NWI Music - Shy Violet
Last Updated on Friday, 02 July 2010 01:19 Thursday, 01 July 2010 21:54
NWI MUSIC
SHY VIOLET
By: Courtenay Stewart
The 1990’s featured a revival of the singer-songwriter movement of the 1970s, which was closely connected to third-wave feminism as well as the Lilith Fair. Now, an up and coming cover band relives through those artists of the 90’s. Shy Violet is a Chicago based band that performs a blend of classic 90’s dance and pop with a touch of 80’s through current radio hits. The band consists of a powerful rhythm section fronted by two charismatic female vocalists.
The band started a little over a year ago when the two lead singers, Lina and Ginger did auto shows as product specialists. Lina went to a Spazmatics show and the lead singer decided he wanted to start a girl group. The rest of the band lineup is Rockin’ Richard on Bass, Jammin’ Angel on Guitar, and Effervescent Matt on Drums.
The name, Shy Violet, comes from a Rainbow Brite character. They were looking for something very girly and the name seemed to fit. They are not shy, so the first word was very tongue in cheek for them, and violet was a color that portrayed the girly aspect that they wanted. They also liked the name because with a name like Shy Violet it fit the goals and the kind of band that they wanted to represent. It was versatile enough to play not only bars and festivals, but also corporate events.
Their type of music also fits in with how they want to be portrayed. Because they are such girly girls they wanted to cover the 90’s pop that not a lot of people cover. They all share an appreciation for pop music, so a lot of their music is guilty pleasure tunes, but they do throw in some current hits. You can hear many different songs from artists such as, Vanity 6, Jane Child, En Vogue, Lady Gaga, Destiny’s Child, Lisa Stansfield, Martika, Pink, Sheena Easton, Britney Spears, Crystal Waters, Alanis Morrisette, and so many more.
But, don’t think that this is just another cover band. Ginger is musically trained in musical theatre and sings with an acapella quartet, while Lina is a classically trained opera singer. Their harmonies are spot on and if you want to hear music that comes as close to the artist’s rendition without having to see the artist, this is definitely the band. They are constantly working on their show to keep their audience dancing and engaged and their hard work is paying off. Shy Violet hasn’t been around for a very long time, but they are getting some big shows and have accelerated as a Chicago cover band which is really hard to do. They are now breaking into not only the Northwest Indiana market by playing a regular show at Northwood’s in St. John, but also the summer festival market. Recently, Shy Violet played two shows, which they have said were definitely among their favorites. The first was at Northwood’s for their summerfest and Mid Summerfest in Andersonville, Illinois. Both were packed shows with high energy and lots of dancing.
The band hopes to continue on as a working cover band and aim to be versatile enough to play any type of show that might come at them. They would also like to start writing and recording original music and create a wide enough fan base that people would come to see their originals as well as the cover show.
Shy Violet is a band that is a lot of fun with comedy, singing, and dancing and if you get a chance please check them out. You can see them live on July 23rd at Northwood’s in St. John and for more information, check out www.shyvioletband.com or www.facebook.com/shyvioletband.
