Don't even think about asking Dana Raidt why some of the bands playing Friday's inaugural Girl Germs tribute concert at First Avenue are entirely made up of boys.
"I can't believe how many people seem to have a problem with that," said Raidt, co-organizer of what looks to be a highly entertaining night of songs originated by female artists — just not entirely sung by female artists.
"It's just as sexist to think that the only musicians inspired by women in rock are other female musicians."
Named after a Radio K show that Raidt co-hosted in 2010-11, Girl Germs evolved into a podcast and then a music blog last year, the latter a collaboration with City Pages and Vita.mn music scribe Sally Hedberg. Now it's a tribute show in the vein of First Ave's popular Replacements and Bowie fests.
Just as plenty of women rockers take part in those events, Friday's concert will feature such Y-chromosomed acts as the reverberating power trio Fury Things, playing a set of Hole tunes; dance-pop duo Strange Names, covering the B-52's, and — a surprise on several fronts— psychedelic twangers Night Moves interpreting the Cranberries. "That was a curveball to us, too," Raidt said.
Of course, there's also a heavy female contingent on the lineup, with Pink Mink (doing Bikini Kill covers), L'Assassins (covering British garage-punks Thee Headcoatees), the two "Crystals" of Brute Heart (Sadé) and Bomba De Luz's Lydia Liza (Dusty Springfield). Local punk icon Lori Barbero of Babes in Toyland will be back home to host.
"I think it's a really fun mix, whatever the gender of the bands," said Raidt, who also co-organized the mostly all-female Girls Got Rhythm festival (on hold after two well-received but under-attended years). Having the boys aboard also means "we'll have a lot more bands to choose from in the future."
You can read interviews with each band about their respective tributes at GirlGermsMpls.com.
