BandShe rocks Baghdad

05.10.2007

Story by Spc. Derron Dickinson 

28th Public Affairs Detachment

Spc. D. A. Dickinson
28th Public Affairs Detachment

In Irish folklore, a banshee is a vengeful ghost that can kill anyone unfortunate enough to hear the sound of her terrible wail.

BandShe, however, is an all girl rock band that left Camp Victory residents howling not with agony, but with appreciation during a concert, May 6.

"They're great," said Spc. Brice Haymaker, an Armed Forces Network technician with Headquarters Company, 38th Distribution Supply Command. "It was a high quality show. They made it fun and interesting."

The rest of the crowd seemed to agree.

"It was a lot of fun," said Lt. Cmdr. Sergio Rivas, Multi - National Corps – Iraq, Iraqi Assistance Group Joint Operations Center liaison officer. "They're energetic and they played to the audience, which is good," he said. "This is the first all women rock band I have seen. They were great."

Shelby Lane, the founder and manager of the band, described the selection of the band's name as an epiphany.

"I was going through names of mythological creatures when it came to me," Lane said. "I love the double entendre. I started calling everyone after I got the name."

The band's formation was not an entirely smooth process, Lane said.

"I formed the first group around two years ago," Lane said. "We ended up separating for various reasons. I call this group BandShe 2.0."

Leslie Stoddard, BandShe's lead guitarist, recalled the first rehearsal.

"The first time we played together, it was horrible," she said. "Its really stretched me. It really helped my playing a lot."

The band came together quickly in spite of that bumpy first rehearsal.

"It only took a couple of practices," said Megan Reina, singer and percussionist. "It's one of those rare things that came together quickly."

The BandShes expressed enthusiasm for touring overseas to perform for the troops.

"There is no more appreciative audience and no greater need," said Amy Showalter, singer and keyboardist.

Stoddard said that the band's motivation was to bring a bit of the states to the troops.

"We do what we can to serve," Stoddard said. "We like to bring a little bit of America to those serving over here."

Reina said she came close to joining the military several times, but ultimately stayed with her music career.

"This is the best way I know how to serve," said Reina. "It means a lot to me. It's such an honor. I've gotten so much and it hasn't even hit me yet. It's changed my life significantly."

"It's good to get away from the news – it's too negative," she said. "It's like a 180 degree turnaround of how I thought about the war."

Lane expressed her understanding of what the troops are doing.

"We know why you guys are here, protecting our way of life," Lane said. "A lot of entertainers feel differently. Our position as a band is that it's not about politics, it's about people. As Americans, we have to stick together. Nobody's going to bring us down."

The band's drummer, Nicki Carano, toured through Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf region with another band last summer. She said being in Iraq has been a life-changing experience.

"This has added depth to my job. I would do these tours anytime," she said.

Bassist Jessica Fagre, who toured the region with Carano last summer, said she agreed with her band mate.

"Everyone over here is stuck away from their friends and families," Fagre said. "You get a totally different stress over here. If I can help relieve that for a couple of hours, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

• Date Taken: 05.10.2007
• Date Posted: 05.10.2007 05:06
• Story ID: 10303