Heidi began in the mind of singer Jilly B. She was working as a bike messenger around Downtown Boston one day when the name Heidi popped into her head, and she thought it would be a cool name for an all-girl rock band. At the time, Jilly and her friend Lisa P. were playing trumpet and sax for a popular local funk/soul band. Even though they liked playing horns, they knew they had to rock, so when the band broke up, it was time to start Heidi. Lisa already knew how to play drums, so she made Jilly be the singer. They recruited their friend Sandy to play bass. Heidi began playing out and recording using various fill-in guitarists. At a show in August of ‘99, Jilly announced that Heidi was looking for a permanent guitar player. Janet was at that show and was blown away by Heidi's songs and stage presence. She knew this was the band for her. She got a copy of the 10-song demo recorded in a friend's basement that Heidi had just released, and asked them if she could join. Heidi played more shows around the Northeast and began recording with Scott Riebling in the Spring of 2000, and has since graced the covers of Soundcheck Magazine, The Boston Phoenix and The Noise. They also had a full-color spread in the Improper Bostonian when a photo-journalist followed Heidi around at a show from start to finish. One of the highlights of the year 2K was playing the WBCN River Rave at Foxboro Stadium with Cypress Hill, Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack, and Powerman 5000 and more.  Bassist Susan (ex- 3&1/2 Girls, Box Car Betty) joined in September 2000, and Heidi released their EP "Can't Wait" in November 2000.  That was also the month that Warner Brothers flew the band to LA to play at the Troubadour, and negotiations began to sign the band.  They were also psyched when the Mighty Mighty Bosstones asked them to be a part of the annual Hometowm Throwdown at Axis in December 2000.  And in February of 2001, Heidi officially inked a deal with Warner Brothers Records. Heidi disbanded in Mar 2002.

THE FIRST TEN SONGS Claire People We Hate Suzanne Daughter Susan Maread Mary Olga Dulcinea Flora

CAN'T WAIT My Day Anyway Have To Want To Need To Can't Wait I Don't Want It Sing To Me Throwing Rice

HEIDI (unreleased) My Day Anyway Ain't About You Burnin' Have To Want To Found A Way Out Balance Big Steps Going Not So Concerned People We Hate I Don't Want It Mary Can't Wait

PICTURES

On The Town December 2000 DREAM TEAM Heidi weaves a rock 'n' roll fantasy. By MICHAEL BLANDING When the lights dim, the Rocky fanfare starts, and the four members of Heidi run on stage in a blur of short skirts, big black shoes, and tube socks, it's almost impossible not to get caught up in their rock 'n' roll fantasy. Barely a year old, this high-energy group has injected a little, well, girlish fun into the Boston rock scene with a brand of basement punk that plays like a double bill of Josie and the Pussycats and Iggy and the Stooges - with Pat Benatar and Chuck Mangione for an encore. Heidi's stage show is as inspired as the music, replete with power chords, trumpet solos, Mexican hats, and Christmas trimmings - so inspired that they'll open for the Might Mighty Bosstones at the band's annual Hometown Throwdown before having their own show down the street. Hanging out with the girls at the B-Side Lounge before the release of their new EP, Can't Wait, is like a slumber party with baked Gouda and fettucini. They dish on each other's nicknames and their pets, and tell childhood stories like the one about the time lead singer Jilly B. - motivated by those TV after-school specials - wrote a play called Please Don't Hit Me Mom. "I think happy comes from Lisa and angry comes from me," says Jilly B. Guitarist Janet, by contrast, is the responsible one, working by day as WBCN deejay Juanita; she also helps manage the band's independent label. Bassist Susan is, if anything, the mysterious member of the band, offering only that she is studying chemistry. "She's going to be the world's first punk rock dentist," says drummer Lisa P. Then there are the outfits. "We're a rock team," says Jilly B. "We don't do it to be sexy. Tube socks and clunky shoes, that's not sexy." Adds Janet: "It's cool, as in breathing wise. These days to be a girl in a rock band, it's like you have to wear vinyl pants or something. And I swear to God, sweating in those things