Voltage '08: The bands

At Voltage, six live bands will be paired with fashion designers. Here's a preview of what you'll see and hear.

By Simon Peter Groebner Star Tribune

August 17, 2012 — 4:11pm

The Haves Have It

Styled by EM/MA (Emily Weich and Maritza Ramirez)

The band: An angular, driving indie-rock trio led by the normally dressed-down (but occasional fashion plates) Portia Richardson (guitar/vocals) and Jenn Gallup (bass).

The clothes: "For Voltage we wanted to do something that would dramatize their naturally glamorous looks," says Weich. "The looks will be based on early-1900s magic shows, vaudeville-style."

Zibra Zibra

Styled by Ivan Idland

The band: This outrageous dance-punk quartet already comes with its own visually flamboyant style to match the music.

The clothes: "Everbody gets a onesie!" says Idland. "The band will be dressed head to toe in bright flourescent lycra, with corresponding themes for each member."

Bella Koshka

Styled by Ann Alyse Clothing (Meghan Cohen)

The band: The brightest -- and darkest -- new act of the year thrills with beautiful vocals, plaintive violin and moody dream-pop.

The clothes: "For the guys I have designed an updated tuxedo-style trouser and coordinated button-down shirts with hits of color," says Cohen. "For the ladies I have designed sculptural pieces.... The dresses have asymetrical hemlines that will move easily with them onstage."

MC/VL

Styled by Erin Smith

The band: Sort of Minnesota's answer to the '80s Beastie Boys -- visually and aurally.

The clothes: "I perused a lot of old school hip-hop images to gather inspiration," says Smith. "The T-shirts have a very old-school cut to them, but they've been updated with graphics inspired by stencil graffiti. I etched large-scale metal [jewelry] pieces that would interact with the shirts, such as a tape that lays on top of a boom box graphic, a record on a turntable, and a mic on a mic cable."

White Light Riot

Styled by Elizabeth Chesney

The band: Britpop and melody are the fortes of this quartet, which typically shows up well-tailored on its own.

The clothes: "I'm doing a period-inspired line, based on 1850-1890," says Chesney. "A good example of this period is seen in the movie 'Gangs of New York.' They will all have cotton velvet jackets, plaid pants and satin brocade vests."

Birthday Suits

Styled by Dan Patrick Designs (Dan Roedler)

The band: The garage-punk-duo concept gets a vigorous workout by these former Sweet J.A.P. members.

The clothes: "I chose to do a look inspired by punk in the '70s," says Roedler. "So I took that and did my interpretation of rock and punk, with interest in the details."