`games Are Over,' Homicide Suspect Told Victim 
Co-workers Testify That 
Harry Butry Jr., On Trial In 
The Shooting Death Of His 
Estranged Girlfriend, Made 
Ominous Comments About Her 
And Their Two Children Prior

Allentown Man To Head Area Bank

Friday, January 16, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Violet's hard-rock sound intensifies music's garden &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All-female hard-rock band will hit the area &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It may be mid-January and we're locked in the dead of winter, but The
Violets will be in bloom at Market Street Square on SaturdayNot the flowers,
of course, but the band. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And while violets of the flowery sort may conjure images of pleasantries
and tranquility, the all-female act of the same name offers something much
more torrid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Our intention in the beginning was to be the heaviest all-female band, and
that's what we did," says drummer JoJo Lori, talking about the group's
beginning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We were doing White Zombie, Black Sabbath, Pantera. ... Everything heavy,
we did. We didn't do anything middle-of-the road or light." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Formed two years ago and based in New Jersey, The Violets are Sarah Jane,
vocals; Linda McSherry, guitar; and Irene Wohlman, bass and Lori, drums. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lori and McSherry were once members of the popular Jersey act Missdemeanor,
Wohlam played in a group Xenon, and later Vixxen, while Jane was one of
Pittsburgh's premier female vocalists before landing The Violets gig. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although Lori says performing hard-rock music was the group's original
aspiration, she says many club-goers wanted to hear more commercial, danceable
music. Taking on the show biz, give-the-people-what-they-want attitude, The
Violets adapted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We were kind of like a concert band, so we had to lighten up the image,"
says Lori. "We still do the heavy songs, but it depends where we're playing.
In certain areas, you can play heavy stuff all night. In New Jersey and the
shore areas, we have to do the lighter stuff. You have to tailor it to the
crowd. It's good to mix it up." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Songs performed in The Violets' set list include numbers by Fiona Apple,
Meridith Brooks, 311, Sublime, Tonic, Dishwalla, Bush and Pearl Jam. Still,
Lori says there'll always be a few harder-edged older classics in the set.
"That's what we all grew up with and liked the best," she says. "It's all-out
raw rock 'n' roll." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lori says music fans who have attended the group's shows have accepted the
band as a serious act rather than a novelty girl group. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "All of the players in the band are really accomplished musicians," she
says. "Everybody plays just as good, if not better, than a lot of the guys out
there. It doesn't even matter that you have girls playing. Our singer has a
really unique voice, where she can go from doing Alanis Morissette to Rob
Zombie, Eddie Vedder, Ozzy, Melissa Etheridge or Sheryl Crow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In the beginning, I think a lot of the guys came out just because it was
four girls, but then they saw that we could play. ... We'll go into `Ace of
Spades' by Motorhead and they'll be like `Oh my God! I've never even seen guy
bands doing that.' We'll do `Cult of Personality' by Living Colour or more
intricate stuff like Rush, and the guys will say `We didn't expect that.' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The girls like it because we're not just one of these girl bands showing
off looks," she adds. "The girls also respect the fact that you can play." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lori says getting those types of reactions is one of the best aspects of
playing with the band. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When somebody comes up to you at the end of the night and says `I was in a
bad mood, and my friends dragged me out, and after seeing you play- you made
my night ' ... that's probably the best part. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's very high-energy and very aggressive. We have a fun attitude, and
we're very in-tune with the audience." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Random plays ... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Head-shot of Bret &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fans of The Badlees take note: Guitarist Bret Alexander, bassist Paul Smith
and drummer Ron Simasek will soon hit area clubs and perform as a trio. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now, now, relax ... all is very well with The Badlees. The new album has
been completed and will arrive at stores in early June. The new trio, billed
as The Cellar Birds, is simply an outside project which will allow the three
longtime friends and bandmates to get out and play before The Badlees go on
tour later this year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're just kind of moonlighting," says Alexander. "It's a chance to play
some B-sides that didn't make some of the records, take things back to the
beginning and have some fun." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Watch the club listing on this page each Friday to see where you can check
out the band. ... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Caught Shawn Klush's remarkable Elvis show at The Woodlands last Friday
night. There were frequent moments when you'd swear you were watching the late
King in concert. If you're a Presley fan, I highly recommend checking it out
next year. ... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Head shot of Doug Mackie &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Want to be entertained? Check out UUU guitarist Doug Mackie taking center
stage and lead vocals for the band's rendition of Young MC's "Bust A Move."
You've just got to see it. ... &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This week on the "Cellar Full of Noise," Mike Naydock will play the entire
new live CD from Harpo, "Go Heavy, or Go Home." Showtime is 7 p.m. Sunday on
WZMT-FM (97.9)- The Bear. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We haven't had the "random plays" on this page in a few weeks, but I've
wanted to mention this for a while: The performance of the St. Aloysius Choir
on Christmas Eve was simply beautiful. Never before have I seen a church choir
receive applause at the conclusion of a Mass. With all of the commercialism
and hustle-bustle leading up to Christmas, these singers helped make the hol

Violet's Hard-rock Sound Intensifies Music's Garden 
All-female Hard-rock Band Will Hit The Area 
It May Be Mid-january And We're Locked In The Dead Of Winter, But The Violets 
Will Be In Bloom At Market Street Square On Saturday.

Violet's Hard-rock Sound Intensifies Music's Garden All-female Hard-rock Band Will Hit The Area It May Be Mid-january And We're Locked In The Dead Of Winter, But The Violets Will Be In Bloom At Market Street Square On Saturday.