The first night I stumbled across Aroarah they were opening for The Frank Hannon Band at the Boardwalk in Sacramento, California. I could tell right away these girls were not your typical “Girl Band”. They are something very special and the quality of their talent came blasting into my head with guitar riffs that were so polished I had to do a double take. Who were these girls and how had they slipped in under my radar unnoticed? I had to do more research.
Lydia Gavin - Guitar & Vocals: here was the core a real front man, well in this case front woman, this woman has it all, good looks, skill with the axe and a powerful voice. There simply has not been a talent like her since Joan Jet lead the Runaways. Now Joan had Lita, but Lydia has Morgan Knoester, a guitarist that could be the best female axe slinger around. Together they provide a two-guitar powerhouse that had me saying there has to be more to these girls than meets the eye. The rhythm section is comprised of Chelsea Baker - Bass & Vocals and Kenzie Knoester – Drums. Together they form a foundation to die for with solid bass lines and elaborate drumming.
Now, there is this rule that says always leave them wanting more and the girls did just that. They played about 10 songs and, poof they were done. The crowd was begging for more and a single song encore was provided, which was just enough to have me grabbing the CD at the merchandise booth. The acts that followed Aroarah floundered to reach the same level of intensity and audience involvement. Frank Hannon finally came on and he even commented on how Aroarah had “Kicked Ass!” That was a vote of confidence that I always take seriously.
After the show, a long drive home and a few hours on the internet and I had found the girls on the web on my space and at http://www.aroarah.com. The Girls have a great website full of information about them and how to reach their management. Currently, they are represented by The January Music Group. Their agent, Gigi Yallouz, set up my interview with the girls. We got together at the Kennel Club in Sacramento on Morgan’s 21st birthday (St. Patrick’s Day). This is where I found out the only radar that had been slipped had been mine as the girls have several endorsements, including a full ride by ESP Guitars that has them sporting several brand new axes. These are clearly high quality guitars and the girls are very proud of them and the endorsement, as they should be. For a complete lineup of the endorsements be sure to check out the website.
Aroarah are currently working on a full length album that should be going to the presses in late summer to early fall 2007. While discussing this album, the girls told me several stories including that one about how they became a band. It seems that they were attending school together and had made a decision to become a band for a talent show at school. Mind you, none of them played a note but they didn’t let that stop them. They purchased instruments or asked for them as gifts and before you know it they were a band. They were good, well, good enough to win the talent contest anyway. This could have been the end but they liked being a band and so they continued to write tunes and to practice daily, about 40 hours a week. This is how a quality act has been made, through blood, sweat and tears. The girls had several other tales to tell, like how they blew up their van several hundred miles from home and how they lost an axel on the band trailer and how they managed to get it in a semi truck and brought home. And before you know it, they had paid their dues, five years worth of dues. Then they landed a Converse commercial that aired on TV for several months. I knew I had heard that tune before, I just couldn’t place it. Aroarah were finalists in the Verizon band contest next; they could be finalists for a Grammy or a People’s Choice Award as yes, they are that good.
In conclusion, as I have said many times, you will find talent where it is. In this case, it resides in Sacramento, California. Aroarah could be the best all girl act since The Runaways. If you grab their CD on the website or visit them on myspace myspace.com/aroarah, you can get in on the act early on and be part of their success story.
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