Screaming Females

I had never heard a Screaming Females song prior to seeing them perform at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night. Honestly, I'm glad I hadn't - listening to Screaming Females on record, post show, I find myself wishing for more. Because in concert, the trio is unbelievable. They shred, melt face, blow speakers, and do pretty much any other rock cliche that you can think of. Lead singer and guitarist Marissa Paternoster seems possessed on stage; dressed in a schoolgirlish frock, she's about the last person you would expect to blow your mind with technical guitar solos that push the volume into the red. But that's exactly what she does, while embodying the band name on the microphone. Screaming Females' set was the best I saw at CMJ. As The Blow's Khaela Maricich put it when she took the stage following Screaming Females' performance, "If Screaming Females are the future of music, I hope they live a long time."