The COMPLETE History of

Cookie Galore

(And we do mean complete! Click here for our SHORT Press Kit version)

How it All Began

The group started in 1996 at Binghamton University in upstate New York after guitarist/vocalist Stacy Galore posted fliers around campus seeking like-minded students to start a band. She teamed up with an acquaintance from her home town, bassist Josh Kirshner, and held "auditions". None of the prospects were promising. Meanwhile, living in Josh's dorm, was guitarist/vocalist/gearhead, Johnny Galore. Over the Thanksgiving break, they got together for a trial session, and a band was born. While working as a secretary's assistant in the Electrical Engineering department (John's major), Stacy conceived the band's first, but short-lived name, Guided Wave.

Following their first campus show with the band, Josh left and was replaced by John's roommate, bassist/keyboardist Chuck Pedro. After voting on several band names conjured up at one of Stacy's raging off-campus parties, (such as The Assistant Crack Whores) they renamed themselves Cookie Galore. The name had little meaning, but was a conjunction of Pussy Galore (the Bond girl) and Cookie Puss (the Carvel cake.)

Cookie Galore, On Stage

Cookie Galore played their first show at the campus Pub. This was the first of many subsequent shows at venues around Binghamton and at campus events. In early 1997, Cookie Galore was implicated in a small scandal surrounding NAMBLA. Posters for a free show at the campus' second largest venue, The Mandela Room, were put up by a rival band stating that proceeds would go towards the National Man Boy Love Association. A barrage of student complaints prompted the State Attorney General to cancel the show. Having been slandered by the campus press, the publicity only made Cookie Galore infamous and packed the rooms of their shows to follow. They would finally get the chance to play

the Mandela Room in 1998 for their last Binghamton appearance at a show sponsored by the campus radio station, WHRW (where Stacy and John were DJ's). WHRW gave Cookie Galore their first high profile gig opening up for Ladybug Transistor and Saturnine in the Susquehanna Room. This would not be the last time that Johnny Galore and Saturnine crossed paths.

The Early Recordings

While Cookie Galore were performing, they were also recording. In 1997, they released a 7-inch single, "Communion" and "Leaves & Philosophies" on Johnny Galore's record label, *heat beat* Records. In 1998, WHRW's compilation CD featured "Future Thing". That same year, Stacy and John recorded a duet rendition of "With Whom to Dance" for Verfrumdungseffekt: The Songs of Stephin Merrit, on Buttmunch Records. After the group graduated from Binghamton, they began recording their first EP. It took almost two years, but Portable One was completed in time for the new Millennium, at the end of 1999. They peaked the interest of the indie music world, gaining good reviews for Portable One both on-line and in print while drawing good crowds at CBGB and Brownies. Singles from the EP, "I'm the One" and "Evil Suffer God" charted on Amazon's top 20 New Wave music downloads, while "Paris" spent 6 weeks at #1.

After John and Stacy Galore left Binghamton for home down-state, Chuck Pedro stayed behind. Cookie Galore broke into the New York City area music scene at clubs such as CBGB (where they opened up for Atari Teenage Riot in 1997) and The Batcave. In Chuck's absence, Cookie Galore began playing with bassist Dire Deparra of Programmed Response. It was obvious, not just by how he stood above the rest of the band at over 6-feet-tall, that Deparra was not a good match for Cookie Galore. The long commute down to New York City became too difficult for Chuck, who gave his official resignation in 1998 after a show at Connections in New Jersey.

After the release of Portable One on *heat beat* Records in early 2000, Cookie Galore were desperate to play shows. They recruited Stacy's childhood friend, poet and keyboardist, Cliff Rivera (AKA Cliff Dogg AKA pOr PnOI-san) as temporary relief. But after Cliff's debut at Love Sexy in Hoboken, he proved to be the member of the band who would help define Cookie Galore's synth-pop sound. In the spring of 2000, Cookie Galore began writing and recording at their new East Village studio. Around the same time, Johnny sidelined as keyboardist for the indie rock quartet, Saturnine. That summer, John and Saturnine recorded an album with producer Steve Albini. Numerous problems brought Cookie Galore back to John's Yonkers home-studio in April of 2001. The band worked tirelessly to complete their second album while juggling their other careers and major life changes. Finally, Audio Precision was officially released in November of 2004. Soon after, Cookie Galore made their debut on the CMJ top 200 at #95. They topped a number of the individual college radio charts, including the #1 spot on KTRU. Unfortunately, Cliff left the band to pursue other personal interests before he could share in the limelight. David James Gereg joined John and Stacy in time to begin playing gigs to promote Audio Precision. DJ brought something quite unique to the table - a left-handed bass six. Now Cookie Galore's sound, more than ever before, pays homage to their 80's heroes, The Cure and New Order. The threesome continue to play gigs along the East Coast and hope to tour the rest of the country by the summer of 2005.

Though Cookie Galore has been together for almost a decade in it's many manifestations, it seems that the band is always fresh and ground-breaking. Never easily categorized, Cookie Galore enters another 10 years of making unique music.

A Brief History

Cookie Galore is a boy-girl group (actually one girl and two boys) at the forefront of new electronic pop music. Blending influences from groups such as New Order, The Cure, Massive Attack, Bis and The Smiths, Cookie Galore writes great songs for their machines to play (and on occasion sing).

Stacy Galore: Vocals, Synths, Programming, Guitar

Johnny Galore: Vocals, Synths, Guitar, Programming

DJ Gereg: Bass Six, Synths

In November 2004, we released our first full lenght album, Audio Precision on our own label, *Heat Beat* Records. It made its debut on the CMJ top 200 at #95 and lingered at the top 20 of college radio stations around the country, including KTRU, where it took the #1 slot. We have been playing gigs on the East Coast and hope to tour the rest of the country by the summer of 2005.

Our 2000 release, entitled Portable One, contained our first ever number one song, "Paris", which remained on top of the Amazon.com New Wave chart for music downloads for 6 consecutive weeks.

Cookie Galore is seeking wider distribution, marketing, and perhaps a tour/business manager. All interested parties should contact "info at cookiegalore dot com".