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Electric guitars and
chick singers. Very few females make the transition from folk
to straight-ahead rock - some quirk in the time/space continuum
keeps the women in the softer side of the musical spectrum. Not true
when it comes to Ramona the Pest.
The new 4 song EP from
the San Francisco bay area three-piece outfit Ramona the Pest,
Birds, Bugs, Bones, offers
a sharply jagged slice of alt-rock songcraft in the tradition of
Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and 11th Dream Day.
Guitarist Lucio Menegon
uses his gift to lay down some truly inspired six-string mayhem.
The guitars range from chunky slabs of metallic riffing to wailing
whammy-bar manipulation. The band uses dynamics to the
extreme, as vocalist Valerie Esway's voice floats under, above, and
completely within the audio mix.
The opening track "15
Yeah" is a rowdy rocker that screams for college radio airplay with
its thunderous guitars and chorus of "yea yea yea's." The band
slows things down for "Itsy Bitsy Spider," which actually uses the
nursery rhyme for lyrics. Just as things are getting a bit too cute,
the guitars enter with a powerful wail. A quiet guitar
introduces "Skeleton Woman," which describes a woman we have all met
somewhere: "She will tear your bones apart put them back
together again." Ouch.
A distorted, rootsy
sounding guitar begins the closing track, "Lullabye for a Sad Day."
Percussionist Pat Spurgeon bangs away on a toy piano, while Esway
sings to this lilting, melancholy tune.
At this time in history,
female-fronted rock bands aren't getting the attention they
rightfully deserve. It's time for a new band to take the lead
and breathe fresh air into the genre. With a bit of luck,
Ramona the Pest will be that band.
Download free MP3's from
Ramona the Pest
Purchase Birds, Bugs, Bones now!
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