Vanity Crash
Born on stage under hot lights in the crucible of sound and fury.
Creating punk spunk and glam clamor.
Vanity Crash presents
Our Day Will Come
Celebrates Legendary Women Rock Artists from Cleveland and Akron, presented by Thomas Mulready and Vanity Crash
Friday, May 10, at Jilly’s Music Room, 111 N. Main St, Akron 44308
Saturday, May 11 at Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland 44110
From The Poni-Tails to the Pretenders, Ruby and the Romantics to Tracy Chapman and beyond, this original presentation hosted by Thomas Mulready and Vanity Crash honors women rockers from Northeast Ohio with interviews, testimonials, live original music, and historic covers by area female artists and women-led bands, including Girl Cologne, Tracey Thomas, Charity Cunningham, LILIEAE, The Super Babes, Kristine Jackson, Elliott Carter, and many others.
It’s no secret that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders hails from Akron. Fewer people know that Tracy Chapman, whose hit song “Fast Car” reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1988 and #1 on the Country charts in 2023, was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.
But there’s more to the story of rock & roll women from Cleveland and Akron. The Poni-Tails, an all-girl trio from Cleveland suburb Lyndhurst, hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. And that’s not all. In 1963, Ruby and The Romantics, an all-black R&B group from Akron, fronted by Ruby Nash, scored several pop & R&B hits, topped by the #1 hit, “Our Day Will Come,” later covered by Amy Winehouse and released just following her passing. The Secrets, an all-girl group from Cleveland, took their hit, “The Boy Next Door,” all the way to #18.
The list of female rock & rollers from Northeast Ohio continues. Debbie Smith and Sue Schmidt formed The Poor Girls while attending Firestone High School in Akron in 1963. Before graduating, they opened shows for The Who, Cream, and Steppenwolf, then formed Cinderella’s Revenge with the legendary Peter Laughner before touring the US as post-punk pioneers Chi-Pig. Another Firestone alum, Chrissie Hynde, spent her formative years on the fringe of the music scene in Akron and Cleveland before decamping for England to form the Pretenders. Although led by Akron-based Chris Butler, The Waitresses were fronted by singer Patty Donahue and hit #23 on Billboard’s Top Tracks with “I Know What Boys Like.”
Through a series of live music events and exclusive interviews, Thomas Mulready presents the story of the region’s female artists and women-led bands who made an impact on rock & roll. The live show presents interviews with some of the legendary figures who achieved success in their heyday from the 1950s through the 1980s, along with others who observed the scene.
The live shows will feature contemporary women artists on the rock & roll scene today in Cleveland and Akron,
performing some of the hits their predecessors made famous, along with a selection of their original songs. A second set each night will feature live original music by musical hosts, Cleveland’s glam punk heroes, Vanity Crash.
Performances and lineup will differ each evening.
Photo of Chrissie Hynde by Anastasia Pantsios
Featuring:
Chrissy Strong
The Crones
Eaten By Kittens
Elliott Carter
Jinni Fontana of Rubber Heads
Moon Echo Garden
Patty No!
Alison Garrigan with Queue Up
The Super Babes
Vanity Crash
Featuring:
Charity Cunningham
Girl Cologne
Jinni Fontana of Rubber Heads
Kristine Jackson
Lilieae
Moon Echo Garden
Alison Garrigan with Queue Up
The Super Babes
Vanity Crash
VIDEOS
MUSIC
TOUR
BIO
Vanity Crash was born on stage under hot lights in the crucible of sound and fury as the glam-punk band The Angry Inch in Cleveland Public Theater’s production of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Ever since, Vanity Crash has been dressing up and throwing down with eye-popping synchronized light shows, outrageous stage costumes and provocative attitude, opening for the likes of the New York Dolls, Poison, Semi Precious Weapons, the Darkness, and Gogol Bordello. The band placed songs in the movies Kingsbury Run and Hellweek. Their recent acclaimed tributes to David Bowie include timeless gems performed live alongside their own incendiary originals.
Jeff Niesel of Scene magazine says, “One of the only bands on the local circuit that keeps the glam rock flame burning brightly, Vanity Crash has been going strong for a decade now, pumping out good, gritty records with regularity.”
MEMBERS
Dennis Van Crash
Having played guitar for Queue Up, System 56, Verdanzen and The Times, Dennis has also composed original scores for numerous plays, including the musical version of Lysistrata and the recent hit at Cleveland Public Theatre, Shakespeare’s Titus. Dennis served as musical director and guitarist for the musicals Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. When not writing songs and playing guitar, you can find Dennis behind the camera creating videos and photographs.