Ms. Led’s new CD, Shake Yourself Awake, sounds like a battle cry. The first thing I heard when I put the disc into my CD player was the “GRRR” of distorted guitar, and right then I knew this album was going to have some bite. But I expected that, mainly because the band’s last album, These Things We Say, was also chock full of unabashed girl power. But what I didn’t expect was the lushness of the arrangements. Ms. Led, known for its punk rock DIY status, typically produces albums that have that cool lo-fi, indie sound. Shake Yourself Awake is definitely one step up on the evolutionary music chain proving Ms. Led is all grown up and ready for the big time. The album was recorded at the legendary London Bridge Studio and mixed and mastered by Grammy-award winning producer, Kramer (Urge OverKill, Low, Galaxie 500).

The band is Lesli Wood (lead vocals, guitar), Peg Wood (guitar, background vocals), Matt Menovcik (bass, keyboards, background vocals) and Steph Hasselman (drums, background vocals).

“We definitely did a lot more layering of guitar,” explains Leslie Wood, “We just took a lot more time with the arrangement to flesh out the sound more. We wanted to take more time with each song than we have in the past to make sure each song was done. We realize that we are a distinctly different band on our albums than we are live. That was definitely a conscious decision.”

Instead of wordsmithing her lyrics to fit the melody, Wood seems to take the words she wants to say and cram them into unlikely phrasing in order to fit them into the song. The result is fresh. This is a very smart tactic because the unexpected twists and turns cause the audience to listen instead of just tapping their feet mindlessly to the beat. People will still be toe-tapping, but they’ll also be screaming, “Yeah! That’s so true!”

“It’s not meant to be preachy,” says Woods, “It’s just me putting my opinions out there. The album is actually the most personal album I’ve done. It’s also just me saying how I personally feel about things. I’m tired of worrying about other people’s judgments. The album is more unapologetic. We’ve seriously got to do something. We can’t just sit on our hands.” 

Wood is a smart cookie. She’s well informed on current events, and she has strong political opinions that are founded on personal experience and higher education. When she’s not globetrotting and being a rock star, she’s a civil lawyer in private practice. Despite her impressive career in the legal field, Wood is first and foremost a musician. She says, “My boss is very aware that music is my priority.”

Listen now at www.myspace.com/msled.



[Capitol Theater, Sunday, July 1, 7 p.m. Sisters, 7:30 p.m. Shorebirds, 8:15 p.m. The Numbskullz, 9 p.m. Nudity, 10 p.m. Ms Led, 11 p.m. Fitz of Depression, $12, 206 E. Fifth, Olympia, www.olyfilm.org/whatyougot]