By AJ Trager
Photo: Robert Guzman
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Bride Stripped Bare is glamming up the Ferndale Pride stage, but in case you haven't figured it out, Ely3000 explains: "Our show is very fabulous. Pride is very fabulous. It's a good match."
The vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist of the glam band will be joined by fellow bandmates Noel Rivard, percussion, drums and piano; Tamara Marla, drums, bass guitar and vocals; and Twinkle Twinkle, their "Head of Theatre." (Ely3000 and Rivard have been playing together since 2008, after meeting at a mutual friend's funeral.)
For Pride, the Detroit-based band will bring aspects of Theatre Bizarre, The Detroit Fire Guild, Boylesque and Cabaret, incorporating their own signature synth-heavy, glam-rock sounds. Ely3000 describes the band as being high energy, an all-immersive, encompassing experience that brings the audience into the performance. But that's not all, folks: There's spark guns, confetti-shooting cannons, condoms and glitter. The band will also have three demo tracks from their upcoming August full-length debut, "With Ghosts," available at Pride, along with stickers and T-shirts screen-printed by hand. The Pride gig, according to the band, will include never-before-performed covers and Ely3000 in drag.
"We try to play with stereotypes and make it so it's more fun than political," Rivard says. "Although it is very political, we want people to be entertained by it instead of disgusted by it. Our performance bridges that gap."
Influenced by "Hedwig and The Angry Inch" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Bride Stripped Bare aims for being accessible to audiences that don't watch "RuPaul's Drag Race."
"Everybody has different feelings about it. Hardcore people who are in the drag community may or may not like it. That's a chance you have to take as an artist," Rivard says.
Ferndale Pride is their gay debut – the band has never performed at a LGBT-specific event – but they're looking forward to seeing how the audience reacts to their incongruous nature.
"The reaction is really important," Rivard laughs, "but that's not the only thing we're working on. We don't want our spectacle to be the only thing that people come for. We want people to hear the message in our songs as well. That facilitates more audience participation."
Rivard describes herself as "really gay" and feels events like Pride are extremely important for not just the LGBT community but society as a whole.
"Each one of us in our own way wants to facilitate development and growth in the community. We break norms in terms of how we dress, what we sing about and how we sound," Rivard says. "And in certain ways we are iconoclastic. I think that Pride is a good place to apply what we've already been doing. It's something that I am very proud of."
Bride Stripped Bare
1:35 p.m. May 31
Woodward and Nine Mile, Ferndale
http://ferndalepride.com
