THE
FLAIRS PRESS CLIPPINGS
The Flairs July 2006
Perhaps it was the
Fickle Finger of Fate that brought Canadian guitarists Dawn Mandarino and
Gillian Hanna together in the summer of 2002. The two happened to cross paths
while touring with separate bands, and after successfully jamming together with
drummer Jen Foster, the ladies added Hanna’s brother Ryan on bass to form the
Flairs. The two guitarists’ playing is complimentary, with Mandarino
concentrating mainly on rhythm, and Hanna covering riffs and solos. Celebrating
the release of Shut Up and Drive [Pacific Music]—which the band describes as “a
hodgepodge of rock, metal, punk, and pop”—Flair will be touring Canada and the
U.S. throughout the summer (check out theflairs.com for news and updates).
Who are your influences? Hanna: I was
influenced a lot by Slash. He was one of the reasons I picked up the guitar. I
really dug his tone and style, and I wanted to play like that.
Mandarino:
Seeing the Ramones performing “Rock ‘n’
What gear do you
use?
Hanna: I play
left-handed, and I was lucky enough to find a black left-handed Les Paul
Custom. But I also play a Minarik Goddess, and both guitars are strung with
Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottoms Slinkys (.010-.052). My amp is a Marshall
JCM-2000, and my effects are a Dunlop CryBaby and a Boss overdrive.
Hanna: I was
influenced a lot by Slash. He was one of the reasons I picked up the guitar. I
really dug his tone and style, and I wanted to play like that. 
Mandarino:
Seeing the Ramones performing “Rock ‘n’
What gear do you
use?
Hanna: I play
left-handed, and I was lucky enough to find a black left-handed Les Paul
Custom. But I also play a Minarik Goddess, and both guitars are strung with
Ernie Ball Skinny Top/Heavy Bottoms Slinkys (.010-.052). My amp is a Marshall
JCM-2000, and my effects are a Dunlop CryBaby and a Boss overdrive.
Mandarino: My
favorite guitar is my Gibson SG-1, which only has one pickup, and I use Dean
Marley LTHB strings (.010-.052). I play through a Marshall JCM-2000. I don’t
use any pedals because I’m influenced by punk rock, and I like the simple
Gibson through
How does your new
album differ from your previous EP?
Hanna: It’s
a little heavier sounding.
Mandarino: We’ve
grown a lot since then as songwriters. Now, we take the time to go through the
songs and make sure they’re really how we want them to sound. 
Do you have
aspirations to get signed?
Hanna: Sure.
I think we’ve done pretty well so far on our own, but if the time is right and
the company is right, then who knows? It’s always nice to have money behind
you.
Mandarino: If it
happens, it happens. But, in the meantime, we’re having fun doing what we’re
doing.
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
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In other news, I recently spoke
to Flairs frontwoman Dawn Mandarino to find out what's been
happening in
"We just got back from a
13-week tour, including two weeks in
You can check out some photos here.
—Trevor Hargreaves
Shut Up and Drive
Review by William Ruhlmann
The
Flairs, who hail from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, are a standard
guitar/bass/drums pop-punk quartet that writes and performs quick-tempo,
guitar-driven rock tunes. In their publicity materials, they make a point of
citing their affection for the Ramones,
but on their debut full-length, Shut Up and Drive, they cover Skid Row's
"18 & Life," which is perhaps more indicative of their sound. Of
course, '70s punk rock and '80s hair metal were never really that far apart
musically; it was more a matter of attitude (and wardrobe). Singer Dawn Mandarino
presents lyrics that focus primarily on romantic scorn, which fits with the
aggressive music. But she never loses her sense of melody, and the music, while
propulsive, never gets really wild. That's the mark of pop-punk, and the Flairs
do it quite well.
Recommended
Tracks: 18 & Life, Ready to Roll, Destroyer
Exclaim Magazine –
By
Liz Worth
June 25, 2006
The Flairs’ full-length follow up to 2004’s self-titled EP has this four-piece
returning with a mature, polished sound that is impossible to miss. Formed by
ex-Tuuli members Dawn Mandarino and Jen Foster, along with Gillian and Ryan
Hanna, the Flairs aim to combine a powerhouse sound inspired by trash rock and
power punk. Where the band’s debut EP still seemed to hold onto bits and pieces
of Tuuli’s syrupy sweetness, Shut Up and Drive sees the Flairs truly embrace a
new level all their own. Although the cover of Skid Row’s “18 & Life”
appeared on the EP, it makes a comeback on this release and this time around
falls perfectly in line with the rest of the material, like the spiralling
“Destroyer” and “Drive By.” Mandarino’s vocals still pour honey over every
frayed chord and frenzied drum beat, and the non-stop bounce behind every song
maintains irresistible pop punk hooks that are coated with a sleek new
confidence.
