"Gossip Girl" Taylor Momsen Debuts Band, The Pretty Reckless

Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen and her band, the Pretty Reckless, made their live debut at New York club the Annex last night, reports Guest of a Guest. Channeling her inner Courtney Love, 15-year-old Momsen (who was luckily not carded, evidently) belted out the band's tunes in a raspy growl while strutting around in a beige slip and lace-up black boots.

Momsen's Gossip Girl alter-ego would approve: Jenny Humphrey (Momsen's character on the CW show) is an aspiring fashion designer whose DIY styling, raccoon eyeliner and punky hairdo make her a rebellious standout at her prim and proper Upper East Side private school. In true punk spirit, Little J even went so far as to stage a renegade fashion show earlier this season, appropriately soundtracked by Sonic Youth's "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (check out the scene and more of Gossip Girl music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas' favorite soundtrack moments). Humphrey's father, Rufus, was also the frontman of fictional one-hit-wonders Lincoln Hawk, who were named on Gossip Girl as one of Rolling Stone's Top 10 Forgotten Bands of the '90s.

The Pretty Reckless are signed to Interscope Records and the band's debut — on which Momsen shares co-writing credits — is due this fall, confirms a press release. As Rock Daily reported, the band will open for Australian sister duo the Veronicas at U.S. gigs this Spring/Summer.

Momsen isn't the only Gossip Girl star with a burgeoning music career. Fellow cast member Leighton Meester (queen bee Blair Waldorf) has plans to release her debut album this fall after Meester inked a deal with Universal Republic last month, and she will appear on the first single from Cobra Starship's forthcoming record, while Ed Westwick (the alternately smarmy and charming Chuck Bass) fronts Brit-pop act the Filthy Youth.

For more on the cast of Gossip Girl, including photos of their steamy Rolling Stone photo shoot and juicy stories from the set, check out our Gossip Girl hub.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

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