Fashion + rock = cool

Watching pretty girls sport original and rather sexy designer outfits would be a thrilling night on its own. Now sandwich this fashion show between four rocking bands and you've got an extravaganza worthy of a VH1 special. Well, almost. \nElectric Cheer started the night off and gave arguably the best performance. The band played classic rock songs ranging from "Jumping Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones to the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." The lead singer exhibited such energy and exuberance that the crowd could not help but bust into a style of dance reminiscent of an old school sock hop. \nAfter an hour of setting up, Otis and the Rufies took the stage. Unfortunately nagging feedback, among other technical audio difficulties, bogged down what should have been a solid performance. But even the best bands are forced to deal with faulty audio now and then. \nThe fashion show followed, and this was the highlight of the night, at least for the crowd. At no other point during the night were so many people on their feet, huddled tightly around the stage and cheering as wildly. About 10 beautiful ladies walked back and forth across the stage modeling everything from comfortable lingerie to scant dresses to the latest in eclectic fashion (for example one outfit included a Chiquita banana shirt with high blue socks, a headband and green short-pants). \nPedal to the Medal rocked the stage next. For its first show ever the band showed signs of promise. However, before he even took stage one of the guitarists crashed into the front door of Second Story leaving a bloody hole in his upper lip. At least they wore nice suits. \nFinally the Horribly Wrong closed off the long evening. They gave a solid outing but it was so late by that time that few people were there to notice. Four bands amidst a fashion show may have been a bit much to cram into one night, but there was never an uninteresting moment.