Press Release Date: On or Before July 6, 2003

Viva la Venus to be Featured on TV's "Strong Medicine"

Viva la Venus, an original rock band from the North Carolina Triangle area, will be featured in the upcoming episode of "Strong Medicine" on the Lifetime cable network. Their song, "Mystery," is scheduled to debut on the medical drama on July 6, 2003 at 10 PM ET/PT.

As the self-produced CD on their own Shiny Pants Records label indicates, Viva la Venus has a penchant for pleather--but this ain't about a fashion show. It's hard-hitting rock with infectious hooks and compelling vocal harmonies.

Wes Cornett of Fayetteville's Up & Coming Magazine describes the music of Viva la Venus as having "unbelievable melody" that will cause you to "wake up in the morning singing." These ladies truly believe that variety is the spice of life, and their original music has a distinctive Viva la Venus flavor -- whether they're playing a jazzy shuffle on their song, "Killer" or playing Ramones-style punk on the tongue-in-cheek "Meat Loaf Night." At their live shows, VLV may cover songs by various artists ranging from Salt n' Peppa to Dokken.

Wendy Brancaccio and Susan Darney, both on vocals and guitar, started playing music together in 1996. They were later joined by bassist/guitarist Mary Anne Barckhoff and Leigh Peterson on drums to form the current band lineup. The powerful vocals of Brancaccio and Darney are often underscored by catchy guitar riffs, while their honest and intriguing lyrics tell of personal human experience. Barckhoff and Peterson recently shared their rhythmic styling on stage with nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter, Jamie Anderson (http://www.jamieanderson.com), at the 2003 National Women's Music Festival.

The first CD from Viva la Venus, "The Never Ending Mending Story," is available online from CD Baby at http://www.cdbaby.com. Viva la Venus will be performing in the Triangle area on August 22, 2003 at The Tavern in Durham (Highway 15/501 at New Hope Commons) and on September 4, 2003 at The Cave in Chapel Hill. For more information about Viva la Venus, visit their website at http://www.vivalavenus.com.

Up & Coming Weekly Review, April 3-9, 2002