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With success that can half be attributed to hustle, half to divine intervention, the Rondelles hit the ground running before they were even out of high school. While they were still self-booking shows in tiny clubs and playing in battle of the bands, the Rondelles landed several record deals and opening slots for indie giants like Sleater-Kinney and Sonic Youth. That touring helped bandmembers Yukiko Moynihan (bass, vocals), Juliet Swango (guitar, vocals), and Oakley Munsen (drums, keyboards, vocals) hone their sound, which features jangly punk-pop with hints of surf music -- managing to be at the same time both edgy and cute. Their first full-length CD, Fiction Romance Fast Machines, was released in 1998 by Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley's Smells Like Records; a 7" released by K Records, Revenge, and an appearance on a Rhino compilation, '90s Teen Bands Vs. '80s Teen Movies, the same year helped spread the word about this young band.
Wikipedia:
The Rondelles are an indie pop band originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The band, which formed in the late 1990s, when the three members were still in high school, consisted of Juliet Swango on guitar and vocals, Yukiko Moynihan on bass, and Oakley Munson on drums and keyboard. At live shows Oakley was known to play a 3-piece drum set standing up while hitting the keyboard with his drum stick.
In Albuquerque, the Rondelles were part of a small cadre of indiepop bands that often played together. Among these other bands were The Shins (and Shins precursor Flake Music), Scared of Chaka, The Drags, The Alarm Clocks, The Young Adults, and The Ponies.
The three members of the Rondelles were also three-quarters of the final lineup of the Albuquerque sci-fi-themed pop-punk act, LuxoChamp, behind singer-guitarist Brad Beshaw. Oakley played a full drum kit in LuxoChamp, and Juliet played a Moog and a Realistic keyboard.
The band later moved to Washington, D.C., where they continued to perform and record nationally until late summer of 2001, when they disbanded after a European tour. They recorded their second and final album, The Fox (Teen Beat), in 2000 with producer Trevor Kampmann (holnd) in an apartment recording studio the Logan Circle neighborhood of D.C. A 4-week summer tour with Estrus Records NYC garage rockers The Mooney Suzuki (supporting their People Get Ready album) followed the release of The Fox. The band's final tour in the summer of 2001 hit Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and France; final European tour lineup included guitarist Corey Shane and bassist Darian Zahedi, after Yukiko's departure in 2000.
Juliet Swango started rock and roll outfit The Foxx in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2002. In 2004, The Foxx released a self-titled album; in 2007, a second full-length, Lila, was released on Chicago's Vinyl Countdown Records. Lila was recorded by San Francisco's Birdman Records artist Greg Ashley, co-produced by Juliet and the Foxx. The Foxx is now based in Brooklyn, the current all-female lineup being Juliet on guitar and keyboard, drummer Jill McArthur, bassist Erin "Quick" Emslie, and guitarist Erica Koch. The Foxx will record their third full-length album in 2011, and are currently performing in the NYC area.
The Rondelles Today
Juliet Swango started rock and roll outfit The Foxx in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2002. In 2004, The Foxx released a self-titled album; in 2007, a second full-length, Lila, was released on Chicago's Vinyl Countdown Records. Lila was recorded by San Francisco's Birdman Records artist Greg Ashley, co-produced by Juliet and the Foxx. The Foxx is now based in Brooklyn, the current all-female lineup being Juliet on guitar and keyboard, drummer Jill McArthur, bassist Erin "Quick" Emslie, and guitarist Erica Koch. The Foxx will record their third full-length album in 2011, and are currently performing in the NYC area.
Oakley Munson relocated in New York, forming "The Witnesses" in 2001 (disbanded 2006) and has gone on to form L.A.-based Puddin' Tang with Kristen Munchheimer.
