What better time than the dog days of summer for Miss Derringer’s Winter Hill to arrive.

The title of the album, which is being released July 14 on Nickel and Dime Records/Triple X, has nothing to do with the four seasons but is guaranteed to raise your temperature.

This is one scorcher of a record. As hot as “Summer In The City,” Dick Dale surf-guitar riffs, blockbuster action movies and platinum blond bikini babes roaming the beach.

And while on the subject of this heat wave, there’s no getting around discussing Liz McGrath, the petite project of the creative forces behind this Los Angeles-based band.

In the burgeoning days of the New Wave movement, they said, “Blondie is a group.” In today’s New West revival, they’ll say, “Miss Derringer is a group.” But if Debbie Harry was the one to watch in the late Seventies, now it’s time to keep your eyes on McGrath.

An exceptional and quirky artist/sculptor (think Tim Burton) in another life, she has the looks, the moves, the charm and the charisma of Harry and could be the pint-sized kid sister of Gwen Stefani. If Betty Boop mated with a Kewpie doll, Liz McGrath would be their darling offspring. As fun as she is to listen to on record, this diminutive diva doubles your pleasure in concert. She pouts, she poses, she pleases, she teases.

Miss Derringer brings spirited, animated fun and games to the stage. McGrath, who designed Winter Hill’s cover, has an unconventional sense of fashion. She wears brightly colored costumes that stand out from the rest of the band, four guys dressed in militaristic Western garb (medals, pompadours and bandit scarves, oh my!).

Currently touring with fast-and-furious female trio Girl In A Coma, Miss Derringer ran through most of their new material at breakneck speed on July 6 at 3 Kings Tavern in Denver. (McGrath is shown with bassist Sylvain de Muizon.)

Tattooed love girls, musclebound bikers and hipsters with fuschia-colored mohawks were part of the trendy scene, and all of them were attracted to McGrath, who seemed pleasantly surprised by the reception. “All this on a Monday night,” she said. “We’ll need to hang out in Colorado more often.”

McGrath’s live vocals did suffer some in comparison to the solid production values of Winter Hill, but didn’t detract from the overall performance.

Whether her voice can take this band to another level is still to be determined, although on record it’s utilized to Phil Spector/girl-group perfection.

Article Author: Michael Bialas

A newspaper editor and former college football player, Michael Bialas makes sports his business but exploring and reviewing music, movies, TV and other forms of pop culture are among the games he enjoys playing now.
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