♪ Rock and roll, Chicago ♪ ♪ Rock and roll, Chicago, my hometown ♪ ♪ When I was born in the city ♪ ♪ Gone to rock the city of Chicago ♪ ♪ Chicago rock and roll is all the best around ♪ Hey, this is Paul Martin. And Ray the Roadie. For the Rock and Roll Chicago podcast.

The Rock and Roll Chicago podcast. That's right. Rock and roll, Chicago.

Are you doing a voice? I think so, yeah, maybe. Okay. Well, so what's happening, Ray? Anything? Not a heck of a lot.

We're back here at the studio in Joliet, which I'm just loving being here. Yes, yes, indeed. It's nice to be back here and to be able to do the interviews here in person.

Although Zoom worked for us and we may still use Zoom from time to time. From time to time. But it's nice to talk to people in person.

Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Who are we talking to today? Today, we're meeting with a much larger group than we normally have.

We got five gals joining us today, the Priscilla's. The Priscilla's? Yeah, with a bunch of S's in the name. Oh boy, oh boy, the Priscilla's are gonna be here.

I know, I know, you're excited. You love the Priscilla's. I do, I do.

They're some great girls. I've known them for quite a few, I've known most of them. Okay.

Not all of them. So we'll find out who's a new member and who's not. Let's dive right in and talk to the Priscilla's.

Yeah, I wanna know who you know and who you don't know. This should be interesting. Okay, we'll find out.

Let's go. I'm excited. I'm excited, Ray.

I'm excited too. Because we have, we have, the Priscilla's are here. Yes, they are.

Hi girls, how are you? Hello, girls. Hey! Woo! Woo-hoo! Uh-huh. I've been waiting for this day.

We've got Angela Fett, a guitar, plays guitar. Jenny Rackus, right? Right? Is that right? Did I say that right? Is that a fake name, Rackus? Jenny's not a hard name to say. Yes, it is a fake name.

It's actually Christopher Rackus, so go ahead and say that. We call it our stage name. Paula Mar, plays bass.

Lisa, on guitar and vocals, right? And Kimmy Hayes. Hello. Hi, Kimmy.

So, so tell us, tell us what's going on. What's new with the Priscilla's? Okay, thank you very much. That was good.

Everybody talk at once. That was real good, yeah. Well, tell us, first of all, how did Priscilla's get started? Well, I, I had one of my, I'm sorry, sorry, Paula.

Who are you? Who are you? This is Paula. I, it was one of my, My good friend, Paula. What do you call those monumental birthdays? I think it was 25.

25, yes. And my friend surprised me with all the band members from all my bands from Christmas's past and everything. So we were everywhere from the Janes, from Kimmy Hayes, Kimmy Hayes, what is that? Girl Next Door, Jenny Rackus, Tribe of Souls, everybody.

And I was up on stage. Of course, it was a surprise that everybody was there. And I was up on stage and I, I'm like, not even turn around.

I'm going, oh my God, this sounds so awesome. Everybody's on stage. And I turn around and it was just us.

I was like, ooh, this is, this could be something cool. So yeah, I just wanted to start something that we play what we love and see what happens. And there they are.

So we were from different bands. Right, right, right. Right.

So they were some of the ghosts from my past. And then what about Lisa? Lisa Thaumann. That's a long story.

Angela. You got nothing but time. It's a very quick story.

But so Lisa, I knew from way back. She had her own original band before she became a mom and married and whatnot. And in fact, being in her show, we had friends go to go see Kimmy Hayes and Paula.

What? Girl. Anyway, when they split their time between us, me and you, Kimmy. I saw on Facebook that Lisa was coming out of retirement.

We were playing Frankie's Blue Room and we needed an opening act. And I said, girls, I got this girl. Trust me on this.

And she opened for us acoustic only. And eventually we asked her to join the band. So here she is.

Okay, okay. Well, let's start with you, Lisa. Okay.

So you played for many years in your own band. Yes. Tell us about that.

It was called Lisa Tindall. That was my previous name before I got married and Moonlit Candy. And we did original and rock and pop and stuff like that.

And it was a lot of fun. I mean, it was in my early 20s. I had a great time with it, but then I got married and it was time for me to settle down and have a family, which I did.

And so music kind of took a backseat and it was really exciting once my kids got old enough to be a little bit more independent where I could actually like have the time to practice and rehearse and play a little bit for my neighbors and stuff. And I was so fortunate to hook up with Angie again on Facebook, I think is how we reconnected. And then, I mean, like we said, the rest is kind of history.

So you played guitar and you played acoustic guitar and sang at this thing that Angie was talking about? And at the gig, yes. And I was so nervous. I was like sweating.

It was a lot, but here we are. So thank God it happened. Very cool.

Yeah. Very cool. So Paula, so you started this whole thing, right? Yeah, it started me.

No, no, no. It started you. Let's talk about some of your past bands.

