Rockers Delight Festival; Liberate @ Ace of Clubs

A Nor'easter in March couldn't deter the ardent fans from coming to hear Rockers Delight @ the Ace Of Clubs for a queer heavy mostly female line-up to benefit V-Day: A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women. This night women musicians ruled regardless of age. The rocker community had open hearts and welcomed the music with an outpouring of love and enthusiasm. I managed to stay for only three sets out of six. The venue had gigantic speakers, and the mix was loud, leaving little in the way of subtlety. Vero's set was the first in the line-up and my reason for being there. I recently reviewed Vero @ The Rockwood and was thoroughly impressed. Tonight the staging gave the band and Vero a chance to loosen up. The band debuted a new song with an urban cowboy vibe and a folk-rock twist. The trotting hammered bass notes on the guitar while the percussion kicked up dirt, leaving the delicate guitar leads settling in the dust cloud. Vero's sultry voice picked up every nuance adding just the right mix of enthusiasm at its peak. This set showed off Vero's versatility as a songwriter and performer. She is not genre specific, making her music so intriguing. Her awesome bandmates ice the cake with intelligent playing.

 

Hooray For Goodbye is a power-pop outfit with kick-ass rapper rocker front woman Genny Slag. Her small stature was deceptive because, on stage, she is a powerful master of energy leading the band's segments of loud thrashing and sonic movements. The band's fluidity is driven by guitarist Sora An and is layered between expansive leads and power chord distortions, giving Slag a chance to recover and come on like gangbusters. Very engaging band.

 

Karyn Kuhl was billed as old school's finest badasses. The skilled line-up of players championing the power of confidence to play regardless of age. Karyn Kuhl is an accomplished guitarist with a voice that is a bluesy mix between Janis Joplin and Pati Smith. She was accompanied by saxophone lead guitar, bass, and drums playing a loud, feisty set full of conviction. I wrote Karyn's colloquial banter designed explicitly for the audience with some eyeliner on a piece of paper that I clearly can't find, but trust me, they were good.

As I was leaving, I realized how marginalized, and over-sexualized women of rock are depicted in the hetero culture. Having lived all my life within the confines of a straight culture left me wondering how different everything could be if I just didn't give a shit what anyone thought. For women buying into cultural constraints is an inhibitor of what is possible. I left the Ace of Clubs feeling liberated.

others performing after I left were: GSX and Sophia Ramos' Swear on Your Life FLICKER SET!