Video hit Vixen

Vixen - Cryin'

Vixen was an all-female American hard rock band. Hailed as "the female Bon Jovi", the band achieved commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.

Early years

Vixen was formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1980 by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund while still in high school. They were the first all female rock band from the Twin Cities. (Têtes Noires was the first all female rock band from Minneapolis a year or two later).

Alex Henderson, writing for Allmusic, says they started in 1981 in Los Angeles. In 1984, an early version of the band with Kuehnemund, singer Janet Gardner and bassist Pia Maiocco (who later married guitarist Steve Vai) appeared in the movie Hardbodies, as the on-screen band Diaper Rash. In 1985, the band moved to Los Angeles, California to be part of the L.A. rock scene.

Commercial success

Lineup changes happened during the following years until the "classic lineup" of Janet Gardner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jan Kuehnemund (lead guitar), Share Pedersen (bass), and Roxy Petrucci (drums) was formed. This lineup of Vixen was interviewed in 1987 along with many other rock artists of the day by Penelope Spheeris for her film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years.

In 1988 the band was signed to EMI, and they began recording their debut album Vixen, which was released in September 1988. Singer-songwriter Richard Marx co-wrote and arranged their signature hit, "Edge of a Broken Heart", as well as performing keyboards and producing the song. Rumor was he was asked to assist the all-female band by EMI to produce their first major hit, to compete with the all-female band the Bangles. Richard Marx had nothing to do with their follow-up CD, since he was becoming more of a mainline singer than songwriter. Vixen spent the next year touring the world, supporting acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, and Bon Jovi, as well as headlining their own shows. The band returned to the studio in late 1989/early 1990 to record their follow-up album, Rev It Up, which was released in July 1990. A year of touring followed, including headlining their own shows and supporting acts such as KISS and Deep Purple. In mid-1991, the group disbanded due to musical differences.

First reunion

In 1997, drummer Roxy Petrucci reformed Vixen, with Janet Gardner (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Gina Stile (lead guitar), and Rana Ross (bass). This lineup toured the United States in 1997, and in 1998 Gardner, Stile, and Petrucci recorded the album Tangerine. After the release of the new album, Roxy's sister Maxine Petrucci was brought in to play bass on a U.S. tour of 1998, but they were sued for copyright infringement by Kuehnemund.

In 1999, Share Pedersen joined her husband's band, the Dogs D'Amour, who were reforming after a long hiatus. She appeared on their 2000 album, Happy Ever After, playing bass, keyboards, and, backing vocals. Share and her husband, Bam, also have their own band, Bubble, which is very popular in L.A..

Second reunion

In 2001, Vixen was reformed by Kuehnemund with a lineup consisting of herself, Janet Gardner, Roxy Petrucci, and new bassist Pat Holloway. This lineup toured the U.S. as part of the Voices of Metal tour. Unfortunately, half-way through the tour, disagreements caused the band to split-up, with only Kuehnemund remaining. Kuehnemund quickly recruited Jenna Sanz-Agero (Jenna Piccolo) (lead vocals), Lynn Louise Lowrey (bass), and Kathrin "Kat" Kraft (drums) to complete the tour. This lineup is still together, and released two new albums in 2006, a live album, recorded at a live show in Sweden, called Extended Versions, and a studio album, Live & Learn.

Recent events

In 2004, VH1 approached the four members of the "classic lineup" to appear on their show, Bands Reunited. The show was recorded in August 2004, and broadcast in the U.S. in November 2004. Following the broadcast of the VH1 show, EMI re-released the first two Vixen albums, Vixen and Rev It Up.

Winner of the 6th annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop vote for best Hard Rock/Metal song "I Try".

At the end of 2012, Jan Kuehnemund was planning to reunite the classic Vixen line-up with Janet Gardner, Share Pedersen, and Roxy Petrucci, who had since reunited in JSRG with guitarist Gina Stile. However, in January 2013, just days before they were about to make the official announcement of their reunion, Kuehnemund was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer diagnosis forced them to delay the announcement indefinitely, until possibly when Kuehnemund was fully recovered and cancer-free. Unfortunately, the plans of a full-fledged reunion became impossible because on October 10, 2013, after nine months battling cancer, Jan Kuehnemund passed away at the age of 51, ending Vixen after 33 years.

The lyrics:

One look and I saw what I wanted to see

You know that you wrapped my heart

Around your finger so easily, yeah

With your centerfold body going through the moves

Why did I keep wasting the truth for you tonight

I won't be cryin', cryin', when I think about you

'Cause I opened my eyes

And I won't be cryin', cryin'

'Cause those days are gone, gone

Someone twisted you, so you gave it to me

Yeah, you gave it to me good

You're a nightmare everywhere

Disguised as a dream

Well, I got lost, wandering through the darkness

In your maze of lies

Your trapdoor-way right into my insides, but tonight

I won't be cryin', cryin', when I think about you

'Cause I opened my eyes

And I won't be cryin', cryin'

The tears are falling to the floor

But you won't catch me cryin' anymore

I won't be cryin', cryin', when I think about you

'Cause I opened my eyes

And I won't be cryin', cryin'

'Cause those days are gone, gone

I won't be cryin', cryin', when I think about you

'Cause I opened my eyes

And I won't be cryin', cryin'

Those days are gone, gone

Cryin', cryin', when I think about you

'Cause I opened my eyes

And I won't be cryin', cryin'

Those days are gone, gone

Cryin', cryin'