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Music: Rock/Pop River to River presents Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las

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The opening rap on the Shangri-Las' " Leader of the Pack" is a classic salvo of rock 'n roll rebellion. The teenage girl group may have been paying tribute to boys in leather, but it was their own straight-outta-Queens toughness that made them such a crucial antecedent to punks and riot grrls. Lead Shangri-La Mary Weiss is actually younger than some of the heroines she inspires (like Patti Smith and Debbie Harry), so it's fitting that her recent comeback album, Dangerous Game, packs the deadpan, three-chord swagger of '70s stalwarts like the Ramones and the Heartbreakers.

– Max Goldberg

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