TANGIBLE SOUNDS (www.tangiblesounds.com)
The Flairs
Shut up and Drive
3.5/5
The Flairs, 3/4ths female, are an edgy rock and roll band from Vancouver and when
listening to their dense rock songs it’s hard not to think of the Donnas. The
high energized spunk that radiates through their gritty hair metal influenced
cuts is feminized rock and roll at its finest. But calling them a cheap rip off
of the Donnas would be completely misleading and downplaying because The Flairs
really expand on basic rock. The pop rock touches bust out beneath rough drum
patches and the vocals shift from fiery curtness to slick melody enhancers.
Punk trickles in for some action too at various times throughout the album.
On the second cut they nail a cover of Skid Row’s “18 and Life.” Ripping guitar
and bass riffs really bring out the rough tinted vocals and give them time to
shine. All the tracks are plastered with catchy choruses, like any good pop
rock album should be. The power chording on “Sorry for Loving You” really taps
into abrasive Ramones-like cohesiveness and plays on Bif Naked’s vocal
arrangements.
I find the album title so contradicting. They tell you to “Shut Up and Drive,”
yet if you really were in a car and popped in this disc, it would be hard to
resist the urge to belt out the addictive chants. They throw you a romping rock
record and expect you to keep your lips sealed? How dare they? But I guess
that’s where irony comes is, and that sense of humor permeates the whole disk.
- Sari Delmar
Soundproof Review –
Thanks
to the Donnas, who by the way I think are pretty terrible, any band that claims
to be rock with punk rock influences and features mostly females in the band
always seemed to unfairly get stereotyped as a Donnas Sound-a-like. Thank god
that the Flairs don't sound a thing like this. With the more poppy, rock style
on tracks like "Stay The Same, "Destroyer," and
"Enemy" mixed with the wonderful, innocent voice of lead vocalist
Dawn Mandarino I was mostly reminded of the soundtrack from Josie and The
Pussycats movie from a few years back. By no way should that be taken as a shot
because I love that soundtrack. The other side of this band comes from Gillian
Hanna's guitar work. It wasn't too much of a surprise that Hanna played with
rocker Bif Naked's band prior to joining The Flairs. Her loud, rowdy guitars
show the pure rock side of the Flairs and combined with the more pop driven
tracks this is an album for anyone and everyone to find and love the minute
they hit play. Great combination of rock and pop influences and the voice is
pretty amazing and will keep you listening if the catchy guitars don't. (JK)
The Flairs - Shut Up and
Drive (Pacific Music)
By
In the vein of bands such
as The Start and The Donnas, The Flairs bring you some rocking
music that is filled with cool melodies and fun riffs. As I listen through the
disc I find myself very impressed with the ease at which the music hits the
palate. The songs are rocking but for whatever reason are very easy to listen
and get into to. I was pleasantly surprised that The Flairs had the
balls to play and record and managed to pull off “18 and Life” by Skid
Row, I thought I heard some An tares on there but I could be wrong. A
common theme seems to be rolling through this release, an internal conflict
between ones self and their mate, or chosen path in life. This is a common
theme but everyone is an individual with their own set of problems, so the
music and lyrics are still fresh. I also pick up a hint of the Pop eighties now
and again, but hey that’s alright, like I said before the music is fun and
entertaining. I like the release as a whole but I do have some favorites which
are “Stinger”, “Falling into Pieces”, “18 and Life”, and “Under
my Skin”. All in
All, this is a cool
release so check it out if you get the chance, I think you will dig it if the
aforementioned bands are your flavor. For more info on the band and their
happenings, go to www.theflairs.com.
