Hey there fellow folks about town. We've careened into a "new year" (arbitrary tick on the time line, I say), hungry for something to follow up the holiday partying. Well, for me, January turned out to be a month full of chicks (in bands, that is, not on a personal level - I remain above all that stuff, I'm sure y'all know). Let me try and convey just how rich this month was in female musical energy. (Click on indicated links for pictures.)

It all started with one of the hottest gigs I've seen by Candy Ass at Don Hill's on Jan. 4th (along with great "farewell to Beertruck" sets by Gaggle of Cocks and the Bullys).

Then on the 9th, Don Hill's hosted yet another monthly BITCH night, one of the best ever. 19 ladies (including Miss Guy) delivered stunning renditions of rock tunes, backed by the inimitable house band. These BITCH evenings are alive with female energy, enthralling and inspiring to all genders. The individual bitches were topped off by a performance by a fairly new band called SKÜM, made up of former members of Young & Fabulous. As their anthem "We Are Skum" proclaims, these people are truly skum. Lovely lead singer Furn radiates manic perversity, her mesmerizingly expressive mouth delivering such songs as "I Wish I Had A Cock" (and what she'd do with it), "Pussy Power" (so-o-o happy she's got it), and other ditties dealing with intimate body parts, human and animal. These folks are destined to go far (up yours!).

Still reeling from that experience, the very next night I caught Dirty Mary at Irving Plaza again, this time opening for the Circle Jerks. The audience had come crazed with anticipation for a rare CJ show, but clearly loved DM's powerful set, as I did. AND I got to meet lead singer/guitarist Jenn's DAD after the show!

Often satisfied, never satiated, I was ready for more the next night. Jan. 11th at CBGBs I was privileged to see VIAL, four serious rockers headed by the incredibly gorgeous Tammy, who delivers her songs in a most heartfelt and stirring manner.

I hate to gloss over the many gigs I enjoyed in the meantime, but I must resist the temptation to go on about what I did every single night of the month. On Jan. 24th, I saw QUEEN V play at LUXX, another powerful rock band led by an incredible woman named Veronica.

Then, as though someone knew just what kind of month I'd been having, and just what I needed more of, there was the "Chicks That Rock" show at Continental on Jan. 27th, with a dazzling lineup of female bands and singers. I heard THE BOXES rock for the first time. SKÜM shocked the crowd with their vulgar charm, lead singer Furn in her trademark kiddie "Let's Go To Sleep" nightie. BOMBSHELL combines the power of heavy metal with Blondie-like emotional lead vocals by Lynx. Next, TIJUANA BIBLES rocked a lot stronger than ever before; lovely lead singer Michelle appeared in men's dress slacks and a fedora, a nice touch. DIRTY MARY played a great set (it's starting to feel like a real special event to see them in small clubs, after those Irving Plaza gigs - let's catch 'em while we can!). Moving right along, CANDY ASS gave us another dose of their special female musicosensuality, and DADDY finished off the show, lead singer Laurel piercing our hearts with her songs while just managing to keep her classic sun dress from slipping off her shoulders.

A nice chick-rich month, I'd say. And, since I'm writing this at the very last minute, I can tell you that I saw VIAL again on Jan. 30th at Don Hill's, another enthralling performance. Since VIAL is one of the few bands I know of with no web site (yet), you can see pictures of the band at a little "fan page" I've put up at http://lundissimo.info/imgs/vial - yeah, Tammy sure has a way of eating up film!

Yeah, I've gotta say, this was a good start to the year. Damn, chicks are so much nicer when you don't live with them!