Friday, May 1, 2015
Chances are, if you're anything like us, you've had BRYDES new EP "Turquoise" on a steady rotation since it was released in mid-March. The synth pop album is part-Haim, part-Chairlift, with a lot of desert love mixed in. (You can read the full review of "Turquoise" here.)
Now, the local duo has released their first music video for their single "Bright Eyed Boy." Made by Tucson-based animator Adela Antoinette, the video is as bright and sunny as the song itself.
So, without further ado:
You can catch BRYDES live tonight when they open for Lydia at Hotel Congress. Tickets are $15 and the show starts at 7 p.m. Visit the Hotel Congress website for more information.
Tags: brydes , music video , turquoise , bright eyed boy , adela antoinette , Video
Thursday, April 23, 2015
A few weeks back, we posted a video for Calexico's new single, "Falling From the Sky," that was shot inside downtown Tucson's Wavelab Studios. Now the band has a new video for the opening track on Edge of the Sun (which you should buy ASAP because it's great). This one reminds me more of a David Cronenberg film, as you'll see when you watch it.
Tags: Calexico , Edge of the Sun , David Cronenberg , Video
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
For a person who puts his pants on one leg at a time, Ryan Adams can sure deliver the intergalactic star quality. His most dazzling talent is still his prolific songwriting, soulful poetry chock-a-block with emotionally incisive take-away lines. And he has no fear of a deeply pretty chord progression. Onstage, his retro-seventies guitar solos have few peers for passion, and his voice is agile, with an occasionally silky lilt between snags.
He can also be funny as hell on the fly, and last night he delivered the ultimate single-guy cooking tip: Make that mac ‘n cheese really special by adding onion soup mix to the cheese powder. Having moved more-or-less silently through the set, Adams burst into fun near the end, teasing crowd members about watching the show through their smart phone cameras, and calling out a woman wearing sun glasses. “I feel you,” he said to her. “That’s how high I am every day,” before creating a back story that might end with her determined not to let anyone see her cry. Later, he made up an entire song, with four verses, to introduce his keyboard player. Other band members gamely joined in with guitar, drums, harmonies and belly laughs.
Tags: ryan adams , tucson , live , rialto theatre , concert , review
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Some people go out to unwind on Friday nights. They dance to '90s hip hop with drink in hand and let loose. That's all fine and good, but if you're looking to stand in a wind tunnel of black ambient sound, you should most definitely head to Tiny Town Gallery on April 17 for a collection of local and national industrial noise artists.
While it's hard to say fully what to expect—especially with the antics opener Marshstepper is known for, it's safe to say the show will be as much about the art of sound as it is about the visual experience. So get ready to fall deep into a shadowy trance, zone out and listen.
Tucson's Dead Techno will kick off the show at 8 p.m. with Phoenix's Marshstepper and New York's Inferior Passions following. Hive Mind and Kiran Arora, both of LA, will cap the show off with a sinister wall of noise that should take you away to the dark corners of your mind.
The show, presented by Unseen Force and Tucson Community Printshop, is $5 and will take place at Tiny Town Gallery, located at 174 E. Toole Ave.
If you're still not sure what to expect, here's Kiran Arora performing in LA:
Tags: tiny town gallery , kiran arora , hive mind , inferior passion , marshstepper , dead techno , industrial , noise , ambient , concert , trance , live , tucson , Video
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tucson's Santa Pachita is looking for fans to send in votes in a national contest that melds independent artists with mobile technology. April 15 and April 16 are the final days to submit votes to the Música Unsigned contest, so you better get on it now.
Sponsored by Verizon Wireless, the contest gives participants a "toolkit," which includes an HD camera, a tablet, Verizon Jetpack hotspot and promotion guidelines. Bands then record promotional videos to rally for support from fans through the contest website and social media.
The local Latin fusion band is one of 30 acts vying for votes in the contest. The goal here is to push Santa Pachita in a top five slot by tomorrow so their video will go to the final round where a panel of judges will decide the grand prize winner. Right now, the band is in 17th place, which means it's time to get to voting on the Música Unsigned website.
Música Unsigned winners will receive a two-day recording session at ZapBoomBang studios in Houston, produced by an award-winning producer. Winners will be notified on April 20.
Whether the band takes home the grand prize, they'll be performing along with La Santa Cecilia at Club Congress on Monday, April 20. Doors are at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets, which are $18, can be found on the Club Congress website along with more information. It is a 21 and over event.
Tags: santa pachita , musica unsigned , national , contest , club congress , la santa cecilia , live , tucson , Video
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
While you're there, you can pick up a copy of the brand new “Heartbreak Pass” LP in advance of its national release. However, if you’re one of those fans who just “likes their old stuff better,” the 30-year anniversary re-issue of Giant Sand’s first album “Valley of Rain” is probably more your speed. Of course, you could always just treat yourself and get both. Gelb will be signing records at the event this Saturday as well.
