In its late 1980s/early ‘90s heyday, the hard-rocking Minnesota band Vixen just missed the Top 20 with the songs “Cryin’” and “Edge of a Broken Heart,” and scored a single gold album (Vixen, 1988).
That self-titled debut landed on Rolling Stone’s list of “50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time.”
Hair, in fact, played a key role in Vixen’s success. The four members of the band were women, all tall and attractive with long, flowing tresses. They looked like the extras from a Van Halen fantasy video, except they were clad in tight black leather and wielding guitars and drumsticks.
Vixen came across as tough and feminine at the same time. MTV, of course, loved them.
They were, in truth, seriously committed rock ‘n’ roll players.
Thirty-four years after the original Vixen lineup called it quits (there was a brief reunion in 2004, but that’s a story for another day) founding drummer Roxy Petrucci is on the road with a 2026 edition of the band, of which she is the sole original member.
She’s OK with being labeled a “legacy band.” As in, it’s the “new Vixen.”
“I don’t even care,” Petrucci tells the Catalyst from her home outside Detroit. “Think what you want. If you love the music and you want to come see us play, come see us play. Because you’re going to see a great band with some killer songs that really stand the test of time today.”
Vixen opens for Quiet Riot (itself including just one member from the glory days, bassist Rudy Sarzo) Friday at Ferg’s in downtown St. Petersburg. Find tickets for the 7 p.m. show here.
“I have an alter ego,” Petrucci revealed. “I’m a classically-trained clarinetist. During the day, I would wear conservative clothes, my hair in a bun. I was first chair clarinetist. And then I’d smack on the leather and go play clubs at night. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past forty-something years.” Yes, she still plays the clarinet.
It was, she recalled, difficult to get Vixen taken seriously in the beginning. Fronted by the late singer/guitarist Jan Kuehnemund in St. Paul in the mid 1970s, Vixen was comprised of veterans of other all-girl rock bands.
Not that there were all that many in existence, particularly in the Midwest. “We were inspired by Zeppelin,” said Petrucci, “and Aerosmith, bands like that. Ann and Nancy Wilson (of Heart) were around, too. They were great. The musicianship and the talent was off the charts.
“We just wanted to model ourselves after people who were fantastic, and had great songs. And that’s what we were about.”
Vixen was seen as a novelty at best (“but we already have a female band on the label – Lita Ford,” Petrucci remembered hearing from one label). EMI Manhattan Records signed the group, put that first album out and sent them on the road. Vixen opened for Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Scorpions and Ozzy Osbourne, among others.
“They put us on the bill because we were a girl band,” the drummer said. “But the fact that we delivered … it didn’t matter. We didn’t care. It was ‘Whatever … just get the booking.’
“Great songs, great stage presence. And the fact that the girls were beautiful definitely didn’t hurt. Especially for back then.”
The 2026 Vixen also includes guitarist Britt Lightning, vocalist Rosa Laricchiuta and bassist Julia Lage. “It’s been exciting for me,” Petrucci said. “They bring new energy and it kicks me in the ass. I have to be on top of my game. You know, I’ve been around a lot longer than them.”
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
