Gerty!

GERTY! is an Electro-New-Wave Rock band from Durham, North Carolina featuring the vocal power of riot grrrl Shirle' Hale (ex-Womyn of Destruction), the rhythmic strumming of David Koslowski (ex-Liquor Bike) & the hard-hitting groove of Melissa York (formally of The Butchies, Team Dresch, & Vitapup).



Taking their name in honor of Gertrude Stein, the first woman to be accepted into Johns Hopkins University, GERTY! was orginally formed in Baltimore by Hale, Koslowski & Miyuki Furtado. Hale had recently relocated to Baltimore from Boston where she had roomed with Mary Lou Lord. Hale taught Lord to play guitar and the two began busking in the subway around Harvard Square. Lord relocated to London and Hale opted for Baltimore. She spent the early 90s smashing things up with her riot grrrl band Womyn of Destruction before meeting up with former Liquor Bike frontman, David Koslowski and drummer Miyuki Furtado. The trio formed the vehicle for Shirle's infectious songs and dubbed it GERTY!



In 1998, Hale and Koslowski relocated to Durham, NC, while Furtado moved to Brooklyn where he would join The Rogers Sisters. Being the nucleus of the group, Hale and Koslowski have released "Two Kisses In A Row" (Plastique Recording Co.) and the Chris Stamey produced "Sweets from the Minibar" (Eskimo Kiss Records).



The duo have recently been joined by Melissa York on drums. Melissa was looking to branch out stylistically and wanted to play along with electronics and samples, GERTY! was the perfect fit. Melissa provides a hard-hitting groove that accentuates the group's hook-infested Electro-New-Wave sound. When GERTY! performs a dance party is sure to errupt.



The trio are currently working on brand new CD called "Dance the Swivel Hips."