Females can rock too

May 15, 2008 08:55 pm

— By Tommy Mann Jr.
The Orange Leader

BEAUMONT — A rare treat is in store for rock music fans tonight on Crockett Street as four bands, all with female vocalists, converge on the Antone’s stage.
The concert, aptly titled the “Rock Goddess Showcase,” will feature two area rock bands and two regional rock acts for one big concert in Beaumont.
Local bands appearing include Broken Mary and Drachen, while the Austin-based She Craves and The Vettes, from New Orleans, will also perform.
The doors open at 8 p.m. and admission is $7 at the door for ages 18 and older. The show will start shortly after 9 p.m. with Broken Mary serving as the opening act while The Vettes are the spotlight attraction.
Rachel Vette, vocalist of The Vettes, said the band wrote its first batch of songs prior to Hurricane Katrina, but split up for about six months immediately after the storm.
Vette, who said there are not as many females in bands in the New Orleans area as one might expect, said people may be surprised who influenced her early on.
“Surprisingly enough I don’t look up to many female lead acts,” she said. “I find that a lot of them fall short. I do not mimic any female vocalists. I just sing and that’s how I sound.”
Vette said she was influenced by bands such as Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, REM, Elastica, Weezer, U2 and The Carpenters, plus more modern acts such as Cold Play, Keane and Metric.
She originally became interested in music because she wanted to manage a band in which her brothers, Todd, Chad and Brian, played.
“I really wanted to get involved, but they would never let me go out on the road,” Vette said. “So I decided to start my own band, which they eventually all joined. The rest is history.”
Shannon Dean, vocalist of Broken Mary, said she has been influenced by artists such as Tool, Bessie Smith, Reba McEntire, Alanis Morissette “and just about everything in between.”
“Most of the band’s music was written before I ever became a member,” Dean said. “The guys all decided I should get a shot as their singer after a few long car trips with me singing along with Tool and A Perfect Circle at the top of my lungs.”
Although this is Dean’s first band, she shows no discomfort being in the spotlight on stage and credits that to her years of experience in choir and other stage responsibilities.
Southeast Texas has always had the occasional band with a female vocalist or musician, such as Malayden, but there was a recent period of inactivity until mid-2007. Now there are several bands with female members such as Broken Mary, Drachen, Fictive Kin, Autovenom, and Haven, plus country groups like Southwind and the Danielle Powers Band.
“I think the surge of female led bands may be due in part to the commercial success of national acts such a Evanescence and Flyleaf,” Dean said. “But as far as Broken Mary is concerned, I think it was more serendipitous than that. I don’t really bother with the fact that I’m a female. We just like to make good music.”
Vette said she feels the vocalist of the band must be a good singer and a “believable” front person. Her advice to girls who have dreamed of performing in a band, rock or otherwise, is simple.
“Find your own voice, literally,” Vette said. “And play music that you love.”
For more information about the “Rock Goddess Showcase,” call Crockett Street at 409-832-2944 for more details.

Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com

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