Tribute bands. You either love ‘em or hate ’em. But what would we do without them? There are some mighty fine musicians contributing to our collective need to relive the past and to hear classic songs in a live setting. While the majority of tribute bands are picking up the slack where the original musicians left off, either because of retirement or a death in the group, some are out there in a parallel universe to the originals.

Zepparella, the all-female San Francisco-based group, which comes to the Golden State Theatre, Friday, May 30, is one of a few tributes with all women in the long list of Led Zeppelin tribute bands. The feminine approach to music that has been categorized as the dawn of heavy metal isn’t a whole lot different from the guys, although heavy metal music is one of the more testosterone-fueled music genres there is. So when I was hearing word that Zepparella was doing a good job in representing the sound that Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham created in 1968, I thought I’d like to hear it, and see it.

Zepparella is drummer/band founder Clementine Moss, guitarist/founding member Gretchen Menn, vocalist/harmonica player/founding member Anna Kristina and bassist Holly West. Kristina took a six-year break from the band, and now has been back since 2017. In the interim were singers Miaya Shambry and Noelle Doughty. Original bass player Nila Minnerok was replaced by Angeline Saris, and upon her departure, Moss came on board. I had the chance to talk Led Zeppelin with singer Kristina and compare notes on our impressions of the band. I never had the chance to see Led Zeppelin live, but I was exposed to many, many views of their film that has to be one of rock ’n’ roll’s best films of all time, “The Song Remains the Same.” It made me a huge fan, although I was plugged in to their music at first blush.

“When I first let ‘The Song Remains the Same’ wash over me,” Kristina said in a phone interview from her home in San Francisco, on a break from the band’s current tour, “Plant’s phrasing really hit me, his phrasing and his moves. I come from a jazzy background, so creative phrasing, I’m all up in that. I love that. There’s something so unique, so graceful, so powerful about him. Graceful and powerful at the same time. I think part of it is that he seems to embody the rhythm in his movements, but he’s not spastic about it. It’s really deep and grounded inside. And I was always taken by the strength of his posture.”

There are plenty of videos on the internet showcasing the talents of Zepparella. What I’ve noticed that sets them apart from other female tribute bands is that combination of gracefulness and power. The four band members wear all white from top to bottom; form-fitting outfits that enhance their feminine beauty and by virtue of that they can express the part of Zeppelin that was so sexy. I mean, Plant was the epitome of a sex symbol up front; the tight jeans, the flowing, curly strawberry blonde hair, the way he strutted his stuff and tossed his curls about. Page had his dark and mysterious beauty. These ladies don’t have to be so perfectly molded in the band’s image. They have their own vibe, yet their musicality holds up to the band’s model.

“I obviously don’t have the hair, so I had to look at the internals of it,” Kristina said. “Like what’s inside rather than so much the external visual and what’s processing inside to get those moves to happen the way they do. And try to be as faithful to that, to the essence of that, without abandoning myself entirely. I try to marry the two the best I can.”

For those who know and love Led Zeppelin, you’ll hear a lot of the classic Page riffs from Menn’s guitar playing, yet you’ll also get the chance to hear her stretch out and improvise at opportune times in a song, while the rest of the band are doing the same. Kristina may not get into the high screams that Plant could do, but you’ll hear her emotion come through with the way she uses her own voice. She’s also known for her dynamic harmonica playing.

“With the voice, for me, studying and practicing all the time, there’s a lot of things I have to be careful with, and there’s a little more high maintenance for me with vocals. Plant’s range was crazy. He’s in a female range. It’s insane how high he could sing. So I always tip my hat to him for his remarkable vocals. I practice a lot and I work on those high belts a lot. I take a few days off but I practice a couple hours a day at home to keep the voice in shape. With the harmonica, I can be a little bit more guttural and play with more wild abandon. And it’s so much fun for me. I’ve been able to improvise within Zepparella which has allowed me to expand my skills.”

The thing that Zepparella can do that mirrors the guys in Zeppelin, who came out of Britain at a time when skill and swagger combined to make magic (think Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart with the Jeff Beck Group or the Faces), is to interact with each other and riff off one another. And that interaction emanates to the audience which then boomerangs back and forth between performer and listeners. Isn’t that what rock music is all about?

“First and foremost is the energy that comes from the fans when we play,” she said when I asked if the band would go on for the foreseeable future. “It gives back so much. It’s high vibration stuff, and lots of love. And it’s how can you ever get tired of that, so I feel like we just want to keep this train rolling as long as we can. The enthusiasm is in high octane for just about all of our shows. We’re so grateful for that.”

While bassist West is the most recent member and the least expressive of the breadth of Jones’ talents, the other three combine a high level of devotion to studying and expressing the essence of their respective roles in the band. Menn is a highly respected guitar player and composer on her own merits and has a wide range of skills. Her father, former editor-in-chief of “Guitar Player” magazine Don Menn, was able to point her in the direction of the greats once she showed an interest in the guitar. He also would take her to Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Steve Morse concerts, among others, near their home in Palo Alto. At Smith College she majored in music and studied classical guitar with Phillip de Fremery, who had the reputation of teaching perfect technique.

And Clementine, well, she’s who decided it was all about John Bonham and Led Zeppelin and she started the band.

“Clem’s passion on Bonham’s drumming style is amazing,” Kristina enthused. “I think all of us are constantly working our craft. I don’t think any of us feel we’ve arrived. There’s so many layers and depth. Clem has the mojo, she studies and practices it, she keeps working it. She’s got the feel, her spirit and her feel is really in line. I can’t speak to specifics. We all are constantly working on getting better. Clem is a fierce driving force. You’ll see this when you see her play live. Her energy and her power are insane. It’s remarkable.”

With all of the ladies busy with their separate music projects when not on the road playing Zeppelin, and giving their all to the band when they’re back together, none has made the move to have children, and maybe that’s not in the cards. Passion for music is top of the list for each of them, and I think that is reflected in the performance and why fans love them so much.

“We love the fans to the moon and back,” she said. “They’re the sauce and the soul and the spirit, the way they give back to us is indescribable, and transcendent for us. It’s adoration to the highest degree of our fans. We’re a thousand percent proud that the band is still resonating with folks and we’re around (after 20 years). We’re in a really good groove, and it just feels like we’re on track. We’re just loving it. The thing I always talk about this music is I never get tired of the songs. There’s so much depth of mojo in this material. I think I can speak for the rest of the band when I say we feel that way.”

For more information on the band and their projects, visit www.zepparella.com. To see the live show at the Golden State Theatre, May 30 at 8 p.m., visit www.goldenstatetheatre.com to purchase advance tickets. Prices are between $41.63 — $72.53. This Saturday is another good show with two of my favorite blues players who moved to the Bay Area from Chicago in the late 1960s, harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite and guitarist Elvin Bishop. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show range from $55.01-$90.55. Check out the venue’s webpage for more shows coming up.

Don’t forget, it’s Cali Roots weekend, Friday through Sunday at the Monterey Fair & Event Center. Filled with all your favorite reggae, skate/surf and hip-hop bands on two stages. Visit the event’s webpage at www.californiarootsfestival.com for the lineup and festival information.