Girl rock

Consider Led Zeppelin , and the women who love the band's music. Nearly 40 years after the British act overturned the world of rock with its debut album, it continues to inspire countless others. Proving that its guitar riffs and thundering bass lines aren't just for the manly, three up-and-coming woman-fronted bands -- Earl Greyhound , the Big Sleep, and the SnowLeopards -- have recently released debut albums inspired by Zeppelin and other classic rock acts, in very different ways.

"Part of what keeps us together is that we all love Led Zeppelin," says Big Sleep singer and bass player Sonya Balchandani by phone of her Brooklyn-based trio. The band released its album, "Son of the Tiger," in September. Shortly thereafter, it earned spots opening for both the Editors and the Hold Steady , and the Village Voice proclaimed, "The Big Sleep is easily New York's best unknown." The band plays Great Scott tomorrow night.

Balchandani, guitarist and keyboardist Danny Barria , and drummer Gabe Rhodes played their first gig in February 2004. They completed "Son of the Tiger" in the spring of 2006, and a friend passed it along to French Kiss Records. Within weeks the band was signed.

The Big Sleep's songs start with screeching distortion and orotund bass lines that command attention with chaotic boldness, then drift into lush, psychotropic soundscapes. Six of the 10 songs on "Son of the Tiger" are wordless. The trio was unable to find a vocalist who fit in with their aesthetic, so they added lyrics only where they felt the songs demanded them, such as on "Murder," which features Balchandani speaking in a monotone.

Where the Big Sleep has more ambient tendencies, fellow Brooklynites Earl Greyhound incorporate soul and glam - rock elements into their music. "We like to write rock 'n' roll with that old-time religious energy to it," said Kamara Thomas , on the phone after a Thursday-afternoon rehearsal in Manhattan. Thomas and guitarist Matt Whyte met through friends in 2002 and began casually collaborating. "Matt and I started singing together, and the Motown and old '70s soul influence kind of snuck up on us," said Thomas.

Soon Thomas learned to play bass, and the duo recruited drummer Chris Bear . The threesome traveled to LA in early 2005 to play a few shows and record material for their album -- twice. Unhappy with the first version, which they recorded with producer Alex Newport (Piebald , the Mars Volta ), the band found an inexpensive studio, re-recorded, then added the finishing touches back in Brooklyn.

Bear later left Earl Greyhound to focus full-time on his other band, indie-rock foursome Grizzly Bear . The duo spent the next year performing with a rotating cast of drummers, while shopping for a permanent replacement -- and a label. Their energetic live shows attracted both (as well as a rave review from New Yorker pop music critic Sasha Frere-Jones ). Drummer Ricc Sheridan joined the band last spring, and Craig Yoskowitz , co-owner of Some Records , signed the trio soon after. Their album, "Soft Targets ," came out in October.

"They had this raw power about them, but it wasn't just noise," writes Yoskowitz in a recent e-mail. "When you hear [Thomas] sing, you're kind of taken aback. It's actually shocking how versatile and talented she is."

The Big Sleep has generated similar buzz via its live shows. Joshua Wright , co-owner of Relative Theory , a label, performance venue, record store, and art gallery in Norfolk, Va., says the Big Sleep's show at his performance space last month attracted more than double the usual crowd. "After the Big Sleep played, the crowd had a 'What the hell did I just see?' kind of expression on their faces," Wright recounts via e-mail. "The other bands did too."

Locally, Jamaica Plain-based power-rock foursome the SnowLeopards is getting similar attention from fans and bloggers for its shows. The band, which includes lead singer Heidi Saperstein , guitarist Mike Oor , bassist Jimmy Jax , and drummer Jeff Harrington , began playing live last spring. It won best local song of the year at 2006's Boston Music Awards for its first single, "Stuck in the Middle ." By fall the band was recording tracks for its aptly named first album, "Debut ," which was mixed by local songsmith and L.E.O. lead singer William James McAuley III (a.k.a. Bleu ). The SnowLeopards play a CD-release party Jan. 27 at T.T. the Bear's Place.

When the band performed at T.T.'s in November , a group of dancing women flocked close to the stage, as though worshiping at an altar; it was clear that Saperstein, clad in jeans and a bikini top, was their rock goddess. She exudes stage presence.

"The SnowLeopards have impressed me from day one," says Dave Virr , host of WFNX's "New England Product ," a radio program centered on local music. "They hold up their end of the bargain live and have now delivered an impressive debut CD, thanks in part to Bleu."

Saperstein, Thomas, and Balchandani say they admire women rockers such as Joan Jett and Stevie Nicks ; confident and sincere, they bear more than a passing resemblance to these icons.

"I'm huge into classic rock," Saperstein says, adding that she peruses YouTube for live performances by the Who, Bad Company, and other influential rock pioneers, hoping to learn from them.

For Balchandani, Chrissie Hynde has been a musical role model. "She doesn't make the fact that she's a woman such a huge part of her identity," she says. "I have a lot of respect for her."

As for Thomas, she was raised on a strict diet of classical, country, and Christian contemporary music. "But the minute I went to college I discovered classic rock," she says.

Is it a coincidence that these three women-fronted bands are all coming into their own right now? Thomas, for one, is confident that they are part of a trend. "There are so many females that are so fierce right now," she says. "Girls are picking up guitars, just rocking it, and making some really original music."