The Bachelorettes Last Show Ever! @ Hal & Mal’s (6.10.10)
so, as night fell on the 10th of June, lovers of good music, good times, and wigs gathered at The Redroom in Hal & Mal’s to get our wig on and rock out for The Bachelorettes final show!
it was a bittersweet night because we all love The Girls in The Band, but the bittersweetness couldn’t stop the rocking and couldn’t take away the awesome reasons why The Girls are splitting up.
Dr. Annie Blazer (trust her, she’s a doctor!) is heading off to Princeton!
always adorable Amanda Rainey and Lizzie Wright (trust her, she has a super spaceship!) are heading off to missouri for grad school!
Rachel “charmin!” Jarman (she’s charming!) is moving back to Jackson to continue working at the ISJL, spreading knowledge of southern Jewish culture!
so, even though we’ll miss the Ladies of 60s Girl-Pop, they’re moving on to bigger and better and we couldn’t be prouder!
and with the night being kicked off by Lizzie Wright Super Spaceship, followed by the Girl’s HusBand; Senryu blowing the top off the place, and wrapping up with The Ladies themselves, Jackson sent them off in style!
so let’s get this celebration started!
Chick Jam! @ Hal and Mal’s (6.12.09)
time for the Chick Jam in the Redroom at Hal and Mal’s!
little backstory.
every year, the Jackson Free Press sponsors and hosts the Chick Ball. a fundraising night, with an all female line up, with the goal of raising money for the Mississippi Center for Violence Prevention and to raise awareness of domestic abuse. last year we raised enough to buy the center a new van!
this year (its 5th!) will be even bigger. (and better!)
so, if that’s the Chick Ball, what’s the Chick Jam?
the Chick Jam is the pre-party, so to speak, for the Chick Ball. kinda like a mini-chick ball.
this year was the first time we had a Chick Jam, but i doubt it’ll be the last.
all proceeds went to the Chick Ball which, in turn, will help the Chick Ball raise money to go towards the Center for Violence Prevention. (see how that works?) 
the “chicks” that performed for the jam were: Lizzie Wright, Anna Kline, and the headline act; The Bachelorettes!
(to read more about the Chick Ball and why it’s important, check out my friend, Deirdra’s blog post about it. it’s very good.)
((and be sure to follow @jfpchickball on twitter!))
(((and i wasn’t the only photographer at the Chick Jam. so be sure to check out Kenya Hudson‘s excellent photos from the event in the JFP photo galleries. really, great photos.)))
ok!
time for pretty pictures!
first chick; Lizzie Wright Super Spaceship!
*cues up some of Lizzie’s music while i work*
The Pretty Things Peepshow @ Hal and Mal’s (5.21.09)
i’ve always been a big believer in starting with a bang.
so what better way to kick off the first official Scenes Around Jackson blog post than with the lovely ladies of The Pretty Things Peepshow!
from left to right: Bettina May, Insectavora, and Go Go Amy
i took over 100+ photos at this show and then i edited that down to 111 photos. but that was still too many for one blog post so i did a brutal final edit and got…53 photos. heh. so, this first post will be a dozy.
let’s start from the beginning.
before the ladies went on they killed time working their merch table and checking their online haunts (you’ve added them on twitter, right?) while the band they were touring with, The Hot Rods (who i also shot that night and whose photos are coming to a Scenes Around Jackson blog post sooner rather than later), were rocking the joint. (the joint being the Hal and Mal’s Redroom, in the heart of downtown Jackson.)
after The Hot Rods finished their set, it was time for the ladies to take the stage.
and as their intro music played, take the stage they did.
let’s introduce The Pretty Things again:
Insectavora was the M.C. for the night! she introduced the ladies and kept us entertained during the costume changes. and her first job as M.C. was…
becoming Prof. Insectavora so she could teach us the rules of the show.
Rule One: You don’t talk about Fight…uh, wait. wrong rules.
pretty much the rules were, the louder you cheer, the more the ladies took off.
to make sure we understood these very simple rules, she tested us using Go-Go Amy
the next thing i know the crowd is cheering, Prof. Insectavora knows her rules have been understood, and now it’s on with the show.
first up, Bettina May!
Bettina has such a classic, 1940s look about her.
as she was going through her set, i kept thinking about this scene from “who framed roger rabbit?” 
but i don’t think Jessica Rabbit ever did anything like this
and with one quick flick of her wrist…
she brings us to the grand finish!
Bettina May ladies and gentlemen!
next up, Go-Go Amy!
Go-Go Amy gave the crowd some southern love as she walked out dressed like a true prim and proper southern belle
…but that didn’t last for long as she launched, full steam, into her dance number!
Go-Go Amy go go going!
(i really dig this shot)
remembering their instructions from Prof. Insectavora the crowd starting cheering and…
it pays off!
Go-Go Amy ladies and gentlemen!
but the show’s not close to done yet!
re-introducing: Bettina May!
Bettina May shows us some of that voodoo that she does oh so well
hey dance music was a very gothic-rock beat and she played it to the hilt
Bettina moves slower than Amy…
draws the ‘tease’ out a little more…
but then she can speed it up, turning the heat up in an instant…
Bettina May ladies and gentlemen!
the show continues with the re-introduction of Go-Go Amy!
Amy doesn’t take it slow like Bettina. her tease is a different kind of tease…
…fast, but not too fast…
…confindent that she knows what you want and knows that she has the skills to give it to you…
…her tease is the tease of speed. because she moves fast and she’ll let you have only so much at a time…
…before she let’s you see everything…
…but only for a second. because she moves fast. and she never stops going.
Go-Go Amy, ladies and gentlemen!
Next up, Insectavora hammers a nail through her nose!
aaaaand you thought i was kidding, didn’t you.
Insectavora is one hardcore lady
and as she pulls the nail out, we know the show has entered a new level.
while Bettina and Amy catch a breather backstage, Insectavora steps up.
this is Insectavora’s tease…
..she’s the one that goes were other people wouldn’t dream of going…
…her tease is the thrill of doing the unthinkable…
…of doing the ‘impossible’…
…of making your jaw want to hit the floor from the sheer cool factor of watching someone play with fire…
…like it’s the most natural thing in the world…
…wow.
Insectavora ladies and gentlemen!
now pick your jaw up off the floor and get ready for the last act of the night…
The Chinese Execution Blade Box!
(what’s The Chinese Execution Blade Box? this is The Future, yo! you have google! use it!)
Go-Go Amy is ready and willing!
all boxed up, in her pretty pink box, with blades all around her!
after the crowd comes up to the stage to look inside, it’s time to let Amy out of her pretty pink box…
*gasp!*
where did her clothes go?!
aaaaaaand that’s the end of the show!
everybody give yourself a hand!
many thanks to Hal and Mal’s for hosting the show and many thanks to the wonderful ladies of The Pretty Things Peepshow for putting on a kick-ass performance!
the ladies are currently in the middle of a nationwide tour (which is why they were in Jackson to begin with) so make sure you keep up with them on their misadventures! (you did add them on twitter, right?)
(oh, this would be a good time to mention that not all Scenes Around Jackson blog posts will be this long. but, this one was the first so, i figured, why the hell not?)
and this is how the night ended (at least for me, the ladies had to hop back on the road)
the ladies with some fans
have a good one everybody! see ya next blog post!
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