I just don’t think this is true, man. I think if anything, our culture is MORE encouraging of women who want to perform, be theatrical and dramatic, than men. There is no shortage of female singers, stage performers of various kinds, and other assorted divas with huge show-offy flair.
And here she is shredding through “Because the Night” with Garbage. I saw Screaming Females live a couple of years ago in a small club in Auckland, and Marissa totally brings it. I mean, there is this tiny indie looking chick up there with a guitar strapped on that looks easily half her size, and then she unleashes this outstanding fucking firestorm of noise. Hell of a vocalist, too.
Something I’ve noticed too if you see a girl n a group she’s the keyboardist like he one in new order whose name I never remember …her expressions she gets when she’s playing something for the nth time are amusing…
Several of my favorite drummers have already been listed, and since the atomically powered Janet Weiss has been mentioned on drums, her cohorts in Sleater-Kinney, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein (both on guitar), deserve some recognition. Together, they’re one of the most powerful live bands I’ve ever seen.
I’ll toss in Wata–guitarist for the epically heavy Japanese sludge-metal band Boris.
There’s also Mr. Airplane Man, a rip-roarin’ guitar/drums female duo.
Similarly, Deap Valley.
Or Mary Timony from Helium, Wild Flag, andEx-Hex.
Locally (Memphis), there’s Alicja Trout, who you may know from her time with Jay Reatard in Lost Sounds, who have reactivated (sans Jay, obviously) as Sweet Knives.
We’ve also got no-wave noise punks NOTS, led by guitarist Natalie Hoffman.
While Susannah Hoffs became the focal point of the band, all of The Bangles were great musicians, as well. Vicky Peterson on guitar, her sister Debbie on drums, and Michael Steele were all very gifted.
See also (but probably not as well known): Vixen (Janet Gardner, Roxy Petrucci, Share Pederson, and the late Jan Kuehnemund), and The Donnas.
It’s different. It really is.
There is no “female version of Maynard Ferguson” (with the whole inflated persona thing). No “female version of Buddy Rich” or “female version of Jimi Hendrix”. Joe Satriani, Eddie van Halen, … I’m not saying women don’t play as well as men, because I know women who are absolute monster instrumentalists - but they do act differently about it.
The women you mentioned are theatrical and dramatic, but in very different ways.
Rebecca (guitar/vox) and Megan (lap steel/vox) Lovell of Larkin Poe:
Never heard of her/the band. Wow, what a talent. She throws her voice around too much, and her guitar tone is too metal and not articulate enough for the stuff she plays, but damn, she’s really good. She’s real badass and could be a solid frontman. Almost too bad about the band name: it feels like it puts them in a box. They should have a cool power trio name, like Cream or Rush, or the Marissa Paternoster Experience.
I’ll be hearing more of her, I’m sure.
ETA: the name of the band could be The Our Fathers 
(the translation of her last name)…nah.
[quote=“allyn, post:47, topic:814448”]
Rebecca (guitar/vox) and Megan (lap steel/vox) Lovell of Larkin Poe:
[/QUOTE]Damn. They’re good. Reminds me to name-check **The Dixie Chicks **- the sisters are contest-winning gunslingers on their instruments.
This thread has become a Cool List Thread™. Totally fine, but not what the OP originally was focused on. Bottom line, I think there have been forces at work in music that limit a woman’s opportunities, but we are seeing those limits actively attacked these days. About time.
Oh, absolutely. I was so focused on the drummer part of the OP that I missed the guitar. Corin & Carrie’s guitar interplay is perhaps the best I’ve heard since Verlaine and Lloyd of Television. And, while I’ve only gotten to see them once so far, their show is top 3 all time concerts for me.
Charo is known in many parts of the world as a great guitarist, in America more for shaking her boobs while saying “cuchi-cuchi”. on the Love Boat.
But she was a world class flamingo guitarist.
Perhaps her best-known tune.
Some pretty badass examples in this thread - thanks everyone!
You mean like this?
That is what I said…:smack:hmmm I guess she used that to play her flamenco music
Yeah. If you get the chance to see them live, go. Half the fun is the contrast between the name of the band and their look, and the sound they put out: there’s this petite woman in op-shop chic looking like she’s going to murmur and strum her way through a song called “My Boyfriend Left (And Took The Cat)”, and then she opens up and it’s like the spirits of James Williamson and Wayne Kramer are fighting for possession of her hands. Total badass.
56 posts and no mention of Joni Mitchell?
She was a master of alternate tuning patterns on the guitar.
True. Shame on me.
Good pick, I’ve seen her many times and she’s a wonderful guitarist.
Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, a lead guitar goddess with all of the chops.
Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, a great fuzzy sound and playing