Zepparella: Four Women, One Mission

Red Fox gets foxy next Friday with lively Led tribute

Humboldt Sentinel
3/8/09
By Sentinel Staff

Zepparella intends to bring the passion, beauty, aggression and musicality of Led Zeppelin alive at their upcoming Mar. 20 show at Red Fox Tavern.

This cover band offers four talented musicians and some of the greatest rock music of the 20th Century, and in their show release, they insist that their celebration won’t be complete without fellow appreciators.

Zepparella is no costumed, wigged-up tribute band, says Passion Presents promoter Eric Kinnally, and no backing tracks or misguided attempts at note-for-note replication will be heard. Instead, Zepparella delivers an explosive, emotional musical journey, carrying the audience away on the ride of dynamic energy between the four musicians, just as the magic of Zeppelin resulted in such a combination of musical personalities.

Anna Kristina, the popular Bay Area stage actress, vocalist, songwriter and solo artist, brings her seductive style and powerful range to front the band with consistently transcendent performances. Her soulful delivery is mesmerizing.

Gretchen Menn applies her dazzling and emotive guitar playing to the leads. After her stint as Agnes Young in the top-grossing Bay Area band AC/DShe for three years, and then touring as the second guitarist in the national metal band Bottom, she now takes on the Page lines with an arresting ability that can’t be missed.

Nila Minnerock’s seminal bass playing, dark, beautiful, aggressive, melodic, fills out the bottom end of the band. Her joined-at-the-hip connection with Clementine began eleven years ago in Bottom, and close to 20 trips around the US, Canada and Europe and three records have created the remarkably intuitive rhythm section that Zeppelin deserves.

Clementine tackles the best rock drumming ever written with her own powerfully passionate style, bringing the Motown influence of the Bonham groove to the forefront. As Phyllis Rudd in AC/DShe and throughout the run of Bottom, she developed a heavy-hitting sound suited to attempt Zeppelin. The musical connection established with Gretchen in AC/DShe and the lifelong rhythmic conversation with Nila creates the bond required to do this great music justice.

For some other samplings of Zepparella’s talent, visit www.zepparella.com or check them out on MySpace.

Ledheads can get your $15 tickets early for this show by visiting the Red Fox Tavern at 415 Fifth Street in Downtown Eureka. The Friday night 21-and-over show will start at 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.passionpresents.com.