Neal also remained in the Detroit area, putting out a stream of great records with her many bands and projects. Mandolyn moved to San Francisco, needing a change of scenery. "I had $300 in my pocket, took off and didn't look back," she says. "I formed a cool band out there in '96 called Piston. I wanted to do an all-female thing so, out of that band, formed Fabulous Disaster. We got signed to Fat Wreck Chords, NOFX's label. We were the first all-female band on that label. We toured nonstop from '99 to 2006. We used to get fan mail from Good Charlotte."

A dubious honor indeed. However, Inside Out is back to play Small's and the girls are keen to point out that longtime fans will not feel cheated.

"It's going to fuckin' rock," Carrell says. "We've rehearsed three or four times, and it rocked. Karen and I get together once a week and go through the set. There will be more professionalism involved. I'm not going to drink before the show for obvious reasons. We know how to play — that's not the problem. Actually, you'll see the old Inside Out. It won't be as rough as it was."

For now, the band members have no plans to do anything beyond this one show, but they're happy to leave a question mark over the idea of more gigs and perhaps new songs. The girls might be a little older but the fire's still there. It's just a little different.

"I went from being a very angry young woman to being a horny old lady," Neal says.

Brett Callwood writes City Slang for Metro Times. Send comments to him at letters@metrotimes.com.

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