is not an option." Heidi - 12/7: 7pm, opening for the Might Mighty Bosstones. Axis, 13 Lansdowne St.; 10pm, with Seventeen and Jaya the Cat. Bill's Bar, 5 1/2 Lansdowne St. Visit www.heidirock.com HELL,YEAH! Heidi ho by Joe S. Harrington Casco Bay Weekly 12/28/00 Female bands. There've been a lot of 'em: Fanny, the Runaways, Girlschool, Vixen, the Go Gos, Jale, Shiva Speedway, the Donnas, Kittie. Joining the list is Heidi. The Boston quartet came into being about two years ago, formed from the ashes of several other Boston mixed-sex aggregations, save for guitarist Janet Egan, who'd gone the all-female route with her previous group, the heavy-metal band Malachite. When Heidi comes to Portland for a New Year's Eve gig at the State Theatre, with Rustic Overtones and 6gig, it won't be as total strangers. The band considers Portland its home away from home, which might have something to do with the thuggish tendencies of the Boston bar scene that prevents local bands playing more than one gig per month. That makes Portland a viable option for this road-worthy band, which plays here often. "Portland's fans are real music fans," says Egan. "For one thing, they're not afraid of the cold. They're not rock 'n' roll pussies at all. They come out and stomp their feet and get into it." [Janet's note: I did not say that] I asked her how a previous gig in Portland with the Northwest grunge monsters, Nebula, went. "Great," she says, "but we're not exactly a stoner band, so we all wondered how that one would come off." What Heidi is, is a zealous exaltation of youthful exuberance to the tune of the typical Boston hard-head sound -- a grinding mix of heavy metal dynamics and punk velocity that has marked the Hub's music scene for years (most recently in the form of Half Cocked). Indeed, the credits on the band's new, six-song CD, "Can't Wait" -- which comes in a kinky, Day-Glo, fur-lined sleeve that reminds me of Spencer Gifts in the Maine Mall circa 1974 -- read like a who's who of the Boston music scene. So what are some of the band's musical influences? According to Egan, "early Black Sabbath records, classic rock, the Misfits, even Rage Against the Machine. Tom Morello in Rage is a great guitarist." Sure enough, on "Can 't Wait," some hip hop-inspired jive occurs in the form of the opener, "My Day Anyway," as well as the title cut. But that's just part of the mad mixture that makes up the rock of the New Millennium. Where does Heidi fit in? Judging by the matching cheerleader uniforms as well as the girlie name, it sounds like the band is trying to make some kind of statement about feminism. But Egan insists the uniforms are merely a low-maintenance method to maintain rock 'n' roll stamina: "The uniforms are easy for us to wear, and they make it easy to get dressed for shows. As for the girl thing, well, we can't help it if we're girls." Thank God for that. Considering the band's name, I asked Egan if she were aware of the infamous "Heidi" broadcast that once disrupted a National Football League game. "That's why we wear uniforms," she says, somewhat facetiously. "We decided to make Heidi a real sports team to avenge the name to all the football fans." On New Year's Eve, Heidi will, at the very least, be avenging the right of Portland rock fans to get riotous and ring it in. Heidi, Rustic Overtones and 6gig, at the State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. (all ages) and 10 p.m. (18+). Tix: $10 ($18 combination New Year's Portland button available for 6 p.m. show). 775-3331. http://www.digitalcity.com/                     Heidi   The meaning of the verb 'to rock.' Clad in tube socks and pleated skirts, Heidi comes at you like a punk rock field hockey team, whacking your shins with ultra-catchy pop-punk tunes. Heidi came to be when Jilly B and Lisa P, both horn players in a funk band, decided to quit funking and commence to rocking. With Jill assuming vocal duties and Lisa trying her hand at drums, they enlisted bassist Sandre (ex-Bosley) and guitarist Janet (ex-Malachite, also known as WBCN's Juanita the Scene Queen), and became Heidi. Heidi's rock is gritty-yet-melodic pop-punk-metal, with more inventive twists and turns than your standard punk fare, and lots of fist-pumping sing-along opportunities. Rage and humor are dished out simultaneously and in equal measure, exhibited best on the supremely p.o.'d "People We Hate." Their new, self-titled CD offers this and nine similar fits of pique. You can get it at shows. And while you're there, if you're lucky, you may see Jill whip out the trumpet from her old funk days and play Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good." -- Jonathan Ruhe Road Tripping November 24th 200 Rancid, who just blew through on their proper tour a few weeks back, stop into the Middle East (864-east) for a one-off radio date on Wednesday with the local girl-punk band Heidi (who have been displaying some keen, un-Limp hip-hop tendencies of late). -CC Friday, December 1, 2000 Bosstones roar at 'BCN Rave by Sarah Rodman WBCN Xmas Rave at a variety of sites Wednesday night. ``We know you had a choice,'' Dicky Barrett croaked from the Lilli's stage Wednesday night, ``so we'd like to thank you for flying the Mighty Mighty Bosstones tonight.'' Indeed, choice was the key word for the WBCN (104.1 FM) Xmas Rave Wednesday night. The Bosstones were one of 25 acts that played eight Boston and Cambridge clubs and the Orpheum Theatre for the modern rock station's annual benefit concert. Beneficiaries were the Conservation Law Foundation and the Mark Sandman Music Education Fund, honoring the late Morphine frontman. The Bosstones were one of the best choices in an evening filled with an uneven lineup that included everyone from mild pop rockers Collective Soul, hip-hop buffoons the Insane Clown Posse, techno-glam boys Orgy and rap-metalheads on a mission from God, P.O.D. Gearing up for next week's five-night ``Hometown Throwdown'' at Axis, the Bosstones played a typically fine show at tiny Lilli's for an ardent sold-out crowd of 300 or so. Mixing old favorites with tracks from its wonderful, woefully overlooked new album ``Pay Attention,'' the band played its infectious blend of sizzling metallic guitars, percolating ska rhythms and memorable pop melodies for about an hour. Barrett managed to hold onto his grits-and-gravel voice for almost the entire show. Highlights included a near perfect ``Where'd You Go?'' complete with crowd sing-along, the calypso-tinged grooves of ``She Just Happened'' and the way old-school ruckus of ``Devil's Night Out,'' before which Barrett commented philosophically, ``I just want you to remember, old school was new school at one time.'' As usual, the snazzily attired Barrett profusely thanked the crowd, getting endearingly sentimental about Boston and the band's fans. He dedicated the Bosstones' breakthrough hit, 1997's ``The Impression That I Get'' - which he called ``the song that bought the houses'' - to longtime fans who have stuck with the band. Bosstones' buddies Rancid tore it up earlier in the evening downstairs at the Middle East. Plying a similar, more sneeringly British brand of ska punk, the aging and expanding California quartet inspired an active mosh pit with the popping ``Salvation,'' the practically cowpunk grooves of ``Gunshot'' and the bluesy ``St. Mary.'' They even dared to get quiet with the just-voice-and-guitar ballad ``The Wars End.'' Local all-girl quartet Heidi opened for Rancid and rocked the house with cool aplomb. Featuring WBCN DJ Juanita the Scene Queen, also known as Janet Egan, on scorching hard rock guitar, impassioned singer-trumpeter Jilly B, thunderous drummer Lisa P and rumbling bassist Susan Lutin, the band steamrolled through originals such as ``People We Hate'' and even worked up a thrashy cover of Chuck Mangione's ``Feels So Good'' . . . and it did. Next door at T.T. the Bear's Place, Good Charlotte - baby-faced Maryland punks and friends of Rancid - came off like the good-natured younger siblings of Green Day with more rap and reggae influences. At the Orpheum, crunching power chords and high drama vocals marked a satisfyingly raucous set by the pumped-up members of the Pennsylvania rock quartet Fuel. November 2000 DAUGHTERS OF ZEUS Interview with Heidi by K In a relatively short amount of time, Heidi has made an indelible mark on the Boston music scene. A year ago hardly anyone had ever heard of them, and now they have gone from an obscure punkish outfit to one powerhouse of a rock band. In the beginning, Heidi was the brainchild of singer Jilly B, who came up with the name while riding around as a bike messenger in Boston. Lisa P joined up on drums and their friend Sandy Monticello hopped on the bass. The guitar position