Skope Magazine February 14 The Lizard Lounge Cambridge, MA Sometimes it’s not so bad being without a Valentine; this year it allowed me the good fortune of being up to my ears in women rock ‘n rollers. In June 2003 Angelle Wood of WFNX and Ed Durbeck put on the first in a series of shows championing the female underdogs of the Boston Music Scene. The concept worked; "Heart-Shaped Rock" (show number 4) filled the Lizard Lounge almost to capacity and the music kept the place heated against the mid-February cold. When I got there, Providence-based trio Drab had the floor; the house was about 2/3 full, the spirits were flowing and the music was loud, a Breeders-esque brand of rock that had toes tapping and folks tuning in. Starla Dear followed; a four-piece band from Waltham I thought were high-school kids – turns out they’re all in their early-mid twenties. References to the Bangles passed through the crowd; I enjoyed their set – edgy, melodic girl-rock makes me feel warm and tingly inside… Next – and arguably the high-point of the evening, at least in terms of glitz – Sugabomb took the floor and splooged all over the Lounge’s red velvet. With fishnets and go-go boots, leopard-skin and creepers, songs about bar whores, a cable guy named Larry, and titties (as in, "do you wanna touch mah…?"), Vikki Sixx and the gang glam-punked their trashy way into more than just a few Lounge Lizards’ hearts. The most compelling act of the evening followed: local trio The Kitty Kill delivered their signature brand of straight-up, no-nonsense, power-chord-melody-and-backbeat-driven punk rock. Lead singer Sandrine Merhy drew us in with her focus and calm, and with the competent muscle of Jenn Dagger (bass) and Jen Chouinard (drums) the music carried us to that special place where only good, disciplined, hearty punk rock can go. By the time Chroma took the stage for their debut performance, I was pooped. I’m sure they were great, but I only heard a couple of songs – heavy, dark, significant – and decided it was time for bed. I was maxed out on rock for the evening, and had my fill of solo Valentine fun. If you missed this one, too bad for you – but not to worry; there’s more! Stay tuned for the next wave of the Rising Tide… -Shawn Madden soundjourney | |||||||||||||||||||