Vixen (band)
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| Vixen | |
|---|---|
| Origin | St. Paul, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Hard rock, glam metal, pop rock |
| Years active | 1980–1991, 1997–1998, 2001–present |
| Labels | EMI |
| Associated acts | Madam X, Phantom Blue, Contraband, Bubble, Rocktopuss |
| Website | www.vixenrock.com |
| Members | |
| Jan Kuehnemund Jenna Sanz-Agero (Jenna Piccolo) Lynn Louise Lowrey Kathrin "Kat" Kraft |
|
| Past members | |
| See: former members | |
Vixen is an all-female American hard rock band which achieved some commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early years
Vixen was formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1980 by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund while still at high school. Alex Henderson, writing for Allmusic, says they started in 1981 in Los Angeles.[1] In 1984, an early version of the band with Kuehnemund, singer Janet Gardner and bassist Pia Maiocco (who later married guitarist Steve Vai) appeared in the movie Hardbodies, as the on-screen band Diaper Rash. In 1985, the band moved to Los Angeles, California to be part of the L.A. rock scene.
[edit] Commercial success
Lineup changes happened during the following years until the "classic lineup" of Janet Gardner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jan Kuehnemund (lead guitar), Share Pedersen (bass), and Roxy Petrucci (drums) was formed. This lineup of Vixen was interviewed in 1987 along with many other rock artists of the day by Penelope Spheeris for her film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years.
In 1988 the band was signed to EMI, and they began recording their debut album Vixen, which was released in September 1988. Singer-songwriter Richard Marx co-wrote and arranged their signature hit, "Edge of a Broken Heart", as well as performing keyboards and producing the song. Rumor was he was asked to assist the all-female band by EMI to produce their first major hit, to compete with the all-female band the Bangles. Richard Marx had nothing to do with their follow-up CD, since he was becoming more of a mainline singer than songwriter. Vixen spent the next year touring the world, supporting acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, and Bon Jovi, as well as headlining their own shows. The band returned to the studio in late 1989/early 1990 to record their follow-up album, Rev It Up, which was released in July 1990. A year of touring followed, including headlining their own shows and supporting acts such as KISS and Deep Purple. In mid-1991, the group disbanded due to musical differences.
[edit] First reunion
In 1997, drummer Roxy Petrucci reformed Vixen, with Janet Gardner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gina Stile (lead guitar), and Rana Ross (bass). This lineup toured the United States in 1997, and in 1998 Gardner, Stile, and Petrucci recorded the album Tangerine. After the release of the new album, Roxy's sister Maxine Petrucci was brought in to play bass on a U.S. tour of 1998, but they were sued for copyright infringement by Kuehnemund.
In 1999, Share Pedersen joined her husband's band, the Dogs D'Amour, who were reforming after a long hiatus. She appeared on their 2000 album, Happy Ever After, playing bass, keyboards, and, backing vocals. Share and her husband, Bam, also have their own band, Bubble, which is very popular in L.A..
[edit] Second reunion
In 2001, Vixen was reformed by Kuehnemund with a lineup consisting of herself, Janet Gardner, Roxy Petrucci, and new bassist Pat Holloway. This lineup toured the U.S. as part of the Voices of Metal tour. Unfortunately, half-way through the tour, disagreements caused the band to split-up, with only Kuehnemund remaining. Kuehnemund quickly recruited Jenna Sanz-Agero (Jenna Piccolo) (lead vocals), Lynn Louise Lowrey (bass), and Kathrin "Kat" Kraft (drums) to complete the tour. This lineup is still together, and released two new albums in 2006, a live album, recorded at a live show in Sweden, called Extended Versions, and a studio album, Live & Learn.
[edit] Recent events
In 2004, VH1 approached the four members of the "classic lineup" to appear on their show, Bands Reunited. The show was recorded in August 2004, and broadcast in the U.S. in November 2004. Following the broadcast of the VH1 show, EMI re-released the first two Vixen albums, Vixen and Rev It Up.
Winner of the 6th annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop vote for best Hard Rock/Metal song "I Try".
