What does ILM think of MILLIONAIRES

Millionaires may just have pulled off one of the biggest pranks in music history - again.

What started as a joke courtesy of a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad - sisters Melissa-Marie and Allison, along with best friend Dani (forget their surnames) - have become the biggest accidental overnight “netsations” since the “Chocolate Rain” YouTube guy.

Making their Bakersfield debut at the Haddad Rockin’ Roots Festival on May 31 at Stramler Park, these over-the-top, glam, hair-pulling, finger-snapping charmers want to let you in on the joke before someone breaks a nail.

“A lot of people, when they first hear our music on MySpace, are like, ‘You guys are totally bitches and so mean!,’” said Millionaires member Dani, 20, via three-way phone call from Huntington Beach where they all reside - at home with their parents, of course.

Like the close-knit friends they are - Allison, 16, and Mellissa, 19 - quickly clarify a few more things.

“The image that we portray online is not how we are in person,” said Allison. “I didn’t know that was the image people would get from us. We’re just really having a good time doing this.”

“Don’t take us too seriously,” Melissa added.

Visit their Web site: www.myspace.com/millionaires and you’ll know exactly what they mean - ’80s-influenced beats, a heavy helping of lyrical campiness and three pretty faces, Millionaires just may be the liberating voices of teenagers nationwide.

You may not like the joke, but you can’t deny their DIY status.

“It’s crazy,” said Melissa. “But now we look forward to every moment. We’re showing kids that anyone can do this.”

In conversation, trying to get a single answer from the girls is nearly impossible, especially between their infectious laughs, which are never too far from each other.

“When we get together, it’s just one continuous laugh,” laughed Allison.

Rewinding back to their beginnings in August of ’07, Allison explained how it all began in less than 30 seconds.

“My sister and I got Apple computers for Christmas,” she said. “One day we were in my room playing around on Garageband (the Apple music recording program included in their computer’s software.) We wrote some lyrics, made a couple beats, put it on MySpace and then “Bam!” The first day we got thousands of plays, and these friends started adding us. Dani came over the next day, and we wrote another song. We named the group quick because we needed a name in order to start a profile.”

After completing their third song and uploading it, the trio noticed their Web popularity skyrocketing.

“We ended up on MySpace’s top artist list within the first week of us forming, then producers and managers found us - everything just came to us.”

The group’s first song, “I Love Money,” is a hilarious rant that will either drive you crazy at your first listen or become your “girls’ night out” anthem. Remember L’Trimm and “Cars that Go Boom?” Add some Beastie Boys and Peaches to the mix and you’ve got Millionaires.

The rest of their hit list reads like a locker room talk throwdown.

“Painted Whore,” “In My Bed,” “Alcohol,” and “Hoe Down” - the titles and lyrics scream of mindless fun for the wild youth of today. Read a lyric sheet and you’ll find this ain’t no Hannah Montana act, these girls can spit some acid.

But hold on, what about their parents, you may ask?

“Our whole family is totally supportive,” said Melissa. “My mom always wears the merch, they’re always at the shows. I think they come thinking no one’s gonna be there, then the show sells out.”

Dani’s family, on the other hand, took some convincing.

“My family was not supportive when we first started, even though it was a joke,” she said. “We played at The Troubadour in Santa Monica and I heard a voice that sounded like my mom. I turned around and it was her! That was a nice surprise. They also support us now, ’cuz it’s like an investment opportunity. So of course they jumped on that more (laughs).”

Onto the next stage of business, investing their time and energy into Millionaires is priority for the three at the moment. But like the lil’ geniuses they are, these girls have plans for the future should Millionaires go bankrupt.

Allison, who just graduated high school on May 24, has plans to attend Cal State Fullerton to major in graphic design. Melissa Marie is close to completing her math degree at Cal State Long Beach.

Dani, on the other hand, has chosen to live in the moment like the rebel she is.

“I’m kind of a floater,” she laughed. “I was going to college for a while majoring in photography, and then I was like, “Ahhh f**k this!”

Not rich yet, the girls want Bakersfield to know that what they lack in material fortune, they make up for in love for their fans.

“Be ready to party, because we bring it,” exclaimed Allison of their live show. “We are not too cool to talk to our fans, so don’t be afraid to come and talk to us - we love our fans!”