  Vancouver’s independent scene was bustling with energy and vigor in the early ’90s. Hair metal was all but pushed out in favour of the grunge movement, with plenty of room for hungry new groups to make their mark.After earning her Communications/Audio Engineering degree at San Francisco State University, Yvette Narlock spent the next few years travelling throughout Africa, India, the Orient, and throughout Europe. She eventually settled in London and tried to make it as a street performer, dropping her last name from the marquee. She moved to Vancouver in ’93 and formed Mollies Revenge (a molly is a Brit slang for hooker) with Marlow Holder on bass, drummer Aggie ‘Flinch’ Richichi, guitarist Adam Popowitz, and Lisa Wagner on cello. They honed their chops and released a set of demos they’d done as the five-track EP, PERFECT WHOLE in 1995. They sold copies at their shows and used it to court industry folk. Produced by Kevin Hamilton, it contained the original versions of “Cruel World” and “Every Dirty Word,” as well as “Slay,” “Pistol,” and “Daisy.” They signed with David Foster’s arm of Atlantic, 143 Records, and were sent off to Slack Studios with producer Rick Parashar. Their first full length album, EVERY DIRTY WORD, was in the stores in ’97. A mix of toned down political and social angst primarily written by Yvette, tracks like the lead-off “Weed,” “Conviction,” and “I Like To Watch” were high octane post-apocalyptic grunge, full of energy. It also included the critically-acclaimed acoustic version of The Kinks’ classic, “Lola.” The band was taken care of during the tapings, living in a house in the woods with a jacuzzi and a rented car – all at Atlantic’s expense. But then reality set in and they had to hit the road. They played across Canada for the better part of the next year, and also making a handful of stops in the US. But feeling the label’s pressures of trying to turn them mainstream, personality conflicts within the band, and difference in opinions with Atlantic, led to the band folding by the end of 1998. Yvette and Popowitz carried on as the duo, Yve Adam, releasing one album called FICTION in 2000 while splitting their time between Vancouver and LA. The album featured a number of guest writers, including Ben Mink (KD Lang, Ingenue), Jeremy Rezuma (Macy Grey), and Taylor Rhodes (Aerosmith). Following that band’s collapse, Yvette returned to her roots as a solo singer songwriter. |
