Monday, January 11, 2016
'And the stars look very different today.' RIP David Bowie. In Honor, @Cmdr_Hadfield's version of Space Oddity: https://t.co/tVUTooNr3m
— NASA (@NASA) January 11, 2016David Bowie died at the young age of 69 yesterday, taken far too young by cancer. Frequent collaborator Tony Visconti says that his final album, Blackstar, was Bowie's way of saying goodbye. From Visconti's Facebook page:
He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Check out these shots from Rialto Theatre and R Bar's New Year's Eve event featuring XIXA, Howe Gelb, DJ Dirtyverbs and a light show courtesy of local artist Daniel Martin Diaz.
Tags: rialto theatre , xixa , new year's eve , howe gelb , club candids , tucson , gabriel sullivan , dj dirtyverbs , brian lopez , Slideshow
Monday, December 28, 2015
If you’re still anxiously considering whom to kiss at midnight to start 2016 off right, you’re on your own figuring that one out. However, if you’re wondering where to go this New Year’s Eve to get a hefty dose of live music, that’s another story.
Like the year before, Rialto Theatre (318 E. Congress St.) is throwing a trippy glow-in-the-dark dance party. However, unlike last year’s event, which featured local psych-cumbia band Chicha Dust, this time around the headliners will be local psych-cumbia band XIXA. Okay, so maybe it’s the same band, featuring Gabriel Sullivan, Brian Lopez and more, but rest assured, joined by DJ Dirtyverbs on the ones and twos, the night should offer plenty to move to. Plus, local artist Daniel Martin Diaz is slotted to decorate the stage with colorful lights to keep those eyeballs engaged. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m. Advance tickets are $10, including party favors and a champagne toast for those 21 and over, on the Rialto Theatre website. You can also opt for the on-stage VIP experience for $50. The event is all ages.
Across the alley at Rialto’s little red bar, R Bar, you can spend an intimate evening with Tucson music legend Howe Gelb with Thøger Lund, who will be on deck to serenade you through two sets. With specialty cocktails, wine and craft beer, you can celebrate while you imbibe right. The R Bar party is included in the price of your Rialto admission ticket. It is a 21 and over event.
For a real change of pace, you can check out the Old Pueblo’s new favorite cover band, Mastodonna, over at The Flycatcher (340 E. Sixth St.). That’s right, if you’ve ever wistfully pondered what your favorite Madonna tunes could sound like when done in the ravenous metal styling of Mastodon, you can find out just before the clock strikes midnight. The concert will also feature Tom Heavy & the Party Makers (oh yeah, alright, it’s a shredding Tom Petty cover band) and DJs Bedlam and Clay Steele. The event kicks off at 8 p.m. and it is a 21 and over show. Tickets are $5 and include a free midnight toast.
Tags: new year's eve , tucson , parties , concerts , events , things to do , rialto theatre , r bar , howe gelb , xixa , chicha dust , hotel congress , taco drop , prohibition , whiskey del bac , star wars , blues , jazz , country , los guapos
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Before Rebel and Mayfield became a duo, Rebel had extensively toured with different backing bands and released three albums. Her songs have been featured on NPR, as well as country and Americana radio programs around the world—reaching top ten charts on college radio stations. Mayfield has a background in media arts with professional film scoring and music and film editing experience.
The album, titled The Midtown Island Sessions, begins with the upbeat full-band number called "Better Way to Live." The song is about letting go of something that is probably not too good for the soul to begin with, so Rebel forsakes all their fancy clothes, money and big ol’ Cadillac and head for the hills even, despite her mailbox full of bills and pocket full of sand.
Recorded in the spring of 2015 with Matt Rendon at Midtown Island Studios, Rendon both engineered the album and provided background vocals on the hauntingly sullen ”I Hope It Don’t Rain,” which is a standout track with Rebel singing lead and harmony vocals, accompanied by the full band. This song succinctly describes what it feels like to be traveling and looking for shelter before rain catches up with you, feeling tired from the road and just wanting to be with your lover.
Tags: lana rebel , kevin mayfield , midtown island sessions , album , review , tucson , local music , matt rendon , midtown island studios , country , folk , americana , club congress , live , concert
Monday, December 7, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
With a full dance troupe backing her up (choreographed by UA alum Kat Messner), BRYDES frontwoman Kaia Mazza dances through the songs commanding vocals, embellished by glittering synth and punctuated by powerful drum hits. For those hits, I counted a whiplash-inducing ten total hair flips throughout the video, not including what seemed to be just turns, six of which were Mazza's.
Tucson-based animator Adela Navarrette made the first BRYDES video for the song "Bright Eyed Boy," which won top honors at Loft Cinema's monthly First Friday Shorts screening back in August. Both songs come from BRYDES' first EP release Turquoise.
BRYDES is performing live in Tucson at Club Congress (311 E. Congress St.) as a part of the Saint Cecilia Studios showcase. The event also features Amadee. and Tyler Akin. Doors open at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 and admission is free. It is a 21 and over event.
Brydes "Catcall" from Felt Film on Vimeo.
Tags: brydes , tucson , local , music video , premier , catcall , 80s , haim , chairlift , club congress , live , caleb jackson , Video
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
As Tucson’s Fort Worth readies its third album, the band is releasing a new music video for “Good Year,” a punk anthem about getting free from the day-to-day slog to do what you love.
