Biography
Orange County, California’s Cause for Concern has endured from the post-punk period onward, surviving the grunge years and the riot grrl movement intact. During an era when most rock acts cultivated a hard-edged, macho image throughout the 1990s, this all-female band—whose members simply happened to be women—kept delivering melodic, emotionally resonant, and sweet material that also carried plenty of drive, a style it maintains to the present.
An unrelated earlier group that used the same name originated in the early 1980s and experienced repeated personnel shifts. Guitarist Leslie Stoddard, the sole remaining member from those formative years, revived the moniker in 1988 after encountering singer Suzanne Graham. Graham’s smooth yet powerful vocal approach complemented Stoddard’s adaptable folk-rock guitar work. Bassist Kym Eastwood and drummer Roseanna Curtale joined to round out the initial configuration. By 1994 the rhythm section had become Kelley Duarte on bass and Wendy Colton on drums. The revised quartet performed regularly throughout Southern California clubs, gradually cultivating a devoted audience, and received a major opportunity when it opened for the Doobie Brothers on their 1996 national tour.
Cause for Concern issued its own CD, All I Want, in 1998. Further personnel adjustments followed: Duarte departed, succeeded on bass by Pam Thompson, while second guitarist Joan Loos and backup vocalist Jill Moran came aboard. The refreshed lineup captured a three-song EP in 2000 and closed out that year with an appearance at Seattle’s Rockrgrl Music Conference.
An unrelated earlier group that used the same name originated in the early 1980s and experienced repeated personnel shifts. Guitarist Leslie Stoddard, the sole remaining member from those formative years, revived the moniker in 1988 after encountering singer Suzanne Graham. Graham’s smooth yet powerful vocal approach complemented Stoddard’s adaptable folk-rock guitar work. Bassist Kym Eastwood and drummer Roseanna Curtale joined to round out the initial configuration. By 1994 the rhythm section had become Kelley Duarte on bass and Wendy Colton on drums. The revised quartet performed regularly throughout Southern California clubs, gradually cultivating a devoted audience, and received a major opportunity when it opened for the Doobie Brothers on their 1996 national tour.
Cause for Concern issued its own CD, All I Want, in 1998. Further personnel adjustments followed: Duarte departed, succeeded on bass by Pam Thompson, while second guitarist Joan Loos and backup vocalist Jill Moran came aboard. The refreshed lineup captured a three-song EP in 2000 and closed out that year with an appearance at Seattle’s Rockrgrl Music Conference.
Albums