St Rock N’Roll - CONCERT REVIEWS
The Flairs CD
release party
The third band up
was the Flairs. The band has arguably the hottest female lead singer the world
is about to see, the best female guitarist with incredible musical talent, a
bassist reminds you of Nikki Sixx, and the female version of Tre Cool on the
drums. That, I say, is a guaranteed recipe for success. The moment The Flairs
started playing; they captured the crowd's attention with catchy and melodic
tunes. The band played tracks off their new record "Shut Up and
Drive". Although clearly not many people knew them at the beginning, I'm
sure The Flairs sold more than just a couple of records by the end of their
set.
http://www.neufutur.com/Reviews/theflairs.html
The Flairs – Shut Up and
Drive
The Flairs – Shut Up and
Drive / 2006 JMP / 13 Tracks / http://www.theflairs.com/
/ Reviewed 23 July 2006 The Flairs start off with “Poison Love”, and the style
of music that they make is a punkish, rockish blend that can be compared to
acts like The Donnas, The Eyeliners, and Bif Naked. The tracks are created with
catchy choruses, the power chords are many, and the band just feels as if they
will make it to the big time in just a few months. The second track on “Shut Up
and Drive” is a cover of the Skid Row classic “18 & Life”.
The ties that current
punk acts have with Skid Row are many; on the “Punk Goes Metal” album alone,
there are two covers of Skid Row tracks (Ataris take on “I Remember You” where
Swindle covers “Youth Gone Wild”). How exactly does The Flairs stack up to
those acts in covering Sebastian Bach? The cover does not add much in the way
of extra material to the original, but The Flairs’ cover sets the tone for
tracks like “Sorry 4 Lovin’ You”. While “Poison Love” was a track that was more
in a Ramones vein, “Sorry 4 Lovin’ You” slingshots off of the Skid Row style
and is much more based in an eighties hair-metal style. This brings The Flairs
into a firmly Sum 41 type of groove; this sound is something that comes back at
times during “Shut Up and Drive”, but is not a common thread to all of the
tracks on the disc. For example, “Stinger” mixes a pop set of vocals with a ska
and funk instrumental backdrop just to keep individuals interested. “Ready To
Roll” is a track that brings The Flairs back to a place that they were during
“Poison Love”.
This means that the band
is just trying to come forth correct with only the power chords and the volume
cranked up; the vocals put the band into a Josie and the Pussycats (2003 movie
version) type of sound more than anything. At some point, wherever that The
Flairs go with “Shut Up and Drive”, the band is able to eke out success after
success. The catchiness of this album is at such a high degree that this can be
the next must-have album to stick in your car for the next six months. While
the style of music that The Flairs play may not always be at the cutting edge,
they provide a harder-rocking alternative to The Veronicas and Avril.
Top Tracks: Destroyer,
Sorry 4 Loving You
Rating: 7.5/10
Hitting the Skids
While
on tour in support of their latest CD, Shut Up and Drive, Canadian
rawker girls (and one lone fellow) The
Flairs have done just that – except instead of keeping quiet, they
chronicled all of the sometimes-seedy goings-on on their MySpace tour blog. If
you take a look-see, you’ll wonder if it’s fodder for a future tell-all
biography that would stand up against any by the Ramones, Guns ‘n’ Roses, or
assorted ‘80s metal acts that the
Flairs look up to (and sometimes sound like). The blog chronicles
nights full of 79-cent hot dogs, free sex toys, all-ages shows, and even a
pellet-gun shoot-out in a friend’s backyard -- all juicy memoirs with which to
wow the kids years from now.
But
how will the Flairs hold up to
the mostly unflustered rock ´n’ roll crowd at Alligator Alley (
http://www.realdetroitweekly.com/article_1708.shtml
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The Flairs/Shut
Up And Drive
The Flairs are: Three chicks (including one ex-Bif
Naked member), one dude and all Canadian. Their girly, sugary songs are easy to
digest while still rocking hard. Incredibly catchy and bouncy, The Flairs still
manage to pull off a Skid Row cover (“18 & Life”). It's tied together by
solid pop punk themes, without seeming manufactured. – MS
Expert rock and roll ratings and expert national security
affairs stories by George Smith, not necessarily in any
order or absolutely guaranteed.
The Flairs are a current Canadian band, the
beneficiaries of a first round of publicity for Shut Up and Drive, one which netted them almost nothing. I
saw the band in one of the guitar mags, and to frame this right, you have to
know that the practice in such pubs is to essentially give out freebies to new
product in the front of the book. And that more than half the article will be
dumbass discussion about what it's like to be a girl doing rock and roll in a
man's world. And the specs on the guitars and amplifiers used. It's not always
that predictable, some would say so comfortingly so, but the practice is
dependably formulaic.
What this also means is that The Flairs are one of those prole hard rock bands
deemed completely uninteresting by the vast majority of music editors running
reviews and profiles of altie product.
