R E OF M M A H
G
THE DDESS
by deano
he eerie silence of the darkened stage is broken like a bolt of lightning cracking open the midnight sky. The petite silhouette explodes exponentially, leaping to the front of the stage, landing in an impossibility wide crouch, guitar slung low. A tsunami of multi-colored hair slices through the air at whiplash-speed as the opening riff washes over the crowd in a tidal wave of distortion. Gail Greenwood was chosen by the Rock 'N Roll gods to bring forth the thunder. A kinetic force-of-nature, her energy is as infectious as it is inspiring. For over three decades she's cultivated a career that's taken her around the world, from clubs to stadiums and back again. A straight-edged vegan, she has defied Rock 'N Roll stereotypes and burned gender-bias conventions to the ground. In this issue, Gail takes on a tour of the musical adventure she's lived so far. Growing up in Barrington, it was at a family get-together that an eight-year-old Gail would first be bitten by the music bug. And it drew blood. "I had a cousin who played Folk music. We went to his house, I think after a funeral. He was
T
playing guitar and we were all sitting on the floor, and I was so thrilled to be hearing music. It was my first time hearing the guitar. I had a glass of lemonade with ice. I was biting down on the ice cubes in time to the music and, I was so into it, I broke the glass in my mouth. That was my first Punk Rock moment." As adolescence nears, childhood memories fade. But for Gail, the image of a guitar player commanding the attention of an adoring audience would remain. That brief glimpse into her musical future was soon realized on Christmas Day, 1973. "I got my first guitar, an acoustic. I think my mom was mad that my dad had spent so much on it. I believe it was $24." She adds, "With pick." Her formative high school years found Gail playing guitar and baritone horn in the marching band, and resisting the lure of the masses. While other teenagers were listening to the BEE GEES and DONNA SUMMER, and doing The Hustle, Gail had a more evolved musical palette. "I was into Funk. PARLIAMENT, OHIO PLAYERS, EARTH WIND & FIRE. It was the era of Disco but I wasn't into that." For Gail, the rhythm
Gail Greenwood, BIF Naked Canadian shed tour 2001
54 fall & winter 2015 / 2016 • newportnaked.com