Music & Concerts

Comical musical foursome

Four Bitchin’ Babes to play Birchmere next week

Published

12 years ago

December 6, 2012

Keith Loria

Bitchin’ Babes

The Birchmere

3701 Mount Vernon Ave.

Alexandria, VA 22305

birchmere.com

The Four Bitchin’ Babes have been playing the Birchmere for nearly 25 years and return next weekend. (Photo by Terry Jordan; courtesy of FBB)

Describing a show by The Four Bitchin’ Babes comes down to a few words: witty, musical and bling. The jewelry they wear has become a staple for the women but the gal pals really shine with their wit and musical abilities.

When The Four Bitchin’ Babes play the Birchmere Dec. 14-15, it will be more than just another stop on their 50-city tour, it will mark a return to the place where the comical musical foursome became the force that they are today.

The story of the origins of the group begins in 1990, when singer Christine Lavin released a compilation album of winter folk songs and enlisted some musical friends to join her on a road show combining laughter and music.

The original foursome included Patty Larkin from Cambridge, Mass., Megon McDonough from Chicago and Sally Fingerett, from Columbus, Ohio, and the gals went to seven cities, ending at the Birchmere. It was there that they recorded their show and officially became The Bitchin’ Babes.

“We have been playing the Birchmere for 23 years and we always do two nights because it’s kind of our home away from home for us,” says Fingerett, the last remaining original member. “Our first and fourth records were recorded live there and the audiences have always been so welcoming to us there and we look forward to playing year after year.”

Over the years, The Bitchin’ Babes have grown and refined their show, developing the perfect combination of music, comedy and fun. The group’s lineup consists of Fingerett, long-time members Debi Smith and Deirdre Flint, and newcomer Marcy Marxer.

“We are four singer-songwriter-comedian-actress composers who stand in a row on stage together and take turns in the spotlight,” Fingerett says. “When one girl is at the microphone, she becomes the diamond broach and the other three play instruments, sing harmonies and support her as needed.”

Each of the women comes from a different city and all admit that they have different views, personalities and lifestyles, but when they meet up every year for their annual September to June tour, they’re like sorority girl BFFs who haven’t seen each other in ages.

“If we lived in the same city, we would be best friend whacky neighbors, but because we don’t, when we do see each other, it’s just about being best friends,” says Smith, who has been part of the Babes since 1994. “Some of us have other careers, children, spouses and other things going on in our lives, and we always have so much to share and look forward to this time together.”

Over the course of 22 years, some Babes have come and gone, and re-invention becomes the Babe mantra. When Nancy Moran said goodbye last year, it was time to find someone new.

“When we look to hire a new Babe, we know there’s a lot of beautiful, talented performers out there, but what’s important to us is that there’s a spiritual connection and a like-mindedness,” Fingerett says. “We need someone with no drama, someone who can wake up in the morning, shower, put clothes on and hit the road. Someone who can bring in different flavors and ideas.”

The group filled the spot with Grammy winner Marcy Marxer, a well-regarded folk singer from Maryland, who is out and recently married her partner of 31 years.

“I wanted to join them because of the bling factor,” Marxer jokes. “I really love them as people. They are wonderful friends and I think we ebb and flow around each member perfectly and they know how to run a band. They are very accommodating and flexible and that’s why they’ve been around so long.”

Marxer appreciates that the band is a hit with the LGBT community and thinks the girls’ humor and attitude is what attracts the crowd.

“We see people of all kinds and everyone is welcome,” Marxer says. “The thing we have in common is we all want to have a good time.”

Smith said that the fact that they are four women who love each other is a factor in their appeal.

“Love is so much bigger than gender and we present that.” Smith says. “Our show is beyond what goes on between men and women — we are very non-gender specific, loving, kind and supportive. We don’t have love songs about men, we sing about getting lost in the parking lot and things that don’t apply to gender at all.”

Fingerett also is well known for writing the hit song, “Home Is Where The Heart Is,” a tune about accepting people regardless of sexual orientation that Peter, Paul and Mary covered on their album “Lifelines.”

