Allergic To Whores

Not to be confused with fellow alternative rockers Allergic, the Middleburg Heights, OH-based Allergic to Whores are an intense, forceful outfit with hardcore, punk, and metal influences. The Midwesterners' name has created some controversy in Ohio rock circles; some of their detractors have assumed that they are promoting misogyny and sexism by calling themselves Allergic to Whores. But in 2001, Allergic to Whores addressed that issue on their website — and they asserted that their critics were really the sexist, misogynist ones. The alterna-rockers asked their critics: "Why is the word 'whore' pointed solely at women in your eyes?" and went on to say that they viewed whore as "an equal opportunity word" that could be applied to men as easily as it could be applied to women. Allergic to Whores added that the word "whore" didn't necessarily have a sexual connotation; it could be defined as, in their words, "anyone who sacrifices their integrity for personal gain" and could describe "big businesses that trade their integrity for money and power." So in a nutshell, they insisted that "ATW is not a sexist band" and that detractors were taking their use of the word "whore" out of context. Allergic to Whores' lineup includes Ray Terry on guitar and vocals, Mike Meier (not to be confused with actor/comedian and Saturday Night Live graduate Mike Myers) on drums and vocals, and Lewis Mansfield on bass. The trio's first full-length album, Shadows in the Killingfield, was released on the small, independent Sound Pollution label in 2001. It was followed by 2002's The Lipstick Murders, also on Sound Pollution.