Tuuli

In 1997 the four-piece Canadian power punk group Tuuli came together in Toronto, its lineup consisting of Jenny Vegas on guitar and vocals, Claire Blake on bass, Dawn Mandarino on guitar, and Michelle Lemoignan on drums. The band set out to fuse Nuggets-styled garage punk from acts such as the Chocolate Watchband and the Kingsmen with Detroit rock exemplified by the Stooges, while also incorporating the more angular, melody-driven indie approach associated with Blondie and the Manic Street Preachers. Remaining anchored in Toronto, Tuuli played numerous Canadian festivals and undertook occasional, widely spaced U.S. tours, sharing bills with Kittie and Cheap Trick while making occasional appearances on national television programs. Signs of the musicians’ admiration for their influences surfaced on early releases, among them the limited self-released EP Hotrods & Honeysuckle and the more widely distributed Rockstar Potential, which presented a distinct alternative to the Ramones-centric style favored by comparable all-female groups like the Donnas.