The clip, directed by Eric Christopher, makes the most of the song’s celebratory attitude, tracing a (fictional) day in the band’s life, from waking up to getting together to practice to rolling up at the Surly Wench Pub for a night’s gig.
“It is difficult to have careers and make time to do the work that it takes to be in a band. The entire point of that song is regardless of how much shit we have going on, we’re still going to make cool music. What we were trying to convey was this whole idea of going from being kids to being adults, but still jamming in your room with guitars,” says singer-guitarist Greg Wheaton. “The concept was easy to direct. We just wanted to do something that’s fun.”
Fort Worth’s first album since 2010 is just about finished (title TBA), with the band aiming for a formal release show sometime mid-winter.
“We’ve actually been playing some of these brand new songs for four years,” Wheaton says. “Part of the reason we go so long between albums is we don’t want to just push out songs we’re not proud of. The songs aren’t super complicated or anything. We just work on them as much as possible.”
With members from such stalwart Tucson punk bands like Good Talk Russ, The Elemenopees, The Croutons, Ladies and Gentlemen and Demon City Wreckers (among many others), Fort Worth brings together decades of experience.
“We were all in bands before that tried to make it you know, and the best thing about this band is the five us have all been playing for 15 years or more. We’re stoked when people like us, but we’re past the point of trying to make it,” says guitarist Matt Hamblin. “It’s the best band I’ve ever been in because it’s really just for fun.”
Fort Worth will perform Saturday, Nov. 28 at The Flycatcher (340 E. Sixth St.). Havarti Orchestra and Carbon Canyon will be kicking off the show at 8 p.m. and it is a free event.
Tags: forth worth , music video , tucson , album , release , punk , flycatcher , good year , Video
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
In a recent interview with TW, Brittany Katter, the band's frontwoman and namesake, explained the song's message as such:
Katter references people referring to her music as “sexy” and even how the members of other bands treat her after performing, exploring that idea further in “Sound of My Name.”You can watch the groovy, sun-warped video, which was directed by Daniel Martin Diaz, right here, right now:
“I don’t want to be objectified for expressing my sexuality,” Katter continues, “At first it’s flattering, especially if it’s a band you respect, but then you start to ask, ‘do you know who I am?’ and you start to think of your own self worth like ‘am I taking advantage of my own sexuality?’” While she looks forward to seeing more women taking the lead in shaping the sound of rock ‘n’ roll and becoming less of a spectacle, she admits she sees why it can be a little tough to get up there and take charge. “It’s hard for women to get up on stage. It’s an aggressive statement and aggression is seen as unattractive for women,” she says.
Tags: katterwaul , tucson , music video , sound of my name , cmj , 15 forever , commercial appeal records , daniel martin diaz , Video
Monday, November 16, 2015
Metal is a tough realm for the uninitiated. The litany of tangental sub-genres alone (doom, thrash, death, black metal, Depressive Suicidal Black Metal… yes that's a real one) can be a daunting rabbit hole. These divisions have been carved out through decades of innovation and collaboration. At this point there are well-worn paths for new bands to follow and, just like it's embarrassing dad, Rock, an old genre can come back into style with new ideas from a new generation.
A couple years ago it was black metal crashing into the foreground. Even non-metal artists like Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie started utilizing black metal tropes and expanding upon them. Depending on who you asked, it was a time of either exciting progression or downright heresy.
Nowadays you can't even take your denim vest in for dry cleaning without hitting a doom metal band's Sprinter van in the parking lot. Like seagulls at the dump, we've a heaping glut of sludge to feast on and its hard to know the trash from the booty.
Standing in the landfill like an ancient effigy is Yob.
The Oregon trio, formed by vocalist/guitarist Mike Scheidt almost 20 years go, has pursued a specific vision that is fluid with genre. While rooted in doom, the band incorporates elements of psychedelica, stoner metal and even post-rock into their unique sound. They've just finished a string of tour dates with Tool and, like that band (and label-bosses Neurosis), Yob zooms out on the cosmos. All three collectives share metaphysical topics and an almost spiritual sense of searching humility.
Devotees of these bands often use the term tribal to describe the music in earnest, and there is a reason for it. With their extreme volume and content, metal shows always have the capacity to be an overwhelming and, at their best, an ecstatic experience. Amidst the dirge and trance of the heavy riffs, there is a feel that, for Scheidt, the music is more than just shredding on massive amps and saving up for the repairs. It's the same feel that sets Elverum apart from all the other bedroom conductors that use excessive overdubs to illustrate emotion. An acknowledgement and allowance of otherness, of the Other, into the creation of the music.
Yob's recent album, Clearing The Path To Ascend, has Scheidt's wail/growl dichotomy and all the triplet-chugs fans know and love, but with a sharper, calmer focus. There is a patience at play here, and an invitation for mutual reverence. Be ye progressive or heretic, let thy fisted horns rise.
Check out Yob at Club Congress on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The show kicks off at 7 p.m. with Black Cobra and Sorxe opening. Tickets are available at the door the day of the show for $15 or online in advance for $12, along with more information via Hotel Congress' website. It is an all ages show.
Tags: yob , tucson , club congress , metal , live music , concert , sorxe , black cobra , Video
