Having Group Sex for a year has been a total joy for Susan Tanner. This is just a very cool party. We only get together for special occasions and this time it's to have fun and to help Earth Challenge at the same time, she says of this week's Group Sex show to benefit an environmental organization.Live sex for charity? Not really. Group Sex is an all-female '80s cover band formed almost spontaneously last November to play a few choice cover tunes at My Sister's Room. We grew up with the songs we play. It's just stuff to make you feel good, says Tanner, an actress and activist who serves as Group Sex's singer. Tanner had never been in a band before jumping on stage to do an impression of Bono. Now she fronts an exciting supergroup of local musicians while she belts out a wide selection of the best of the Reagan-era radio hits.
Besides Tanner, the core of the Group Sex orgy consists of guitarist Sara Shuler, formerly of Vixen; Gentle Readers' drummer Linda Bolley; Candi Jiosne from Viva la Diva and Rock Candi on backing vocals and percussion; Chris Lobkowicz, formerly of Matter of Fate; and Jan Dykes from the Ellen James Society on bass. Additional performers regularly join in.
During the Group Sex act, Tanner often assumes the main character of each song or impersonates the original singer. They play anthemic songs by Van Halen, Blondie, U2, Rick Springfield and the Clash, among others. After performances from Morgan Rowe, Gentle Readers and a brief acoustic set by Chris McGuire, Tanner and company take the stage to finish off the night with a big bang.
Hey, when it's Group Sex, Tanner promises, everyone gets involved.
Group Sex plays the Earth Challenge Benefit at My Sister's Room, Fri., Dec. 1.
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2000.