Bitches That Rock • Show review
Blare Bitch Project, Boxxx, Piss Ant, Anya Marina
Brick By Brick - Bay Park, San Diego

February 22nd 2003

By Amber Shaffer, SDAM Staff Writer
©Copyright 2024 SDAM.com/Amber Shaffer

Bitches that Rock is a monthly event at Brick by Brick, a venue that specializes in the local hard rock scene and also pulls in some of Southern California's B & C list acts (LA Guns and Nashville Pussy are the most recent "known" rockers to grace the stage and Lynch Mob will bring their mayhem in March). To my surprise, the night's most experienced act, The Blare Bitch Project, was first to take the stage. These women are the epitome of the evening's theme. Based out of LA, and formed from the remains of the in-your-face chick band Betty Blowtorch (for the low down, check out this interview with Blare N. Bitch), The Blare Bitch Project filled the speakers with an impressive display of guitar driven rock. Interestingly, there is no lead singer in the group; instead the role is shared by the band's two guitarists and bass player. The women have three distinctive singing styles, which means there's something for everyone: Blare's the screamer, Punky's the punk version (vocally) of Joan Jett, and Leah covers the low, sexy, laid-back vocals. Per usual, my favorite parts of the performance weren't the songs so much as some moments and interaction I observed on stage. It was obvious the last two songs of their set where their favorites as I saw smiles spread across each woman's formerly veiled face as they launched in to the opening sequence of each song. The last song opened with a brief guitar duel; Blare would play a riff that Punky would then mimic, but during the last exchange Punky decided to be a bit of a wise-ass and added some extra flare to her riff with a kind of "gotcha" smirk on her face that made Blare laugh before launching in to the vocals. They also just looked cool and completely rock n' roll when all three would fall to their knees and play for a few bars. When the next band came on, it was like Boxxx lead singer Anna Banana read my mind when she said with a laugh mid-set, "Blare Bitch's guitarist is awesome and you're all looking at me thinking 'Why can't she do that?'" Boxxx is a three piece San Diego punk act which had the misfortune of following Blare Bitch when they would have been more appropriate as the opening act. Their catchy but simple, mid-tempo, three-chord songs and glamorous lead singer with the smoky, growly voice, make for a good intro act, but they merely sounded weak following the fall-on-your-knees, bang your head, and make a general ruckus guitar rock of Blare Bitch. Boxxx's songs are sneaky little bastards that like to get stuck in your head, they ladies have their between-set banter down, and they sell cool merch, so once they become comfortable moving around while they perform, play a little faster, and drop "Cigarette" from their set (and of course make sure they are placed appropriately in the lineup) these Bitches will definitely rock better live. The only remarkable thing about Piss Ant, the third act to take the stage, was their singer's breast implants. They're a four piece that's a mix of rock and punk, performing songs with titles like "Silence", "Your Best Sucks", and a cover of Elvis' "Trouble". Honestly I spent the majority of their set wondering how the singer kept her nipples from playing peek-a-boo with the sparse crowd. The evening's final performer was a stark, yet somehow not out-of-place, contrast to the women who had preceded her on stage. Anya Marina took the stage with only her acoustic guitar and distinctive, child-like voice, treating the audience to humorous musings set to the strum of her guitar. You may have heard Marina on the radio before - she currently hosts the 7-midnight slot on San Diego's newest alternative rock station, FM 94.9. Tonight she sang about everything from her sessions with her therapist to Jean Pierre's attempt to play at being straight, encouraging the audience to sing along with her tongue-in-cheek choruses. I found myself laughing aloud all too often and look forward to her next show, whenever that may be. Sulo King, Brick by Brick's booking agent, is responsible for putting together the monthly Bitches lineup and told me it's a challenge to routinely find quality female rock acts to fill the bill. Despite that, I think this month's lineup wasn't too shabby; there was variety both in style and in quality, but all in all, not a bad group of Bitches. The night could have been improved by one simple adjustment: reorganization of the act order. King's mistake was in being too thoughtful; in his attempt to be accommodating to the out of town act Blare Bitch Project so they could drive back home early if they wanted, he compromised the build-up of night's intensity by putting the most powerful group on first. If you're a Bitch who Rocks or you'd like to book your band for another night at Brick by Brick, you can reach King at 619.276.3993. Anya Marina is currently in the studio recording and has a Web site waiting for visitors. Boxxx's next gig is March 1st at the California Club in San Diego (see the SDAM.com Calendar for details).