was up in the air for a while, with various players filling in for short amounts of time until the late summer of '99 when Janet Egan (Malachite/ Swank) took on the duties full time. By that time, Heidi had released their debut self-titled CD that blew everyone away. The ten-song CD was decidedly punk, but influenced by a number of things including polka, metal, old time ballads, and just plain simple rock 'n' roll. Done in a basement, the production was raw and gritty which fit the girls' sound nicely, but was only a small sample of what was to come. For the rest of the year, Heidi concentrated on their live performances, which went from a scrappy but spirited romp, to consistently explosive crowd pleasers. Gracing the covers of The Noise (twice!), Soundcheck, The Phoenix, and a full spread in The Improper Bostonian, the girls finished up a year's worth of work with their fiery set at the 2000 WBCN River Rave at Foxboro Stadium. Heidi was on the bill with such local heavy weights as Tree, Scissorfight, and Darkbuster as well as Boston boys gone national: Powerman 5000, Godsmack, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. You'd figure that after all that, they might take a short break and come up for some air, but no, Heidi marched right back into the studio and recorded six new songs, which was to be their next offering to the public. The EP Can't Wait was a departure from their previous lo-fi punk rock tendencies. From the first note to the last, this CD took full advantage of the studio. It showcased the band's growing power as musicians and strength as songwriters in their ability to write small scale anthems. The lead track "My Day Anyway" is a gorgeous punk/rap number who's chorus is the most infectious thing this side a Beatles song. Songs like "I Don't Want It" and "Have To Want To Need To" slam home the point with churning metallic guitars, galloping drums, and Jill's impassioned vocals that perfectly combine anger, hope, and melody. Others like "Sing To Me" show Heidi's knack for writing power ballads (!?) that are actually better than anything Lita Ford could come up with on her best day, and the addition of a Mexican sounding trumpet part adds subtle detail and dynamics to an already powerful track. Quite an impressive outing for a band that has only been around for a third of the time it took Hole to put out a third album. Within the last month they acquired a new bass player, Susan Lutin (Boxcar Betty/ x-3 1/2 Girls), who jumped right into the deep end without missing a note. Wasting not a second of time, Susan played her first gig with Heidi less than 24 hours after donning the prestigious number 38 jersey. In between a photo shoot and rehearsal, I met Heidi for lunch at sub shop down the street from my job. (Yeah, we all work.) The Presidential debates were the hot topic at work, so I decided to play moderator and asked my coworkers to think of some questions that they'd want to ask a rock band. "Politicians will never give you a straight answer, but this band will," I told them. So here, straight from the mouths of average working Americans like yourselves, are the questions they want answered. Noise: Frank, a middle aged man with a 401(K) plan asks "Can you describe your sound?" Jill: That's our hardest problem... I dunno, maybe punk/rap? Lisa: Broadway meets The Beastie Boys! Jill: It's difficult because every song is different. Susan: There's polka, there's disco, obviously punk rock, but it all sounds like Heidi. Noise: Karen, a single mother of two children wants to know "How long have you been together?" Janet: This line-up has been together about a month. Before that we were playing out for about a year and a half. Noise: "Why the name Heidi? People don't usually name their band the same names they give their kids." This question is from Rodney. Rodney is a married man who has no prescription drug benefits yet. Lisa: It just sounded like it rocked. And Jill used to have those little braids, so it kinda seemed like it was a good name when we started out. Then it just stuck. Noise: So you've basically played all the clubs in Boston at this point. Are there any shows in particular that really stand out? Jill: The River Rave at Foxboro stadium! Janet: The biker rally in Laconia, NH. That was weird. Noise: I heard you had a monkey open up for you the other night? Jill: I don't know