Vixen rocks

8/2/2023

If you lived through the 1980s music scene, you know it was full of rock ballads and big-hair musicians stringing guitar licks on MTV. 

Rock bands were mostly male-dominated, until an all-female rock group — Vixen — arrived. Vixen was the first all-female rock group from the 1980s to sell more than one million albums. With six No. 1 videos on MTV, fans loved their spandex, big hair and rocking lyrics. And they still do.

Roxy Petrucci, drummer for Vixen, spoke with CITYVIEW in advance of their free concert at the Iowa State Fair’s MidAmerican Energy stage on Aug. 15.

Petrucci is the only original remaining band member. She recalls the 1980s when the hair bands were all male. She says Vixen had to prove themselves over and over to show that women can rock. 

“It’s a dude thing. Not many women were rockstars. That didn’t stop us. We had the same urge to rock,” she recalls. “Who said women can’t play an instrument?” 

As band founder Jan Kuehnemund and their bandmates entered the music scene, they were always in the minority, Petrucci says. There were rock bands with females in them, but men gave bands credibility.

“The more they (record producers) said no, the more we were determined to plow through and break down walls. We didn’t give a shit,” she says.

It wasn’t the fans who resisted — it was the male music executives. 

“The producers would sit back and fold their arms during recordings. We had to prove ourselves that we could play,” she recalls. “We didn’t get pushback from the fans. They loved us.”

As Vixen established itself, music fans looked beyond the members’ stunning looks and more at their ability to rock. 

“Once they heard us, we used to hear, ‘They’re really good for a girl band.’ Whatever,” she says. “We don’t hear that anymore.”

Petrucci’s early influences were Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. One band, Fanny, an all-female rock group from the 1970s, helped Petrucci realize women rockers could form a band.

“No other all-female rock group existed. Fanny, along with The Runaways, helped to pave the way for us,” she says.

While touring, it was standard to tease their hair and finish it off with a dozen spritzes of Aqua Net hairspray. 

“We loved dressing up and wearing makeup. Then the guys started getting prettier than the girls. We got mistaken for Poison, and they got mistaken for Vixen,” she laughs.

They toured with KISS, Scorpions and Ozzy Osbourne. Back in the day, Petrucci says not many concert goers showed up for the first act. 

“When we went out, it was a full, packed house. Touring gave us credibility, and we could hold our own.”

The band broke up in 1992. Petrucci drummed with Madam X, and Vixen reunited in 2001. Petrucci says they hear from various female musicians how their band was influential for women rockers around the world. 

“Girl bands tell us Vixen was a big influence on them, and we helped pave the way. There’s so many stories about how girls wanted to play the guitar or drums after they saw us,” she says.

Petrucci says her career has been rewarding. She notes the recognition she received from Bruce Aitken and from playing with the Drum Legends in 2010. 

“I was shocked to be performing with all these amazing drummers. I was so humbled by all of it.”

As group members near retirement age, Petrucci has no plans to quit. 

“I feel like I’m 28. I love what I do. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I’ll be a musician forever,” she reflects. “They’ll have to pull those sticks out of my cold, dead hands.” ♦