Goodness me, sometime back at the old-store, when we only took up about 900 sq. feet, including the cot in back, those Girls vs Boys fellas came and did a right rockin' in-store. It was a memorable event, and sadly, nobody taped or videod it. Maybe that's for the best, it really would be impossible to capture the power those four guys put out. It wasn't just the rock, either, anyone could pump the rock out, the whole store just transformed around their presence.

In a tiny amount of space, GvsB accomplished more for their audience, than a hundred arena bands could ever do, they connected. It's hard to sweat at an in-store, this was no Unplugged gig. Anyway, when it was all said and done, they left the stage and challenged the audience to an arm-wrestling contest, the winners got free passes to the show that night.

Everyone won.

Now they got a couple new projects coming out, House of GvsB is there last for indie-grand daddys's Touch and Go, before they make the leap to DGC. Our friend, Scott Wilson hooked up with drummer, Alexis for a bit of arm-wrestling.

Questions and answers
Welcome to The House of GvsB. Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here. Actually you should leave your modest expectations at the door. Girls Against Boys comprises four musicians born of the Washington D.C. hardcore scene, Scott McCloud (Vocals and guitar), Eli Janney (bass, keyboards, and vocals), Johnny Temple (bass), and Alexis Fleisig (drums), who have found a way to meld hardcore and lounge music. Even more unlikely, they have found a way to infuse their music with swagger, to construct songs that are sexually powered without ever leaning on the explicit.

Girls Against Boys is the genuine article in a world populated by pretenders. They offer the most glorious of excesses without ever compromising their great restraint. They are accomplished players who refuse to be satisfied, who, with their writhing hybrid, parallel Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion. Somehow though, they keep the bombast the listener keeps expecting at a distance, refusing to give in to the temptation.

In a day when sexuality is being swept under our culture's proverbial rug, GvsB stands defiant, unwilling to follow anyone's impulses but their own. They might have been the ones to proclaim the Emperor's nakedness. Trends count for little in this house.

Perpetuating infectious, liberating music they can be proud of is the only measure of success. As so many others placate themselves with chart position and sales, Girls Against Boys once again up the artistic ante.

The new album, House of GvsB, their last effort for Touch & Go before they make the leap to DGC finds them poised on the very brink. Drummer Alexis gave me the grand tour.

You have enjoyed a steady progression.

-One thing came after another, and some things seemed more natural than others. We had been offered deals with majors back when we were on Adult Swim, but it didn't seem like the right time to do it. We were much more interested in making this a gradual process. We didn't want to go to a major and not have the opportunity to go anywhere after the first record didn't go anywhere. We really wanted to retain the ability to do whatever we wanted to do for as long as possible. Touch & Go seemed like a smarter way to go.

Are you worried about the transition to a major?

-Not really. If this record does well we should be in a pretty good position when we go over there. There is always a risk when a band goes to a major, but we've built enough of a following that we won't be at the mercy of the label like a brand new band might. I'm glad that the process of signing is over with. It was really hard sifting through everything, deciding who was cool and sincere. We finally had to get a manager because we were getting so bogged down dealing with the business end that we didn't have enough energy left over for the music.

Is there a designated leader in the band?

-We've always been very democratic, although it takes so much longer that we're thinking of trying out a dictatorship. It's sort of a problem because you have to track everyone down to tell them what you're thinking of doing. For the most part we have to run things past everyone to make sure they're all cool with it. It's good because we don't end up bitching about doing things we don't want to do after the record's done because everyone's agreed to it beforehand. There are enough other things to cause stress.

The press have tagged you "the sexiest band in the world."

-When we started Tropic of Scorpio we got into this lounge thing, and people said it sounded sexy to them, which is great. We're proud to be part of music that's sexy, as we should be. It got out of hand after that, especially in the British press. All of a sudden we, personally, were the focus. It's kind of bizarre.

How did you decide on the dual bass line up?

-When we wrote 90s vs. 80s, Eli came up with the bass line for Kitty Yo, so we recorded it and liked the way it sounded, but Eli wasn't sure what he was going to do because Johnny plays bass. We tried a bunch of different things but they just weren't working, so finally he just decided to play bass. When we played live it added all these new avenues of sound, so we stuck with it. The band is interested in different moods and atmospheres, so a lot of our attitude comes from that.

What continues to drive the band?

-Every time we make an album it seems like it's going to be our last one because we're not going to be able to top it, but then we'll just come up with stuff we like. We've tried sitting down and talking about what direction we want to go in next but that never seems to work out. Everything starts with the music we're writing. We just follow wherever the music takes us. As soon as we get tired of something, we try something new. One of the cool things about being from DC is that it wasn't about money or po pularity; it was about making stuff that you were really happy with and that could really reach people. The people genuinely liked you because of what you created, not because you were connected.

So do you consider yourself successful?

-Success is a pretty strange notion really. The things most people judge success by- album sales, money, or whatever don't really matter so much to us. If the best musicians are making music that sounds like someone else then what's the point? It's just a matter of if what you're doing is any good or not. I feel we're pretty successful in what we've done so far.

You're poised on the brink of super-stardom. Do you have your eye on any supermodels yet?

-No.