Screamin' Rebel Angels at Mercury Lounge

Brian Hack & Laura Palmer

As a teenager, Laura Palmer published a punk rock fanzine, Rebel Angel. As a result, she was nicknamed Laura Rebel Angel. She started in the music business first as a dj, and then booked and promoted rockabilly, punk and rock and roll bands in New York City clubs under the name Rebel Angel Productions. The bands heard that she sang well and played guitar, and started coaxing her to join them on stage. In 2011, she ultimately formed the concept for Screamin' Rebel Angels in Brooklyn. Screamin' Rebel Angels' second album, Heel Grinder, was released on January 24, 2019.

Screamin' Rebel Angels performed a record-release concert tonight at Mercury Lounge, showcasing how Palmer has evolved beyond her rockabilly bass. Perhaps the broader influences were always in the mix, but the band's performances of the newer songs established Screamin' Rebel Angels as a rock and roll revival band, more akin to Little Richard than to Carl Perkins. An undercurrent of twang permeated the set, but most of the music was powered by Palmer's gritty vocals and her appetite for hard and fast rock and roll. Animated by guitarist Brian "Bobo" Hack's speedy finger picking along with bassist Daniel Pena and drummer Aaron Latos' pounding rhythms, vintage sounds turned into savage sounds, rocking the audience into dance mode. Screamin' Rebel Angels performed roots rock and roll better than just about any other revival band on the local club circuit; the band is ready for a national breakout.