What does a promise to don a dress to play in ‘that band,’ a semi-drunken party joke about 80s censorship and Tipper Gore and a shovel all have in common? Well not much if you look at them separately, but when you mix them up in bowl, they’re the ingredients that go into making this year’s Nissan Leaf Local Stage an exciting place to be when Tipper Whore takes the stage for their first Nashville Pride performance.

If you don’t know who Tipper Whore is now, you surely will when they bring their self-confessed brand of “glam-punk, dirty, garage dance-rock” to Nashville Pride.

“What started off as a joke, turned into a band,” the members of Tipper Whore reminisced. A housewarming party joke about Tipper Gore and censorship was turned into a Facebook page and nearly a year later Tipper Whore have found themselves playing across Nashville including the Road to Bonnaroo showcase—something that band is amazed that they even had the chance to do.

The young band is definitely making a name for itself and a random drop-by at a Tipper Whore rehearsal reveals that the energy the band exudes on stage isn’t just relegated to their performances. The band’s members, Ryan Breegle, Megan Kellar, Meredith Kotas, Jason Goucher, Kelly Bolick and Nick Clark, have been friends over the years and their quip-filled interactions highlight the amount of fun the band has together.

Earlier this year, Tipper Whore released their first double-sided single (on vinyl, no less) for their single “Two Sticks’ and the B-side “Day Drunk,” complete with a kiss-stamped download card. Guessing who donned the lipstick for the single given to me (we were able to narrow down the limited-edition single smooch to Kelly or Jason) was much like a game of pin the tail on the donkey at a child’s birthday party where the punch had accidentally been spiked. Something, after listening to the band’s stories, could be a song in the future.

Whatever the future holds for Tipper Whore, including upcoming nuptials for members Meredith and Jason, they’re excited to take part of Nashville Pride. “We’re excited about playing Nashville Pride because we are so different,” Breegle said. “Different than most gay acts and a lot of the other rock acts.”

The energy possessed on vocals by Breegle, Kotas and Kellar may be easily compared to the B-52s and while the band relishes the comparison, Tipper Whore is all its own.

“We sing about sausages,” Kotas joked. But that isn’t a joke. Some of their other tracks include “Summer Sausage,” “Cocaine with Ke$ha” (which the band maintains hasn’t ever happened) and “Mile High.” Whatever the song, the inspiration is fun.

“Whatever we write about, it has to be fun,” Bolick shared.

And fun it will be.

You can catch Tipper Whore on the Nissan Local Stage at Nashville Pride June 15

For more information on Tipper Whore ‘like’ their Facebook page or visit their Bandcamp site.

photo: Meredith Kotas (left) Ryan Breegle (right) photo by Katy Parson