Rockin’ moms open for Bangles at the Hard Rock

The legendary, all-girl ’80s band that provided the soundtrack to so many of our childhoods,… The legendary, all-girl ’80s band that provided the soundtrack to so many of our childhoods, The Bangles, is apparently back, with its first studio album in 14 years, Doll Revolution.

And who better to open for the aging ’80s pop queens than … local Pittsburgh area moms? Apparently, that’s what radio station Star 100.7 FM thinks, because to promote the concert, they held a Making the Band-type contest called “Moms That Rock” to create an all-mom band to open for The Bangles.

The all-mom lineup was announced on the Star Morning Show, which airs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays. Currently, the show is tracking the moms’ progress as they polish their material in preparation for Monday’s concert. Information on the moms, as well as photos from their rehearsals, is available at www.1007.com. Interestingly, there are no stay-at-home moms in the band, and two of them, Danielle Burke on drums and Betsy Lawrence on guitar and vocals, are actually professional musicians. Although some of the moms’ tastes haven’t evolved much since the ’70s – Barbara Jacobson (guitar and vocals) listed Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Nicks as her musical influences – others, like Amanda Ford on keyboards, have wide and varied musical tastes. Among Ford’s long list of influences were Thelonious Monk, Sting and Patsy Cline.

Although the “reality” genre is wearing thin, this reality-radio promotional stunt is at least showing all types of moms in a positive light. These women don’t look like frumpy soccer moms, but they don’t look like they’re trying to remain teenagers either. Despite the use of a tired gimmick, Star 100.7 has shown that motherhood doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel and start listening to Kenny G.

The Bangles will play a private show tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square.