five."
That meant the well-deserved bed rest for the next three weeks was spent in the glamour and comfort of the hospital, watching daytime TV and waiting until Aug. 17, when Tallulah Blase Hanson decided to grace the world with her presence.
After taking a few more months to get acquainted, the members of Dragqueen, buoyed by the presence of the little Drag Princess, will make their triumphant return at Davey's on Nov. 7, with Phidget kicking things off.
Tallulah, on the other hand, might not make it. "I doubt they'll let her in," confides Delich. "We might end up playing a lot of all ages shows." Don't hold your breath for the Dragqueen children's album.
BUZZBOX
Pitch Weekly
By Danny Alexander
When Dragqueen opens for Bow Wow Wow on Tue., Dec. 16 at The Hurricane, it will be one of the few shows the band hasn't headlined since it first started playing out in February of 1997 - a pretty remarkable feat.
The quartet formed in October of '96, and played its first two shows at warehouse parties in February of '97. Then they played America's Pub and The Hurricane back-to-back. "It was the Hurricane show when I went 'Wow,' lead guitarist/songwriter Scotti Fletcher remembers. "It was packed on a Wednesday night, and ever since that night, it's been good."
The reasons are obvious. Not only are lead vocalist Jessica Delich and bass player Camille Hendren known for their onstage antics, but the music iitself is aggressive and unforgettable.
The first thing you notice is Delich's voice - winsome and playful on a catchy punk song like "Rotary" and brutal and approaching omnipotence on the set closer "Shake Fatal." Consistently, Delich manages to sound bigger-than-life, and, yet, very real - like that friend with a heart of gold who can puff up like a blowfish when she's crossed. Her power is nowhere more evident than in her earnest, banshee-like screams that threaten to blow out the architecture carved by Hendren's mighty bass and Dennis Dunbar's massive, inventive drums. But they don't. Delich's most primal attacks fall with the precision of well-honed chops.
That ability to deliver primal aggression with a pop undercurrent perfectly complements Fletcher's sensibility. Fletcher grows animated talking about the East Coast punk bands of the mid-to-late '70s and the new wave bands of the early '80s that he loves. "Some people say we sound like X because of our harmonies, but I think more of Red Kross or even The Knack."
Delich trusts Fletcher's intuitions: "I just have always loved every song he's written. I've always thought they sounded perfect for my voice. And he has these ideas all the time. Whereas I'll work on a song two weeks, he keeps coming up with things, and that's fine with me…we all get along really great!"
That camaraderie is evident - in the music's sense of focus and its appeal. And according to Fletcher, this feels just like the beginning: "The songs are growing much more relaxed, not so planned sounding. It's definitely snowballing, and the songs are getting better." Sounds like the perfect time to check them out.
DEMO MEMOS
Pitch Weekly
by Shane P. Dolbier
With so few local bands actually making music that's fun, it's a joy when an act comes along who knows it's okay to let loose and be happy. Well, not only does Kansas City's Dragqueen know a good time, but they know how to flat out rock! Featuring former members of Lawn Jockey, big block and The Pornhuskers, DQ pummels its way through three glamorous, volcanic pop songs that offer nary a break in energy or entertainment. The sultry "Shake Fatal" and opener "Sixtie" roll like locomotives on jet fuel with a seizured engineer at the helm. The sing-along-inducing "Rotary," with it's beyond memorable Tell Me What You're Doing chorus, ranks high on the perfect pop meter. In fact, the only thing disappointing about this record is the name - this town needs a good cross-dressing band.
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Pitch Weekly
KC's own Dragqueen is a band in search of amps that go to eleven. Scotti Fletcher's pulverizing guitar and Jessica Delich's emotive scream blend into a pulsating rhythm which calls to mind an image of a bitchin' Camaro packed with boys in lipstick rocking out on a Saturday night. One only wonders what will happen when they find the magical sound system capable of distributing their rage…
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