Now, who was with the Janes? I mean, Kimmy and I were with the Janes. Okay. And then Jen, I knew cause she'd come out and see the Janes and she's like, I'm a drummer, you know, like if you ever need a drummer.

Stalker. Yeah. Right.

There's that Jenny again. But I think you were dating a masseuse. So we let you hang out backstage.

So then- We call him massage therapist. Oh, I'm sorry. That was back in the 2000s.

So then later on, I joined and get on with the girl next door with Angie and met one of my most sparkly friends in the world and we needed a drummer. So I said, I know this girl, Jenny, and she's super cool. And then Lisa, I mean, Angie can tell you how that happened.

How Jen came here. Well, at the time we had been through a number of drummers. We weren't an all-girl band, but there were three of us, including Paula.

And so Paula says, I've got this girl. She's a nice girl. Okay, we'll audition her.

And yeah, I kind of put her through the paces and then I was like, oh yeah. So we became an all-girl band by accident in that particular band, so. So that was on Girl Next Door, right? What was the audition song? The one song that I can't play on drums, which is One Way or Another, because it's very fast.

And I'm like, okay, play this. And she nailed it because she had played it for many years before. Okay, now I noticed in your bio that you say you play guitar and drums.

You play drums and guitar. So which is it? I mean, how does that work? Well, Jen is the main drummer. Do you switch off? We do, we do.

I always wanted to be a drummer and my mom would not let me have a drum kit. But Jen let me play and we switched. So we do a few songs and she comes up front.

She plays guitar as well and it's really fun. Yeah, sings, yeah. So everybody plays guitar.

Yeah, yes. Kimmy's giving us lessons and it's part of the deal. Actually, Kimmy is giving my son lessons and she's fantastic, let me tell you.

Well, I know Kimmy does give lessons, right? Yes. And are you still doing that? I am for the time being, yes. Yes, so how long are you here for? How long are you here in Chicago? Because I know you've got the thing with Six going in New York and Broadway, right? I do, yeah.

We were reopening September 17th. So I'm here for just till the end of August. I see.

At last, it's happening. Yeah, you guys never opened, did you? We did 35 previews in New York City. On opening night, March 12th, they shut down Broadway.

That's what I thought. And we said, Kimmy, get here, the band is waiting. So what happened in COVID? Did you guys get a chance to play at all? Yeah.

Or just rehearse? Paula's Garage. Yeah. We play, for real.

Back to my garage. We would play in Paula's Garage. And last summer, this summer, we've been gigging.

Yeah. Yeah. In my backyard, we had some backyard sessions.

In Lisa's backyard. It was really awesome to have the five-piece sort of by accident, so. So here's a fun fact, though.

So I was going to New York, and that's when they added Lisa. Mm-hmm. And then when I came back, I mean, I wish we always played together.

Well, I wasn't supposed to be permanent. So after I opened for them at Frankie's, they were like, well, Kimmy's leaving. No, you weren't even leaving at that point.

You were just, you were at Navy Pier, right? So they had some gigs booked where she was like double booked. And so then they were like, well, Lisa, maybe you can fill in, which I obviously could never fill Kimmy's shoes. But I was like, well, how about if I play with you and we'll see what happens? And so, honestly, at the end of that summer when, I don't think you knew if you were going to Broadway yet at that point.

I remember like after our last gig, and it might've actually been after one of the last ones that we were supposed to have got canceled. And I remember texting you guys, and I was like, well, all right, guys, well, it's been real. It was really fun.

And then I like put my phone down and I was kind of like, hmm. Like, that's a bummer. Like, I hope I have the opportunity to play with these girls again, but I wasn't really sure if I was going to.

And then, and that was like maybe September, October. And then you knew for sure you were going to Broadway. And then you guys asked me to play, but then COVID hit.

And so now continue. Right. And now we're a one, two, three, four, five piece band.

And a five piece. And it's been awesome because Lisa's got this powerhouse vocal, but completely different. So it's like a, it's higher.

It's more like pop soul. Whereas I'm kind of like, you know, at this point. Oh Lord, won't you find me.

I'm a bowling lady. I smoke a lot of unfiltered camels. She's got like this razor sharp.

So it cuts right through, right? It's fantastic. We have, everybody sings beautiful harmonies. It's been just a joy to have come back and then have blended our abilities and kind of created this new sound with Lisa and the rest of the gang.

Yeah, to that point, Kimmy, that some things don't go as planned. This band wasn't even really planned. And the name Priscilla's, I was gonna get an all-girl band to back up an Elvis impersonator.

I thought that would be cool. So I had it in my pocket. That wasn't planned.

Kimmy, hooking up with Kimmy and being there and saying, hey, let's do a band. That wasn't planned. What we just went through wasn't planned.

And as a result, I don't think we've ever been closer as a group, as a friend. We stayed together. Kimmy and I did a duo.