if we wanna talk about that, it was really sad. Lisa: That was the Seventeen show. It was a trained monkey, but it was kinda being exploited. I mean, I feel bad making my dog sit. It had to leave the club at first because it was freaking out, the music was too loud. Noise: Influences, good and bad. Who do you like, who do you hate? Janet: I hate the band Live, and I love the Misfits. I also love Kyuss and Tony Bennett. Jill: I hate the band Creed. Lisa: I'm into Bob Marley. I know that's so cliché to say, but I really am. Also John Philip Sousa. Susan: The Pet Shop Boys are great. I don't not like a lot of things, I can't really think of anything I hate. Janet: You don't hate the band Live? Susan: I don't hate Live, I don't hate Creed. I don't hate Phish, but I really don't like their fans... I don't dislike anything really, there are just things I refuse to listen to. Noise: Mike, the department supervisor, asks the question, "Do you ever get into musical conflicts when you're writing?" Jill: Slight bickering maybe... Lisa: It's usually just a matter of trying it different ways until everyone agrees. Janet: It's usually about arrangements. Lisa: Yeah, where to put the chorus (group laugh). Noise: Rodney's second question is: "If you guys could pick any band to open for who would it be?" Lisa: I'd like to open for Green Day. Jill: I'd like to open for Green Day too, I think we sound like them. Susan: I want to open for Eminem. He's funny! Noise: What do you expect from an audience? Jill: I wanna see fists pumping in the air! Susan: Not to have live monkeys peeing on our equipment! Lisa: I think they should expect from us, we shouldn't expect from them. They're the ones who paid. Jill: (giggling) They should start chanting "HEIDI! HEIDI! HEIDI!" Lisa: We hope they sing along to every word. Noise: Well, you do inspire a lot of pogoing. Jill: We do? Noise: Oh yeah, check it out next time. It's contagious. As soon as you start getting into it, most of the audience is in the air. It's really fun to watch the whole room start bouncing. Noise: Okay, Kim the photographer asks, "What's the difference between being in a band with all girls as opposed to working with guys?" Janet: The Noodling Factor! In rehearsal, they just can't stop noodling. And if you have more than one guy in the band then they're all noodling on something different. And they can't talk about anything. Susan: Guys know a lot more covers than girls. Guys will be like, "Hey! Remember this song from the '70s?" and just start playing. Jill: Plus, if you're a girl in a guy band, and a lot of people come to the show, people think its because of the girls. Like you're supposed to be the sex symbol for the band. This is where you run into more sexism too. When bands are mixed, people tend to compare you to the guys. Noise: Punk Rock Bill asks "Do you guys have solid ideals, or would you change your sound for the money if some major label was waving a record deal at you?" Jill: Well, we don't have a record deal. Susan: We have integrity. Lisa: It really depends on the situation. Are we complete sellouts? I don't think so, but do we want to quit our jobs and do this for a living? Yes. Noise: You've released the first CD with ten songs, and the EP has six, what's next? Janet: We're recording next weekend. All new stuff, and we're re-recording "People We Hate." Maybe that'll be out in the spring. Depending on what we can afford, it might be a full-length, but at least another EP. Noise: You've got short term goals I see, what about long term? Can you see yourself doing Heidi in ten years? Janet: I've been playing music for a long time, my whole life, so I don't see why not. Jill: Depends. If were still at the same level in a few years, I don't plan on dragging the whole thing out forever and letting it stagnate. Lisa: I plan on being 85 years old playing rock! That'd be so cool wouldn't it? Jill: Right, but if this band doesn't work out in a certain amount of time then you move on. When it stops progressing you stop. I don't wanna be a has-been. Noise: Do you think singers have an obligation to be responsible lyricists? For example: when Eminem sings about killing his wife or that whole Ozzy and Judas Priest thing back in the '80s... Jill: I think he's writing about what's happening to him and that's good, but sometimes it can cross a line. Lisa: If you get to