Wild Flag @ Lee’s Palace – October 11, 2011

If Ashley had been born ten years earlier, she would have reached her prime during what she considers one of the best eras in music – grunge. While the lecture on the influence of grunge music will be saved for another time, it’s not hard to see that music and the fan base has changed drastically since flannel took over the scene... and unfortunately, not for the better.

We are in need of a musical revolution and we’re not the only ones who realize that. With bands like Soundgarden, Hole, Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains reuniting and making new albums and the likes of grunge veterans Pearl Jam still selling out arenas, there’s obviously still a need for a rock alternative to the mainstream music scene. So it’s not surprising that last night Lee’s Palace was packed for another reunited and revamped altr-rock band, Wild Flag.

From Portland, Oregon, Wild Flag fuses together the extensive musical histories of Carrie Brownsein (Sleater-Kinney), Mary Timony (Helium), Rebecca Cole (The Minders) and Janet Weiss (Quasi, Sleater-Kinney) into an unstoppable punk-fuelled riot grrrrl revolution - something the music scene has been in dire need of for some time now. Or at least something Ashley has been in dire need of for some time now.

Their self-titled debut album was released mid September and packed the kind of punch that resuscitates everything music used to be and kick starts the kind of commitment and dedication that modern music seems to lack. The night and day differences between Brownsein’s rock ‘n’ roll anthems and Timony’s charming and quirky pieces are rounded out by mediators Cole and Weiss who hold the two together with a strong, dreamy foundation. With heavy guitars and fierce vocals, the entire album doesn’t miss a beat. They know what they are doing and they know how to do it right.

Music aside, just watching these women on stage owning their instruments is enough to inspire every aspiring rocker to revisit their rock and roll dreams. The sad stereotype that music is a man’s world is shot in the face with every beat Weiss viciously lays down, with every musical tangent Brownsein and Timony veer off on, with every eerie organ infusion Cole adds to the mix. They fit so perfectly together and produce the kind of nostalgic relapse that just may help launch another musical revolution.

images from google images.
images from last night's show here.