For Those Women About to Rock

Lzzy Hale at Rock on the Range 2010

This week brought us the centenary celebration of International Women’s Day, so I thought I’d take a look at some of the women currently turning the rock world on its ear. Unlike their pop counterparts of recent years, these women are more than just a pretty face and hot body (though they’re pretty smokin’ too.) For each, its never a case of either/or. They can sing AND scream, write AND play. They can do it all. And with their “anything you can do, I can do better” attitudes, they’re showing the boys who’s boss.

Photo from the Halestorm Facebook page

1. Lzzy Hale – front woman for the band Halestorm, a name appropriate considering that Lzzy embodies exactly that – a storm. While on stage, she can be erratic and chaotic, thrashing and wailing with a presence much bigger than her small physical frame. Yet, she also manages to exhibit a controlled beauty in her performance, highlighted by subtle theatrics appropriate to each song. She sings, plays guitar and piano and writes her own material.  Her talent and hard-work ethic have earned her the respect of peers like Shinedown and Seether.  Halestorm has been touring hard since the release of their self titled debut album in 2009, being added to some of the past year’s biggest tours. They’re currently on the road with the Avalanche Tour including headliners, Stone Sour. This week the band released an album of cover tunes meant to hold over their fans until new material can be release sometime next year.

Photo from the In This Moment Facebook page

2. Maria Brink – vocalist for heavy metal group In This Moment. Male “screamers” in this genre of music seem to be a dime a dozen. (Granted, not all of them are created equal.) Female “screamers” are much rarer, and the really good ones could probably be counted on one hand. Maria Brink is definitely among the elite from both the men and the women. Her haughty sound is identifiably unique, helping the band blaze a trail through the cookie cutter minutia that seems to come with the territory. Maria comes off as quite well-rounded, comfortable whether on stage shrieking with the big dogs during Ozzfest, or in the studio singing melodically to the soft strands of a piano. In This Moment recently released their latest album A Star Crossed Wasteland and is currently on the Music As a Weapon Tour with Korn and Disturbed. They headline the “Hardest Chicks in Hard Rock Hell Hath No Fury” Tour starting in April, which I personally cannot wait to see.Later this year they'll set sail will die-hard rock fans and other acts like Buckcherry and Hellyeah onboard the Shiprocked Cruise.

Photo from the Straight Line Stitch Facebook page

3. Alexis Brown – one of the few African American female artists in the hard rock/heavy metal genre, who fronts the band Straight Line Stitch. Growing up with a family deeply rooted in music (Dad is a saxophonist, Mom sings in the church choir, brother plays guitar and aunt sings in a band) left very little doubt as to what Alexis’ future would hold. She actually grew up singing R&B until her heavy metal infused brother pulled her over to the dark side. She’s been perfecting her scream through trial and error since the age of 16, with a bit of formal training mixed in here and there, and you can’t deny the results. Regardless, Alexis doesn’t settle for the status quo. Instead, she constantly pushes herself and her band to evolve their sound into something different and unique. In fact, that theme is what their latest single “Conversion,” off the band’s upcoming album, is all about. Straight Line Stitch recently wrapped up a tour opening for Nonpoint and will soon move onto the “Hardest Chicks in Hard Rock Hell Hath No Fury” Tour with In This Moment.

Photo from The Birthday Massacre Facebook page

4. Chibi – lead singer for a Canadian band new to my radar called The Birthday Massacre.  Reminiscent of Amy Lee in Evanescence, Chibi blends her haunting melodies with the band’s strange electronic/goth rock hybrid sound. Each band member has their own stage name and persona, somewhat akin to a club kid version of Marilyn Manson’s entourage. Chibi is no exception, with looks ranging from not-so-innocent-schoolgirl to gothic-pinup-sheik. Her vocal styling is more toned down than some of the others in this list, but she still manages to make her voice impactful, whether through extended delicate notes or eerie whispers. Though the band has been around in its original form since 1999, they’re better known in Canada and Europe. Their latest album Pins and Needles, with its first single “In the Dark”, worked its way onto Billboard’s Top 200 chart and seems to be breaking more ground for them within the U.S.  The Birthday Massacre just wrapped up a tour with OTEP.

Photo from the Kittie Facebook page

5. Kittie – yes, I realize this all girl hard rock band constitutes more than one person. But it’s my list and I can break the rules if I want to. A lot of the bands I’ve listed have pioneered for women rockers in one way or another, but none so like what the girls of Kittie have accomplished. It’s one thing to have a chick lead singer, but another thing entirely to have the whole band comprised of two X chromosomes. Kittie has not only done this, but done it successfully. Though the band members have gone through many iterations through the years, the quartet is still led by sisters Morgan and Mercedes Landers. Since they formed in 1996, the group has always stayed true to their sound, which can only be described as unapologetic metal. Pounding beats, heavy riffs and dark lyrics are not only trademarks of Kittie, but something many of their male counterparts strive to emulate. The band spent last year touring heavily with other acts such as Insane Clown Posse, Asking Alexandria and Devildriver. Kittie is currently writing tracks for their sixth studio album.