Hell’s Belles
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Hell’s Kitchen celebrates five years with female AC/DC tribute band
by Bobble Tiki
May 03, 2007
Bobble Tiki can’t believe it’s been five years already. It blows his little bobble mind. Hell’s Kitchen has been up and running for almost 1825 days now (365x5, Bobble Tiki did the math), bringing big name after big name to Tacoma and offering a stage to some of the most exciting and promising local bands around — and to think, Bobble Tiki has accomplished almost nothing during this time.
Five years ago, Bobble Tiki was spending the bulk of his days slurping happy hour well drinks, and pissing and moaning about the state of the union and how tall and unmanageable the grass in his backyard had become. Today, Bobble Tiki still blows a .09 most of the time, still fears our nation is heading to hell in a petroleum-based hand basket, and has yet to do anything about the grass in the backyard. In fact, the only growth Bobble Tiki has made in the last five years is around his waist line. It’s a much different story for Hell’s Belles — the now semi-famous, all female, AC/DC cover band set to play two shows at Hell’s Kitchen this weekend. The Belles will play for an all-ages crowd at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, and then delight a 21+ crowd later that night. The shows are part of the celebration of Hell’s Kitchen’s five year anniversary.
Believe it or not, Hell’s Belles has been around for even longer than the Kitchen — seven years now. Since Bobble Tiki has never devoted his energy to anything for more than three weeks (except for Mrs. Tiki, of course, and even she’d probably scoff at the idea of Bobble Tiki completely devoting himself to anything), the fact Hell’s Belles has stayed afloat for so long makes Bobble Tiki’s jaw drop in amazement.
Feeling a little inadequate, and rightly so, Bobble Tiki did some research. While Hell’s Belles has been around since 2000, the lineup has fluctuated. Currently only one of the original members of Hell’s Belles, bassist Mandy Reed, plays in the version of the band set to hit the Kitchen on Saturday. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the all-female tribute band that sparked the age of all-female tribute bands (see: The Iron Maidens, Zepparella, and Black Diamond) is still around and kicking ass. They’re still packing venues, and still winning new fans. Whether it’s the original members or not, Bobble Tiki is sure Hell’s Belles is doing something right.
The biggest difference people will notice, if it’s been a few years since you saw Hell’s Belles, is the change up front behind the mic. Founding member Om Johari, the boisterous front woman who put Hell’s Belles on the map, is no more. Bobble Tiki hears she got married and moved to Germany, but of course Bobble Tiki also hears voices when he lays in bed at night that tell him to finish off the box of wine, so who knows. Either way, her vacancy seems to have been more than adequately filled by Jamie Nova, who makes Bobble Tiki feel funny down bellow by name alone. Another change is the departure of the band’s other founding member, guitarist Amy Stozenbach, who was wowing crowds with her Angus Young back at the turn of the century, and continued to do so her entire career as a Belle. Her position has been filled by Bobble Tiki’s favorite dreadlocked axe-woman — Adrian Conner, who in addition to playing Angus with Hell’s Belles has her own band, Adrian and the Sickness, which maintains a vigorous tour schedule of its own.
Bobble Tiki caught up with Hell’s Belles’ rhythm guitarist Lisa Brisbois, who is described on www.hellsbelles.info as a “sly and subtly intense” Malcolm Young.
“Between AC/DC’s well crafted songs, and the ever-changing audience, it always stays fresh,” offers Brisbois.
“We’ve been trying to cater more to all ages, which is why we’re so excited about doing this Tacoma all-ages show. When you play for kids it’s just so different, and so much fun. All the audiences are great, but it never gets boring when you play for kids. They’re not as jaded. Their energy is pure.
“It comes down to AC/DC. They’re the ones who wrote the songs, and they wrote great songs,” says Brisbois about the band’s success. “We try to stay really true to the music. We’re woman, but we don’t, for lack of a better term, sex it up. I think people really respect that.”
Call Bobble Tiki a chauvinist, but if Hell’s Belles hasn’t been trying to “sex it up,” he’s not sure his heart could take it if they ever decide to. Hell’s Belles rubs Bobble Tiki in all the right spots, and he never wants them to stop. Two shows with the fem version of AC/DC seems like the perfect way to celebrate Hell’s Kitchen turning five.
As always, Bobble Tiki doesn’t give a crap what you do this week because he doesn’t even know you. And if he does, there’s a good chance he still doesn’t care. Unless you can tell Bobble Tiki why everyone in the office has been giving him weird looks since the company Christmas party — going on five months now — then he’s certain he doesn’t want to meet you. Besides, Mrs. Tiki just brought the entire third season of “Six Feet Under” home on DVD, and there’s a pair of sweatpants calling Bobble Tiki’s name.
[Hell’s Kitchen, two Hell’s Belles shows: Saturday, May 5, 5 p.m. all ages show with Fall From Grace and The Pete Moss Band; Saturday, May 5, 9 p.m. 21+ show with Kaskadia and Artimus Maximus; $12 each, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]
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