Miss Derringer Releases New EP 'Black Tears' With Help From An Allstar Cast

Los Angeles, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Stay Gold Records) - It's not often that a song makes you stop, arch your brow and say, "What the @!*$ is this?" in the same breath as "Whoa, this is heady." Performing a dark, lean blend of blues, country and girl-group sounds fortified with a punk attitude, Los Angeles' MISS DERRINGER has released their new single "Black Tears" digitally through iTunes and gearing up to release it as a limited edition CD through New York- based indie label Stay Gold Records (The KillTakers, Cry Tuff Council). Headed by the husband and wife team of musicians-turned-artists, Liz McGrath (herself a painter and sculptor, former vocalist for the band Tongue, and once editor of the zine Censor This) and Morgan Slade (guitarist/songwriter), Miss Derringer welds surf, garage, Shangri La- styled girlpop, and punk into a veritable mixture that manifests itself expertly on the two-track EP, "Black Tears". Like a red '57 Chevy with white walls and fins souped up by the guys on American Chopper, "Black Tears" revs up a modern yet authentic surfy sound that begs for drag races on the beach. "I'm inspired by a lot of old American rock and pop, particularly the Shangri Las and Ronnettes," explains Morgan. "We also really were inspired by playing with Blondie [who they opened for on New Years 2007], and seeing how they use old rock as a foundation."

"Heartbreak & Razorblades" is a winsome doe-eyed, tear-stained party dress shuffle that aches for the harsh spotlight on what could be the last dance forever. The video for this track will be directed by acclaimed actor Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Half Nelson). "Ryan lives in our neighborhood, came to one of our shows with a friend of a friend, and loved the band," continues Morgan. "He came by and we started talking about music and we built up a friendship that way." Seminal director Zalman King (9 1/2 Weeks, Wild Orchid) directed their video for "Better Run Away from Me" from their Lullabies album.

Produced by John Kastner (Doughboys), the "Black Tears" EP follows a very illustrious and incredibly well-received pair of albums which compelled Pitchfork to exclaim, "L.A.-based Miss Derringer are itching for a knife-fight with Dresden Dolls and the Raveonettes, and damned if it doesn't sound like the band could take their turf.... Liz McGrath comes on like a new wave Weimar cowgirl, swirling a martini of cabaret, pop, rockabilly, and country with her manicured pinkie." Blondiie drummer Clem Burke played drums on Lullabies and remains a part-time member of the band.

As for what's in store for the band, Morgan replies: "We are writing a new record called Winter Hill, loosely based on the Winter Hill Irish mob war that happened in Boston in the early 1960s. Basically, a soundtrack for an early 1960s mob war... Early girl group and American blues/folk influences with a lot of drama."