Biography
During their late-1980s upbringing in Washington, D.C., bassist/vocalist Azita Youssefi (aka AZ) and Heather Melowic (aka Heather M) first talked about forming a band. Youssefi’s 1989 relocation to Illinois to enroll at the Art Institute of Chicago postponed the plan briefly, yet that same freshman year she encountered fellow D.C. native guitarist SueAnne Zollinger (aka SA). After persuading Melowic to relocate to Chicago, the pair then convinced Zollinger to handle guitar duties for the ensemble they had envisioned back home. The Scissor Girls consequently came into existence in summer 1991. Onstage the trio favored unconventional costumes—safety goggles paired with tutus—and frequently applied thick makeup that gave them a raccoon-like appearance. One of their earliest performances occurred at CBGB’s in New York in 1993, where they supported Liz Phair; Zollinger later recalled that the Scissor Girls’ jagged sound reduced Phair’s audience to tears. This initial lineup completed two full-length albums before Zollinger departed in 1994, at which point mutual acquaintance Kelly Kuvo stepped in on guitar. The revised configuration lasted another two years before dissolving.
Youssefi and Zollinger had actually met Kuvo earlier, at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1989. Kuvo was then employed at Copy Max in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, an area that incubated numerous early-1990s no-wave acts. In that capacity Kuvo produced the Scissor Girls’ first flyers, demo-tape covers, and posters at little or no cost. Those materials helped secure the band’s debut show on Halloween 1992. Shortly afterward the group recorded its first 7-inch, Phy, Diablo!, issued by the Chicago-based Monkeytech label run by a member of local no-wave outfit Specula; the sleeve featured an actual squished cricket. Around the same period Mira Records released the 7-inch compilation Time Expired, which included the Scissor Girls alongside Slant 6, Drinking Woman, and Rastro. In 1994 the original three members aligned with Quinnah Records to cut a 10-inch LP. Because Quinnah was simultaneously funding a project by the NRG Ensemble, resources were limited; the Scissor Girls’ sessions were therefore delayed, and when the master tapes finally reached the pressing plant the facility burned down. After Quinnah recovered the tapes and located another plant, 1,000 copies were manufactured—500 on marbled gray vinyl—and the album appeared in 1994 as the 12-inch From: The Scissor Girls To: The Imaginary Layer on Skeletons rather than the planned 10-inch format. Youssefi supplied a fold-out map with the release. The Making of Americans label, operated by God Is My Co-Pilot, later issued the same album on CD. Immediately after completing that debut the band began work on its follow-up, We People Space With Phantoms. Zollinger exited in November 1994, citing internal personality conflicts, and returned to D.C. to pursue graduate studies in biology at the University of Maryland. At the time of her departure she shared an apartment with Kuvo; although Zollinger urged Kuvo to assume guitar responsibilities, Kuvo was already committed to her own band Dot Dot Dot, featuring bassist/vocalist Rose Meyers (aka Zeek Sheck), noted for her collaborations with Bobby Conn, and drummer Jodi McCann (aka Jodi Mecanic), recognized for her work with Math, Duotron, and Monotona. Kuvo also maintained a day job producing cable-access television programs, so Youssefi and Melowic recruited guitarist James Yoo to handle the tour supporting Phy, Diablo!, From: The Scissor Girls To: The Imaginary Layer on Skeletons, and the two self-released 7-inches New Tactical Outline Sec. 1 and New Tactical Outline Sec. 2.
Early in the late-1994 tour Melowic and Youssefi determined that Yoo’s playing was incompatible with the group’s approach and telephoned Kuvo at work to request her participation. Kuvo secured a week’s leave and rejoined as a permanent member, enabling the band to finish its remaining early-1995 dates.
Back in Chicago the Scissor Girls appeared on a University of Chicago compilation and on the benefit CD Dig This for the Doorika Performance Company. They also performed on the television program Ben Loves Chicago and on the Chicago cable-access show Chic-a-Go-Go, modeled after American Bandstand. Because the Chic-a-Go-Go segment required lip-syncing—an approach Melowic rejected—Youssefi and Kuvo enlisted a young girl to mime the drum parts rather than cancel the appearance. The band received an inquiry about appearing on the Jenny Jones Show, but Melowic declined.
March 1996 saw the release of the 10-inch single So You Can Start to See What S-T-A-T-I-C-L-A-N-D on Providence-based Load Records, home to Six Finger Satellite and Arab on Radar. At the same time Youssefi negotiated with Chicago’s Atavistic Records for the long-delayed sophomore album We People Space With Phantoms, recorded with Zollinger but previously unreleased. After the April 1996 issuance of that record, Atavistic’s Kurt Kellison offered a contract; although Kuvo declined to sign, Youssefi and Melowic agreed to deliver two albums for the label.
Mid-1996 studio sessions for the third full-length—the first under the Atavistic deal—remained unfinished. The group lacked proper management, and finances were mishandled; Melowic and Kuvo often went hungry to finance tours, depositing all earnings into a band fund overseen by Youssefi. Kuvo later stated she never received any portion of those savings. Melowic also decided to pursue her GED and ultimately left. The Scissor Girls formally disbanded in October 1996; the final recordings were never issued.
