Called out via email:

So this week, we've invited Rebekah Ringwald-Velva, from Houston's favorite B-52's tribute band (the Aqua Velvas), to sit in with us. And she said OK! Will she be able to hold her own against Carrie's amazing dance moves, Sam's blistering guitar work, Dekan's stunning good looks, and Gene's mustache? Will she inspire a blathering and shameless writeup at www.gregsopinion.com? Can she swear like a Ringwald? There's only one way to find out -- come see the show for yourself.

The Breakdown:
So it's been a while since I've had my fix of 80s fun with Molly & the Ringwalds. Too long. And darn the luck, but the multi-talented, unlame, lead singer, Jennifer Ringwald is on vacation now.

Still, the promise of statuesque blondes in 80s garb taking Jen's place does not strike me as altogether bad. True, there can be only one Jennifer Ringwald. And no amount of bashing in absentia by the villainous Sam Ringwald can convince us otherwise. Given what our options were for the weekend, Rebekah Velva-Ringwald is no shrinking violet. So allow me the brief luxury of documenting the evolution of thought on one of Houston's finest in action:

1. (pre-show) "Hmmm, blondes in red are a good thing."
2. (still pre-show) "Stiletto heels? Guess we can write off any massive amounts of jumping about on stage, ala Jen."
3. (first coupla numbers) "So is she gonna sing or what?"
4. (Money shot #1: Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again") "Has its moments of greatness, but one cannot imitate David Coverdale ... one must become David Coverdale."
5. (Money shot #2: The Go-Gos' "Vacation") "Hot blonde dressed like a dead ringer for Belinda Carlisle, circa 1983 ... but this one needed more practice."
6. (Money shot #3: B-52s' "Love Shack") "Golden."

OK, so for the males of the bunch, I think I stand on solid ground that there's no way to leave disappointed with a "Rebekah and the Ringwalds" performance. The band itself is more known for the degree of levity to which they add to our weekend and I've yet to catch a show where that hasn't happened. There was a disclaimer ultimately provided that there wasn't any practice time with Rebekah and the band. She's done some bangup live karaoke with the band in the past, however, and she's certainly got her moments where you do hear something different and unique compared to the known quanitity in Jennifer. There's also moments where it just sounds like a prolonged karaoke night with the band and the stage presence that only Jen can provide was certainly wanting.

But given my early estimation that the amount of stage dancing might be limited by tall heels, I stand in total error on that one. So much so, that I have to express complete amazement at the degree to which Rebekah DID manage a bit of prancing about on stage. And while I'm not big on listening to "Love Shack," you'd expect someone who happens to lead a B-52s tribute band to really ace that number. And, true to form, she delivered the goods on that one.

My initial response to the email shoutout above was that as long as she managed a decent sultry version of "Here I Go Again," I'd call the whole thing a rousing success. And to further explain my somewhat obtuse reference to "imitating" and "becoming" David Coverdale, I guess what I really mean by that is that I have a hard time thinking anyone can really pull off the vocal style of Coverdale by attempting to mimic it. You just have to be yourself, with every last bit of soul you've got in your voice. The last high note before the guitar solo is a case in point where I think Rebekah seemed to cut loose with the impersonation of Coverdale and just let loose with her own style for a moment. It was a great note that was well done and leads magnificently into a guitar solo that I love enough to give Dekan Ringwald a hard time everytime he screws it up. Alas, the solo was done justice on this evening, complete with Dekan hitting the proper pinched harmonic during the bridge.

I only reference "Vacation" as a money shot for the evening due to Rebekah's look just screaming Belinda Carlisle. That may or may not be fair, but I'd argue that if some Go-Gos were done faithfully by Rebekah, it'd be a winning combination of looks, music, and style. Since we'll see Rebekah again next week, here's to hoping that this happens.

As for the non-Rebekah portion of this review, there's still more highlights to cover:

New tune #1 ... Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" - I hope the mob on the dance floor was a lasting memory by the band. For a song that almost wasn't performed due to lackluster reviews at soundcheck, this one is a keeper and probably ought to be bumped into heavy rotation - setlist generator algorithm be damned (sorry Matt). It's also one of the songs that are a great fit for Dekan's vocal range. I'm not sure, but the version of the song seemed to be from the Vital Idol version dance mix of the song. If not, I'd recommend the possible alteration of it since it's a longer version, which comes in handy for the dancing types.

New tune #2 ... The Cars' "Tonight She Comes" - What are the odds that the band picks up a song that I actually remember the guitar solo for? Pretty slim since I think I'm down to this one and the solo to "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison. So I'm inclined to be nitpicky on the work done for this solo. Unfortunately the culprit on this one is the much beloved Ringwald drummer, Gene, as it seemed the pace of the song was about half-tempo. That alone took a bit out of the song. As for the solo, I can't fault it for accuracy. Dekan hit it note-for-note. But there were a few touches where the tremolo bar should have been used instead of string bends. I've seen it done well with both, but I'm of the opinion that a guitar player has to have a rather particular touch to make those work on bends. Tremolo is more forgivable, even if it's overdone on the solo. Then again, maybe I shouldn't be too judgemental on this one. There was a point in time where I realized I just needed to walk away from the guitar because all my solos turned into this one. I'm sure I played the parts in question a number of different ways - some of them perhaps even good.

Big James Karaoke ... OK fine, so Dekan wants an excuse to play some Van Halen and there's only one person with the pipes to come close to Diamond Dave. Yep, that'd be Houston's premier karaoke artist, Big James. But at least give the man his respect by allowing him to cover some of his more choice works of art. By the end of the evening, I think a few possibilities rank highest:

• "Crazy Train" - yes, I admit it, I just want to see Carrie take over the stage with her dance routine for this number. It's a crowd winner and Carrie deserves her moment to hold the audience in the palm of her hand for 3 minutes.
• "Mr Roboto" - of course, I'm of the opinion that only Big James should do this song. Upon taking the stage, I think I heard this song referenced a half-dozen times by the people around me due to lasting memories (scars?) of performances past.
• "We're Not Gonna Take It" - actually, I've not discussed this with his emminence, but follow me here. Here's a song that requires a loud, bombastic vocal and offers some great room to improve towards the end. This has, of course, given us the much appreciated Jennifer Ringwald Rant at the end of the song, whereby our lovely lead singer wrestles with a current event to rant about at the end of this metal classic. I may be completely wrong ... but I'm willing to guess that James can equal such a music moment. If I'm wrong, then my vote goes for "Its Raining Men" just for the irony alone. Oh, and having James close out the evening sure would seem like a strong finish. I'll just put that out there as an idea.

Sam Ringwald's shameless attempt to defame the good name of Jennifer Ringwald while the latter is on another continent: NOT COOL!

Anyways, I've been shameless and blathering enough. If you've lasted this far in the read, make it out to the Continental Club in Houston's Midtown (3700 Main, to be precise). It's an early show (7pm to 9:30), but there's no cover and the drink prices aren't jacked up to accomodate. The club simply knows that the Ringwalds pack em in and everyone leaves suitably entertained.