[ Features Index | East Bay | Metroactive ]

Voice Is Venom presents: Lisa Hayle (FICTION), Katherine Sawyer and Stev Ohanis (Wire Graffiti), Angelique X (Venus Bleeding), and Jayde. Outspoken & Unplugged Five Acts at 21 Grand, Sun/14. By Annie Sydney Taking its name from its address, 21 Grand is an Oakland gallery and performance space. Sunday, Voice Is Venom.com, a Bay Area resource network committed to the advancement of women musicians, presented an evening of acoustic music and spoken word in five acts. Featured performers were Katherine Sawyer and Stev Ohanis of Wire Graffiti, Angelique X of Venus Bleeding, The Fire Ants, Lisa Hayle of FICTION, and Jayde. The night began with a set of blues-based acoustic rock from Jayde, accompanied by Kirk on the talking drum. Visually they were a study in contrast; Jayde all in black with cool confidence, and Kirk, clad in tribal drag with skirt, facial piercings, and make-up. Jayde is a formidable guitarist who holds down complex rhythms. It was unclear what the drumming added -- it got lost in the full guitar sound. Jayde's music is a good balance of serious and sexy with vocals that are smooth yet raw. Lisa Hayle, usually seen behind an electric guitar in her band FICTION, sat alone and shared her acoustic guitar stylings. Hayle's solid songwriting touches on everything from love to life in a big city. Her forceful rhythmic guitar blends well with her big warm voice. Though her set is polished, Hayle has a certain humility that engages her listeners, making them regard her as a performer who downplays her talents. It's easy to enjoy Hayle's unique voice poured thickly, straight from the heart. Third up: L.A.'s Fire Ants. Lead singer/bassist Skie Bender is diminutive in stature but ten feet tall on stage; a poet with the stance of a trucker. This band can be subdued, but never tame. They look like broken toys ready to wage war. After three songs, Skie read poetry from her book Invisible Suicide -- a powerful performer whose words and music are not for the faint of heart. The Ants' emotional intensity borders on utter despair. Skie folded down on the stage with her ass to the audience in seeming irreverent prayer, finishing the set down on her back, flat on the floor, singing her pain. Next up, lead singer of Venus Bleeding, Angelique X and her poetry. Her warm gracious demeanor let the audience inside her words -- a less than gracious critique of our world. She began with a love poem about her car, which admit it or not, we can all identify with. Using simple bursts of language to formulate complex ideas, Angelique writes from her own life experiences with the honesty of a child. In fact, several of the poems she read were written when she was just seventeen. She ended with a memorable poem entitled "The Book of WalMart Armageddon." Last to perform were Katherine Sawyer and Stev Ohanis. Their set opened with a compelling solo from Sawyer, whose versatile vocals range from lullaby sweet to rocking and raw. Ohanis is perfect, with tasty guitar parts. Sawyer's strumming is heavy handed and simple, but the strength of her songs shine through. "I'm used to having a big ol' band behind me and stomping around ferociously," she tells the audience as if to explain her slight discomfort with performing acoustically. This made us love her even more! www.voiceisvenom.com [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]