Vixen in Des Moines, IA

Ok. You can make fun, laugh, and say whatever you want, but if you weren't there, what you say doesn't count. Vixen...kicks...ass!!! They rocked the hell out of the people that showed up to their show at House Of Bricks in Des Moines, IA. I took a 21 year old female friend who had never heard of Vixen and she will tell you that they rocked! She is planning on scooping up everything Vixen has recorded now and in the future.

Vixen set the tone by opening with Rev It Up. I've always loved this song and it's a great choice for an opener. This led into Streets In Paradise, which I honestly didn't remember, but it sure grooved live.

I was surprised that they did 6 new tunes, too. The first one was Live And Learn. The rhythm guitar in this song was pure Jan. She is so under-rated. Her rhythm and lead work during the solo just flowed so seamlessly. The riff she came up with for this song was groovin'! I'm going to use that word a lot because they just had everything in the pocket. They launched into How Much Love and Love Made Me before going into another killer new tune called Anyway. The bass took the main rhythm here while Jan had a wonderful harmonic rhythm on top of it. I can't wait to hear this tune on CD. She almost had a wall of sound going with that guitar part.

Love Is A Killer fit perfectly between Anyway and another new song called Pacifist. To be honest, I can't remember too much about this song, but I know that everything sounded good tonight. Not A Minute Too Soon then led into another new and heavy song called Angy. There were bursts of rhythm in this song that truly sounded angry and it was one of the heavier tunes of the night. I'm kinda liking the direction that they seem to be taking the new tunes. They all sounded different and this one just had it's own unique dark feel while still sounding like Vixen. Each new song stood on its own and didn't sound like anything before or after it.

Two familiar tunes came back to back in Cryin', one of my favorite Vixen tunes, and I Want You To Rock Me. They put some of Queen's We Will Rock You in the latter and had everyone there singing along. I'm tellin' ya that red headed singer (Jenna Sanz-Agero) and the long haired blond bass player (Lynn Louise Lowrey) sure made you want to rock them! Jan has always looked good and their drummer (Kat Kraft) has an awesome smile (and a nice caboose!), but the interplay on Rock Me with the way the new bass player moves was such a turn on! Ah, they're all hot! Even the girl I took with me was really into Jenna and Lynn! (I have to admit that it was fun hearing her talk about that...)

The 5th new tune of the night was Love Song, which had a bass line combined with Jan's rhythm that reminded me a bit of some early Sabbath. The bass line had almost a stomp in parts and really made this song move. They were so tight tonight in every song, but their sense of timing really shown through here and right into the fast paced Cruisin'. Now, Cruisin' is my favorite Vixen song and I was banging my head right up front in between Jan and Jenna!

The bass came through again in You Wish, another new song. I can't remember if it was this one or Love Song, but both had great vocal parts and one of them really had some wonderful harmonies. You can tell the work that went into these new songs to give them a timeless feel. The drum lines, the guitar work, the bass, the melodic structure of the vocals were all spot on and helped blend the old and new songs. I can't wait to get more familiar with these tunes.
They finished up wtih Edge Of A Broken Heart and then encored with Bad Reputation, which I had almost forgotten about. Believe me, that tune is getting some airplay at my place this weekend! Edge is another of my favorites, probably third after Cruisin' and Cryin'. Wonderful guitar riff and killer vocals.

You have really got to see Vixen if they are anywhere near where you live. I know the sound guy for House Of Bricks and he had Vixen dialed in perfectly tonight and they are just plain tight as a band.

The only thing I can recommend, and it isn't a big thing, is for Jenna to move more. She hits every note with ease, but it would be great to see her perform with more energy. There were moments when she was the calm between the storms of Jan and Lynn. This isn't anything major, but I'd love to see her perform in high gear. She would look good with a major sweat by the end of the set! Glisten!

I had the opportunity to meet Vixen and get some pictures and autographs after the show. They are hoping to have their new CD out in September. I'm hoping that schedule stays intact and doesn't get pushed back. Jenna's vocals are strong and will be great to hear in a setting where I can absorb more of these songs. Vixen are great at writing vocal lines and harmonies and they pull them off live with ease. Kat and Lynn sound like they have been playing together forever as a rhythm section. They hold down the bottom and add some fills that are very fluid. I will be crankin' the bass on that new CD, Live And Learn. Jan's guitar work has always been top notch and I can't wait to hear what else she has come up with. She effortlessly moves between styles and makes her rhythm and lead work sound like her own style. (I'm a sucker for rhythm guitar. I think Rick Springfield ruined me for that with Jesse's Girl! Hey, that's just how old, or young, I am!)

Really. Go see Vixen. They will blow you away!