Atavistic released the compilation Here Is the 'Is-Not' in April 1997, collecting all the band’s singles. Youssefi subsequently formed Bride of No No, which pursued a similar direction. Melowic earned her GED and recorded one album with the Chicago no-wave supergroup Lake of Dracula, whose members included Weasel Walter of the Flying Luttenbachers on guitar, Marlon Magas of Couch on lead vocals, and Al Johnson (aka the Manhattanite) of Shorty and U.S. Maple on backing vocals. After Lake of Dracula dissolved, Melowic studied virology at the University of Illinois. Kuvo relocated to Brooklyn, N.Y., where she lived near Johanna Fateman of Le Tigre; there she assembled Sweet Thunder and enlisted Bobby Conn to record its material. After moving again from New York to Los Angeles, Kuvo began teaching art at a mental hospital while contributing freelance writing to magazines such as Index and Oui.
Youssefi and Zollinger had actually met Kuvo earlier, at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1989. Kuvo was then employed at Copy Max in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, an area that incubated numerous early-1990s no-wave acts. In that capacity Kuvo produced the Scissor Girls’ first flyers, demo-tape covers, and posters at little or no cost. Those materials helped secure the band’s debut show on Halloween 1992. Shortly afterward the group recorded its first 7-inch, Phy, Diablo!, issued by the Chicago-based Monkeytech label run by a member of local no-wave outfit Specula; the sleeve featured an actual squished cricket. Around the same period Mira Records released the 7-inch compilation Time Expired, which included the Scissor Girls alongside Slant 6, Drinking Woman, and Rastro. In 1994 the original three members aligned with Quinnah Records to cut a 10-inch LP. Because Quinnah was simultaneously funding a project by the NRG Ensemble, resources were limited; the Scissor Girls’ sessions were therefore delayed, and when the master tapes finally reached the pressing plant the facility burned down. After Quinnah recovered the tapes and located another plant, 1,000 copies were manufactured—500 on marbled gray vinyl—and the album appeared in 1994 as the 12-inch From: The Scissor Girls To: The Imaginary Layer on Skeletons rather than the planned 10-inch format. Youssefi supplied a fold-out map with the release. The Making of Americans label, operated by God Is My Co-Pilot, later issued the same album on CD. Immediately after completing that debut the band began work on its follow-up, We People Space With Phantoms. Zollinger exited in November 1994, citing internal personality conflicts, and returned to D.C. to pursue graduate studies in biology at the University of Maryland. At the time of her departure she shared an apartment with Kuvo; although Zollinger urged Kuvo to assume guitar responsibilities, Kuvo was already committed to her own band Dot Dot Dot, featuring bassist/vocalist Rose Meyers (aka Zeek Sheck), noted for her collaborations with Bobby Conn, and drummer Jodi McCann (aka Jodi Mecanic), recognized for her work with Math, Duotron, and Monotona. Kuvo also maintained a day job producing cable-access television programs, so Youssefi and Melowic recruited guitarist James Yoo to handle the tour supporting Phy, Diablo!, From: The Scissor Girls To: The Imaginary Layer on Skeletons, and the two self-released 7-inches New Tactical Outline Sec. 1 and New Tactical Outline Sec. 2.
Early in the late-1994 tour Melowic and Youssefi determined that Yoo’s playing was incompatible with the group’s approach and telephoned Kuvo at work to request her participation. Kuvo secured a week’s leave and rejoined as a permanent member, enabling the band to finish its remaining early-1995 dates.
Back in Chicago the Scissor Girls appeared on a University of Chicago compilation and on the benefit CD Dig This for the Doorika Performance Company. They also performed on the television program Ben Loves Chicago and on the Chicago cable-access show Chic-a-Go-Go, modeled after American Bandstand. Because the Chic-a-Go-Go segment required lip-syncing—an approach Melowic rejected—Youssefi and Kuvo enlisted a young girl to mime the drum parts rather than cancel the appearance. The band received an inquiry about appearing on the Jenny Jones Show, but Melowic declined.
March 1996 saw the release of the 10-inch single So You Can Start to See What S-T-A-T-I-C-L-A-N-D on Providence-based Load Records, home to Six Finger Satellite and Arab on Radar. At the same time Youssefi negotiated with Chicago’s Atavistic Records for the long-delayed sophomore album We People Space With Phantoms, recorded with Zollinger but previously unreleased. After the April 1996 issuance of that record, Atavistic’s Kurt Kellison offered a contract; although Kuvo declined to sign, Youssefi and Melowic agreed to deliver two albums for the label.
Mid-1996 studio sessions for the third full-length—the first under the Atavistic deal—remained unfinished. The group lacked proper management, and finances were mishandled; Melowic and Kuvo often went hungry to finance tours, depositing all earnings into a band fund overseen by Youssefi. Kuvo later stated she never received any portion of those savings. Melowic also decided to pursue her GED and ultimately left. The Scissor Girls formally disbanded in October 1996; the final recordings were never issued.
Atavistic released the compilation Here Is the 'Is-Not' in April 1997, collecting all the band’s singles. Youssefi subsequently formed Bride of No No, which pursued a similar direction. Melowic earned her GED and recorded one album with the Chicago no-wave supergroup Lake of Dracula, whose members included Weasel Walter of the Flying Luttenbachers on guitar, Marlon Magas of Couch on lead vocals, and Al Johnson (aka the Manhattanite) of Shorty and U.S. Maple on backing vocals. After Lake of Dracula dissolved, Melowic studied virology at the University of Illinois. Kuvo relocated to Brooklyn, N.Y., where she lived near Johanna Fateman of Le Tigre; there she assembled Sweet Thunder and enlisted Bobby Conn to record its material. After moving again from New York to Los Angeles, Kuvo began teaching art at a mental hospital while contributing freelance writing to magazines such as Index and Oui.