LimeWire Music Blog

Well, if Jay-Z says great things are happening in indie rock right now you know it’s got to be true.  There are certainly a million great bands doing new and interesting things, taking preconceived notions and diverse smatterings of influences and forming something new.  Screaming Females, a punk band from New Brunswick, NJ,  have, aside from attitude and energy (arguably, though, two of punk’s key signifiers), hardly any of the genre’s trappings.  Minuscule singer Marissa Paternoster fills songs with extended guitar solos good enough–no, better–for a metal band, and wails with a booming voice to match.  The rest of the band, too, are just as skilled, something that can only be appreciated when seeing Screaming Females live. Screaming Females are unbelievably tight–jazz tight. This, of course, is completely un-punk rock.  A band with ferocious energy who also knows how to play their instruments? And can play them well?

Last night, Screaming Females drew a diverse crowd of college kids and folks my parents’ age (recent opening slots for Dinosaur Jr. and The Dead Weather probably helped with the latter) at Mercury Lounge, and they deserve the attention.  Sure, they might not be the first band, or the first punk band for that matter, to learn their instruments so well, but Screaming Females could go down as one of the best.  Just don’t be surprised if you see Jay-Z at one of their next shows.

images by Ben Gold