By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
September 15, 1991
“I saw Jellyfish on David Letterman’s show and they were really, really good,” said Claire Massey, vocalist for TAMI Show, the Chicago-based pop-rock group. “(Their) being so good made me feel a little estranged from playing live and writing music because we’ve done so many things for radio and promotion that have been more of presentations than concerts. It has to be done, but it also gets a little frustrating sometimes.”
The six-year-old band is enjoying its biggest success with the Top 40 single “The Truth.” TAMI Show will perform that song, as well as cuts from its current LP, “Wanderlust,” on Friday at Cabaret Metro, 3730 N. Clark. The band also includes vocalist-guitarist Cathy Massey, guitarist Tommy Gawenda, bassist Mark Jiaras, keyboardist George McCrae and drummer Ken Harck.
Although another Massey sister is married to record producer Mike Chapman, the band didn’t work with him until a third party suggested a collaboration. While in Chicago working as music director for Michael J. Fox’s movie “Light of Day,” Nigel Harrison, former Blondie bassist, heard TAMI Show’s demo tape, fell in love with the sweet harmonies and suggested that the band get in touch with Chapman.
“A lot of people have tried to market this band as two blond sisters rather than six musicians,” Massey said. “We hate that, because then people keep comparing us to Heart. It’s not that we don’t like Heart, but I think those comparisons take away part of our own identity.”
