 What is Cheap Chick?
Cheap Chick was born in Los Angeles - the sun-baked Mecca of rock and roll excess. Cheap Chick is an estrogen-loaded homage to the golden age of Stadium Rock. Cheap Chick brings the sizzling excitement and pure power pop pleasure of Cheap Trick's catalog and gives it a gender-bending twist. What makes Cheap Chick such a delectable treat? Well, for starters, try their pedigree. These four women come from pretty successful careers in several different bands: Pam Cheatersson/Pamita Neptuna/Pamela Moore (the Neptunas, Dime Box Band); Chick Nielsen/Robin Beacham (XOX, Velvet Hammer, Majenta Jets); Bunni Carlos/Judy Molish/Judy Cocuzza (Betty Blowtorch, Bobsled, Dime Box Band); Robbin' Zander/Kristi Callan (Wednesday Week, Lucky, Dime Box Band).
There is a force in addition to friendship that unites the band and that is their love for Cheap Trick. Pam started her longtime adoration of the band with pre-teen mooning over Robin and Tom after "In Color" came out. Judy saved her allowance for months to buy a black satin Cheap Trick jacket to wear at her first Cheap Trick concert as a 14-year-old. Robin learned to play guitar as a youngster by playing along to the "(Live) at Budokan" LP and a young Kristi didn't just idolize Robin Zander, she wanted to be Robin Zander.
Like the real Cheap Trick, these musicians have a sense of humor. They realize the inherent irony of being a tribute band, and revel in their never-ending quest for tribute band realism. Not only do they dress and act the parts they play and bring an entourage of groupies and hangers-on along with them to every show, they have a faux tribute "manager," Jim Addthemoney, who pays "tribute" to Cheap Trick's parsimonious former manager, Ken Adamany. They play a loop of a stadium full of screaming fans between songs and have even held real-life press conferences to announce their signing to a label.
Cheap Chick take the best of the band's catalog and pump up the estrogen factor and peak out the VU meter. They've got the chops to nail the songs with force and serve it up with a healthy dose of a true love of Cheap Trick. |
