She slips out of her guitar strap and half-tosses the whole thing towards her amp. Grabbing the microphone with both hands she lets out a scream like lightning bolts as the rhythm section treads steadily onwards at her side. There’s over a hundred kids thrashing at her feet like they’ve lost their minds, and if she notices, she doesn’t show it.
She slips out of her guitar strap and half-tosses the whole thing towards her amp. Grabbing the microphone with both hands she lets out a scream like lightning bolts as the rhythm section treads steadily onwards at her side. There’s over a hundred kids thrashing at her feet like they’ve lost their minds, and if she notices, she doesn’t show it.
No more than five feet tall, and weighing in at no more than 90 pounds, Marissa Paternoster is pound for pound one of the fightingest, shreddingest front-women in the indie scene today, and her band, New Jersey’s Screaming Females, is easily one of the most rocking.
A full frontal assault of pounding, pulsing, drums and bass, fast, fuzzy, guitar shredding and a voice that at once warbles, wails, and moans, makes listening to Screaming Females a lot like rollicking through a wild meadow while getting punched in the face simultaneously. One minute they’re on an unrestrained, flowing, rock rhythm (think Day Dream Nation), the next minute it’s all broken down into an amalgamation of Siouxsie Sioux, Dinosaur Jr., and Devo. Marissa’s wailing, Marissa’s guitar is wailing, Jarrett (drums) is banging on his kit like it owes him money, and King Mike (bass) is holding down the beat and filling in the gaps, all the while looking like a big ol’ dancing bear. In case you didn’t pick up on it, this band is fucking awesome.
Taking a break from their current tour with indie giants Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Screaming Females stopped through Richmond for a sold-out show at Gallery 5 on Wednesday, April 7, with local bands Antlers, The Two Funerals, and Sundials. They were gracious enough to have a couple drinks with me at Strange Matter before the show, where we discussed such matters as Superman’s occupational dilemmas, the importance of beauty sleep to a rock n’ roll lifestyle, and what it’s like getting text messages from Ted Leo.
We sat in a booth and drank beers, talking about how things are going for the band right now. In the past year they’ve been featured on MTV, in Rolling Stone, and have played with the likes of Dinosaur Jr. and The Arctic Monkeys. It seems that Screaming Females are blowing up right now, and rightfully so. In regards to their current tour mates, the band could not be happier. “This tour has been so fun,” says drummer Jarrett Dougherty, “Right now I feel like Ted Leo is a good friend of mine. He texts me all the time.”
“There’s no one else that I could imagine understanding us better than Ted Leo,” adds bassist King Mike, “as a band, and as people, cause we’re both from Jersey.”
As for Marrissa, she doesn’t talk much. Sometimes though, if you’re lucky, she’ll blow your mind with the kind of insight that only the quiet possess. “I wonder if Clarke Kent ever wrote anything, you know?” she says, on the topic of comic books. “How did he keep that job, I mean, he never got anything done, he was always out of the office. He probably just boned Lois Lane in the janitor’s closet all the time when he was there anyways. Right?”
In regards to their hectic schedule and the tiring nature of being a touring band, King Mike remarks “We’re a pretty boring bunch. People always ask us what we’re doing after the show, trying to get us to party, but we never do. I mean, usually it’s like ‘We’re just gonna go to sleep, and maaaybe watch The Nutty Professor, but probably just sleep.’” Jarrett adds “yeah, I read something Iggy Pop said about how bands that live the rock n’ roll lifestyle all the time burn out really fast. I think we’ve been a band for five years and haven’t killed each other yet for that reason.”
Maybe it’s all the sleep they’re getting, or maybe it was the mass of screaming, sweating fans so amped to see them, but either way, the band hit the stage with full force, the kind of energy that would blow away a thousand fans, not just the one or two hundred that were there on Wednesday. Sweaty and relentless, they plowed through their set, Marissa decked out in a thrift-store chic dress reminiscent of a nun’s frock, and had most of the crowd dancing by the end of the first song. Sadly, the set was only 30 minutes or so, but worth every second.
Although plans have not been made for their next venture to the River City, given the crowd reaction and the good vibes from this most recent show, I’m sure they’ll be back soon. If you haven’t seen or heard them yet, check them out, and get your tickets early next time they come around, because trust me guys, this band is only going to get bigger and bigger.
