The All-Girl Boys Choir

Lore & Background

The All-Girl Boys Choir formed in 2008 and is made up of Alicia Warrington and Marlene Hammerle. The girls met by way of Detroit's Gore Gore Girls – Hammerle's former band on Bloodshot Records. Warrington, who works as a professional drummer in Los Angeles, California, was hired on drumming duty for the Gore Gore Girls' 2008 European tour. When the tour finished, Hammerle relocated to Los Angeles to start working with Alicia on a new music project, and The All-Girl Boys Choir was born.

In October 2009, the duo unleashed their first (self-recorded/self-released) E.P., along with a video for a song. Alicia and Marlene played all of the instruments on the E.P. and struggled through broken recording equipment, a sprained wrist and laryngitis during the recording process. While keeping their feet planted in rock, the ladies also looked to artists like John Lee Hooker, Ike & Tina Turner and Ry Cooder for inspiration while writing the EP.

In July 2010, they sold their belongings and purchased an RV to tour the United States. They independently booked, promoted and self-financed the tour, taking the AGBC's intense live show around the country for 4 months. In 2011, Alicia and Marlene returned to their home state of Michigan to record a 7-song E.P. The E.P. was recorded with an engineer and independently released in May 2011.

Reader's Guide

The All-Girl Boys Choir represent a model of independent, DIY musicianship in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Formed after a chance meeting on tour, the duo of Alicia Warrington and Marlene Hammerle self-recorded and self-released their early work, overcoming equipment failures and physical ailments. Their 2010 "Never. Ending. Noise. Tour." was entirely self-financed and self-booked, demonstrating a commitment to grassroots promotion. Their sound, rooted in rock with influences from blues and soul artists such as John Lee Hooker and Ike & Tina Turner, was captured on two EPs: "Walking Miracles" (2009) and "electric." (2011). Though they did not achieve mainstream commercial success, their story illustrates the resourcefulness and resilience common among independent artists of the era.

Did You Know?

• The duo met through Marlene Hammerle's former band, the Gore Gore Girls, on Bloodshot Records.
• Alicia Warrington played all instruments on the duo's first EP, including guitar, vocals, drums, bass, and banjo.
• The duo sold their belongings and bought an RV to tour the United States for four months in 2010.
• Their 2011 EP was recorded in Michigan with an engineer.

Formation & The Road to Los Angeles

The All-Girl Boys Choir came into existence in 2008 in Los Angeles, California, as a two-person rock duo. The pairing of Alicia Warrington and Marlene 'The Hammer' Hammerle was not a random encounter but the product of a specific professional chain. Warrington, who already held a steady position as a working drummer in the Los Angeles scene, was brought on to handle drumming duties for the Gore Gore Girls, a Detroit-based group on Bloodshot Records that featured Hammerle. That 2008 European tour served as the crucible for their partnership. Once the road dates wrapped, Hammerle made the decision to relocate from Michigan to California, specifically to begin collaborating with Warrington on a fresh musical project. The result was the AGBC, a band in which Warrington covers guitar, vocals, drums, bass, and banjo, while Hammerle handles lead guitar, vocals, and harmonica. What began as a single tour obligation transformed into a permanent creative alliance rooted in the West Coast.

Walking Miracles: DIY Recording Under Fire

In October 2009, the duo dropped their debut extended play, Walking Miracles, a project that was entirely self-recorded and self-released. Both Warrington and Hammerle played every instrument heard on the record, a necessity born from their independent approach. The recording process was far from smooth: the pair battled malfunctioning studio gear, a sprained wrist, and laryngitis that threatened to silence their vocal performances. Despite these obstacles, the finished product carried a distinctive sonic identity. While the duo kept their foundation firmly in rock, they drew melodic and rhythmic inspiration from a wide range of artists, including blues legend John Lee Hooker, the dynamic pair Ike and Tina Turner, and guitarist Ry Cooder. To complement the release, they also produced a music video for the track 'Western Star,' further extending the reach of their self-directed creative output into visual media.

The Never. Ending. Noise. Tour

By July 2010, the All-Girl Boys Choir had made a dramatic logistical leap to take their live show on the road. They sold off their personal belongings and used the proceeds to purchase a recreational vehicle, which became both their mobile base of operations and their touring vehicle. The resulting 'Never. Ending. Noise. Tour' was a four-month run across the United States, during which the duo independently handled every aspect of the operation: booking venues, promoting shows, and financing the entire undertaking out of pocket. There was no label backing, no management team, no corporate infrastructure. Just two musicians, an RV, and an intense live performance that they carried to audiences across the country. The tour embodied the same do-it-yourself ethos that defined their recording process, proving that their commitment to artistic independence extended well beyond the studio and into the physical act of getting their music in front of listeners.

electric.: Returning to Michigan Roots

In 2011, the All-Girl Boys Choir made a deliberate return to their shared home state of Michigan to record their second extended play, a seven-track project simply titled 'electric.' This marked a shift in their production approach: rather than wrestling with broken equipment in a makeshift setup, they enlisted engineer Andy Van Guilder to help capture their sound in a more structured recording environment. The EP was independently released in May 2011, continuing the duo's pattern of maintaining full creative and distribution control over their work. The decision to record back in Michigan, where Hammerle had previously been part of the Gore Gore Girls and where their musical roots were planted, gave the project a sense of geographic and personal grounding. 'electric.' stands as the second entry in a deliberately small discography, reflecting a band that prioritized quality, authenticity, and self-determination over volume of output.

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