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Lez Zeppelin * The Ultimate Tribute Band?
 During a recent excursion to Ann Arbor, I came across a club listing for Lez Zeppelin - an all-female Led Zeppelin Tribute Band that instantly piqued my curiosity.
Consisting of Brooke Gengras
(vocals), Steph Payne (guitars,Theremin), Lisa Brigantino
(bass, mandolin, keys) and Wendy Kidd (drums), this New
York-based band were recently profiled in Spin alongside fellow
all-female tribute bands AC/Dshe and Cheap Chick.
The notion of female rock bands paying
homage to their original male predecessors, while not entirely a new
concept, is certainly an understandable one. And while Lez Zeppelin has
a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy regarding their sexuality, if the
original Led Zep carried a major sexual hammer in terms of attracting
young women, this current 'cover' incarnation certainly carries the same
pull over young males.
"The ancient prophecy foretold in the
'runes' has been fulfilled. This all-female Lez ZeppelinŠrestores
balance to the universe as it presents the original Zep's idyllic
fantasy vision. It's an awesome spectacle to witness such beautiful
creatures emit the most powerful and heavy of sounds." So writes an
infatuated male fan on Lez Zeppelin's web site.
Musically, the band is hauntingly effective
and more than adept at rendering lush note-for-note treatments to such
Zep classics as 'Heartbeaker' and 'How Many More Times', with guitarist
Payne expertly drawing a violin bow across the strings of her Les Paul.
"Our fanbase is completely diverse," notes
Payne. "It's amazing to us. Traditionally, Led Zeppelin appealed to guys
between the ages of 14 and 25, so the fact that we're women playing
something that's seen as heavily male does a really interesting
psychological turn on people, and they love it."
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