I was lucky enough to attend Riot Fest in Chicago this weekend and saw some extremely legendary Women in Rock as well as some newer acts! It was a three day music overload and I loved every minute of it… except for the nonstop rain on Sunday. Nonetheless, it was an amazing time. Here are some brief show reviews of the Women in Rock at Riot Fest! DAY 1: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts– Joan Jett played to an amazingly packed crowd of people. She still looks great and sounds great and is as enthusiatic as ever. The Blackhearts played all their hits including, “Cherry Bomb,” “Bad Reputation,” “I Love…
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A Match Made in Heaven: David Byrne and St. Vincent
Annie Clark definitely redeemed herself at this show and is back on the top of my list as one of my favorite Women in Rock. If you’ve never seen St. Vincent play guitar, you’re missing out. She can shred in the most delicate and charming way, paired with angelic vocals. David Byrne and St. Vincent are definitely a match made in heaven.
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Wanda Jackson Live: Man, We Had a Party!
When Wanda Jackson entered the Taft Ballroom on Saturday night, I’m not going to lie, I had my doubts. She was on the arms of two men and looked so tiny! Of course, whom I’m assuming to be her significant other held her purse and escorted her both on and off stage. But when she got on that stage… man, was she alive! The backing band, all very attractive young men, played “Rumble” as Ms. Jackson made her way on to stage, a very fitting entrance. Decked out in her white fringe shirt and diamonds, she told us she was going to take us on a musical journey. And really,…
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The Black Belles at the Comet
The Comet was packed Tuesday night in anticipation of seeing Nashville band The Black Belles and the Belles didn’t disappoint. These women sure have created an identity for themselves. At any point, you could spot them somewhere in The Comet; they were hard to miss with their long black hair, black clothes, black hats, pale skin and dark makeup. And the shtick of it all doesn’t seem forced for The Black Belles. Members of Jack White’s label, Third Man Records, the Black Belles opened their set with “Leave You With A Letter,” the opener from their debut self-titled album. To read the rest of this review, check out the article…
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St. Vincent Shows Her New Side at Bogart’s
St. Vincent is one of my favorite musicians and let’s face it… she really is a solo act. I’ve seen her six times now and I’ve watched her evolve from literally a solo act, to having the same band for about three years, to her latest band which is mostly electronic. We get attached to our favorite musicians so sometimes it’s a bit odd to see them change. The show took place May 9 at Bogart’s with the awesome opening act, Shearwater. Annie Clarke is one of my all time favorite guitarists. She is extremely talented and really leads the band with her angelic vocals and mind numbing guitar solos.…
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Wussy Alive and Kickin’ at MOTR
Wussy played at MOTR Friday night and the place was completely packed despite the icy rain that plagued all of Cincinnati. Wussy has released four albums, their most recent being Strawberry which came out in October of 2011. They definitely have loyal fans; I was amazed at the number of people who knew every word to every song. Although I must admit, I do almost have all of the songs on Strawberry memorized. Lisa Walker stood in between Chuck Cleaver (guitar/vocals), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass/keyboards) and has such a genuine smile that captures your attention in a rock n’ roll way. They started off their set with…
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The Sounds
A few things could have affected the Sounds at their Sunday night show in Covington, Kentucky. The fact that they were moved to a smaller venue than the last time they played in Covington, or maybe the fact that their newest album, “Something To Die For” wasn’t well acclaimed. But every single person who attended the concert on Sunday was a die-hard fan and you don’t see that very often anymore. The Sounds have been around since 1999 with their debut release of Living in America in 2002. Since then they’ve released four albums. Their most recent has changed the tone of the music the Sounds are making turning them…
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Those Darlins
Aside from the terrible scheduling at MPMF, I was lucky enough to see Those Darlins live at the Cincinnati Club. Man… do they rock. They started their set with the always-amusing song “Be Your Bro” and kept rockin’ till the very end. These country-twanged mamas wield their instruments like there’s no tomorrow and you can’t help but move when you’re watching them live. With the recent release of the album Screws Get Loose, they had plenty of great material to play. Of course I just about lost it when they broke into their cover of “Shakin’ All Over.” Seriously, I don’t know if they could be any cooler. I was…