Females bring less suplex, equal punk

October 8th, 2009 | By Kathrine Chung | Section: Arts

Screaming Females, a three-person rock band which boasts just one female, screaming or otherwise, will be performing this Friday, Oct. 9 in Gardner Lounge. The openers for Friday’s concert will be Military Special of Minneapolis and two of Grinnell’s finest: Justin Booz ’11 and Chris Davies ’11.
Based out of New Brunswick, Screaming Females is led by a notoriously effectual, not to mention petite, Marissa Paternoster, on vocals and guitar. The band also features Jarret Dougherty on drums, and King Mike—his birth name—on bass.
Screaming Females’ Friday night show is part of their Midwest tour, visiting choice cities such as Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis and, of course, Grinnell. The band will then continue on to perform in various parts of New York.
The band’s sound can be broadly categorized as punk rock, with an idiosyncratic twist on the genre that gives Screaming Females’ music originality.
“I’d say they are noisy art rock with some heavy punk influences,” said Alex Schechter ’10, Concerts Chair.
While featuring the punk rock prerequisite references to darkness, rebellion and death, Screaming Females wraps it all up in a package of catchy pop beats, rip-roaring guitar solos and interludes of hair-raising screams that really put the “screaming” in Screaming Females. This unique conglomeration of rhythms, vocals and instrumentals makes for a stimulating listening experience, sure to please the Friday concertgoers looking to blow off some steam to start off the weekend.
The band initially drew their musical influences from other rock bands in New Jersey such as The Ergs and takes much pride in their New Jersey origin. In terms of their sound, Screaming Females are comparable to bands such as Fugazi and The Stooges.
“As for [similar] bands that have previously come to Grinnell, I would maybe compare [Screaming Females] to Fucked Up in terms of musicianship and craft,” Schechter said. “Probably fewer giant naked sweaty bald men though.”
Screaming Females, a band previously kept largely underground— quite literally as the band enjoys performing in basements—has recently seen a rise in popularity. While the band self-produced their first two albums, Baby Teeth and What if Someone is Watching Their T. V., they have signed on with Don Giovanni Records for their latest album, Power Move which was released earlier this year. The band also made their first live debut on MTV last August.
The fact that Screaming Females’ popularity is currently escalating should come as no surprise, as Grinnell’s Concerts Committee is constantly on the lookout for bands on the rise that ensures affordability as well as talent.
“Concerts is really cool because not only do you get to see a bunch of bands for free, you also are possibly seeing a bunch of bands that are going to be huge,” Dane Haiken ’12, a member of the Concerts Committee, said.
So be sure to attend the Screaming Females concert for a rockin’ Friday night. While Paternoster probably won’t suplex anyone, they might still be the next big thing.