X Devotchka lead vocal numero uno! NYC street all girl punk band. Steph
ain't dead! Mother to Marshall 5yr old Bully boy. This is the first time I've
ever been connected with a computer or even logged in. Here to SET THE RECORD
STRAIGHT!! about what really happened to The Devotchkas. written by Stephanie;
founder and creator of The DevotchkasNYC. Many moons ago upon living in Brooklyn NY, I met Mande at a Krays band
practice at Smash Studios. I used to go with Jon to watch his practices and
Mande was there because of Kenny. We would go just about every week. Me and
Mande got to talking about starting an all girl street punk band. She had a
friend Elaine that could play bass and she could play guitar. I would be the
singer and we had then to just find a drummer.We wanted to get started as soon as possible.Jon from The Krays agreed to
fill in temporarily till we found our female drummer.Which was way more
difficult than we had bargained for.With my new lyrics and melodys in my head
for verse and chorus,Mande and Elaine where able to lay down the songs quite
easily.We were all new at this. Jon definitely was not and Elaine had played in
Manix for a bit. Definitely a little rusty. We had managed to accumulate about 6
songs. I had written Oi!toy! Shit for Dreams, Disappointed, Coppers in Force,
Mr.School Psycology, Hip Hop Kids, with the exception of Damaged Goods written
by Elaine. I got the name "The Devotchkas", when I was visiting friends in Mass.
I was thinking up names when a friend of mine blurted it out and it was a go
ever since then.We got our first offer to record a 7inch by Punk Core Records out of Long
Island. We recorded it at Noise Floor Studios in Brooklyn and was produced by
Tom and also Jon from The Krays. Definitely giving credit to where credits due.
We started playing local shows almost immediately at CBGB's, ABC NO Rio, a
couple in Long Island and some out of state as well, Boston area, Philly, Penn,
Atlanta ect...Soon after Jon left to get back to his busy schedule with The
Krays and many other side projects he had going on at that time. It kinda sucked
to lose him he's a fantastic musician. After a couple fill in drummers, we
finally found Gabrielle a Punk student from Boston. she would travel from Boston
to NYC than back to Boston even sometimes the same night.It was a great opportunity for anyone from the scene at that time. We had an
all around appeal. Oi! Boot Girl Up your ass! vocals followed by Big Spikey
Mowhawk color infused Punk Rock girl DIVAS. (Brings a wee little tear to my eye
how perfect it really was. Elaine ended up getting an E-mail from a tour manager
from England who wanted to set up a two week tour through a couple Euro
countries. We set the date and took off. We played England, at the Underground
where we played with Vice Squad, Broken Bones. Hanging out with Saxby from The
Last Resort. Belgium, France, Holidays in the Sun in Spain playing with
Slaughter and the Dogs, Cockney Rejects, Les Decibelios, Switzerland, Italy with
Mess, Mess, Mess and The Rotten Bois. Germany with the Vanilla Muffins. We had a
great time and met so many great people. We had Dale the Deuce dropper as our
van driver and Sean from Hard Skin and Jaime as the best hosts ever.We got back and started to record our first full lengh CD. Annhilation.Still
playing shows on the regular. We then took off on our second Euro tour. This
time for a month. This time around we had 6 girls in the van. Two extra to sell
merchandise. Tensions grew high this time round. Too many personalities. Before
Gabrielle joined the band we basically got along fine. We had each of us the
same sick almost perversely, disturbing at times sense of humour.Gabrielle was way more conservative with hers. A bit of a "DUD" if you asked
me. For both tours she seemed to have that misery attention seeker persona. You
know the type always upset and hiding away about something. It got to be really
annoying! Instead of the rest of the girls who talked trash behind her back, I
let it be known how annoying she really was. We both definitely butted heads.
Elaine and Mande were attached by the tit. Where ever one went the other was
soon to follow. So that basically left me to meet and hang around mostly with
the people we met at different shows we played.The whole Rock Star thing really started to effect the other girls. We'd be
staying with people and they'd ask me why the other girls were so rude and
unapproachable. I got sick of vouching for them and started to come to the
realization that I no longer was happy with whom I was playing with. Funniest
moments ever: Elaine and Mande competing over the bigger better colored mohawk.