Was it Facebook Live? What do you call that thing? Facebook? The face page. The face paper. The face page.

My face. My face. My face.

It's my face. Wait, don't say those two things too close together. Insta-face.

Where do you want my face? My face face. My face, I'm sorry, nope. So yeah, and Jenny is a songwriter and she's like, hey, you wanna play in my original band? I'm like, okay.

And so I started playing with Jen, again, not planned. And like, Jen has this same powerhouse, but we're on the warmer, gray slick, you know, blue soul. Bard Simpson's sister.

I'm not comfortable on that part. Hey man, you can't do that, man. Oh, homie.

I hate when you call me homie. I see where you get that low voice. Well, Kimmy and I actually wanted to do our own radio show at one point.

And because we were gigging so much together, I think I spent more time with Kimmy than anybody in my entire life we've been playing together, 25 years. You're welcome. Yes, we met in the incubator.

I was like, hey, you sound great. You're screaming really loud and I can keep beat. So yeah, and so, oh, I forgot what I was gonna say.

But so, come on, what was I saying? Tell me, tell me. So yeah, I mean. You met in the incubator.

Yeah, you met in the incubator. And here we are. Is that at the Museum of Science and Industry, or in that one? Yeah, see, Ray, you feel me, right? I remember that.

Do they still do that? Yeah. I think so. The chickens.

It was our TV, our radio show. The Morning After. Yeah, that's right.

That's right. We're gonna call it The Morning After because we had so many gigs. I remember like it'd be on Sunday morning and we'd call our friends up and they'd be like, hey, Mike, what you doing? Hi, welcome to The Morning After.

And then we'd talk about our gigs and about our shoes and things that we wear. Well, we're very prissy, hence the name. So we'd go, hey.

Hey. So, so, so, Jen, Jenny, can I call you Jen? Yes, sir. Okay.

Ooh, sir, sir. So you played with Girl Next Door and anybody else before that? I did, I played with a band called Johnny Justice and the South Side Railroad since about 1995. And it was myself and a bunch of state's attorneys from Cook County and it was kind of the all law band we got together and- I fought the law and the law won.

Yeah, pretty much. And we had a good time and played together for 12 years and still maintain our friendships to this day. I knew them guys.

I knew the band. I knew one of the, whoever the lawyer was, he worked out of Markham. Tom Darman? Tom.

It might be Tom. Eric Leafblad? No, I think it was Tom. Yeah? Yeah, it was Tom that I knew.

We want to ask you how you knew him, Ray. Yeah. Were you in trouble at one point? Were you on the other side of the podium? No, I was on the good side.

I was on the good side. Well, how we really met, Jenny. 26 and count.

Selling tacos or something? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it. So yeah, basically what you see here is, the premise is doing what we love and loving it when we do it and having that transcend.

And I would say like, how about even just with us, with things not going as planned, I feel like people coming out to shows appreciate it a lot more. And that's also like how we feel every day about live music. So I think it's like more of a connection, you know? So that's what we bring.

Right, Ange? Angie's our glue. She is. Crazy glue, actually.

You are the glue. You're like the band mom. OCD, Angie.

Yet I'm only 29. And a half. So tell us, Angie.

Tell us about your back history and your, how did you get to this point? Well, honestly, before I played, which my first band was Girl Next Door, I would go see Kimi Hay's band and I'd stand there and I'd look at Paula and Kimi and I'd go, gosh, if I ever play, I want to be just like them. And then flash forward to when I met Paula. You know, it's still surreal to this day because, but I always say that, and then meeting Kimi and of course knowing Jen and Lisa, it's pretty surreal because I used to go watch them.

But, you know, they're first and foremost friends and that's what I, you know, am grateful for the most, so. So you weren't in the incubator with them? No. I came later.

Yeah, she wanted, she sat in on a few gigs with her acoustic, hey, can I come play? And we're like, yeah, sure. So she keeps coming up and like, hey, maybe she should be in, you know, in the same unit here, so. It's kind of like another stalker.

Yeah, but not, but not. I did, I did, because I kept showing up and I think I played like four or five shows, played a few songs and finally I'm like, all right, Paula, are you going to ask me to join your band? Yes, I am. So, so that was, that was the Priscilla's, right? That was the Priscilla's, right? We're actually a three piece, a power, a five piece power trio.

Nice, nice. That's how it started. It was me, Jenny and Paula, and then, yeah.

We picked up passengers. I'd say, well, that's good, that's good. That's good.

Along the way, right? We had a short bus and it was, we had five seats. So we're like, what are we going to do? I was going to say there's a train, but it's a bus, is how I said it. Yeah, we're getting to the train.

I have to say for, for Paula being so open and friendly, I was kind of a, just a fan of, of Fabulous Janes at the time. Stalker, you mean? Stalker, yeah, something like that. But, you know, we had mutual friends and she would come out in the crowd in between breaks, in between sets and, and chat with people.