“It’s a song of tolerance and compassion,” Fingerett says. “It’s sung by LGBT groups all over the country. The songs is on our first CD and since then, we’ve had a wonderful and supportive gay and lesbian following.”

The Bitchin’ Babes have released nine successful albums, starting with “Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don’t Mess My Hair, Life According to Four Bitchin’ Babes Vol. I,” which captures the freshness and excitement of four women, four different songwriters, living four different lives, singing of their own individual experiences as female artists. Over the years, they have touched on topics from new shoes to bald headed men to hot flashes.

“Audiences have grown up with us and we see some of the same fans we saw in 1990,” Fingerett says. “We reinvent the wheel every record and they can still relate to what we are singing about.”

Their newest recording, “Mid Life Vices” explores women’s neurosis, passions and misdeeds, with songs about Facebook, relationships and cheese.

On the recording, the girls play everything from acoustic and electric guitars to mandolins to the piano to Irish Bodhran drums.

“We are celebrating the release of the CD at the Birchmere show and will put a holiday spin on it,” Smith says. “There will be some poignant songs for drama, comedy, but no politics and nothing blue. Audiences return year after year because there are always new songs and now we even have a new member.”

As part of the show, Fingerett delivers a comedic routine about how she is a Jewish girl born on Christmas Day (a true story), and there’s this great song about a Christmas sweater showdown.

“There is a pink cloud of generosity and spirit in all four of us,” Flint says. “This night will be an evening of entertainment and laughs where everything is left at the door.”

With so much to love, Fingerett says the thing she loves most about being in the Bitchin’ Babes is the camaraderie and fun they all have on stage. For Flint, her favorite thing about the estrogen-filled group is that every week she gets to go on a girlfriend’s getaway weekend.

“For me, it’s all about the great friendship and knowing the audiences leave feeling good,” Smith says. “Someone recently came up to me after a show and said it felt like a great therapy session. Knowing that we can help people as well as entertain is a great feeling.”

Up Next

Sisters in spirit

Don't Miss

Baltimore arts news in brief: through Nov. 29

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Music & Concerts

Pianist Jeremy Denk to play George Mason

Soloist performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 alongside FSO

Published

3 weeks ago

November 16, 2024

Tinashe Chingarande

Pianist Jeremy Denk (Photo by Shervin Lainez)

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University co-present Jeremy Denk — one of America’s foremost pianists—on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. Denk joins the FSO as soloist for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. The concert, conducted by FSO Music Director Christopher Zimmerman, also includes the regional premiere of “She Dreams of Flying” by American composer Quinn Mason, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Tickets are available through the Fairfax Symphony and the Center for the Arts: $65, $55, $40 and half-price for youth through grade 12 (service fees may apply).

A pre-performance discussion with Denk and Maestro Christopher Zimmerman, moderated by Mason Dewberry School of Music Professor John Healey, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain.

Music & Concerts

Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry plan fall releases

A Fleetwood Mac live album, more Joni archives among vintage options

Published

3 months ago

September 13, 2024

Joey DiGuglielmo

Dolly Parton’s ‘Smoky Mountain DNA’ is slated for a Nov. 15 release. (Image courtesy Owepar Entertainment)

Paris Hilton released her “Infinite Icon” album on Sept. 6. It’s just the second effort following a massive hiatus — her debut album “Paris” was released way back in 2006. Sia produces. This summer’s “I’m Free” was the first single. A tour is planned. Hilton promised a “heavily gay-leaning release.”

Miranda Lambert’s “Postcards from Texas” is slated to drop today. Lambert’s 10th studio album was preceded by the May release of single “Wranglers,” which stalled in the lower 30s on country radio. Lambert calls the album a musical ode to her home state. She co-produces with Jon Randall and either wrote or co-wrote 10 of the project’s 14 cuts.

Katy Perry’s “143” is set for a Sept. 20 release. It will be her seventh studio album. Its title refers to what she says is her symbolic angel number. Perry is aiming for a dance party feel working with producers Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Stargate, Vaughn Oliver and Rocco Did It Again! The proceedings are not off to a strong start. First single “Woman’s World” stalled at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up “Lifetimes” failed to crack the Hot 100 at all.