[edit] Band members
[edit] Current members
- Jenna Sanz-Agero (Jenna Piccolo) – lead vocals (2001–2004, 2004–present)
- Jan Kuehnemund – lead guitar, backing vocals (1980–1991, 2001–present)
- Lynn Louise Lowrey – bass, backing vocals (2001–2004, 2004–present)
- Kathrin "Kat" Kraft – drums, backing vocals (2001–2004, 2004–present)
[edit] Former members
- Janet Gardner – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1991, 1997–1998, 2001, 2004)
- Liza Carbe – bass, backing vocals (1983)
- Tamara Ivanov – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1984)
- Pia Maiocco – bass, backing vocals (1984)
- Laurie Hedlund – drums, backing vocals (1984)
- Roxy Petrucci – drums, backing vocals (1986–1991, 1997–1998, 2001, 2004)
- Share Pedersen – bass, backing vocals (1987–1991, 2004)
- Gina Stile – lead guitar, backing vocals (1997–1998)
- Rana Ross – bass, backing vocals (1997)
- Maxine Petrucci – bass, backing vocals (1998)
- Pat Holloway – bass, backing vocals (2001)
- Noelle Bucci – lead vocals
- Gayle Erickson-DeMatoff – bass, backing vocals
- Cindy Boettcher – keyboards, backing vocals
- Marlene Peterson – drums, backing vocals
- Nancy Shanks – lead vocals
[edit] Session musicians
- Richard Marx – keyboards on Vixen (1988)
- Mike Pisculli – bass, backing vocals on Tangerine (1998 — all tracks)
- Chris Fayz – keyboards on Live & Learn (2006 — tracks "Little Voice", "Give Me Away")
- Randy Wooten – keyboards on Live & Learn (2006 — track "Suffragette City")
- Paulie Cerra – saxophone on Live & Learn (2006 — track "Suffragette City")
- Robert Lear – bagpipes on Live & Learn (2006 — track "Give Me Away")
[edit] Lineups
| (1980) |
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| (1983) |
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| (1984) |
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| (1986) |
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| (1987–1991) |
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| (1991–1997) |
(Vixen disbanded) |
| (1997) |
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| (1998) |
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| (1998–2001) |
(Vixen disbanded) |
| (2001) |
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| (2001–2004) |
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| (2004) |
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| (2004–present) |
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[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albuns
- Vixen (1988)
- Rev It Up (1990)
- Tangerine (1998)
- Live & Learn (2006)
[edit] Compilation albums
- Full Throttle (1999)
- Extended Versions (2006)
[edit] Live album
- Live in Sweden (2009)
[edit] Soundtracks
- Hardbodies (1984) with the songs "Runnin'", "Give It a Chance", "Mr. Cool", "Be with Me", "Maria", "Computer Madness"[2]
- Beverly Hills, 90210: "Slumber Party"[3] (1991) with the song "Streets in Paradise"[4]
- Beavis and Butthead: "Wall of youth"[5] (1994) with the song "Edge of a Broken Heart"[4]
[edit] Videography
[edit] Videos
[edit] References
- ^ Henderson, Alex. "Vixen". Allmusic. Rovi. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/vixen-p21284/biography. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
- ^ Hardbodies (1984) - Soundtracks
- ^ "Beverly Hills, 90210" Slumber Party (TV episode 1991) - IMDb
- ^ a b Vixen - IMDb
- ^ "Beavis and Butt-Head" Wall of Youth (TV episode 1994) - IMDb
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Vixen at Internet Movie Database
- Neil's Vixen Page- A prolific collection of the band's history and photos, affiliated with some of the band members
- Unofficial Vixen Page
- Metal Queens artist page
- Artist page at MetalMaidens.com
- Rana Ross' Home Page
- VH1 Bands Reunited: Vixen
- Share Ross' rock n roll video blog
- Lynn Lousie Lowrey interview at BassGirls.Com
- Roxy Petrucci History on Madam X & Vixen
- Interview at Saviours of Rock
- Vixen at Allmusic
- Vixen at Metaladies.com
