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Chandra recorded her first EP in 1980 at age 12. Her father, artist/professor Dennis Oppenheim, was a teacher of Eugenie Diserio, whose bands played at parties at Chandra's family's loft. Eugenie was in Model Citizens, who split after doing one record produced by John Cale, and fractioned into The Dance and Polyrock, who then did an album with Philip Glass. Chandra's drummer, Fred Maher, was also a member of Material at the same time he was recording and backing The Dance and Chandra. Chandra grew up in the middle of the early 1980's New... Read More ... York City arts and music scene of that era and around many of the people locally involved then.
Eugenie and The Dance wanted to do a project fronted by a child and Chandra was excited to record 4 song EP backed by one of her favorite bands, and to start playing in clubs like The Mudd Club and Danceteria while she was still a pre-teenager. She also started designing her own clothes, inspired by Eugenie Diserio's sense of fashion.
The 12 year old girl fronting a dance band went over well in the New York arts scene with the band playing regularly in the local New Wave/Dance clubs. They also toured the northeast USA extensively, doing double bills of Chandra and The Dance.
Chandra recorded a second unreleased EP with an all-kid band as 'The Chandra Dimension' that was shelved until 2008 when Cantor Records released of both EPs together in a single vinyl reissue with new material as a full album, [r=1602843], in a limited pressing of 500 copies.
She has gone on to do other work including music, art and performance art under her full name Chandra Oppenheim.
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