Fleetwood Mac releases “Mirage Tour ’82” on Sept. 20. It includes six tracks previously unreleased including “Don’t Stop,” “Dreams,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Sara” and more. Available on double CD, triple vinyl and digitally.

Volume four of Joni Mitchell’s “Archives” series dubbed “The Asylum Years: 1976-1980” releases Oct. 4. It’s being offered in six-CD or four-LP (highlights) configurations. It will feature unreleased studio sessions, alternate versions, live recordings, rarities and a 36-page book with new photos and an extensive conversation between Mitchell and filmmaker/uberfan Cameron Crowe.

Sophie B. Hawkins releases her “Whaler Re-Emerging” album (a re-recording of her landmark 1994 album) on Oct. 15. Order through her site and the first 250 copies will be signed. Hawkins (who identifies as omnisexual) says it surpasses the original.

Joe Jonas’s “Music for People Who Believe in Love” and Shawn Mendes’s “Shawn” are both set for Oct. 18 releases. Jonas’s album (his first solo effort since 2011’s “Fastlife”) will feature songwriting he says is of a more personal nature. Billboard called it “unvarnished” but with a shimmery pop sound aglow with garage rock and alt-pop influences. First single “Work It Out” was released over the summer and failed to chart.

“Shawn” will be Mendes’s first album since 2020’s “Wonder,” the tour of which he cancelled citing mental health. Two singles — “Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough” — have been released. The former stalled at no. 84 on the Hot 100. He has called the album his “most musically intimate and lyrically honest work to date.”

Lana Del Rey’s “Lasso” is expected for a possible fall release, although some sources say it’s been bumped to early 2025. No date had been announced as of yet. She’s apparently going the Beyonce route and releasing a straight-up country album.

Dolly Parton plans a Nov. 15 release for “Smoky Mountain DNA — Family, Faith & Fables.” Parton recruited family to help her on the 37 (!)-track collection, which will also encompass a four-part docuseries tracing Parton’s familial roots. One song (“A Rose Won’t Fix It”) is an outtake from the feverish writing sessions that led to her solid (but underrated) 1998 album “Hungry Again.” An extremely limited-edition triple vinyl release is also planned.

Release dates shift and many more releases will be announced later. Pitchfork keeps a great running tab at pitchfork.com/news/new-album-releases. Also check your local record store for Black Friday special editions available on Friday, Nov. 29. Release info was scant as of this writing.

(Joey DiGuglielmo was variously the Blade’s news and features editor from 2006-2020.)

Music & Concerts

Fall concerts feature Sivan, Eilish, Lauper, more

Ndegeocello pays tribute to Baldwin at Strathmore next month

Published

3 months ago

September 13, 2024

Joey DiGuglielmo

Sigur Ros plays the Anthem this month. Frontman JONSI (center) is gay. (Photo by Chloe Kritharas; courtesy motormouthmedia)

Sigur Ros will be joined by the Wordless Music Orchestra at the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Wednesday, Sept. 25th. They’re continuing their 2023 tour in support of “Atta,” their first LP of original music in a decade. Frontman Jonsi is gay. Tickets are $60.50-173.50 for this seated show.

Troye Sivan brings the “Sweat Tour” with Charli XCX (co-headlining) to Baltimore at the CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) on Thursday, Sept. 26th at 7:30 p.m. It’s sold out. The latter is touring behind her 2024 album “Brat.” The former is touring behind his 2023 album “Something to Give Each Other.” Sivan is gay and has performed at Capital Pride.

Cyndi Lauper brings her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $29-179. It’s her first solo arena stateside tour since her ’86-’87 “True Colors World Tour.” Lauper is a longtime and avid LGBTQ ally.

St. Vincent brings her “All Born Screaming Tour” to the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Friday, Sept. 13th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55-95. A Variety review called it “minimalist” and said “with no video screens, backup singers or sketches, and a lot of electric guitar, it’s the purest distillation of St. Vincent we’ve had on stage in quite a few years.” Anne Erin Clark (aka St. Vincent) doesn’t identify as anything sexually but has mostly dated women in recent years.

Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming play Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) on Friday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Individual sets are planned, but there will likely be a duet or two. Tickets are $29.

