I have such a love/hate relationship with the all female rock quartet from Palo Alto, CA. Their story is that of Rock and Roll dreams: four girls who formed a band in junior high and have been together ever since. Not only have they lasted these 16 years, but they’ve also garnered impressive success: 6 albums, songs on TV shows, and commercials, and soundtracks to movies as recent as The Hangover, performances on late night talk shows, playing the main stage at Lollapalooza, and now scheduled to tour with co-headliner’s Blondie & Pat Benetar. What aspiring musician, male or female or otherwise, wouldn’t want their biography to read the same?

And while they seem to be so famous, and while the crowd at the Casbah show (which was $18 & did not sell out), was pretty full with an interesting assortment ages styles, and while the girls in the band are talented, particularly Alison Robertson on guitar, it still isn’t music I would choose to listen to. The instrumentals were really good, and certainly could hold their own compared to any male group in a similar genre, and Brett Anderson’s vocals were fine as well. They played such songs as “Get Off,” “Take it Off,” “Don’t Wait Up For Me,” and “Who Invited You.” Still, it was just sort of “ok” to me. I can see how they would have so many albums, because it’s all pretty run of the mill rock in roll, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They have obviously been successful, so somebody out there likes them, but to me there wasn’t enough edge or guts.

It seemed like a bunch of girls trying to play with the boys. In that they want to look good, but they also want to cuss and drink whiskey and be routy. There is such a fine line when it comes to the mainstream rock and roll genre because trying to achieve popularity and record sales takes away the rawness and the edge. Personal opinion aside, it was a good rock and roll show/party from a band that seems like they are here to stay.