Vicki Peterson
Vicki Peterson
Born: Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson
January 11, 1958
Birthplace: Northridge, Los Angeles, Calif.
“It has always been such a natural thing for me to make music that I have a hard time looking at it as if it’s something unusual or special, but I can see how, in a social context, it is. I’m interested in finding ways of reaching young women musicans and communicating how important it is to share our voice.”
~ Vicki Peterson
An Eclectic Rocker
by Michael Holloway
I was fortunate enough to see The Bangles perform live in Adelaide, South Australia in November 2005, and shortly thereafter, I participated in a chat with the lovely, talented, and riotously funny Vicki Peterson.
I asked her how she feels about the “women in rock” phenomenon. Though she admits it was a phrase she used to joke about, given that women have proved themselves to be as equally proficient in music as men (so why should women be treated any different), she is serious when she says she wants to change the public perception of women in music as viewed in the media.
I remember Belinda Carlisle saying almost the exact same thing to me in a chat I participated in with her and fellow fans in early 2007. Plus, add that the heads of recording labels are often overlooking art in favour of mass marketing.
In a more recent chat with fans, one asked a similar question, which Peterson answered with more detail. Peterson says that the problem is not just limited to sexism, but also to racism, ageism, homophobia, classism and every other “ism” you can name. The studio heads like to pigeon-hole artists. Treating new and eclectic artists like sideshow attractions, which limits any chance of success in mainstream music. And, although Indie music offers a more liberating artistic scope, the snobbery that exists in the mainstream still looms on the horizon like a thundercloud.
The Isms Have It
“But there’s also racism,ageism and what I calltoken-ism and they all can happen at the same time. Was it sexism when a radio station would not “add” a new Bangles single in the 80’s because they had just added the new Belinda Carlisle record and they wouldn’t go with two female-fronted songs in the same week? Or was that just tokenism, the same “ism” that kept a Terence Trent D’Arby record from being played in the same time slot as Michael Jackson? No, that was probably racism. See? It’s all the same mind-set and it isn’t exclusive to the recording industry. But you probably knew that. I’d like to say that it’s gotten better and maybe it has. I have enormous hopes for the human race…,” said Peterson.
Much like Peterson, as a music fan and a supporter of equality in all things, I also have enormous hopes for the human race, especially knowing that a powerhouse performer like Peterson is out there fighting to make the world a better place through music, humanitarian work, and sheer fearlessness of spirit.
An Ad in the Recycler
Vicki Peterson and her younger sister Debbi started their inspirational journey back in the early 1980s when they placed an advertisement in “The Recycler” looking for a new band member. Susanna Hoffs answered the ad, and through a mutual love of and sadness over the passing of John Lennon, Hoffs and the Petersons bonded and decided they had the chemistry to form a band.
Their bassist, Annette Zalinskas, left the group over creative differences. It was tehn, Vicki Peterson saw promise in Michael Steele, who had been ousted from The Runaways due to conflicts with the manager, Kim Fowley. When Steele stated her ideal band should sound like “The Yardbirds with Fairport Convention vocals,” Peterson was visibly amused and delighted, and she quickly invited Steele into the band.
Sisters are Creamy and Dreamy
Over the course of three albums, Vicki’s high octane rockers blended perfectly with her sister Debbi’s dreamy creamy romanticism, Hoffs’ sensitive wistfulness, and Steele’s streetwise, sometimes melancholy musings. Vicki’s rich, salty voice offers both sweetness and spice, and her high notes are out of this world. Nobody belts out a tune like Peterson, and her cunning deftness on lead guitar makes her shine even brighter.
Rollicking tunes like “Restless,” “In A Different Light,” “The Bell Jar” (inspired by the tragic poet Sylvia Plath who committed suicide due to depression), “Watching The Sky,” and “Crash And Burn” show Peterson’s ample ability to raise the rafters. However, with seductively tender ballads like “Return Post,” “More Than Meets The Eye,” “Stealing Rosemary,” and “Angels Don’t Fall In Love”, she also lifts hearts to sublime heights.
