Inga Olson of The Wanton Looks | Photo Credit: Audrey Leon

Chicago’s most promising female rockers shared Lincoln Hall’s cozy stage for the Novo Arts’ Girls out of the Garage showcase on Thursday, Jan. 28, and proved why their stars have nowhere else to go but up.

The Wanton Looks’ lead singer Traci Trouble admitted to the crowd that her band, the night’s headliner, had never spent any time in a garage but that didn’t stop them from participating in the showcase.

Each of the night’s performers – Scotia Widows, The Maybenauts, Leslie Hunt, and The Wanton Looks – are far from simple garage acts. Each has its style nailed down, be it low-fuzzed out punk or upbeat, pop rock with undeniably catchy harmonies. It’s that certain sense of self that allowed each act to effectively command the stage on this night.

Gina Knapik of Scotia Widow | Photo Credit: Audrey Leon

Scotia Widows, a highly enjoyable mostly male four-piece with a female lead singer, raced through its short set of fast-paced punk rock with little stage banter. The band’s dynamic of alternating male and female vocals reminds one of the now defunct Madison, Wisconsin, band Rainer Maria. Scotia Widows played several songs that are currently on its MySpace page including crowd favorite “Amish Sluts.”

Once The Maybenauts hit the stage the mood lightened considerably. The pop rock four-piece’s only male member, guitarist Vee Sonnets, proudly sauntered on stage dressed as a panda. Lead singer Leilani Frey told the crowd that she left her keyboard at home so she could dance tonight. And Frey did not disappoint, expending serious amounts of energy literally bouncing off the walls, and the floor.

Leilani Frey of the Maybenauts | Photo Credit: Audrey Leon

The Maybenauts performed all of the songs that will appear on their Big Bang EP including the insanely catchy single “My Head is a Bomb” as well as an enjoyable cover of David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream.” The Maybenauts came to have a good time and rock faces and they achieved both goals.

Leslie Hunt | Photo Credit: Audrey Leon

For those in attendance who craved a softer side to their rock and roll, Leslie Hunt provided just that, reaching deep into her bag of tricks and delighting the audience with her soulful, smoky voice. The former American Idol season 6 contestant performed her solo album Your Hair is on Fire in its entirety. The album serves up a mixture of many different styles from the swinging, new-wave pop track “American Dream Man” to the countryfied “Way Too Much.”

The all-female four-piece Wanton Looks closed out the night with their brand of old fashioned punk with killer harmonies and infectious guitar solos. Lead singer Traci Trouble is a true rock star in the making, effectively using her pulpit to make the audience laugh as well as draw them into the music by bouncing around on stage and at one point, collapsing on the floor.

Traci Trouble of The Wanton Looks | Photo Credit: Audrey Leon

All the while Trouble grinned widely, clearly enjoying herself; the crowd was right there along with her eating up every minute of the action. The Wanton Looks ended their set with the song “Electromagnetic Force.” It is the kind of song that stays inside your head long after the show ends because of its lingering guitar solos (courtesy of Susie Q and Inga Olson) and impeccable drum beats (courtesy of Meg Thomas).

The Girls out of the Garage showcase at Lincoln Hall proved that there is a considerable wealth of female talent in the Chicago rock scene. The four bands presented on this night are certainly ones to keep an eye out for in the near future.

Check Out Audrey Leon’s complete photo gallery from “Girls out of the Garage” at her Flickr page.