Presence: it’s what turns ordinary artists into rock stars. A part possessed, part possessing poise that emanates from a person and envelopes an arena. Page and Plant, Richards and Jagger come to mind as do a couple of fresher faces, the charismatic duo KristeenYoung. Composed of the keyboard spanking, vocal stretching Ms. Young and her rhythmic counterpart, drummer Jeff “Baby” White, the two know how to grab and maintain the audience’s attention.

At a recent show in Brooklyn, (opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists), Young exhibited her charisma through total domination in composition, performance and speech. Before launching into “Protestant,” for example, she says sarcastically of White, “Jeff hates it, but he has to bend to my will.” Even her stage dress speaks of S&M chic. Things could have turned very interesting if only she brought along her cuffs and whip.

Young springs from a short lineage of powerful, piano-centered songwriters like Kate Bush and Tori Amos. However, her brand of playing comes equipped with pedals and processors that obscure the keyboard to a sonic realm somewhere between dissonant piano and distorted guitar. She uses her voice in much the same way as the aforementioned ladies, dipping into low ranges, but preferring to experiment with the upper octaves.

Young applies violence and aggression to the forefront of her sound in a way that Bush and Amos only touch subtly upon. Her chords barely ring, but seem to shatter as they hit the open air after each of Young’s attacks. White colors in the sound with resonant cymbal crashes, punctuated by bombastic low-end hits similar to John Bonham’s dynamic drumming. Interjected are intelligent, yet biting lyrics on subjects that range from the Ten Commandments to legendary musicians.

Young seems touchy about this latter topic; the missus wants the stage all to herself. Halfway through the set at Williamsburg, the duo launched into a track off their latest album, The Orphans, called “Kill the Father.” In between menacing block chords and extensive glissandos, she fantasizes about the artistic murders of old greats who hold influence over the music community. “Strangle Bowie with his neckerchief/Jimi, like his guitar, we’ll set-a-fire.”

Coming from a creatively lesser group, this sort of carrying on would be considered an insult. Instead, Young uses the lyrics to contextualize her originality, leveraging the celebrated artists as a form of self-reference. If more women and men would consider “cutting the apron strings” in this sense, the indie scene would be a more exciting place to listen. For now, Kristeen Young is doing her best to make that the dominant reality.–Julie Pinsonneault