By: Andrea Myers
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John Eller and Michelle Langner - Photo by David de Young (click for larger)
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In a unique event, a parade of local musicians paid tribute to David Bowie while raising money for no-kill cat shelters at the third annual Rock for Pussy. The event, hosted by local media darling Mary Lucia, featured more great rock moments and pussy innuendos than I could keep track of, but I will do my darndest to recount an evening that kept me completely captivated up until the end of its dynamic 22-song set.
The singers were backed by a band of local music notables, appropriately referred to as “Kitty Stardust,” that featured John Eller on guitar and keyboard, Randy Casey on guitar, John Munson and Steve Price trading off on bass, and Tom Alsides and Dave Russ sharing drumming duties. Michelle Langner and Janie Winterbauer also sang back-up vocals throughout most of the evening.
The evening started out innocently enough, with members of the house band trading off songs and pummeling through from one song into another with minimal fanfare. The sparse audience began to grow, though the crowd remained a bit distracted through the first three or four songs.
It wasn’t until Jeaneen Gauthier took the stage, wearing a plaid shift dress and a sly smile, that the audience was forced to pay attention to her rendition of “Five Years.” Though Gauthier seemed nervous at first, as she worked her way into the first chorus she unleashed an incredible, wrenching vocal melody that caused her face to twist and contort uncontrollably, as if her voice was being exorcised out of her. By the end of the song, Gauthier was beaming, and the crowd picked their jaws up off the floor as they cheered and whooped appreciatively for her performance.
With the momentum gaining, things continued to move quickly and the crowd was treated to an unpretentious, engaging version of “Starman” by singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith, followed by a note-perfect sing-along of “Ziggy Stardust” led by Little Man frontman Chris Perricelli.
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Jim Walsh - Photo by de Young
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The favorites kept coming as more and more musicians shuffled across the stage, and I was reminded just how many great David Bowie songs there are. Laurie Lindeen championed “Sufragette City,” which was followed up by Dave Campbell and Dave Russ singing “Under Pressure.” Russ really showed off his vocal range and skill, as Campbell led the audience through the “dexterity challenging” series of claps and snaps.
What was most surprising to me, as a first time Pussy-attendee, was the lack of excessive glitz and glam. Only a select few performers chose to go all out with their clothing and make-up, but those who did left a lasting impression. Performances by Randy Casey (“Space Oddity”) and John Eller (“Life on Mars?”) sounded great and got the audience singing and cheering, but the show stopped dead in its tracks when Jim Walsh took the stage, dressed in a black cardigan that was unbuttoned down to his belly button and shimmering in glittery eye makeup. Walsh deadpanned as he stared out into the crowd, taking on the total Bowie persona as he made his way through “Heroes.” As the audience got more and more excited, Walsh took a bottle of water and doused the band first, and then the whole front row on the floor (myself included), all while keeping a straight face. As he was about to leave the stage, Walsh came back up to the microphone to announce, “Mary Lucia puts the ‘pussy’ in Rock for Pussy,” which drove the crowd wild.
It was smooth sailing from then on out, and the set ended with intensity as Chris Koza nailed “Young Americans,” Chris Perricelli donned a fedora for “Rebel, Rebel,” and Mary Lucia was dragged up on stage to help Jim Walsh, Jeaneen Gauthier, and the house band finish off the evening with “All the Young Dudes.”
“Kitty Stardust” returned for an encore and began playing old classics like Led Zepplin’s “Misty Mountain Hop,” but most of the crowd began thinning out and I decided to follow suit.
Set List:
John, I’m Only Dancing (Dave Russ)
Boys Keep Swinging (Michelle Langer)
Hang On To Yourself (Chris Perricelli)
The Jean Genie (Matt Rocker)
Five Years (Jeaneen Gauthier)
Starman (Jeremy Messersmith)
Ziggy Stardust (Chris Perricelli)
Suffragette City (Laurie Lindeen)
Under Pressure (Dave Campbell & Dave Russ)
Quicksand (Aaron Seymour)
Space Oddity (Randy Casey)
Changes (Billy Johnson)
Oh! You Pretty Things (Janey Winterbauer)
Life On Mars? (John Eller)
Heroes (Jim Walsh)
Golden Years (John Eller)
Fame (Kevin Bowe)
Diamond Dogs (John Eller)
Queen Bitch (Laurie Lindeen)
Young Americans (Chris Koza)
Rebel, Rebel (Chris Perricelli)
All The Young Dudes (Randy Casey)
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Chris Koza, Chris Perricelli, Jeaneen Gauthier, Jeremy Messersmith, Jim Walsh, John Munson
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