It’s a tale as old as time: small crowd at a back water spot, and up onto the stage steps somewhere’s hometown heroes, who proceed to lay their life onto the line in a righteous performance. The crowd quietly nods and walks away, the band packs up their instruments into the van. Off to the next city. It shouldn’t be this way – they should always be bigger, always deserve more applause; it never comes. But man, that show.

A common conversation piece over the past decade and a half has been over whether or not rock n’ roll is “dead.” This past Wednesday, April 18, proved to me that it is very much alive. Unfortunately, the general public doesn’t know it. I had the privilege of seeing Screaming Females headline a little show in Tallahassee, FL as they toured across the Panhandle. They shared the bill with HIRS, Nightwitch, and Big Puppy. I left with both a feeling of fulfillment from the music, and disappointment in its reception.

I found out about Screaming Females a couple of years ago after a then-colleague in grad school mentioned how happy she was to have finally seen them live. Always on the hunt for good new music, I looked them up, and was not disappointed. In a word, they ROCK. Lead by singer/guitarist Marisa Paternoster, the New Jersey three-piece plays punked up indie-rock that Spin justifiably compared to Dinosaur Jr, Sleater-Kinney, Smashing Pumpkins, and Black Flag. Such disparate name drops should clue you in to their versatility and taste. Paternoster, specifically, is one of the best guitarists playing right now. She lay down full-bodied solos that never drift off into wankville, but always charge ahead with edge and purpose. When I found out that they’d be making a stop in my town, I was ecstatic.

The show was held in the Schnittman Auditorium of the Mickee Faust Club in Railroad Square. I didn’t know they held music performances there (it’s usually known for local theater), but the small space allowed for a real intimacy between the audience and the stage. The space should be used more.

Let’s get down to brass tax: the Females, as expected, killed it. They played for an efficient 45 minutes, but didn’t waste a second. Bassist King Mike provided a forceful underpinning and added much to the music the few times he played engaging counterpoints to the main riff. Jarrett Dougherty held it down solidly on the drums. However, it was Paternoster who was clearly leading the show. Her voice was powerful and versatile (and mixed well in the audio system), and she used an array of pedals to navigate the band through several different textures that ranged from laid back and slightly spacey, to chugging, heavy riffage. Oh, and did I mention that she can shred? Their studio tracks honestly don’t do her justice – live, she ripped off amazing feats of fretwork that were always exciting and melodic. The band has a slew of well written songs that build to climactic crescendos of pure rock fun. I honestly can’t say anything negative, save for how I wish they had played longer.

I’m not sure if my fellow attendees felt the same. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few people who loved it as much as me, judging from the cheers and scattered, constrained headbanging. Most of the rest of the audience seemed thoroughly indifferent: they stood, the standard cooler-than-thou hipster arms across chest, the occasional head nod, polite applause after each song. Look man, no one is forcing you to do anything, but if you come to a rock show, try to have a little fun. I get listening to the music and appreciating it, but the best music makes me want to move and express myself. The live experience is a place for that, to celebrate good music with like-minded people. I got the sense that the band was grasping for more traction; performers feed off of their audience, and the Females have surely played more raucous shows. In fact I overheard a woman comment to her partner at the end, “This was still good, but the last time I saw them it was may more lit.”

Way to make yourself look bad, Tallahassee. When a group comes through your city, you want to represent and show some love. Maybe it was because the concert was on a Wednesday, or maybe it was because it was at a non-traditional venue, but this group deserves more. Maybe their kind of music just doesn’t draw people anymore. Are we at the point in time when true rock music is the furthest from the mainstream it’s been in 50 years? Yes. And it’s a shame.

The way I see it, people have the right to enjoy whichever music they like, but it is frustrating to watch three talented, dedicated musicians grind away and other, less cathartic performers headline festivals. I guess that’s the way it’s always been. Hopefully Screaming Females will grow in stature and become a cult favorite like so many great bands before them. Either way, they won at least one concert-goer over with that show, and I’ll continue to support. And I’ll continue to let loose at have fun at concerts, because that’s what rock is all about.

Here’s a link to the video for their latest single. Don’t sleep on it.