They're not quirky or literary and they're obviously influenced by 80's-Sunset
Strip pop metal and meat-and-potatoes punk rock. (They do a version of Skid
Row's MTV hit, "18 & Life." It's not the best song on the CD.) So
if you're a music writer you can pitch them around for review and have it met
with a shrug or a gratuitous insult on how boring they allegedly sound. And if
they get covered, it will be by an intern at a weekly writing for free or
almost free, way in the back, limited to a sentence or two connected to an
appearance at a local firetrap where they're on the bottom of the bill, or at
best, the middle.
The Flairs, in other words, make just the kind of charging hard rock I like.
You can play them alongside Teaze and the major difference is only that the
songs are sung and written by girls and Flairs lyrics are better. They perform
with vigor, tackle their material with enthusiasm, sound like they'd be a
heckuva treat for thirty minutes in person, and have written one excellent
end-of-summer tune in "Falling Into Pieces."
http://www.metalmaidens.com/Cdreviews1n.htm
THE FLAIRS-The Flairs
(independent)
THE FLAIRS are from
The Flairs' Dawn Mandarino Doesn't Mind Being The Centre Of
Attention
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
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The girls (and
boy) are back in town.
After making the
jaunt all the way from
"The
hardest part of this is trying to stay on the road!" she says with a
laugh. "We want to tour as much as we possibly can, but it’s hard with our
lack of funds and opportunities. We’re working on it, though."
Singer/guitarist
Dawn Mandarino adds, "We’d probably stay on the road forever if we
could."
The tour-loving
band is comprised of Mandarino and Hanna plus bassist Ryan Hanna and
drummer Jen Foster, with Mandarino and Foster being well-known refugees
from goth-punk group Tuuli. Mandarino describes The Flairs experience as
being "the complete opposite" from Tuuli, although the irrepressible
chick-rawk vibe is similar — even in the face of an increasing "boys’
club" mentality in the music scene.
"I remember
being in Tuuli and having people tell us, ‘We can’t play you on rock radio
because rock radio isn’t playing female singers right now.’ We got that SO
much," Mandarino recalls with a bit of frustration. "I think that’s
something that, unfortunately, we don’t really have any control over. You just
have to keep plugging away, doing what you do and eventually getting people to
notice you." A sudden dangerous grin crosses her face. "And if people
don’t like it, screw them."
It’s this
remarkably punk attitude that gives The Flairs an edge in the realm of Canadian
music, despite the relative newness of the band. Short as it’s been so far,
they all admit that their time in The Flairs has already been a valuable
learning experience.
"For me, I
think I learned a lot really quickly," says Hanna. "I went from
playing bars in
Mandarino
agrees. "I think all of our songwriting has matured, even just from
starting this band. I think the songs we’re writing now are way more improved
than our songs from the beginning." She pauses thoughtfully. "And as
for me, I guess I had to learn how to become a frontperson."
So was becoming
the center of attention difficult for her?
"No."
Mandarino’s instantly deadpanned answer gets laughs from the entire group. She
shrugs again before continuing, "Seriously though, we’re all in this
because we love doing what we do — it’s our job, really, and we’re happy to
have it. Nothing’s gonna stop us."
—Caitlin
Hotchkiss
NMW Report Day 3: J. Englishman Takes On
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
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ChartAttack has
been covering every day of
Former Tuuli member Dawn Kerns (wife of Todd) and her crew muscle their
way through their own particular brand of intense '80s inspired glam metal for
the 21st century. Dead is the cutesy poppy Tuuli girl of yesterday. In her
place is a dangerous snarling demon diva that slithers and sneers its way
menacingly across the stage. I can’t take my eyes off her. And it is fast
becoming apparent that Ms. Naked’s Jam is the spot for the night. Ryan Dahle
(Limblifter) Rich Priske, Gavin Brown, the members of Lucie Idlout’s band and
the boys from Marble Index are all in attendance.
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:: The Flairs
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By JR |
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Review
from “STRUTTER MAGAZINE” www.strutter.8m.com
(Holland
THE FLAIRS ‘SHUT UP AND DRIVE’
(INDEPENDENT)
Here we have a very strong Canadian band called THE FLAIRS, consisting
of 3 female and 1 male member, of whom Dawn Mandarino is the lead singer.
