...Guitar-based, riff-driven, no-frills, Southern-fried rock 'n' roll. Lynyrd Skynyrd? .38 Special? No, but they do have two drummers. Meet Big Sister-an all-female Yankee sextet from Woodstock, New York. Okay, so they're not
toting beer guts, grizzly beards, and a Confederate flag, but their Capricorn Records debut, So Hi How Are You, is filled with the tough rock vocals and '70s-influenced straightforward rock guitar that we've come to expect from the genre, even though that's not what they set out to do. "No one in the band would say we're southern rock," says guitarist Jen Leigh, "but we take it as a compliment. We never planned it; I think it's just what came out when the six of us got together." With a steep background in the blues and influences drawn from the guitar work of SRV, Hendrix, and the "Three Kings" (B.B., Albert, and Freddie), as well as Rush, the Chili Peppers, and the Black Crowes, it's no wonder they manufacture hugely polished songs without sacrificing that raw rock 'n' roll sound. But still, there's the spectre of being an all-girl band playing in the rock 'n' roll boys club, right? "I've gotten onstage and heard the snickers from the audience," admits Shelly. "But you know what? They're eating those snickers after the first couple of songs." Amen to that, sister. To read more about the band, check out their web site: www.bigsister.com.