That isn't all Zia Records has planned for Record Store Day, though. Clay Dudash will be performing at the location at 3655 N. Oracle Road beginning at 3 p.m. and both locations will feature hundreds of special Record Store Day releases.
Releases for this year's event include a range of artists and genres such as Built to Spill, Wu-Tang Clan, Slayer, Syd Barrett, Waylon Jennings, The Animals, Banks and Brand New. You can view a full list of special releases on the Record Store Day website.
Unique to Zia locations, though, is the release of a very limited pressing of a live in-store performance by Tegan and Sara recorded on September 10, 2013. Only 500 copies of the opaque purple vinyl will be sold exclusively at Zia locations so you'll want to get there early.
Both the Speedway and Oracle location open at 9 a.m. on Saturday. For more information on upcoming Zia Records offerings, performances and other events, visit the store's website.
Tags: howe gelb , tucson , live , in-store , zia records , giant sand , record store day , re-issue , 30 anniversary , valley of rain , heartbreak pass
Monday, April 13, 2015
Excited about the new Calexico album due out tomorrow? Joey Burns compiled a track by track discussion, detailing how each song came together:
01. Falling From The Sky - (with Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses) Joey: written when landing in NewZealand as a side note as well as having read the children's book "The House in the Night" which has a similar phrasing as the chorus in this song. The song could be about not knowing where life is heading sometimes and with the first and second verses there is nostalgia and an attempt at to convey the importance of mystery and magic in our lives. Our instincts tell us to take giant leaps all the while our minds remind us to be more cautious. When we find ourselves truly alone or at our biggest challenges, it is then that we are most in tune with our true selves and the world around us, or in this case amongst the universe and stars above.
Tags: Calexico , edge of the sun
Of course you do.
The show is at the Rialto Theatre on Friday, April 17. Doors open at 7 p.m., the show starts at 8 p.m.
A little but about the band, courtesy of the Rialto:
2014 marks the 21st Anniversary of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s remarkable arrival onto the music scene. In it’s first years, having secured their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, they reminded the world—in the middle of the grunge era, no less—that it was still cool to swing, big band style. Today the high-energy nine-piece ensemble continues the party and takes things to the next level with the release of RATTLE THEM BONES. The follow-up to the much lauded 2009 release, How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, Rattle Them Bones still urges their millions of fans worldwide to shake and move to their inimitable grooves while also expanding their horizons with new musical inspiration and influence.Enter to win a pair of tickets by Wednesday at 9:59 a.m. We'll pick a winner at 10 a.m. and get in touch right away! Good luck, guys.
Tags: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy , Rialto Theatre tickets , free stuff , concert time , Video
Friday, April 10, 2015
Jake Sullivan and Kellen Fortier have been loyal employees at Fourth Avenue's Cafe Passe for over three years each. On New Year's Eve, the two decided (possibly under the influence) to open a record store and now their idea is coming to fruition.
On Saturday, April 18 at 10 a.m., Wooden Tooth Records will open its doors to vinylphiles in Tucson to sift through their wares, and, according to them, there's going to be a lot to look through. For their initial inventory, the duo bought up large collections from two different longtime collectors that were looking to offload some vinyl before moving, which amounts to about 7,000 records in total.
About 3,000 of that stash will be priced at $1.99, while the remaining ranges more in the $4 to $16 neighborhood.
Tags: wooden tooth records , tucson , vinyl , store , new , fourth avenue , jake sullivan , kellen fortier , cafe passe , giant sand , reissue , Image
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
"I'll perform a quirky selection of my own music for solo violin and live electronics ... including in-your-face theatrics, unabashed shredding and oceanic soundscapes," Young said in an e-mail.
"I'll also play a short piece for speaking violinist and retuned violin by Paul Pinto, a fellow member of New York’s thingNY composer-performer collective."
In addition to Young's "Violins and Noise in the Magical Kingdom of Dust," Tucson's Robert Anthony Villa will perform the 2nd and 3rd movements from Ysaÿe’s "Violin Sonata No. 2," followed by improvisation using a range of themes and inspiration.
Algae and Tentacles will also be throwing some violin action into the mix with frontman John Melillo being backed up by three violinists: Samantha Bounkeua, Becky Pattowiz, and Villa.
You can catch Jeffrey Young's "unabashed shredding," along with Algae and Tentacles and Villa's solo work, this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door at Exploded View, located at 197 E. Toole Ave., for $5 the day of the show.
Tags: jeffrey young , violin , exploded view , experimental , live , music , tucson , algae and tentacles , robert anthony villa
