Lez Zeppelin with Xero Sum
Tuesday, Nov. 14; doors open at 7:30
The Vogue
www.thevogue.ws
Tickets: $10

Overcoming the sexism that women can’t play male-dominated music, four extraordinary musicians from New York help make a living by covering the intricate, intense musical compositions of one of the best rock bands in history: Led Zeppelin. As an appropriately titled tribute band, Lez Zeppelin (www.lezzeppelin.com), Sarah McLellan (vocals), Lisa Brigatino (bass, keyboards, mandolin), Helen Destroy (drums) and group founder Steph Paynes (acoustic and electric guitar) stay true to themselves while performing as the infamous Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Jimmy Page.

“People come to our shows with skepticism,” Paynes says. “They don’t believe women can be as powerful, competent, outrageous, aggressive and sexual as male musicians. Madonna kind of opened the door to that last one, but this is a different kind of thing. This is a sexiness that comes from playing the music, not dancing around stage in a bikini. When [the skeptics] are proven wrong, they’re quite willing and excited to jump on the bandwagon.”

Opting to cover songs by Led Zeppelin over other psychedelic rock era bands, Paynes attributes her group’s formation in 2004 to an affinity for Zeppelin’s broad musical skill and challenging, impassioned expression. “Each musician was really listening and communicating with each other,” she says. “When everyone is that connected musically, it starts to get magical and heavy. We’ve grown into that. We’re on this ride together. It’s the deepest expression of ourselves, even though we’re playing other people’s music.”

Improvising and experimenting with song structures while performing live, Lez Zeppelin, who keeps a strict “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about their individual sexualities, has been known to cover “Dazed and Confused” for 20 minutes, releasing soul-stirring energy, making the band one of the best on the current rock circuit.

“We played our first show at a little bar in New York City called The Continental,” Paynes says. “We were pretty rough around the edges, but the response was immediate. The club owner wouldn’t let us leave before asking us to do a residency and play every month, but we didn’t do it. We knew we had something going. It’s a whole journey.”

Diverse interests and talent help ground these ladies. Brigatino, who has a master’s degree in music, plays 10 various instruments, similar to her idol Jones. Besides Zeppelin, Paynes grew up listening to Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Ramones and The Who. She writes fiction, while bandmate McLellan trains professionally as a dancer. Most of the band learned to play music by ear, mimicking records and CDs, but the musicians have also been known to write an original song or two.

However, Lez Zeppelin is currently focusing on traditional guitar-driven blues covers and will release a thus-unnamed tribute album next spring after touring through Europe. Expect the band to play for more than two hours at their Indianapolis gig until the sweat runs down their ’70’s-inspired suits. You won’t want to wait to give them a “Whole Lotta Love!”