Green Lady Killers: Danger and Deliciousness

"Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see us?"

Let’s hear it for blood ‘n guts ‘n beauty ‘n brains ‘n beer ‘n bangs! There’s nothing like the sight, sound and (dare we say it) smell of rock chicks dressed in form-fitting black in 100-degree heat to get sweat pouring and hormones racing, not necessarily in that order.  The Green Lady Killers, a female punk/psychobilly power trio from the sun-baked environs of Phoenix, come on like the stars of a high-def camcorder update of “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” Their mix of Runaways attitude, Cramps horror-Goth fashion ethos and metallic punk riffs equal three chords and a cloud of tail pipe exhaust. Singer/guitarist Lady Van Buren is a hellacious frontwoman, with fire-breathing, no-nonsense vocals and more than a touch of menace behind that dark eye shadow, combined with some gut-punching garage rock riffage. Bassist/vocalist Annie Venom ably sports an “I Love Zombies” sticker on her axe that suggests she’d probably bring an Uzi to a knife fight; and drummer Cherrybomb manages a propulsive backbeat while wearing stiletto leopard skin heels, no mean trick.

The Green Lady Killers debuted with a self-titled EP in 2007 that included their calling card, "Psycho Ellen," a frenzied rocker in the finest crazy-bitch-from-hell tradition (“something’s wrong with her brain”) featuring a short but satisfyingly spastic and yes, psycho, guitar solo. That was followed in 2009 with their debut album, “Just Fine,” also released on the Rusty Knuckles label. They offer plenty of three-minute blasts of loud, fast, dangerous, sexy fun and games. “Snake Eyes” features a slinky and cool come-hither growl, backed with churning guitars and power riffs. “Whips Chains” is a leather come-on that asserts “you need it more than you know.” “Dance Floor” combines GLK’s signature sounds with catchy pop elements in a dialed-down fashion that demonstrates the ability to avoid pigeonholing (okay, maybe more like raven-holing in their case).

The video for “My .45” is a slick-yet-dusty showcase for GLK’s talents. The no-nonsense playing and dangerous goings-on deliver the oh-so-tender message “don’t mess with us or you’ll wind up dead in the desert.” Speaking of forty-fives, the gals in Green Lady Killers seem to have a real fascination with weaponry, posing with various gats and guns in their publicity photos. Maybe they’re just looking for men with real…um…firepower. Either way, we wouldn’t suggest challenging them to any duels. Not with a group whose DNA samples probably spell out “Take No Prisoners.”