Pulling their all nighter hair do's with their blow dryers going off All Night
long!The second tour was still pretty amazing considering. We played again through
the same countries as before. Instead of Spain this time we hit Scotland. We
played Holidays in the Sun in Morecombe England with Hard Skin, Conflict,
Subhumans and Awkward Thought. Playing also was Condemned 84 which is one of my
favs as well as Retaliator.In France we got to play with P38 and so many other great bands I know I'm
forgetting. Even Funnier Moment: When Elaine used a plastic bag as a condom on
Morcombe beach with He Man Skin. Ha!Ha! Funny and yet so completely true!!! By
the end of the tour we as a band began to grow apart. I couldn't believe just
because the crusties were giving me shit about my T shirt choices, Condemned 84,
Combat 84, Indecent Exposure, that Elaine and Mande would jump on the band wagon
too. I mean Elaine had painted me the Indecent Exposure shirt. She had one too
and was now telling me it was a problem. Real Punk Rock of them. My attitude of
course; fuck That!!! I always hated crusties anyway.Why should I give a Fuck? Right? they were also hinting on the line of making
my vocals more screechy like whinny, sort of powder puff like. Which was exactly
what every other girl punk band vocals all sounded like. All Vice Squad,
Expelled rip offs!! That which defined us was now starting to divide us. Still
blows my mind till this very day. Anyhow, after the tour we were in the mist of
recording our second album with all new material almost all layed down on track,I got a phone call that I was out of my band. You know all that was fine and
all with the exception of if I was out the name and songs that I wrote were to
come with me. It was agreed that the name would change and all new songs would
be on whatever album they were to put out. Already behind my back they dubbed JJ
their new singer, X Relics singer over my music and put her lyrics on my tracks.
And put out the album out as The Devotchkas without my consent. I was fighting
my own demons at that time and couldn't really be bothered too much about it. It
would figure that the same girl, Elaine that I had fought battles for and ripped
Uh Oh off when she jumped Elaine on St.Marks would be the same girl to backstab
me while I was down. I guess I thought I would've gotten the same support
through my shit. But Whateva Whatevas. Not so Much.Not soon after did I break out of NYC to save my own life did I come to hear
that they eventually started to rip off my songs live too. To my pleasure came
to find out at their first show just about got Boo'd off stage. Most of those
people who really knew me most know how It really was and how it really wasn't
the Devotchkas without me there. Thank You all {You know who you are) And to all
those who don't. I really couldn't give a Fuck!!They were to change their name to the 99's and that in itself was short
lived.It was exactly what Elaine and Mande wanted another Vice Squad, Expelled
rip off!! Didn't really work out too well for you all did it?? They didn't even
really get started. JJ had issues with basically everything and was kicked out
soon after. Then they tried another girl and I guess it didn't work out either.
Not too easy to ride on a coat tail of what I had created and think they had
enough talent to pull through. It was all hair and make up for them. That's how
they continued doing anything right from the begining. Camera whores if you ask
me. Especially Elaine the queen of self absorption. It's sickening how many are
fooled by it. Definitely She's man like, Especially now. All you suckers just
fuel the fire. Take the hair, the make up, the clothes and what do you got??
Absolutely Nothing but arrogance and shit attitude. Boring if you ask me.I recently got a computer and have been trying to locate old and new
acquaintances. I've seen the Devotchkas pages and links where I found little or
nothing about myself which is the biggest slap in the face. Just stupid
interviews with Elaine and Mande and Gabrielle and honestly their interviews
make me laugh. I guess it's like painting a picture and letting someone else
describe what it is and all about. The only true knowledge about art is from the
artist itself. There is really no way around it. I also heard through the punk
vine that when Mande got knocked up and needed a little time off Elaine tried
replacing her too, her so called best friend. I don't know for sure if it's true
but apparently Mande was not happy! I could definitely see that. That's just in
Elaines nature to do something like that. I don't miss that. Not at all!!
Should've let Uh Oh kick her ass back then. But thats what separates us in the
first place .I'm OK with that. I honestly don't have any beef with any of them.
It's been way too long to hold those old grudges. But I had to get out my one
and only Bio from Stephanie. The founder and original singer for The Devotchkas.
R.I.Pieces.
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