And that's how I really got to know her. And she knew I was a musician and got to know me and knew I was a drummer. And really that's how it all evolved because she is such a warm and loving person and so good with her audience and her crowd.

And I would have never have gotten to know her as well as they do now, if it weren't for her coming out and just being so personable to everybody. That seemed back at you. I was like, somebody's like, well, what are your influences? I'm like, right here.

Almost every band member I've played with, including these girls, in some way I've learned from or been inspired by, or have been able to believe in the fact that, you know, playing live is a space for entertainment and fun and it starts on the stage. So I like being close to people who think I'm okay. I'm okay.

And you missed something in the script there, Jen. Am I? You're making me blush. So tell us about the jeans.

That was your first band? Yeah, so I gotta tell you, so I'm like super cool. I'm playing in this original band and I actually didn't play bass before. I was a drummer, then a keyboard player and then I became a bass player by accident from- A nanny.

I was nannying in this band called Tribe of Souls and Jake came in and said, you're a bass player. I'm like, no. So then I'm like, oh, I'm playing cool original music and we're playing the Avalon and all that.

And then Joey DeMarco was booking us and Dia was working with him and she'd come up to me, she goes, would you ever want to start a band? And so Dia, it was like one of our heroes of the South Side, like she's very, very good musician. I'm like, oh, I don't play covers. And she's like, oh, you think about it.

So then- Because there's paychecks involved with cover bands. Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely. But it's Dia, I'm like, all right, I got to do this.

So she's like, all right, I got this idea. I'm like, okay, we'll do it. And I said, well, I'm not wearing any costumes or dresses.

It's wearing like cool. Yeah, with the J's. No, not as planned.

So, and then Kimmy answered an ad in the paper and like, shut up. And then she sang and we're like, yep, that's our, the J's were booked. I have to interject here.

So- Were you already in the J's? I wasn't, I auditioned for the J's. From the Illinois Entertainer, remember? Right, there was an audition. But this is, so the first time I met Paula, she answered the door.

She was taking me to the audition, dragged to her house, and she's wearing a tool belt and a sports bra. And she's like, I am not wearing a costume. I am not wearing makeup.

I didn't even know how to put on makeup. That's 100% truth. Why are they giving me gift certificates for this Victorious to try? So the J's helped me be a girl and I brought two guys I was playing.

So I brought the guys in the band, you know, to support me, Adam and Christian. So that's debatable what they, I was playing in a, I was playing in an original band with them. That's right, Adam is in the show.

And then they just, it was like this, the electric, the fun. And then whatever we did that we were having fun than everybody else was. So it was so real.

So yeah, I didn't plan on playing cars. We've had like 300 shows a year one time, you know, it's just crazy. And then meeting people like this.

And then when we didn't have gigs for a while, I was like, gosh, I have friends I don't see anymore because we see my gigs, you know, right? So. I remember the J's once at the Blue Chip and I was really in awe. Let's just leave it at that.

I was really in awe and the band was great. The bass, right? The bass was. Oh, the bass was spot on.

It was spot on. Yeah, of course. I wasn't the bass player yet.

Oh. Paul, help me out here, man. But I get a chance to work with Girl Next Door quite a bit at the Blue Chip.

And enjoyed that. You guys played there quite often, didn't you? We did, we did. We had a good time there.

It was a bit of a drive, but we had a good time, yeah. Great, awesome sound guy. Oh yeah, yeah, he was good.

Sexy sound guy. Oh yeah. Yeah.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ray was the sound guy? Well, yeah. He was a roadie.

I'm sorry, excuse me. Did I do that out loud? Your mic is on, Ray. Oh, sorry.

Yeah, I mean, Paul, you've always been an influence to me as well, like in your bands. And then when I see you at the Blue Chip and it's like, oh my God, it's so crazy, it's so late. And we just had a blast, I mean.

Oh yeah. I'm like, when Kimmy's like, it's Paul. I'm like, oh, I'm just gonna go to hang out with Paul.

So here we are. Not planned. That's right, here we are.

This wasn't planned. Yeah, see, now I'm doing a whole different thing, a whole different thing. Yeah.

And this is fun. This is fun. Ray came up with the idea a couple years ago and said, hey, let's do a podcast.

And I went, what, what? Yeah, so how do we tell people to get on the podcast and all that stuff? Oh, oh, just. Do we have T-shirts or something? No, nobody have a T-shirt. It's not financially solvent.

Oh, oh, we're familiar with that. I actually saw my friend, Jake, proposed a picture of Levi Jeans in the little pocket and they're like, you know what that little pocket's for? I'm like, oh, guitar picks. They're like, no, the money that they pay the band.

I'm like, okay. So yeah, I mean, and Lisa here, I'll tell you time and time again, of course, she's, we're gonna keep her in here as much, as much, as much as she doesn't think she belongs. She's absolutely become such a core, real.