Out singer/songwriter Perfume Genius brings his “Too Bright 10th Anniversary Tour” to The Atlantis (2047 9th St., N.W.) on Monday, Sept. 16. This highly limited run will only play six dates in five cities. Mike Hadreas (aka Perfume Genius) will perform his 2014 album in its entirety. It’s sold out.

Meghan Trainor brings “The Timeless Tour” to Jiffy Lube Live (7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristol, Va.) on Tuesday, Sept. 17th at 6:30 p.m. She’s touring behind her album of the same name released earlier this year. Tickets are $33-155. No lawn seats available for this show.

Queer-affirming gospel singer Amy Grant (who also had a decent pop chart run in the ’90s) brings her fall tour to The Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. As she’s done on tour with previous re-releases, Grant could include more songs than usual from her 1994 “House of Love” album, which was just released in an expanded edition and on LP for the first time. Tickets are $95.

Sara Bareilles, a self-described LGBTQ ally, joins the NSO Pops for a three-night stint at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Sept. 24-26 at 8 p.m. each night. It’s sold out.

Billie Eilish brings her “Hit Me Hard and Soft: the Tour” to CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) in Baltimore on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Her album of the same name dropped in March. Although she’s mostly dated guys publicly, Eilish identifies as bi. It’s sold out.

Queer artist Meshell Ndegeocello plays the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Her show is dubbed “No More Water: the Gospel of James Baldwin” and is billed as a tribute event to the legendary Black gay writer. A pre-concert event, “The Gospel of Meshell Ndegeocello” is free but advanced registration is required. Tickets for the concert are $28-74.

Former Capital Pride headliner Betty Who (“queer/bi” herself) brings her “An Acoustic Evening in Celebration of 10 years of TMWYG” to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $55. It’s a nod to her 2014 debut album “Take Me When You Go.”

Justin Timberlake brings his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 13. This seventh headlining concert tour (and first in five years) supports his 2024 sixth album “Everything I Thought it Was.” Reviews for the tour have been strong; the setlist looks career-spanning and generous. It’s sold out.

Gay-helmed Pink Martini with China Forbes and Ari Shapiro plays the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Monday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40-80.

’80s pop sensation Debbie Gibson brings her “Acoustic Youth: Songs & Stories from Electric Youth Era” to the Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Tickets are $59.50. Gibson is celebrating her 1989 album “Electric Youth,” her second. She’ll accompany herself on piano playing the songs “the way I first wrote them.”

DJ/producer Diplo, who says he’s “not not gay,” plays Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Road, N.E.) on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. Walker and Royce join. Tickets are $60.

Motown diva Diana Ross brings her “Beautiful Love Performances Legacy Tour” to MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) on Oct. 24-25 at 8 p.m. Except for adding a couple cuts from her abysmal 2021 album “Thank You” (her latest), her setlist has not changed much in 15 years. She’s a little better about performing Supremes songs than she was earlier in her career (for ages, they were crammed into one medley), but she still heavily favors her solo material. Tickets start at $102.

“The Life and Music of George Michael” comes to the National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Hard to tell from promo material if this is a typical jukebox musical-type show or more like a tribute band concert for the late gay singer. Tickets are $55.

“Sapphic Factory: Queer Joy Party” is at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. It’s slated to feature music by artists such as Mana, Chappell Roan, Fletcher, Phoebe Bridges, Kehlani, Rina Sawayama, boygenius, Kim Petras, Tegan and Sara and more. Tickets are $23.

Kacey Musgraves brings her “Deeper Well World Tour” to CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. It supports her sixth studio album, released in March. The setlist morphed slightly over a spring run in Europe. It’s sold out.

Soul diva Gladys Knight plays the Hall at Live! (7002 Arundel Mills Circle) in Hanover, Md., on Sunday, Nov. 17th at 7:30 p.m. Knight, who hasn’t had a new album out in a decade, tends to be fairly generous with her classic Motown- and Buddha-era hits with the Pips in approximately 75-minute sets. Tickets start at $95.

(Joey DiGuglielmo was variously the Blade’s news and features editor from 2006-2020.)