Rebel Pebbles Take a Break With Prison Gig

The Chino Women’s Institute, the country’s oldest and largest maximum-security women’s prison, is probably not the kind of place a quartet of young female musicians would expect to find itself, at least not on purpose. But it was there, in front of a crowd of about 500 inmates, that local pop-rock band the Rebel Pebbles performed Oct. 21, augmenting its normal club act with a rendition of “Jailhouse Rock.”

Now in a Burbank studio recording its debut album for I.R.S. Records, the Rebel Pebbles, an all-woman band, performed on the prison’s cement racquetball court after a month of discussions and paperwork, including FBI background checks on all band members. They were told not to wear any jewelry, and their music equipment was searched. Even then, the show was delayed a day when prison officials sealed off the unusual concert venue after a pair of scissors was discovered missing.

“It was kind of scary at first,” said Rachel Murray, 25, the band’s lead vocalist. “We didn’t know what to expect. But the crowd loved us. They were a very appreciative crowd.”

This all grew out of what the Rebel Pebbles said was a desire to break up its recording duties with some free shows for underprivileged children and others during the holiday season. The Chino prison concert came about at the suggestion of the band’s record company, which has been involved with other programs there.

On Dec. 15, the band found the younger crowd it was originally seeking when it performed an afternoon show for teen-agers staying at the Mid-Valley Youth Center in Van Nuys.

“They wanted to do an orphanage show,” manager Chris Lamson said. “But when you start to look for something like a Charles Dickens orphanage, with cute little kids, they don’t exist in L. A.”

The Van Nuys center is a halfway house designed for troubled youngsters, most of them 12 to 18 years old. Besides the concert, a large cargo of T-shirts was donated to the center from the band, the record company, KROQ-FM and the Sportswear Co.

Except for these special shows, the band won’t be playing locally soon and is spending most of its time preparing for the April release of its record. “These other shows take priority because it’s Christmastime,” Murray said.

The Rebel Pebbles began playing unusual live dates when the band toured last summer behind Dread Zeppelin, that mutant act combining ‘70s hard rock with reggae and Elvismania.

The performances are designed to showcase the latest in a long line of Los Angeles all-woman rock bands that has included the Runaways, the Go-Gos and the Bangles.

Although the Rebel Pebbles, which includes bassist Robin Fox, guitarist Karen Blankfeld and drummer Cheryl Bullock, promises a more sophisticated pop production on the new album, its independently released EP “Partytime” captures an upbeat rock energy reminiscent of the early Go-Gos.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” said Lamson, who was part of the Bangles’ management team before that band dissolved last year. “You get a lot of attention. For some reason, people seem to be attracted to all-girl bands, especially all-girl pop bands. But the other side of it is that everyone is suspicious of it. They think somebody’s behind the scenes putting it all together.”

Added Fox, 24: “Sometimes that really works for you because people don’t expect a lot. When our producer got our demo tape, he was kind of shocked we play all our own instruments.”