Zepparella and Jane Lee Hooker @ St. Vitus Bar

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Something few guys are aware of and even fewer women keep in mind is that talent makes a woman hot. Or at least hotter than she would be otherwise, crudely judging the whole by the sum of her parts. (Yes, you’re being objectified, but hold-off on the torches and pitchforks for a second.) What I’m getting at is that the same illusory magic that transforms an awkward, ill-proportioned, and homely guy into an artistic genius deserving of your devotion works for women as well, especially when the “talent” is the mastery of an instrument and a faith in a power greater than yourself–in this case, Rock’n’Roll.

This past Saturday night at St. Vitus Bar I was privy to this, courtesy of Jane Lee Hooker and Zepparella.

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Jane Lee Hooker sounds like a reference to John Lee Hooker. The band reinterprets Blues and Blues-Rock standards and is fronted by a petite redhead dressed in denim short shorts that contoured up to her midsection. On her left thigh enough of a tattoo was visible to convince myself that I was trying to make out what it said instead of oogling her legs.

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On stage her presence and voice were tremendous. As she reached certain notes the look on her face shifted between hysteria and rapture.

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The rest of the band was anything but dainty–fierce and blistering describe their stances and how they attacked their instruments. The bassist was tall and lank with a Ramones t-shirt that had seen better days. She leaned back on her hind leg as if for leverage and plucked at her bass with fingers like knotted tree branches.
The guitars were a reinforced wall of sound, trading off rhythm and lead parts and sometimes playing the same riffs while facing each other with guitars upraised.

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The tunes came alive like I could’ve little expected. These were songs I knew as soundtracks to gritty cop and heist films which aired every Sunday afternoon. They added a simmering atmosphere to any barroom scene where something criminal could happen. Played with distorted guitars and by talented musicians the songs sounded like modern takes on old rhythm and blues rock, but better.

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The four members of Zepparella came on stage dressed all in white. And the crowd was ready for them. Apparently all cover bands are not created equally, and the press behind Zepparella set expectations very high with their run of sold out shows. They did not disappoint.

Where Jane Lee Hooker’s posturing and interplay with each other on stage amplified the gritty bits of the Blues originals, Zepparella maintained a more reserved and demure air to them. They were there to impress you with their spot-on renditions of Led Zeppelin classics and they wanted little to interfere with the experience.

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They played song after song with precision and passion. The bassist rocked her hips from side to side while coyly smiling into the crowd and playing her bass. The guitarist maintained a stoic expression even while peeling off some of Page’s finest solos. The singer had that Stevie Nicks bohemian charm to her and was great at channeling Plant’s croon and wail.
The crowd ate it up. The drummer was consumed with playing drums. Rarely did you see her face; she threw her entire body into every cymbal crash and drum roll. In between songs, she would pull her hair back like she was coming up for air, pant and smile through flushed cheeks before getting ready for the next tune, oblivious the crowd.

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There were a decent number of people over the age of 40, and they were the ones going the wildest. I don’t mean slam dancing wild, just animated and probably reliving every doobie filled, pre-teen sexed-up night they’d ever spent with Zeppelin as their soundtrack. Couples danced. Men swayed and flailed limbs enacting air-guitar and drum solos, forgetting their half-century worth of baggage and reliving a freedom that never comes when its called, never stays very long, is as real as it was the last time you felt it, and is only triggered by a song that carries the imprint of your immortality on it and then vanishes when the song ends.

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1 comment for “Zepparella and Jane Lee Hooker @ St. Vitus Bar

  1. Kevin
    July 28, 2014 at 11:59 am

    My friends took me to see That show for my 26th birthday, so not everyone in the crowd was over 40. All those chicks really know how to play!

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