Reformed Whores (Marie Cecile Anderson and Katy Frame) first came across our radar at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival auditions at The Creek & The Cave in early 2011. Their genuine enthusiasm harkened back to a time when picking a sweet country tune on the guitar was enough to elicit hoots and hollers from an expectant audience. Well, the audience was hootin’, but these girls are anything but straight up “sweet”. Their clear, pitch-perfect voices deliver hilariously dirty country tunes with a wink and a smile. They are so polished on stage that you’d think they had been working together for years, when in reality they’ve only been a duo for nine short months. G.L.O.C. talks to the ladies about their partnership and they premiere their first music video, “Punch Me In The Face.”

From where in the south do you both hail?

Katy: I’m actually from Maryland, which is one of those weird middle states no one wants to claim. It is below the Mason Dixon line, but barely. If you ask a Southerner I’m a Yankee, but if you ask someone from the North East I’m a Hick…

Marie: I’m from Nashville, Tennessee. My high school graduation was at the Grand Old Opry, the same stage that Elvis, June Carter, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton all performed on!

How long have you two been working together?

Not long, just nine months. Long enough to birth our baby Reformed Whores.

Where did you two meet and what was it that drew you to each other?

We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party and it was the bacon rolled scallops on the appetizer tray that brought us together.

What form of comedy where you each doing before Reformed Whores?

Katy: The kind you do by yourself in the shower. Also, some improv and plays around town.

Marie: It started in high school when I did the announcements; I always tried to squeeze in a joke or haiku. From then, I moved on to improv, stand-up for a hot second when I lived in California, and now musical comedy since I was so eager to break through the New York comedy scene and figured what better way than with a ukulele and my love for country music.

What inspired the name Reformed Whores?

Katy’s roommate, Britt Genelin, had a playlist on her computer titled Reformed Whores, so we stole it.

How often do you get together to work on your material?

We get together three times a week to “work on our material,” but often our conversations dissolve into talk about boys and where to get the best slice of pizza.

Who writes the songs or is it a collaboration?

Everything we do is a collaboration! We’re lucky that we work so well together. Some songs we write independently and some together. We’re at a point now that when we work on a song independently we always ask the other for feedback before finishing the song. That system works well for us.

What happened out of the gate that let you know you were on to something special with your act?

Our very first show was one of the most nerve wracking experiences we’ve ever had! We performed at an art gallery in Williamsburg for a benefit and it was about 100 degrees inside. We had no idea if our kooky material was going to land or not. On top of that, we barely knew each other—we’d only been rehearsing for about two months. We were basically putting our fate into each others’ hands and it could have ended up a total disaster. Needless to say the show was a hit! The fact that the show went so well under that kind of duress was a signal to us that we really had something. If the show had only been mediocre, we’re not sure where we’d be now. We may have just given up on the whole idea.

Who are your musical and comedic inspirations?

June Carter, Tammy Wynette, and the Smothers Brothers.

Not gonna whore no more. Photo: Kristin Donnelly

What would your ultimate goal with the group be?

Our goal is to bring old-school comedy back. We’re lucky to be working as a duo in a variety type style, which offers a lot of flexibility and is highly entertaining! We hope to someday to make a comfortable living by being known around the world as Reformed Whores.

Do you have formal training?

Katy: Yes, I majored in music in college with a focus in voice. I’m also very well-versed in the accordion—I took two lessons from a plumber…

Marie: I was in the church choir starting when I was four years old through college. I apologize to all my past choir teachers for my unruly behavior, it was all in good fun! I learned how to play the ukulele through hours of watching YouTube. I’m not a musician by any means, I just kind of wing it every time, which yes, is absolutely terrifying.

Does your act have a message, or are you just having fun?

Today’s society has a Madonna/Whore complex. We like to turn that caca on it’s head, but we’re not on a soapbox or anything, we’re just having fun with the idea.

You’ve had a pretty stellar first year!

We’ve been very lucky during these past nine months. We’ve been asked to perform in some incredible shows with extremely talented performers like Wyatt Cenac, Morgan Murphy and Matt McCarthy, and have been really fortunate to be included in the G.L.O.C family! We’ve also gotten to play some of our favorite venues like UCB, The PIT, The Living Room, Le Poisson Rouge, Union Hall, The Creek & The Cave.  We were asked to audition for the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, which opened a lot of doors for us too. We’ve gotten a chance to work with some very talented filmmakers to make videos like this one for “Punch Me in the Face.” So many fun things that we’re really grateful for. And we’re excited to see what’s around the corner for us!

Can you tell us a bit about the making of this video? Who worked on it with you? How did you achieve the look?

We were approached by Therefore Productions after one of our shows about filming something together. We then pitched a couple ideas and decided to film ‘Punch Me in the Face’ using a green screen. We then had the flexibility to give the video an old-timey feel, which is in line with our style. The very talented actor Bill Hamilton, who played the role of Cowboy Bill, was the finishing touch. He really captured the essence of a terrified cowboy.

And now, the premiere of ‘Punch Me In The Face’ by Reformed Whores.

Check out their live show on Monday, May 23rd at 9:30pm at the Peoples Improv Theater. Get ready to hoot and holler cause they guarantee a good time. More at reformedwhores.com.