House of Pies in Los Feliz aptly frames a chat with Eastside coed melodo-punks
the Randies, its retro guilty-pleasure atmosphere reflecting the band’s Happy
Days veneer. Their debut album, At the Friendship Motor
Inn, has just been released nationwide; leaving on tour the next morning,
the founding women of the Randies — bassist/vocalist Sienna DeGovia and singing
guitarists Laura Cataldo and Megan McCarter — are quietly effervescent. And they
should be: They’ve created one of those rare records that satisfy both critics
and crowds.
“For me, it has to come down to the Beatles, the Beach Boys and early Motown — those great old harmonies and catchy melodies,” declares DeGovia. “Blondie and the Ramones,” adds McCarter. “My main influence is a lot of punk rock, NOFX and stuff, and I’m still really into it.” And that’s what you get with the Randies: gorgeously executed three-way harmonies and brain-staining melodies, blurred with punky buzz, fuzz and irreverence. While their photos ape pulp-fiction book covers and Kennedy-era colors, their dressed-down live look aligns with a democratic attitude. This gang/family revels in its cottage-industry endeavor, each member expressing a common passion differently: McCarter is focused and palpably determined; DeGovia is the popular cheerleader with nothing to prove but everything to prove; Cataldo verbalizes less, beaming through an exotic visage built for smoldering; drummer Kelly Cairns — who joined after the recording of Friendship Motor Inn — is the imposing yet easygoing anchor who brings his studio experience and arrangement savvy. The Randies bonded three years back at Mr. T’s Bowl, a shabby former bowling alley in Highland Park that serves as hub for the Eastside indie scene. Oozing work ethic, they’ve played anywhere and everywhere, pounded the sidewalks self-promoting, survived a change of drummers. The Randies is the first serious band for the girls, and their motivation’s no mystery: “It’s kinda like what our song ‘Boys in Stereo’ is about — I just got tired of watching other people do it,” DeGovia explains. “And it’s fun — it’s fun to get up there, to write songs, to make something and put it out there in the world. There’s something gratifying too about putting so much energy into yourself, because I’ve spent a lot of time putting a lot of energy into other people.” Following a speculative e-mail from McCarter, producers Rob Hoffman and Heather Holley were sufficiently seduced by the Randies to make At the Friendship Motor Inn (named after an actual motel on Crenshaw Boulevard) the first release on their Elicit Music label. “We’d never [recorded an album] before, so we didn’t really know what we were doing,” says DeGovia. “I had breakdowns during the recording process,” admits McCarter. “I remember we would go up one by one to the upstairs studio, and Laura came down one time just crying — and we’d all been to that place and back while doing vocals.” The resulting record, though hardly progressive, is vivacious, vivid and shimmering with uncut songcraft; its three-dimensional range belies its superficial flippancy (titles like “Kevin Bacon” don’t help). The wistful sense of loss in “Hype-rion” and “Make It Right” recalls Blondie’s more poignant passages, while “Iron Monkey” melds Buzzcocks bristle-pop with SoCal mall-punk. Less effective, and neglecting the Randies’ strengths, is “Put Out”: cluttered ’n’ clichéd early-’90s riot-grrrl sniping 10 years past its sell-by date. As they emerge from the underground, the Randies are supersensitive to indie rock’s infamously insular mindset. “From day one we intended to sell out!” DeGovia semi-jokes, provoking groans from her bandmates. “The whole idea of writing songs and playing music that’s inclusive and fun . . . I think a lot of us have had experiences in the Eastside indie music scene where it’s a little bit snobby and not very warm. We’re about playing shows for everyone and celebrating.” With a couple of Warped tour dates confirmed and album No. 2 taking shape, the
Randies are enjoying the kind of momentum that could burst the berms of the indie
trenches. And boy, can these gals put away some pie.

The Randies play the Echo on Tuesday, May 24; they’re also on the Fresno (July
4) and Pomona (July 6) Warped tour bills.

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