Gael McGear (from The Poptarts)
Knickers in a Twist : Cockney slang for a disturbance, an uproar, a crazy commotion.
Mark Ronan (from Outofcontactwithreality)
Dave Soule (from The Tearjerkers)
Knickers in a Twist : three musicians dedicated to harmony, pop music, and good times for themselves and their audiences! Knickers in a Twist offer acoustic music with an edge: they were playing the best of rock'n'roll "unplugged" long before it became fashionable. Knickers in a Twist present a mix of favorites from artists such as the Beatles, the Byrds, and Patsy Cline, along with some surprising covers and a wealth of original compositions in the classic Sixties style. So, don't get your knickers in a twist -- just join the fun!
Red-haired lead singer Gael McGear has fronted groups ranging from folk to punk, but her heart is with the classic pop that she listened to on the radio as a kid in Cleveland. For a number of years Gael was in the now-legendary East Coast all-girl band The Poptarts , a miniskirted outfit that played original songs mingled with girl-group standards. Between gigs with Knickers in a Twist , Gael is a member of the New York avant-garde theatre troupe, The Blathertones . Guitarist and vocalist Mark Ronan , veteran of North Coast rock group Outofcontactwithreality , is gaining notice as a songwriter in the North Coast area. Guitarist Dave Soule was a mainstay in one of the most infamous of the New York party bands, The Tearjerkers . Together, they make up Knickers in a Twist !
In December 1996 we opened for The Kennedys at Happy Endings in Syracuse, New York, in a benefit for Syracuse Community Radio. It was a thrill to play with Pete and Maura in support of such a wonderful cause!
Knickers in a Twist will be playing throughout the Cleveland area this summer and will be expanding our base into New York and the East. For more information about Knickers in a Twist please contact:
In Syracuse, New York:
(315) 474-9171 (Dave Soule)
In Cleveland, Ohio:
Barbarian Management
1615 Woodward Avenue
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
(216) 226-4062 (Jacalyn Thomas)
In Lake County, Ohio:
(216) 354-5912 (Burnadette Sweeney)
Or you can e-mail Gael McGear
from The Syracuse New Times' Idol Chatter Column (1/8/97)
Holiday Cheer
by Larry Hoyt
Several noteworthy and nimble acts had 'em jinglin' at area clubs just before Christmas.
Pete and Maura Boudreau Kennedy tuned up their jangly, intertwining guitars for a performance at Happy Endings Coffeehouse on Dec. 22, part of a three-act benefit show (including Lovelorn and Knickers in a Twist) for the long-gestating Syracuse Community Radio project. "It's great to see you all here to support community radio," Pete told the audience. "In {Washington} D.C., we have a listener-driven station that takes chances no commercial station would touch. On Thelonious Monk's birthday, they played Thelonious
Monk all day. It was great."
The Kennedys, who recently guested on studio tracks for a Nanci Griffith project, opened with the title song
from their latest CD, Life Is Large (Green Linnet). The duo's acoustic set also included material from their
previous release, River of Fallen Stars and a sweetly harmonic cover of the Byrds' "Feel a Whole Lot
Better." A pronounced Byrds influence took flight again during the extended space jam that ended their set,
with "Eight Miles High" seguing into a crowd-pleasing sample of "Pinball Wizard." Both Kennedys seem to
enjoy the flashier, percussive side of acoustic jamming, with Pete's playing described by one fan as "folk's
answer to Eddie Van Halen."
For an encore, the Kennedys were joined onstage by Knickers in a Twist (with ex-Poptart vocalist Gael McGear and ex-Tearjerker guitarist Dave Soule) for a wild and wooly rendition of the Beatles' "She Loves You."
Among those enjoying the show were ex-Flash Cubes Arty Lenin and Paul Armstrong, along with rising
folk star Marty Sexton, the latter still accepting compliments for his two stellar, sold-out shows at Happy
Endings on Dec. 20.