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Atlanta Pride fans enjoy The Sexual Side Effects

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If you thought female grunge was dead, think again. The Sexual Side Effects put a fresh spin on the chick rock movement started by the likes of Courtney Love and Shirley Manson in the ’90s. The band’s debut EP High Maintenance features the hauntingly complex ballad “Aurora,” as well as the single “I’m In Love With A Girl (But She Used To Be A Man),” which offers a comical tone while maintaining the haunting melodies and slow, deep bass that define The Sexual Side Effects sound.

Photo by Rachel Hall.

Last Saturday, front woman Amber Taylor (read Wrestling with Pop Culture‘s previous interview with Taylor here) and her boys performed at the Atlanta Pride Festival for the second consecutive year, and their raw command of the crowd stole the show. The band’s energy radiated off the stage and the audience was enthralled by the lyrical and rhythmic perfection. When the band launched into “I’m In Love With Girl,” Taylor bounced around the stage, creating an upbeat feeling whilst strumming her guitar intensely. But that tone changed when the band performed the emotionally heavy “All She’ll Ever Hurt,” as Taylor’s softer rhythm conveyed the pain of a broken heart. To further illustrate this heartache, Taylor physically collapsed on stage while continuing to play her guitar in what seemed like a melodic daze. Witnessing the band’s interaction with its fans, it’s apparent that The SSEs make a point of maintaining a connection with their supporters. When asked how they planned to stay grounded as they continue to find success, Taylor said, “We’re all human beings, it’s all relative.”

The SSEs strive to create a sound that is simultaneously familiar and fresh. Taylor’s lyrics remind me of the depth of Edgar Allan Poe, reaching into your soul and creating a longing emotion. Amber’s charisma and charm is captivating, and the band’s talent is unstoppable. Their carefree attitude and touching emotion reaches into fans like a breath of fresh air after being submerged in a generic pool of simplicity. If this is any indication of what’s to come, the world should be happy about what these Sexual Side Effects have to offer.

www.thesexualsideeffects.com

The Sexual Side Effect herself hosts the Wrestling with Pop Culture Anniversary Party

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As the androgynous front woman for the glammy post-punk band The Sexual Side Effects, Amber Taylor is known for her over-the-top persona, even when she’s not performing. Though her attention-grabbing antics certainly haven’t hindered the band’s success, The SSEs mission to bring back the showmanship of such ’70s rock bands as David Bowie and T. Rex, while throwing in elements of dream pop, ’90s college rock and hints of goth, has also helped the band make a bang over the past year or so. Having performed high profile slots at Atlanta Pride Festival, the East Atlanta Strut and it’s own Gilded Trash events at the Masquerade, the band recently caught the attention of award-winning TV director Michael A. Simon, who has worked on such shows as VH1 Storytellers, Rock Star: INXS and Survivor. Simon directed the video for “Aurora,” off the band’s recent High Maintenance EP, which is still in post-production.

Though “Aurora” isn’t quite ready to shine, the band has another video premiering at the Atlanta Film Festival Music & Film Experience March 29. But before that happens, Amber will be hosting the Wrestling with Pop Culture Anniversary Party tonight, adding even more freak show spectacle to an event that already features Monstrosity Championship Wrestling, luchador body painting and the LEGO-headed Death is a Dialogue. Amber and I got drunk a few days ago and had this conversation in front of the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club.

Tell me about the video that will be premiering at the Atlanta Film Festival.

The “All She’ll Ever Hurt” is in the Atlanta Film Festival’s music video competition. It’s a really cool video that was partially filmed at the East Atlanta Strut and at Encyclomedia. It’s directed by David Joseph and it’s all about authentic rock ‘n’ roll and it’s a real video, unlike a lot of videos. It will play during our performance on Thursday, March 28 at the Goat Farm.

The event at the Goat Farm is all music videos with many of the band

Amber Taylor (front) of The Sexual Side Effects hosts the Wrestling with Pop Culture Anniversary Party!

s performing. Tell me a little more about that show.

As far as I know, this is the first year the Atlanta Film Festival has had live musical performances involved in the festival. The event at the Goat Farm is going to be music day, where they’ll have two different stages and six or seven different bands. We’re the last band on our stage and there’s other stuff on the other stage, as well as an area that will be playing the music videos for each band that’s involved. We also did some interviews with Dubious.org about the video and that might be playing as well.

The night before that you’re hosting a pretty special Atlanta Film Festival event that will involve monster wrestling and other festivities.

There’ll be freaks and weirdos, thanks to me. Then there will be wrestlers and rock ‘n’ roll. After thinking about what wrestling and rock ‘n’ roll have in common with each other and what it relates to in our culture, I have surmised that it needs more freaks.

Wrestling was originally a sideshow attraction, which might be why you are part of this event.

And that’s exactly what I hope to bring to it. I hope to beef out the freak side of things. I’d also like to announce right now, publicly, that I’m going to officially run for president. My campaign slogan is, “Amber Taylor for president: a sex change you can believe in.” We’ll definitely  have campaign shirts going sometime near the election. I vote to not D) vote for none of the above but to E) vote for Amber, a sex change you can believe in. I’ve also been informed that we have direct competition within the band. Our bass player, who is unofficially known as Manwhore, is also running for president. Either of us could do a better job than anyone else.

Why don’t you run on the same ticket?

Eh. No. There can only be one lead singer. And we could only make one cool shirt, when there are two cool shirts in this scenario. There’s “Manwhore for president” and there’s “Amber Taylor: a sex change you can believe in.” If the drummer can come up with something cool, we’ll make a cool shirt for him, too. Running for president is all about the cool shirts.

For more information, go to www.thesexualsideeffects.com.