I came across von Grey as I was bopping around SXSW last month. I immediately had to stop and find out: A. who their manager was, B. who their publicist was, and C., how could I talk to one of these extremely talented young ladies. Because, yes, they blew me away. Consisting of four sisters (say that 10 times fast!) with the last name von Grey, the band is an Americana masterpiece.

This weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the first of what will hopefully be a series of events called Ladies Rise Up and Rock. The brainchild of Carl Mancuso, this high-energy concert featured some very talented, female-fronted bands. Its goal is to raise money for Grammy in the Schools, which brings music education to schools all over the country.

There’s good luck. There’s hard work. And then there’s Steph Macpherson, a case study in both — and in being in the right place at the right time. This Canadian singer/songwriter has just released her debut album, Bells & Whistles, and has been touring the West Coast in support. Her story goes like this ...

Orianthi is a triple threat. She looks good. She plays even better. And did I mention this girl can really belt it out? She's been touring throughout 2012 with Alice Cooper. She joins in on the onstage antics for his quintessential shock rock theatrics, sporting bloody guitars and more. But Orianthi isn’t new to larger-than-life stage shows.