[From the Summer issue of Limelight Magazine, which just hit the newsstands.]

They won't cheat you out of a good time
By Jessica Botelho

As their name directly suggests, Cheater Pint is a bar band who refers to themselves as "an independent brewer of choice rock music." Playing mostly in the Boston area, Cheater Pint brings a frothy blend of music to their fans.

"I would say, we're a combination of a lot of things," said Lauran O'Neal, the band's founder and female vocalist, who goes by the nickname, "Pickles." "We're a little bit of pop, a little bit of punk, even a little garage. We call ourselves 'The Pint' for short, which we like better."

Drawing from bands like The Replacements, The Pixies, and Superchunk, O'Neal originally formed the band several years ago with a female bass player and two males. These days, O'Neal is the only woman, backed by three men.

"You might say [Lauran's] the only original member, but I've been in the band for about five years now," said Mark Simon, who shares guitar duties with O'Neal. "Lauran and I definitely share the responsibilities for rhythm and leads. I don't think we really make a distinction in this band, but we do comprise the dual guitar attack of 'The Pint.'

O'Neal and Simon met through a mutual friend -- a pal who actually used to be in the band.

"I was buddies with someone who was in the band before [me] and I do websites and graphic design, so I built their original website," said Simon. "Then, I joined the band. How or why it happened, I don't know, but that's how it went down."

Dan Weddle plays drums for 'The Pint' and Todd Giles is the bassist. Weddle joined by answering an ad O'Neal posted on Craig's List in March 2005 and Giles joined the group last fall.

All three men have a very high opinion of their female lead singer. In fact, they each possess a large amount of respect and admiration for O'Neal and even credit her for being the heart and soul of 'The Pint.'

"Our band would not be without our female," said Giles. "She is the reason the band is."

"Unlike a lot of other women in rock bands, she really is the band," agreed Simon. "It's hard to describe what that means, but what she brings to the table is everything she's got. She leads the band in spirit, in style, and the way we approach our work as a band. In that sense, a lot of other bands have a sort of figurehead that's nothing more than just that -- there's other people pulling the strings. That's not the case with us."

Weddle, who cites hard-hitting drummers like John Bonham, Keith Moon, and Stewart Copeland as his major influences, feels exactly the same way Simon does. He acknowledges the fact that having a female fronting the band is a huge part of what makes their music great.

"The songs are really grown out of a female point of view," he said. "Even though males can sing such songs, when you hear the humor from a gender perspective along with the notes and harmonies, males just wouldn't do the songs justice in my humbled opinion."

Praise for "Pickles" does not stop there. Simon thinks she inspires him and the rest of the band with her unique guitar riffs and sound.

"Pickles is a profound influence on me because she comes up with all these kooky ideas, which are great," said Simon, "She is a very innovative guitarist and that just sort of comes out of not having any pre-conceived ideas. Obviously, influences are very important, but I don't think we ever set out to be this type of band or that type of band. I think once it came together, we ended up being the type of band we are, if that makes sense."

As much as O'Neal contributes to the group, she refuses to take all the credit. With all four members supplying vocals and their respective instruments, O'Neal says they influence her as well.

"Mark's really good at getting it to sound better and have some melody," she said.

Weddle also plays a big part in helping out musically. He provides his ability to stretch the harmonies, as well as his vibrancy on stage and his openness to O'Neal and Simon's ideas, while Giles not only brings his bass skills, but also his playful personality to the band, adding to the fun they like to have while performing live.

"We're regular people, we have jobs, we're not trying to make it as rock stars," said Simon. "We'd like to travel for tours, but we don't want it to be our lifestyles."

"We're having fun," reiterated Weddle. "We're not 21, we don't have delusions. We are all good people balancing life with this passion called rock. Is there anything better?"