Wearing a frilly shirt, hat, red patent leather skirt and outrageous silver boots with red highlights, Angela Perley took to the stage with The Howlin’ Moons for a hometown show at the Rumba Café on Saturday.

While she has garnered a reputation for wonderful Americana/country-tinged music, the near-capacity crowd was treated to one hell of a rock show.

Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons are comprised of Perley (vocals/guitar/saw), Chris Connor (guitar), Billy Zehnal (bass) and Jake Levy (drums).

Opening with the marching drum beat of Your Love, Perley’s serene vocals added the right amount of spice to the anticipation of the audience as the tune reached its crescendo.

Angela Perlay (Credit: Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

The uptempo honky-tonk strains of 18 Feet Under descended upon our ears, with Connor’s understated, yet powerful guitar fills elicited a warm reaction from those in attendance.

I Don’t Wanna Be Your Fool had an almost 1950’s crooner-feel to it, with sublime vocal work from Perley. The band set the tone of the number with a rocking Americana flavor. Transitioning into the upbeat rocker Roll on Over, the harmonies were the icing on the cake, coupled with a wonderful bass/drums backbeat. It was just one of the many standouts on this evening.

“There’s nothing like home,” said Perley, before launching into the blues-tinged Hurricane. With a driving bass/drum beat, her sultry vocals made one feel as though she were singing directly at you.

Chris Connor (Credit: Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

Seducing the crowd with her sensual, yet seemingly innocent vocals on Electric Flame, Connor, Zehnal and Levy conjured an almost dirty sound that juxtaposed nicely with the swaying feel of the number. Connor coaxed a sublime solo from his guitar that was, at times, spacey with its wah-wah effect.

White Doves had an understated, but powerful driving beat, with Connor once again “bringing it” with his axe.

A sweet rock riff from Connor kicked off the uptempo honky-tonk rocker Bad Reputation. Perley treated the crowd to the sweet sounds of her bow on the saw, before the band devolved into a feedback-laced spacey jam the picked up the pace toward the end, all the while melting minds. It was truly an aural delight.

They played a couple of new tunes, with the first being Dangerous Love. With tight drum work from Levy, this Americana rocker had a wonderful melodic bridge that showcased all that is great with Perley’s vocals. Ruby Girl, another new song, was next. Perley’s softer, emotive vocals paired nicely with the midtempo pace.

Announcing that “this is a love song,” Perley and the band played the serenity-filled ballad Easy, punctuated with ethereal bow/saw work from the diminutive singer-songwriter.

Billy Zehnal (Credit: Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

Kicking it up a notch, the band launched into the country rocker Blue Eyed Lola. The midtempo groove featured more bow/saw before sliding into a spacey blues jam. Levy was tearing up his kit as the pace increased, tattooing an almost manic beat on the collective ears of the crowd.

Perley’s wonderful vocals highlighted the midtempo groove of Trouble, before the band transitioned into the sexy blues rocker Green Eyes. This uptempo number had the crowd jumping with joy.

The slower, emotive vocals drove the groove of Moonage Daydream, with stellar riffs from Connor’s echo-laced guitar.

The quiet, soft strains of the Americana-flavored Athens closed her set. The raw vocal emotion had the crowd singing right along with Perley, before the band came in hard, aurally blowing away the assembled masses. Notwithstanding all the great music in their set, this song was assuredly the highlight of the evening.

Jake Levy (Credit: Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

After a very brief sojourn to the backstage area, the band reemerged for an encore. Totally unexpected was their rendition of Black Sabbath’s N.I.B. Driven by Zehnal’s bass groove, it was simply wonderful as they made the song their own.

With that, the evening was over. Although Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons have a prolific catalogue of music to draw from, their live show shows a greater depth and harder edge than does their recorded output. They are a band that must be experienced in a live setting to truly appreciate, with The Howlin’ Moons adding a dimension to her music that takes it to another level.

There’s no reason this band shouldn’t be known nationally at this point of their career. But to those of us in Columbus, she will always be the hometown girl making great music.

Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons (Credit:Jacob Thompson / Music in Motion Columbus)

Setlist

1. Your Love
2. 18 Feet Under
3. I Don’t Wanna Be Your Fool
4. Roll on Over
5. Hurricane
6. Electric Flame
7. White Doves
8. Bad Reputation
9. Dangerous Love *
10. Ruby Girl *
11. Easy
12. Blue Eyed Lola
13. Trouble
14. Green Eyes
15. Moonage Daydream
16. Athens
17. ENCORE – N.I.B. (Black Sabbath cover)

* denotes new song

Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons – Bad Reputation