"I like this audience," Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Ronnie Spector said onstage at Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Saturday. "They tell me when I have lipstick on my teeth."

Lipstick traces were in abundance during the inaugural Girls Got Rhythm Fest, a three-day event featuring nothing but women singers or female-fueled garage bands -- and about an evenly split audience, gender-wise. There were no feminist speeches or riot-grrrl songs. But there was still a lot of grrr-ing and teeth-baring.

"Don't pick on me, or I will torture you," Muffs singer Kim Shattuck threatened in her Los Angeles grunge-pop trio's snarly, blistering set, a fitting finish to Friday.

There even was a wee bit of smut. Norwegian pop-punk quartet Caroline & the Treats delivered such saucy tunes as "Let's Get Dirty" and "Wam Bam Baby." Pigtailed, spandex-pants-wearing Caroline Andersen joked that the latter song was their "super mega-hit. It's been played on the radio once."

After Spector, the next-best-known GGR performer was Japanese surf-rock trio the 5.6.7.8.'s, recognized from Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Vol. 1." That wasn't enough to keep a third of the crowd from trickling out after Spector's set, leaving the 5.6.7.8's finishing to only about 200 fans with their quirky, stoner-warp-speed fuzz-rock ditties and a Japanese-language version of "Great Balls of Fire."

The performers seemed to be cult fans of each other, though. When Caroline & the Treats kicked into their cover of Detroit power-pop pioneer Nikki Corvette's song "Let's Go," fans were treated to a surprise appearance by Ms. Corvette herself. Nikki also performed Saturday using a band of local GGR participants, including members of Pinsch and fest co-founder Travis Ramin. Her set culminated with a dozen fans climbing onstage to holler along to "Girls Like Me" (next line: "were made to rock 'n' roll").

Spector's set wound up being the emotional and musical high point. The 68-year-old hitmaker only had about 68 percent of her legendary voice, but she came off as cool as ever. With a seven-piece band, she dropped in tributes to Amy Winehouse (nailing "Back to Black") and Johnny Thunders ("You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory"). Then she bragged that both the Beatles and the Stones liked her version of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" when her old group the Ronettes toured with them. Talk about name-dropping.

When Slash and Myles Kennedy came back for their encore at the Brick on Monday night, you knew they meant business. The legendary Guns N' Roses guitarist and his new singer both returned to the stage with their shirts off and their guns blazing. Slash, in particular, looked like he's been hitting the weight room the way he used to hit the pipe. It was a fitting finale for a 1¾-hour set that was at times chest-beatingly cheesy but certainly sounded muscular and fit.

Slash and his newish band made a good case for all facets of the guitarist's 25-year legacy. Kennedy hit the high notes in "Rocket Queen" better than Axl Rose did at Target Center in November. Slash also used the "Appetite of Destruction" closer as the setup for his longest and grimiest solo of the night. Later, the band played impressive, by-the-book versions of "Mr. Brownstone" and "Sweet Child o' Mine," and the crowd did most of the singing for the confetti-splattered encore version of "Paradise City." (Nope, no "Welcome to the Jungle.")

Monday's show was as much a test for the Brick. The new venue has been moving a lot of its bigger concerts to Myth, but this one turned out just fine with a crowd under 1,500. It was packed, sure, but it was never impossible to find a view of the stage with a little effort getting through the crowd. New TVs in the back and in the corners appeased those fans who didn't make the effort. One thing that has never been disputed at the Brick: Its sound system and acoustics are impeccable. That alone makes it a preferable venue to Epic and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Howler frontman Jordan Gatesmith isn't just finding career success in the U.K. -- he's also managed to woo the daughter of English rock royalty. Manchester singer Sonny Marr, the daughter of former Smiths/Modest Mouse/Cribbs guitarist Johnny Marr, went Facebook official with Gatesmith on May 9, according to their profile pages. Who knows if Papa Marr approves of the transatlantic lovebirds, but he's on record as a Howler fan. Last winter he tweeted, "Howler are killing it. Bravo." In March, Vita.mn asked Gatesmith whether international women have been kind to his band, to which he replied "Yes. Very kind. They're lovely. Manchester girls are the best."

Does the Muddy Pig have clout, or what? On Saturday, the St. Paul beer bar will celebrate the tapping of its 1,000th beer style. And it's not just any old beer. Summit has brewed an exclusive beer just for the acclaimed pub. The beer has been dubbed 10³ Anniversary IPA (because 10 cubed is 1,000 -- duh). Next month is also the Muddy Pig's 10th anniversary. The special beer was made on Summit's new pilot brewing system, which allows the brewery to experiment with small batches. It contains 10 malts and 10 varieties of hops. The beer's alcohol content clocks in at 6.8 percent, with 70 IBUs. With only five kegs of the stuff, the Pig's owners don't expect the beer to last through the weekend. Also of note: The bar will have 10 additional Summit styles on tap Saturday. (Noon Sat. 5/19.)

For years, the nonprofit OutFront Minnesota has been a strong voice for pushing GLBT issues forward (and helping make us one of the gayest cities in the country -- No. 1 in 2011!). Now the group is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a takeover of the Walker Art Center on Friday night. The Walker party will feature music by DJ Shannon Blowtorch (above), plus tours of the hit exhibit "Lifelike," and a photo booth with 1980s accessories. Drinks and food will be available. A big part of the night will be an OutFront retrospective program with speakers such as U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and awards for OutFront's 25 leaders under 25. Proceeds from the ticket price will benefit OutFront's mission.

Orchestral psychedelic rockers Me & My Arrow aren't just performing shows every other week in the summer -- they will also issue a new single every other week. The biweekly download series kicks off with "Erazor," released Friday in time for their set that night at the 331 Club's free Art-A-Whirl bash. Look for the next single May 30.