She knows she belongs now. Oh, I know. But that, you know, we took some time.

There was a time, there was. Yeah, yeah. And it's the bonds that we've made along all this time with even Lisa thinking that's, you know, I'm just not gonna be here and.

Well, it's hard. Cause you guys have such a history together. I mean, I just got here, you know.

That was, I was trying to say that doesn't matter anymore because of the time that we had not gigging and gigging amongst ourselves, getting friendships. I mean, you know, you're doing shows with, you did a show with me, Kimmy and Angie did a show. Me and Ray are doing a show.

That's right. But yeah, that kind of thing that, the bonding thing that happened and that just is happening on stage. It's just crazy.

It's really, really fun. So if somebody's gonna come out and see Priscilla's, what are they gonna see? What kind of music? What, explain to me, explain to us. Let me, I refer to our social media expert, Lisa.

Oh, you win. I mean, just rockin' good time. I don't know how else to say it.

I mean, we have a pretty wide variety of music. I would say definitely rock and classic rock heavy, but as Paula has been saying this whole time, like every song that we play, it doesn't matter what it is. We put our own spin on it.

And it just, it's just dynamic. And it blows you out of the water when you're in the audience, you know? You wanna sing along, you wanna dance. It's just, it's fun.

♪ You stole his hand by the night and day ♪ ♪ If I don't, he sure shall take it ♪ ♪ Oh, do you know, yeah ♪ ♪ You took the sun away, you took the sun away ♪ ♪ Oh, do you know, yeah ♪ ♪ You took the sun away, you took the sun away, yeah ♪ I had a guitar solo, so. Yeah, man. I played, I overplay all night.

We give you the wink, it's okay. We're like, Kimmy, are you gonna do it? Are you gonna do it? Are you gonna do it? And she's like, and we love every second of it. Twist my arm.

It's like my favorite band. They never cut me off. A lot of harmonies.

I think vocally, we can't be touched. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, because everybody sings.

Yeah. So I think that's pretty unique, having a five-piece all-girl band where everybody's a strong singer. Right.

Well, and everybody's voice is so different, like you were saying. You know, we each have our own strengths, and I think that we really show that well while we're on stage. What are some of your favorites, Lisa? Well, recently, we just added Ramblin', and I enjoy doing that a lot.

House of the Rising Sun, Kimmy does a rippin' solo on that, and I love singing that, too. She does a rippin' solo on every song, doesn't she? Yeah, but especially that one. That one's the one at the end where we're like, is she gonna do it again? Like, what do you think, what do you think? And then we all look at Jen, because she's giving us the cue, and then we look at Kimmy, and then we look at Jen.

It's like, is it gonna happen? Do an extra solo, Kimmy, come on, come on, come on. We give her that wide-eyed look. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Keep going, keep going. Well, I tasked Kimmy to do the set lists in here because she's always so great at putting it together. And then the last show, it was a 75-minute set, and I think there were like four songs because Kimmy was just gonna solo through all of them.

Oh, don't worry, we have 20 minutes. I could take a solo. Yeah, I mean, ramble on goes into what, for what it's worth.

Like, it just, the dichotomy of, you know. It kind of rambles on. Yeah, it's like me, you know.

I'll tell you the other thing that is, you pointed it out already, but having two women guitar players, singers, that both play drums well, I've never, I've never experienced that. I've played with a lot of drummers, but like, they can swap, and it's incredible. So it's super cool.

Yeah, that's cool. Angie turns into a whole new person, like. Yeah, Angie's- When she gets behind the drums.

Oh, yeah, she's a bad-ass thing. I'm like animal behind animal. She's just like, out of your rear.

Seriously, I wanted to do it as a kid, and I couldn't. And so, yeah. Now, I thought I remember you playing drums, but maybe only one song or something with the girl next door, you know.

Oh, she does a lot more now. Yeah, we, so Jen let me test the waters back then. I think we might've changed for one song, and now I think it's like three or four that we can switch.

Or some, it's like, okay, are you playing guitar? Am I? What are we doing? So what about original stuff? Anybody, are you guys writing any material, or? Yes? Okay, thank you very much. Like I told you, covers are worth, no, I'm just kidding. Yeah.

I write, as Jenny Rock is, Lisa Thoman has her originals, Kimmy Hayes has her originals, and we kind of swap them in and out of our Priscilla show and just take turns doing different tunes. We went to Nashville right before COVID and recorded some, so it was a good time. Oh, that was a good time.

Yeah, that studio was just, you know. It was- Blue Bird or something. Black Bird.

Black Bird. Black Bird with John McBride. Yeah.

John and Martina McBride's studio was pretty fun. ♪ I wanna write you a song ♪ ♪ As beautiful as you ♪ ♪ Gonna sing it loud and strong ♪ ♪ So everybody feels it too ♪ ♪ I wanna write you a song ♪ ♪ As beautiful as you ♪ So everybody writes it, right? Yes. I write the bridges.