Musically they play catchy in your face Melodic punky Rock and Roll like a mix
between GIRLSCHOOL, THE DONNAS, TORONTO and PHANTOM BLUE, although most of the
time they remind me of underground acts ENVY and POISON DOLLYS, the bands
around the sisters Stille in the 1980s (if anyone remembers them, then you know
how this THE FLAIRS sounds like. The 14 included songs on their debut CD are
all very catchy and easy to sing-a-long with, completed with strong hooks,
melodic vocals and flashy guitarwork, so definitely something worth checking out
if you like updated 80s Melodic Rock/Metal. One of the highlights is the superb
“Stinger” that almost sounds like a 80s female fronted AOR/Poprock Classic a la
very early PAT BENATAR, ELLEN SHIPLEY and
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Girls Rock Out *Messenger Archives - Dec 2005* ELAINE BONOW
hears the sound of tomorrow
During
a blustery weekend in November a gaggle of girls strummed into
The Flairs,
from
FEBRUARY 3,
-
Rocking with Flair
by Dan MacRae
---
“Recently there have been a lot of shoe gazers, “sighed Dawn Mandarino, the
vocalist/guitarist of The Flairs. “Where have all the bands gone that want to
put on a good show? “
Mandarino is lamenting this while sitting in the B.C. accounting firm where she
works when she isn’t one quarter of
“When fans leave our show, we want them to say that show kicked my ass, “said
Mandarino with obvious zeal to be back on stage. “We’re trying to bring
showmanship back. There are some artists doing that. [An upcoming tour partner]
Robin Black for example. His show is one we model ourselves after. “Along the
same lines, The Flairs have also opened for gigolo-spokesman/paramedic/showman
extraordinaire David Lee Roth.
“David Lee Roth was so cool, “gushed Mandarino. “Oh my God! Listen to what’s
playing on my Ipod (Dawn holds up her mp3 player to the phone and the Carillon
hears the bombast that is Van Halen’s
In Aught Five, the rock landscape is still generally empty when it comes to
heavy-modern-rock-radio-rotation for estrogen-rich bands. Still, Mandarino sees
progress. “Things are changing in rock radio. When Tuuli came out there were
virtually no female singers on the radio. I remember back in the early nineties
there were tons of female singers. Then it went into a whole Nickelback/Creed
thing. It was kind of sad. But now there are female voices back on the radio. “
What about being lumped in with other female-fronted acts?
“Getting compared to bands with a female lead singer is understandable,
“explained Mandarino. “I actually prefer a female lead singer. It makes things
for me much more interesting and exciting. “
The Flairs have had the joy of playing at North By Northeast (NXNE),
“They can expect a lot of sweat and noise. “
The Flairs are currently on the road promoting their debut EP. They will be
playing The State on February 11.
The
Now Newspaper –
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The Flairs are (from left) drummer
Jen Foster, guitarist Gillian Hanna, her brother bassist Ryan Hanna, and
singer Dawn Mandarino. The group formed when Foster and Mandarino moved to
the Lower Mainland to form a group with |
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Such Flair – Carolyn Cooke The Flairs, an up-and-coming rock
band featuring the talent not only of Gillian Hanna, but also her brother
Ryan Hanna, Jen Foster and Dawn Mandarino, got things moving for the concert,
headlined by Bif Naked. The initial idea for The Flairs
was born while Gillian Hanna was on tour with Bif Naked as her guitarist.
Hanna met singer Mandarino and drummer Foster, who were then touring with a
band called Tuuli. The three found they had much in common and thought it
would be cool to play together - if ever the Tuuli members moved to the West
Coast. Just over a year ago, Foster and Mandarino did pack up and head west,
and it seems to be a smart move as The Flairs were formed and hit the ground
running. "We needed a change -
musically and otherwise," Mandarino said. The trio explored a heavier sound
than any of them performed to that point, more reminiscent of '80s hard rock.
When they realized they needed a bass player, Gillian Hanna volunteered her
brother Ryan. Foster said she was a bit iffy about having a brother in the
band, but it's all good. "I'm normally a guitar
player," said Ryan Hanna. He said he and his sister grew up
playing off each other playing guitar, since they started playing at the same
time. Not only does the brother and
sister team get along well enough to work together, the entire band has a
camaraderie that shows in how they write and shape their songs collaboratively.
Their easy-going humour, talent and back-to-basics hard rock earns the
musicians their moniker. The Flairs are currently in the
studio recording and hope to finish later this month. For more information on
the band and upcoming concerts, see www.theflairs.com. |
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