Pop Rocks 

Tuesday night is ladies’ night in South Salt Lake. There’s only one lady rollin’ with our crew, but it’ll do for a Fubar (the irregular feature wherein we take a band out to a club for chat and drinks; this episode brought to you by Natalie of Future Brands spirits distribution and Level and Absolut Vodkas'product placement achieved).

Salt Lake City’s Cavedoll have one “official” album (The Harbor) and more than 100 MP3s available online at Cavedoll.com, singer/guitarist/songwriter/recording engineer Camden Ray and bassist/singer Janet Marie combining elements of glam, electronic and indie-rock for glittering pop confections that refuse to leave your head and may even cause cavities. Fubar sat down with the duo amid plates of chocolate strawberries and pole-dancing demonstrations last week at Habits (832 E. 3900 South); the following ensued:

City Weekly [Level Rocks]: Welcome to Habits, Cavedoll'how are you enjoying being a lady tonight? [“Fergalicious” pumps in background]

Camden Ray [Long Island Iced Tea]: Well, I am feeling pretty sexy.

Janet Marie [Rum & Red Bull]: I think I might try the stripper pole if I drink a few more of these. Keep an eye on me.

CW: You recently lost your drummer, right?

CR: I wouldn’t say we lost him. We know where he is'we just chose for him not to be with us anymore.

JM: Sharon Osbourne once said that there’s something amiss in your head if you want to beat the shit out of things for a living.

CW: [Absolut Blue Blush]: So how did you get involved with Cavedoll?

JM: [another Rum & Red Bull, seat-dancing to Prince]: I scoured City Weekly’s musician ads for over a year to find something that appealed to me. I was being really picky. I could have wound up in Las Vegas playing car shows'luckily, that gig didn’t come through. After that close call, I thought, “OK, I have to do something I really love.” I saw Camden’s ad, went to the Website and listened to the songs'I was dialing his number after 30 seconds.

CR: [another Long Island]: She sounded kind of nervous and excited on her voice-mail message. She just said, “Uh, I’m calling about the ad'call me back.” But she didn’t leave a name.

JM: I didn’t leave my name? I was really excited and nervous, because I loved the music and wanted a chance at it.

CW: Was it because Cavedoll’s music is so super-poptastic, almost like there’s glitter coming off of it? [Shakira cranks, dance floor floods with women]

JM: Yeah, I like that'I like glittery things.

CR: [another Long Island]: It’s strange to say, but I owe it all to Mark Kendall of Great White [currently an Ogden resident]. For years, my favorite stuff to listen to has been The Beatles, anything with great pop songwriting. That’s kind of what I’ve been aspiring to. But nothing was clicking; I was trying to make things too complicated. Then I met Mark while recording a local hip-hop project'one of the guys was his cousin and he came to record some guitar parts. He heard some of my stuff and liked it; he co-produced half of Harbor. He’d say, “Here’s an idea: rhyme once in a while.” [Laughs] He gave me a lot of good advice, helped me focus. I’d never even heard a Great White song before.

JM: I had one of their albums … when I was 14.

CW: [Absolut Greyhound]: With all of the recording work Cavedoll does, is playing shows much of a priority?

JM: [another Rum & Red Bull]: It generates interest that we wouldn’t otherwise get. Not everybody surfs the Web; some people actually go out and have lives. [Laughs, curiously eying the stripper pole]

CAVEDOLL
ttUtah Arts Festival
ttMain Library 400 S. 200 East
ttFriday, June 22
tt9 p.m.
ttuaf.org

Brewskis
tt244 25th Street
ttOgden
ttSaturday, June 23
tt10 p.m.
tt801-394-1713