We incorporate- Bridges are important. They are. They get you from one place to the next.

I can't stand the song going the same way. Please change. We try and incorporate the originals where it fits.

Different shows might just call for more covers and that's what we'll do. But we can fit in our originals, we do. And people always love them.

So it's a good feeling. Yeah. I've heard that comment too.

I don't know some of this music, but I loved it, right? Because we are in- Well, if it fits with what you're doing, great. And obviously, if you're writing probably in the genre or the vein of what you play regularly. So, I mean, it probably works out good, right? You just learned that word genre, didn't you? I did.

Genre. Yeah. Genre.

Shades. You're so international. Was it shades? Shades, loud.

Genre. So do the Simpsons make an appearance at your shows too? Well, yeah, Kimmy and I actually did voices for children's books. That was fun.

That was when Kost got me. We're like, we're getting a paycheck. Scott made it back in the day.

What were those books? That was fun. I was a turtle that was very slow. And Kimmy was a rabbit.

Hey there. Was I? Did I have fun? Oh, yeah. Paula holds my memories of the 90s.

That's good. People actually thought I was Kimmy Hayes. I'm like, yeah, well, depends.

Did we have fun? Did we do something wrong? It can't be. Kimmy Hayes isn't yet. What? I'm sorry.

Yeah, I'm Kimmy Hayes. Yeah, I mean, I've had some of the best moments in my life with people and bands and music. And it's just such a honor to anytime we're on stage.

I don't feel any pain. We don't have any troubles. You don't age on stage.

That's what you always say. I don't age on stage. And if you see us, you'll see that.

So technically, if I've done like 5,000 scenes, 763 shows, I'm only 28. But who's counting? I'm 28 now. But who's counting, right? I just slow down a year.

So you said that sometimes you'll do, well, you obviously doing some, Lisa, you were doing some solo stuff. Yeah. I do, yes.

But then you said a couple of you guys, a couple of you paired up and did some shows. Do you still do that? I just played with Angie, what, two weeks ago, last week? Yeah. And then basically, you know, when people call for gigs, depending on what it is, we can do, I don't want to say any format, but we are able to switch and play with each other.

I mean, Jen, Paul and I have done a couple of trios as well. And so it's fun. Do you guys go by yourself as the Priscilla's or part of the Priscilla's or just the Cilla's maybe? Maybe.

Maybe. Cilla's light. Maybe after this interview.

Yeah. I mean, we, we, we call out the Priscilla's, but you know, I joined Lisa and I just kind of tagged along, which was fun. So it's Lisa's, you know, solo show.

Same thing with Kimmy, but yeah, it's fun. I see. We're always promoting though.

You always got to name drop any chance you get. That's why we had Lisa in the band. She's the promotion expert.

I sure I. And cartwheeler. I do. I can do a cartwheel.

You've done it on stage, really? You know what? I actually have done them at a gig before. Yes. Not while playing though.

That's a little hard. With the guitar, no. No, that wouldn't work out.

She's working on it. No, I used to see, oh, what's his name? Diane and I are going to, now I'm having a brain fart. Little Steven, little Steven from, and he had one of those little trampolines on the side and he would play and jump on the trampoline and do a back flip while he's playing.

I'd break my neck. With his guitar. That sounds like Paula.

I saw one on sale at Dick's. I'm going to go get it. She's going to be there.

She's going to be there tomorrow morning with it as soon as they open. Don't put it past. Remember when you tore your meniscus at Shenanigans? Well, it was Shenanigans, that's right.

Yeah. That's what did it, right? What's wrong with jumping from a five foot stage with six inch heels and a 40 pound base? Nothing. And I thought you were going to talk about her jeans that she ripped at, she's got a ripped.

Oh, no, my legs sweat. That's all I'm saying. Your crotchless jeans.

Oh, hair, it's a family shout. No. I just want to make a point about what you asked about the Priscilla's numerator, which it's three, four or five piece.

The Priscilla's, the core is this and it's the same sentiment and the same music. And then we just kind of switch up parts or where our strengths are. And you always get the best of who's ever on stage.

So it's always the Priscilla's. They'll do their solo shows or duo shows and stuff like that. And it just lends to more and more music, right? Yep.

See how I dodged that? Ha ha. So I was standing on the stage and I kicked my leg. My pants slid all the way down and damn it, I forgot my panties.

Whoa. Boy, oh boy. For real? Yeah.

I didn't know that part. That was at Cheeseburgers in Paradise and now they call it Furburgers. Did I have fun? Yeah, we were going to have this on the morning after.

So that place called Furburgers in Paradise. So somebody had to go get a pair of jeans for me. And no, so here's the best part.

I'm playing a bass like- Was there cold next to her or something? It was so sweaty. It was my legs sweat, nothing else. So I kicked in the, you know, they caught.