the point where you're a role model, there's a certain amount of responsibility on the artist's part. Susan: Entertainers should not be restricted, but I think it's up to parents to educate their children about right and wrong. And if they don't want their kids listening to it, then it's up to them to step in. Lisa: As a writer, I think it's really important to say what's on your mind. But I think you do have to be responsible when you know that there are going to be people in the audience who might get the wrong idea. I mean, I really like Eminem, but I do have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Jill: Where does the line stop? Wherever the conscience of the writer stops. What's our responsibility as musicians? To let people know that MUSIC is a really satisfying way of letting your thoughts, anger, aggression, happiness, whatever emotion out. Music to me is like a movie, you watch it, you absorb it, you feel it, but you don't actually go out and do it.   At this point the owners of the sub shop are ready to kick us out for loitering. Not having bought anything in the last hour has seemed to annoy them for some reason... For a digital full color Heidi experience check out their website at www.Heidirock .com and for more information you can e-mail them directly at Heidirock@ mindspring.com. The record release party for the new EP Can't Wait is Friday night 11/3/00 at T.T. the Bear's. I know I'll be there!

Featured MP3 artist Heidi "People We Hate" and "My Day Any Way" It's all-girl, all the time, as these four ferocious rockers blend rap and harmonies similar to the Beastie Boys. Their latest EP is Can't Wait. Heidi was the subject of a cover story in the Arts section of the Boston Phoenix this past July. In the Phoenix's local music column, Cellars by Starlight, Brett Milano writes: Download People We Hate My Day Any Way "Talking to the members of Heidi at the Middle East, I encounter four women with one guiding purpose and one goal in life. This is drummer Lisa Pimentel explaining how the band formed: `We started writing songs because we had to rock; I mean, we really wanted to rock.' This is singer Jilly B explaining why she stopped being a horn player: `Probably out of rebellion, after my last band, Flunky, broke up. And I really needed to rock.' Here's Pimentel again, explaining how guitarist Janet Egan joined the band: `I asked Sandy [bassist Sandy Monticello] if she rocked and Sandy said she did.' And this is Egan explaining why she joined: `I saw them and thought they were awesome; I thought they rocked.' ". . .So far Heidi's sound brings to mind a couple of first-class bands, the Fastbacks and the Muffs, both of whom embrace pop-punk roots without getting trapped by them." Read Brett Milano's entire article here. Previous Featured Artists Paula Kelley Heidi recently played with Rancid at the Middle East and will be opening for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones at Axis on December 7. They will also be appearing at Bill's Bar later that evening.

December 2000 IT'S NOT THE PUNKED-OUT, field-hockey-team look that makes Boston's four-piece girl band Heidi so intriguing, though the image certainly doesn't hurt. It is the band's tight, energetic, purely rocking sound. The band tours to Portland to celebrate its self-released, self-titled debut 6-track CD. From the opening song, "My Day Anyway," Jill Considine's lead vocals are sometimes fast and raspy with attitude and other times fresh and clear in a punked out Annie kind of way. She keeps pace with occasional break-neck beats with equal lungs paid to each note. Considine, a founding member of Boston ska band The Allstonians, writes most of the thoughtful lyrics with drummer Lisa Pimentel, who played saxophone for Flunky (some members of which went on to form Superhoney). Sandy Manticello plays a mean bass, and Boston veteran guitarist Janet Egan,formerly of Malachite, is the newest addition.The quartet has a rap/cheerleader flavor, packed with catchy hooks and nice little surprises, such as the sudden clear cuckoo in "Can't Wait." You can tell Heidi digs what it does and you'll surely find this enthusiasm infectious. Heidi performs a CD-release party with C60 and Seventeen at 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at The Better End, 446 Fore St., Portland. Call 874-1933 for the cover to this 21-plus show.