Lauran

Lauran "Gangbangs" Gangl is a woman who aspires to march to the beat of a different drummer. Along with her innovative "percussion orchestra" band the Gangbangs UK, she has spent the latter part of the '90s and the early part of the '00s traveling around the word, attempting to spread the message about her refreshing conception of pop music. Gangl, born January 2nd, 1978, in Glasgow, Scotland -- where the name of her band, the Gangbangs, is a reference to innocent-minded mischief -- desperately craves the limelight of pop stardom. With a four-octave range and training at the Paris Theatre Opera company in France, her musical talent is not in question. She has already earned the respect of a broad spectrum of artists, many of whom she has joined onstage, including Lenny Kravitz and Beck. But everything she does and says oozes a desire for the center stage. Individually, the high point in her young career came when she landed a spot on Lilith Fair in 1999. The Gangbangs UK, the band for which she is the principal songwriter, vocalist, and guitar player, has carved out a distinct identity. Mixing extravagant, Stomp-like percussion with Gangl's awe-inspiring vocals, the music is lively and danceable. Other left-field instrumentation includes garbage cans, pots, pans, a baritone guitar, and a Chapman nine-string. Her most recent CD, released on High Profile records, It's Not What You Think, features an impressive supporting cast of established musicians and songwriters: Danny Elfman, (Oingo Boingo, the Simpsons), Dweezil Zappa (Extreme, Frank Zappa), and Deon Estes (George Micheal). No question, she has the ability, the desire, and the connections to be successful in the music business. Now, if she can only manage to convince the fickle world of pop to shift over in her...