So then I'm playing the bass and I'm thinking, okay, good, I got this big bass. Thank the Lord that I can cover it. My string fricking breaks.

My E string, like I can't even play. So I had to switch basses and I'm going out to her friend's team. God, my bass.

She's like, you what? You split your pants? So one of the friends, we live close by and she brings a pair of these jeans. You said split your pants. Oh yeah, I split my pants.

I shipped them split. If anyone who's been to a show has seen the famous Paul Amar kick, they know how she split her pants for sure. I check them out.

So she brings back these high rise 80s jeans that were like ankles. And I'm like, oh my gosh, it was funny. And Kimmy didn't know.

I'm like, don't tell Kimmy cause she's like, wow, nice jeans. What? Now I have big bell bottoms. I've seen that Paul Amar kick many times, yes.

I am. It just happens. So, so you guys are keeping busy, right? We, what do you got coming up? Navy Pier.

Yeah. Navy Pier on August 28th. 2.30. The Vintage Wine Festival in Utica, we're doing that's right.

Yeah. That's a Sunday, September 19th, which is a big one out there. What about that Pub 78 in Brookfield? Yeah, that's a Friday the 6th.

So August 6th. And then we have, what's that new one? Warehouse, the Warehouse on Park in Genoa. We're traveling north for that one.

We're on tour. It's kind of like a CD and me situation, landscaping company that's got a nice venue there. Where's that at? It's in Genoa.

Illinois. International Beer Day with the Priscilla's. Well, that's going to end really well.

Yeah, I saw that already. Did I have fun? Did I? I'll let you know, Kimmy. Yes.

After I mend my pants. I think we have a Festival of the Vine on the 12th? The 11th. Yeah, September 11th.

We finally are up in, Lisa lives up in Elgin, so the rest of us are mostly on the south side. So we try to put stuff up north. I know you guys are all like, oh, Genoa, it's so far.

I'm like, man, I can throw a rock and hit Genoa where I live. It's right next door. I mean, not quite next door, but it's closer than here.

You walk up and you see a big rock in front of it. You're like, oh! Lisa was here. And then we have this benefit on the 31st.

Is that right? That's the Saturday. Yeah, we're doing a trio. The H Foundation Goombay Day.

Goombah, yeah. I think it's Goombay, but in LaGrange. Whoops.

It's Goombah. I thought it was like, hey, it gotta be cool. That'd be like on Taylor Street.

Yeah, Miller Street. It is exciting though to go from last summer really not being able to do much to then, you know, I get a little anxious sometimes where I look at my own calendar and I'm like, oh my God, we have so many gigs. But then you take a step back and it's like, we're just so blessed to be able to continue to play music and for everything to kind of be back open.

Still safely, obviously, but it's really nice. So now, I hate to ask this question, but once Kimmy goes back to New York, what are you guys gonna do? Are you gonna stay at Four Piece? Are you gonna add someone? We're gonna stay in the Priscilla's. Eventually, Kimmy, when things get settled in, she can take time off.

We'll book gigs here in New York, in between, whatever we have to do, whenever Kimmy's available. That's a good idea. Yeah, I mean, it's awesome to have her be able to do that and commit to it and stay on with what we're doing, considering what she's going through there.

So we're looking forward to that. It'll take a little while, but any moment that Kimmy can be here and we can be together, we just want to, whether we have a gig or not. Also, Angie, not only is she a wicked drummer and singer, she also plays a great guitar.

Yes. So she's taking over the lead guitar. I have an awesome instructor.

I don't know who that is. Kimmy Hayes. I'm sorry.

I'll tell you later, Kimmy. Okay. Did I have fun? You sure had fun.

That's it. Oh my God. Well, we were gonna, with the morning after show, remember when that guy, remember? Like there's so many gig stories.

Maybe we, Paul, you and I can get together and Ray, we have this boo. And Kimmy, hey, she's in New York. Hey, what are you doing over there? Yeah, it'd be another podcast.

Yeah. Gig stories. It'd be an iPodcast.

It'd be a mature audiences only podcast. You there. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Well, we've already heard the story of the ripped pants. It's too much for me, too much. My goodness.

I did a second city, I was studying there and I was like, that's what this band is like a lot is that we play off each other. If somebody is having trouble with a vocal or anything, somebody just jumps in. So there's always that connection.

What I think transcends, I think people see that and feel like they've never seen us before, but they feel like they know us. And then, you know, I'll try to rip my jeans more often and see what happens. Yeah, that might be how you do it.

I'll let it show. Yeah, just don't let them rip your jeans, Paul. No, I've ripped my pants.

But not my jeans. I don't know. Well, so tell us how people find you.

Where do we find you? On the internet or Facebook? On the interwebs. Interwebs. W-W-W? I think there's three.

Okay. Yes. W-W-W? So it's thepriscilla's.com is our website address, but we also have Facebook and Instagram.

