Betty: Videos, Jokes, Tour Dates, Biography and more

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BETTY is a five-piece pop rock alternative band from New York City. Fronted by three full-on females, the band's unique sound is based on the "spine-tingling harmonies" (Billboard) of songwriters Amy Ziff, Alyson Palmer and Elizabeth Ziff layered over propulsive guitars and a fat-bottomed rhythm section. Add to that mix BETTY's "superb songcrafting" (KALX Radio), lyrics with "a Fellini-esque flair for combining the surreal and the everyday" (The Washington Post) and unpredictable onstage antics and you wind up with what National Public Radio calls "a fun, sexy romp through a musical freak show".

Before evolving into the theatrical fully-rocking band that they are today, BETTY began as an edgy a'cappella/spoken word/techno beat trio. Friends since an unfortunate incarceration, fierce Elizabeth (vocals, guitar), funky Alyson (vocals, bass) and funny Amy (vocals, cello) began performing as BETTY in the late 80s at a birthday party for legendary 9:30 Club owner Dodie Bowers. Their success that night led rapidly to bigger gigs. Within a month of their first appearance they toured with Jane Siberry, opened for Living Colour in London and shared the bill at rallies and extravaganzas starring James Brown, Patti LaBelle and The B-52's. Soon after, they wrote and performed the two-act musical play "BETTY:Inside Out" at DC Space, the epicenter of Washington DC's experimental art scene. That led to a booking at NYC's Bottom Line where they were discovered and cast as the house... [MORE] BETTY is a five-piece pop rock alternative band from New York City. Fronted by three full-on females, the band's unique sound is based on the "spine-tingling harmonies" (Billboard) of songwriters Amy Ziff, Alyson Palmer and Elizabeth Ziff layered over propulsive guitars and a fat-bottomed rhythm section. Add to that mix BETTY's "superb songcrafting" (KALX Radio), lyrics with "a Fellini-esque flair for combining the surreal and the everyday" (The Washington Post) and unpredictable onstage antics and you wind up with what National Public Radio calls "a fun, sexy romp through a musical freak show".

Before evolving into the theatrical fully-rocking band that they are today, BETTY began as an edgy a'cappella/spoken word/techno beat trio. Friends since an unfortunate incarceration, fierce Elizabeth (vocals, guitar), funky Alyson (vocals, bass) and funny Amy (vocals, cello) began performing as BETTY in the late 80s at a birthday party for legendary 9:30 Club owner Dodie Bowers. Their success that night led rapidly to bigger gigs. Within a month of their first appearance they toured with Jane Siberry, opened for Living Colour in London and shared the bill at rallies and extravaganzas starring James Brown, Patti LaBelle and The B-52's. Soon after, they wrote and performed the two-act musical play "BETTY:Inside Out" at DC Space, the epicenter of Washington DC's experimental art scene. That led to a booking at NYC's Bottom Line where they were discovered and cast as the house band on HBO's first educational series, "Encyclopedia". That show, shot in the summer of 1987, proved to be so popular that it continues to air today on HBOs Family Channel. In the fall of '87, the women relocated to New York City and dove into the independent music scene, where word-of-mouth about their uncategorizable live show led to tours through Europe, Canada, Australia and across the United States. In 1989, avant-garde artist Robin Rose introduced the band to Mike Thorne, producer of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love", Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry" and uberDiva Nina Hagen. That meeting led to the band's first album "Hello, BETTY!" on the label created by the band and Thorne, The Man From B.E.T.T.Y.

BETTY added lead guitar and drums to their sound in 1995, hiring virtuoso guitarist Tony Salvatore and the best drummers in town to be The Balls Behind BETTY, including current daredevil drummer Mino Gori. They completed their second full-length album that year, "Limboland" and produced their third full album themselves, 1999's "betty3".

BETTY's larger-than-life personas clicked on television. The band is forever popping up in interesting places, from MTV to The Food Network. They are featured in Comedy Centrals Premium Blend specials and starred in the PBS adult literacy program "TV411" segment that won an Emmy in 2000. They wrote, performed and produced the theme song for another HBO educational series, "Real Sex" as well as songs for Showtime, Lifetime, Nickelodeon and national commercials. They have their own monthly NYC cable show, "BETTY: Off The Record".

In addition to their television work, BETTY has appeared in major motion pictures and on soundtracks, including the Paramount film "The Out-of-Towners", Disney's "Life With Mikey", Touchstone's "It's Pat" and Miramax's "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love". Their independent films include their own "I Remember BETTY", "Seal Tricks" and the all-Chinese "First We Take Manhattan".

BETTY fights fiercely for causes in which they believe: equal rights, finding cures for breast cancer and AIDS, Planned Parenthood, the Pro Choice movement, an end to sexual violence and everybody's inalienable right to dance naked in the streets. Their performances have helped raised millions of dollars for these causes.

The band's February 29, 2000 release, Carnival is the band's first album on the Internet label, www.StereoSociety.com.

BETTY rules. [LESS]

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