October 15–22, 1998

music issue

Pretty On the Inside

By a.d. amorosi

Undergirl's music is blissfully snotty. Listen to their debut single "3Some" and the follow-up EP Trade (produced by Dave Frank and Brian McTear and released by Black Hole). You'll hear a couple of girls (along with a couple of guys) playing taut rock that's overwhelmingly zealous and fantastically femme. Think of a female version of Pussy Galore.

"I got kicked out of so many bands that never worked out, I don't know how this one started, let alone lasted this long," admits lead singer Amy Dicamillo.

Onstage, Dicamillo is a study in cool and trashy in leopardskin and vinyl. Offstage, the 28-year-old is demure and almost childlike, uncomfortable with the role of bitch queen. In fact, she lacks confidence in her abilities as songwriter, bandleader and guitarist for the Philly group.

"I had this idea in my head that I wanted to play my first gig before the age of 26. I was beginning to feel older and older," laughs Dicamillo. She rushed to form a band in 1995 after a misspent youth. Well, maybe it wasn't your typical misspent youth: she wanted to be a ballerina.

When she was at West Chester University, she DJed for the radio station, spinning records by R.E.M., Gene Loves Jezebel and the Sex Pistols. There, she befriended musicians who'd eventually relocate to Philly and form groups such as The Lucys, Bigger Lovers and Wally. For Dicamillo, forming a band came out of her desire to write great songs and hear them played. "When that day finally happens…" she says, as if that day may never come. But it already has.

"I needed to find people willing to hang with me. It took over two years. Probably because I had so little to offer. I mean, I used to suck as a guitarist and I stunk as a singer. But I always had these little bits of songs in my head.…"

Soon after getting to know the Three 4 Tens and The Keepsakes (Undergirl drummer Frank Domanico, 33, is also a member the latter), she hooked up with bassist Missy Zonway, 22, and formed Undergirl. They recently added a new guitarist, Matthew (so new, in fact, she doesn't know his last name), so expect those little "bits" to have matured into a new level of intensity on their upcoming full-length.

"My drummer Frank really helped flesh out the sound," explains Dicamillo. "Plus, I soak up the influence of many bands around me like Ashtabula, Original Sins, The Lucys and, of course, The Keepsakes and Three 4 Tens. I'm like an obsessive sponge. I steal from everybody."

Tracks like the lengthy "Peeling," "Rocket," "Orange" and "A Sucker Like Me" exhibit the band's newfound raw power and keen melodic curves. The lyrics are treatises on scenesters and local club owners.

"My lyrics are all bad, all pissed off. I don't know why I'm so angry. It's not like I can control people or what they do."

She jokes that the lyrics to the song "Cast Up" are less edgy, merely making fun of "someone who always needs to be the center of attention." Dicamillo is also reconsidering her stage outfits to show more emphasis on the music.

"I guess they're pretty trampy," she giggles. "For a while, I was all into that fake leather look. I always joked that the ideal look was jeans from G&G and honey-blonde hair—that total South Philly thing."

Dicamillo, a hairdresser by trade, is ready to make herself over.

"I was way too concerned with how I looked. It took away from my guitar playing—like I'm a great player. Now I just want to be all grungy and dirty and rock out and pay attention to making my songs just the best they can be."

Undergirl plays on Friday, Oct. 16, at Sam Adams Brew House, 1516 Sansom St., 563-2326.