News and Nefariousness
“The Deadly Nightshade, an all-female group, has a whole melange of folksy/country bluesy styles at its disposal and uses them correctly. With no label, they have been gigging around New York recently, following good reaction from a WBAI-FM live radio broadcast. It must happen for them.”
— Rolling Stone Magazine, October 24, 1974
Broad Perspectives Interviews Anne Bowen of The Deadly Nightshade
By Aspen Green and Kathleen Harris of 91.3 KXCI in Tucson, Arizona
February 2024
Broad Perspectives is a show by women, about women, featuring women’s voices, views, and interviews on KXCI every Sunday at 3 pm. Click the white link above to listen to Anne detailing the stories about how The Deadly Nightshade came together, what it was like being one of the few all-female rock and country bands in the 60s and 70s, and their many unforgettable performances and experiences.
1976 Gay Guide Reflects Valley Revolution
By Kaymarion Raymond
September 2019
Though they had listed an agent’s address in NYC, the all-women band Deadly Nightshade lived together in a farmhouse in Apple Valley, Ashfield. By mid-decade, the social revolution begun in the early seventies had markedly changed the gay subculture in the Connecticut River Valley in Western Massachusetts.
The Deadly Nightshade featured in the Smith Alumni Quarterly
By John MacMillan
Spring 2015
Page 44
Helen Hooke started the first rock band at Smith because “In high school, the boys wouldn’t let me play.” In 1968, The Deadly Nightshade began as a five-piece band of Smith and Mount Holyoke students. Read the article here.
The Deadly Nightshade featured on WNPR’s The Faith Middleton Show
October 2014
Who says you can’t begin again? Listen to the full radio broadcast (complete with some of our music) here.
Familiar ‘Nightshade’ to sprout
May 2013
Square dance gear, cowboy boots, radical fairies, and gay women. “The Pioneer Valley is still one of the weirdest places on earth—in a good way.” Read the full article here.
The Deadly Nightshade at Iron Horse
May 2013
Come join us at 7pm on Sunday May 26!
New CD Featured on 200 Worldwide Radio Stations!
May 2013
The award-winning weekly LGBT radio program This Way Out featured The Deadly Nightshade Band's new CD, “Never Never Gonna Stop” on 200 radio stations around the world in their May 11 program. Listen to the podcast by clicking here.
Another feature by Queer Music Heritage
March 2013
Our lovely friend J.D. Doyle over at Queer Music Heritage has been such a loyal supporter. In March, he broadcast three separate segments on KPFT in Houston that included some background into our history, Pam's work in LowLife, Helen's solo work, and some archival stuff from the old days (including a radio interview from 1975!). Click here to find all sorts of information and photos, including a script of the broadcast, and links to listen to the three-part broadcast. Thank you so much, J.D.!
The Deadly Nightshade Returns!
in The Republican
by Donnie Moorhouse
15 October 2012
A brand new CD titled “Never Never Gonna Stop” includes newly recorded songs as well as some old video footage which highlights our former RCA recorded hits, produced by Roma Baran and Vivian Stoll Productions. “It was really fun and took way more time than we ever thought it would, partly just because of the difficulty in geography,” said lead guitarist/fiddle player Helen Hooke. “But when we were all together it just felt like old times.”
Smith Alumni Quarterly
Spring 2012
Sony Music has made The Deadly Nightshade's two-PT catalog available for streaming on all major platforms.
Queer Music Heritage features The Deadly Nightshade
July 2011
As part of his monthly tribute to Queer Music Heritage, J.D. Doyle has been playing a few of our songs as well a brief interview we did circa 1975 - 1976. The first song, High Flying Woman, still inspires fans to request our original album. The next two songs are from our second album, which some of our fans have never heard. We encourage you to listen online or download the full show here. And don’t forget to take a moment to learn more about J.D. Doyle and his Queer Music Heritage website.
The Deadly Nightshade in a future movie about Flo Ballard
July 2011
About ten years ago, we were contacted by a movie producer to provide some details about a concert that was an important moment for Flo Ballard (as it was for us). The story goes like this:
Back in 1975, we were honored to be the background band for Flo Ballard during a big fundraiser headlined by Lily Tomlin at the Edsel Ford Auditorium. After we finished playing Flo’s (one) song and she began to leave the stage, it was clear the crowd wanted more. Pamela (our bass player) ran after her... "We know some Supremes songs, come back on stage and let's do 'em together!" Flo did just that, and the memory of that performance still gives us goosebumps to this day.
A mere eight months after that incredible night, Flo died. For years now there has been a movement to make a movie about her life. We have no idea if this scene will be included, nor who they will show as the background band if the movie ever comes to pass, but rest assured, it was us! (You can find us mentioned in the one of the last paragraphs on Flo’s Facebook page here.)
Roma Baran & Vivian Stoll Productions
December 2009
The Deadly Nightshade began recording a project at the studio. Roma and Viv spent a raucous and fun weekend in the studio with the band recording some great tracks for 2 songs and we’re all looking forward to doing more!
Note from the band: Roma produced Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” and later albums, and Viv has been nominated for a Canadian grammy for Penny Lane’s recent CD. Our new CD, tentative title “Something Old and Something New” will include newly recorded songs as well as some old video footage which highlights our former RCA recorded hits. To date, we’ve finished four new songs; the album is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012.
The Republican
The Deadly Nightshade II
in LIVEWIRE
by Donnie Moorhouse
21 May 2009
Last year’s reunion show at the Institute for Musical Arts in Goshen was an eye opener. The band came out of that show with a renewed sense of their rock’ n’ roll purpose.
The Republican
The Return of The Deadly Nightshade
in LIVEWIRE
by Donnie Moorhouse
25 June 2008
Long before there were supposed to be any all female rock bands, Pamela Robin Brandt had already been in two. From the ashes of Ariel, a group that combined a handful of Smith and Mt. Holyoke college students, sprung The Deadly Nightshade...
The Record Robot
Bra Burners Do Fernwood
by Mike
12 January 2006
They generated a lot of attention because they were a bunch of girls playing guitars and drums and stuff, and they were written about in the New York Times, as well as Life and Look magazines.
New York Times
17 August 1975
by David Black
"Well, hello, Mr. Big -- remember me? You saw me for years, five days a week. I'm your secretary. You called me Rosemary. And I called you -- Mr. Big." The Deadly Nightshade sidles into the song -- sly, back-alley, side-street truckin' music with the hint of burlesque gum-popping, hip-swaying strut and flounce...
Rolling Stone (no online link found)
24 October 1974
A whole melange of folksy/country bluesy styles at its disposal and uses them correctly. It must happen for them.
New York Times
13 September 1974
Last June 25, a trio called the Deadly Nightshade won itself a good number of fans by performing at Ms. magazine's second anniversary party aboard a packed Hudson River ferry...
New England Music Scrapbook
The Deadly Nightshade
by Alan Lewis
"Though the group's career seems to have centered on New York, we always thought of the Deadly Nightshade as a Western Massachusetts band. It's where the group got started, and band members seemed to be in and out of the always interesting Pioneer Valley music scene. ...I have a vivid memory of seeing the Deadly Nightshade on television; and I believe I was actually introduced to the band's music by its appearances on the national television broadcast, Sesame Street."