I think Facebook is the Priscilla's band. Yeah, I believe so too. Priscilla's with two S's because we are Prissy.

Yes, the two S's is Keith. Well, it's actually three S's. The first two are S and S. And then there's Priscilla.

The last S is a C. Priscilla. Cilic. Cilic.

No apostrophe. No, I don't think you can do apostrophes in web pages. No, you can't.

I don't think that's a thing. Aunt Ampersand's I've found out. That's right.

I had an Aunt Ampersand. Really? No. What did she do? Well, she was a shark wrestler.

And then became a shark dentist, which progresses naturally. And then I was an underwater welder when she brought me under her wing or her fin, whatever. These are the random things too that Paula will say while we're on stage.

And she does this to me when I'm singing and I can't finish the lyrics. Kimmy was like, what are you doing? And Maggie made like something about my age. And I was like, and this time I was going, lifting my, something that doesn't show your age.

I'm like, she makes me laugh enough where I cannot finish the lyrics. I'll just say that. That's what you're singing.

It's fun though. And I think like you were saying, I think people pick up on that. Like that makes the show that much better.

Like not only do we bring awesome music, great talent, you know, just a great time, that aspect, but we're just fun. And people pick up on that. And I was going to say, that's the greatest compliment to me, I think is, boy, you guys really look like you're having fun.

Right, right. Yeah, it definitely is. And if you're up there and having fun and entertaining people, there's nothing better.

Like you said, it's the best thing in the world. And you don't age on stage, right? No, no. I don't have any pain, anything.

It's great. It's true. Well, I have some pain once in a while, but.

Well, let's get on stage, Ray. Ray, let's go. Well, thanks girls for joining us today.

Yeah, thanks a lot. Thanks for having us. Thanks for having us.

Had a lot of fun. Yeah. And learned a lot about Priscilla.

You did have fun, Kimmy. I know. I'm feeling it right here.

Thanks for joining us. Thanks a lot. Thank you guys.

♪ Well, sometimes I go out by myself ♪ ♪ And I look across the water ♪ ♪ And I think of all the things ♪ ♪ What you're doing in my head and I paint a picture ♪ ♪ Since I've come on home, well, my body's been a mess ♪ ♪ And I miss your ginger hair and the way you like to drink ♪ ♪ Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me ♪ ♪ Why won't you come over, baby? ♪ Okay. Well, that was Angela and Jenny and Paula and Lisa and Kimmy Hayes. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the Priscilla's.

The Priscilla's have left the building. Yes, they have. I think I peed a little.

Did you? I think so. I mean, I was laughing so hard. I mean, they are so funny.

They are so talented. Yes. What a great bunch of gals.

I'm pretty sure Kimmy had a good time. We just have to remind her. We just gotta let her know that she did have a good time.

Yes. Yes. They're a great bunch of girls and some talented musicians as well.

Yes, they are. But it was fun talking with them. And I haven't seen a lot of them in many, many years, but it was good to talk to them.

Well, not that many years. They're only 29. Oh, right, right.

Right, so it's a few years. It's been a few years. It's been a few years, but it was good to see them and talk with them again.

It was a lot of fun. I was happy to have them here. Like I said, it was just, it was a fun time, really funny.

Great stories, how they all got it together and their backstories. Yep. Yes, indeed.

That's what this is about. That's what the Rock and Roll Chicago podcast is all about. So thanks for listening, everybody.

And thanks to the- Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 at Nine Westcastle in Joliet, Illinois. Right, what he said. Yeah, check them out at RoadToRock.org. Sign up to be a charter member today.

Okay. All right, well, and don't forget, don't forget to get your tickets. Tickets are going fast for the August 31st induction.

For the Hall of Fame induction. The Hall of Fame induction at the Rialto Square Theater here in Joliet. And it'll be, so go online to at RoadToRock.org and get your tickets now.

It's going to be a fun time. Get your tickets, definitely. It's going to be sold out soon.

Well, if it's not already. Yeah, you're right. Just by us talking about it.

I can hear it. The tickets are just, they're going out, they're shooting out, yeah. Remember when you used to have to go get tickets? Yeah, you go to Montgomery Ward and stand in line and they actually hand you a ticket and stuff.

There's none of that anymore. No, it's all digital. It's all digital.

You show them your phone. I miss the old ticket days. What do you save, the picture from your phone now, you know? Yeah, I guess, I don't know.

But, all right. You take a screenshot of it. You take a screenshot and that's, oh, here's my ticket from this band that I saw.

That doesn't seem right, but. Once again, thanks to the Priscilla's. Yes.

Thank you. Thank you. The Priscilla's have left the building.

Yes, yes they have. Thanks for listening, everybody. Thanks a lot.

See you next week. The Rock and Roll Chicago podcast does not own the rights to any of the music that's played on this podcast. The music is used to promote the band or musicians that are interviewed.

♪ Rock and Roll Chicago ♪