The softer (feminine) side of Led Zeppelin
July 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Lez Zeppelin photo by Kyra Kverno
Robert Plant wore women’s shirts while onstage, Steph Paynes said. Jimmy Page was a huge fan of Joni Mitchell.
So, perhaps Led Zeppelin didn’t need much in the way of feminization, Paynes argues by phone from her New York residence.
She takes it there anyway. Paynes is the leader of the all-girl Led Zeppelin tribute band Lez Zeppelin, who bring their high-caliber rock show to Neumeier’s Rib Room in Fort Smith tonight (July 9) and to George’s Majestic Lounge on Saturday (July 10).
Still, even if you you believe that the original British quartet Led Zeppelin — revered by many to be the world’s greatest rock band — had some feminine qualities, it might be hard to digest the band portrayed from a female perspective. Paynes hears that all the time.
“They don’t want this. It’s like burning the American flag or something,” Paynes tells the NWA Media group for a story that was printed today [Note: Contains subscriber-only content].
Paynes argues that her band has the chops — and the equipment — to pull it off. She was in a band before Lez Zeppelin, and she’s worked hard to mimic the parts of Jimmy Page. Others in the band have the attitude and swagger, Paynes says.
They also use vintage equipment, the same brands and models that Zeppelin would have used in its heyday. Paynes, for instance, plays a Gibson Les Paul and a Gibson EDS-1275, the same double-necked model that Page popularized in the concert documentary “The Song Remains The Same.”
Additionally, Paynes plays theremin and, during select solos, plays her guitar with a violin bow.
If you trust publications like The New York Times or author and pop music critic Chuck Klosterman, who called Lez Zeppelin “the most powerful all-female band in rock history,” then you have to believe it’s done well.
Tickets to tonight’s show in Fort Smith are $15. It’s the same price for Saturday night’s show in Fayetteville.
Bonus Video: That violin bow solo? Watch Paynes do her best Page below.
Not a bad bow solo. Jimmy would be proud :)