Marissa Paternoster is the kind of singer and guitarist who makes a writer want to deploy all kinds of ridiculous language: "face-melting," "fire-breathing," "guitar-goddess," "shred-queen," etc. Paternoster, you see, is 5-foot-1, she fronts a fearsome power trio from New Jersey called Screaming Females, and she plays a loud guitar very well. Layering the Females' punkish drive with howling solos and searing riffs that are part Tony Iommi and part Greg Sage, Paternoster is, let's say, a pocket missile of a frontwoman. The capabilities of the other two members of Screaming Females -- drummer Jarret Dougherty and bassist King Mike -- make this an essential in-person band: Whatever you think of their recordings (and their excellent latest album, Ugly, was recorded by Steve Albini), to see Screaming Females live is to be instantly converted to its hyperbole-inspiring rock. Before the band plays Bottom of the Hill tonight, we spoke with Paternoster about her guitar work, recording with Albini, and why Screaming Females consider themselves a punk band.
How's the tour going?
Okay. We've played a bunch of cool shows. A bunch of my gear broke. And then we had to drive through a tornado... We drove a little bit through one of the storms and it was horrifying. We managed to pull over right before the rain started. We're all from New Jersey, so I've never seen a tornado, and the thought of being near one was terrifying.