The Psycho Sisters
The Bangles parted ways in 1989, during the 90s, it was Peterson who enjoyed the most prolific time of her career. She first teamed with her friend and future sister-in-law Susan Cowsill (Vicki married John Cowsill in 2003) as The Psycho Sisters. They often performed zany antics in their shows like appearing on stage in nightgowns. Though, The Psycho Sisters have yet to release an actual album, they remain a fan favourite for those fortunate enough to have seen them perform live.
At Home at Last
Peterson and Cowsill joined the iconic Americana band, The Continental Drifters. Before they joined, the band (Peter Holsapple, Carlo Nuccio, Danny McGough, Ray Ganucheau, Mark Walton, and Gary Eaton) had already recorded an album titled “Nineteen Ninety Three.”
However, illness and geographical difficulty in getting gigs in New Orleans from LA and vice versa forced Ganucheau, Eaton, and McGough out of the line-up, which meant their album had to be shelved. It was finally released in 2003.
When Peterson and Cowsill joined, they added sparkle and zest to the band, and for once, Peterson felt completely at home. She did not have to constantly prove herself as a viable rocker because she was a woman. The Continental Drifters welcomed everyone into their family, especially the audience.
As a Drifter, Peterson wrote and recorded some of her best songs to date, including “That Much A Fool,” “Na Na (Story Of My Life),” “Some Of Shelly’s Blues,” “Watermark,” “Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway,” and “Long Journey Home,” to name a few.
Rejoining the Girls
A few of the songs she worked on as a Drifter were recycled when Peterson rejoined The Bangles, including “Mixed Messages,” and “The Rain Song” which she and Cowsill wrote, though it was Cowsill who recorded it first as a Drifter before Peterson Bangle-ised it.
As a Bangle, Peterson was the Queen of Rock, as a Drifter, she easily wavered between high class rocker and a truly heartfelt performer of poignant ballads, showing incredible range and emotion.
A Little Help to Her Friends
During the 90s, Peterson also found time to help out her friends and fellow musicians. In 1993, Belinda Carlisle released her stunningly introspective “Real” album, for which the majority was written by Carlisle and her good friend and fellow Go-Go, Charlotte Caffey.
Peterson was added to the album as guest guitarist and backing vocalist, together with Caffey, she adds an electrifying pizazz to “Lay Down Your Arms,” a refashioned cover of Caffey’s own song with her former band The Graces. A year later, Caffey discovered she was pregnant and was unable to tour with The Go-Go’s on their first reunion tour, so Peterson substituted for her as lead guitarist, learning the chords for the entire Go-Go’s catalogue in record time.
Though The Continental Drifters disbanded and The Bangles soon reunited; Peterson managed to explore other musical interests. She took up the bass guitar and joined a new band, The Lamps, who released a lovely four song EP in 2006. Peterson did not sing lead this time, but her adeptness as a bass player and her famous vocals could be heard in the background of “Quietly Stirring Sadly.’
Other members of this band include: Chris Phillips, Peele Wimberley, Dave Burris, John Crooke, Tim Roven, and James Roven, though they have yet to release any more albums, they are quite popular performing live gigs and fans are eager to hear more from them.
The Sisters are Nutts for Mutts
What Does the Future Hold
As for future plans, Peterson states that a new Bangles album might be in the works. Their current guest bassist, Abby Travis, has followed her predecessor Michael Steele’s suit and left the band to pursue her own stellar solo career. The Petersons and Hoffs have been steadily working together on new material in the hopes of releasing some form of new project in 2009.
“I know we’ve been saying this for a long time now (and that you’ve probably stopped believing me altogether, a perfectly reasonable reaction) but the plans are to begin work on a new record in the winter. We’ll keep you up-to-date here on the website, so keep checking in,” said Peterson.
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Abby Travis | Boomer Style MagazineFebruary 1, 2013 at 3:26 am
[…] ever concert experience. Though, in all honesty, I did miss Steele playing with Susanna Hoffs and Vicki and Debbi […]