Nerdy Girl

Country of origin:

Canada and U.S.

Type of music generally:

Indie/alternative pop/rock

Status:

As the Nerdy Girl name has been retired, Twist Her (1996) is the final release under this name. She is now recording as Cecil Seaskull.

See also:

Cecil Seaskull/Cecil Castellucci's site

Wikipedia's entry for Cecil Castelluci

Comparisons:

A cross of Lois (stripped-down sound) and Lisa Cerbone (high, babyish vocals) with a little of Mary Lou Lord's almost-acknowledged disingenuousness.

Covers/own material:

Own with occasional covers

General comments:

Nerdy Girl is from Montréal, and is basically Cecil Seaskull—at least she is the driving force behind all the recordings. The sound is very stripped-down indie rock, She has a babyish voice, but it works because the overall sound is so minimalist. Pop. Fun. Alternative. More minimal than noisy—but noisy. I like it a lot. If you run across any of the recordings and you like indie rock, grab them. (Neile)

Recommended first album:

Twist Her is the only full-length release

Recordings:

• Nerdy Girl (10" vinyl ep, 1994)
• New Jersey (7" single, 1995)
• Dime Story Hussey (7" single, 1996)
• Twist Her (1996)

Nerdy Girl (10" vinyl ep)

Release info:

1994—No Life

Availability:

Out of print, label defunct.

Ecto priority:

Recommended for indiepop fans

Group members:

Cecil Seaskull—voice, guitar
Gordon Hashimoto—guitar, voice

Comments:

A great introduction to a fun band. (Neile)

New Jersey (7" single)

Release info:

1995—RightWide Records, 1070 Bleury, #301, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H2Z 1N3—RWR0011

Availability:

May be possible to find this in Montréal

Ecto priority:

Recommended for indiepop fans

Group members:

Cecil Seaskull—voice, guitar
Gordon Hashimoto—guitar, voice

Produced by:

Gordon Hashimoto, Rod Shearer

Comments:

Three fun songs, including a delightfully odd cover of The Beatles' "She Said She Said". (Neile)

Dime Story Hussey (7" single)

Release info:

1996—No Life/Janken pon, 7070 St. Urbain, Montréal, Que., Canada H2S 3E6

Availability:

Out of print, No Life label defunct, but the Janken pon version may still be available in Montréal

Ecto priority:

Recommended for indiepop fans

Group members:

Cecil Seaskull—voice, guitar
Gabriel Levine—guitar
Kim Temple—drums
Ron Woo—bass

Produced by:

Rod Shearer and Nerdy Girl

Comments:

Three more fun songs. Well worth tracking down. (Neile)

Twist Her

Release info:

1996—No Life/Janken pon, 7070 St. Urbain, Montréal, Que., Canada H2S 3E6—NL013

Availability:

See Cecil Seaskull's website for availability

Ecto priority:

Recommended for indiepop fans

Group members:

Cecil Seaskull—voice, guitar
Ron Woo—bass
Gabe Levine—guitar, organ
Kim Temple—drums, vocals, organ

Guest artists:

Geneviève Heistek—violin on one track
Kurt Newman—slide on one track

Produced by:

Rod Shearer and Cecil Seaskull

Comments:

On the edge, strange, alternative, baby-voiced truly fun alternapop. (Neile)

Further info:

Cecil Castellucci also writes well-respected young adult novels.