"The (Solace Brothers') somewhat unorthodox three-piece (guitar, organ and drums, plus vocals) specializes in a unique brand of feel-good quirk-pop that we can't recommend highly enough." - The Tucson Weekly
"From a tune that sounds like Gang Of Four playing Kinks songs in an Indian ashram to a New Wave funk number headedup by a whoopin' soulman falsetto vocal that'd make Jon Spencer turn pale to aCobra Verde-meets-Bowie glam-slam, this Arizona combo is sassier than a slap on the cheek from a nymphet cheerleader." - Magnet
Boyd and Wain are an award winning English and American Acoustic Folk duo. Katy’s songs are fresh and witty observations on society today, the very definition of the modern folk song. Benny’s fiddlin’ is just plain brilliant. They this year they won the impressive Trowbridge Village Pump Festival Unsigned Artist Competition.
Straight from the land of Bjork, Vikings and hydrothermal power comes Mugison. Often referred to as the "Icelandic Beck," this irreverent singer-songwriter is generating quite a buzz with his new album Mugiboogie. Beck fans as well as fans of Tom Waits, Will Oldham, The Meat Puppets, and The Eels should check out this rising star for sure.
"Like fellow Icelander Bjork, the self-taught singer/songwriter Mugison is all over the musical map... (His) interpretation of rock 'n' roll lands somewhere between Ryan Adams and the Pixies." 8.5/10 - Prefix
"Mugison has often been stamped as the Icelandic Beck, but on his fourth album, he edges onto John Lennon's turf." 3 Stars - Spin
"Without missing a beat, each and every song on Mugiboogie has a unique and tastefully beautiful touch to it. From the lyrics of the songs to the fabulous instrumentals used to create a unique and original sound. The album in its entirety has something for everyone." 5/5 - All Access
"If you dumped blues, power pop, psych rock and heavy metal into a transmogrifying machine, the machine would rumble mysteriously, then spit out a brightly colored block of a hitherto unimagined polymer known as Mugison." - Paste
"Ana's energetic delivery of brain-fazing beats has earned the Princess Slay-ah an important spot in pioneering the West Coast future sound movement. She will take you on a musical expedition into the deepest reaches of your brain, as she masterfully blends a wide spectrum of rhythms with a beautiful fluidity and a delicate sensibility, giving the dance floor a delightful ride that ends at the corner of bliss and oblivion." - Jam Base
Five of New York's most award-winning and nationally acclaimed burlesque performers have highway fever! The super-star team features:
Anita Cookie - is the charmingly inebriated burlesque star whose sparkling singing voice, dynamite shimmy and intoxicated wit have been called everything from "hilarious" (NYTheater.com) to "sizzling hot" (Go Magazine).
Clams Casino - Called "a burlesque queen" by the New York Times, “spectacular” by the New York Post and an “NYC Culturemaker” by Time Out New York, she is a nationally recognized producer and one of New York's favorite stars of the bump 'n' grind.
Darlinda Just Darlinda -The Village Voice calls Darlinda a “Mastermind of Bizarre Extravaganza.” Darlinda Just Darlinda has been working as a Burlesque Performer in New York, nationally and internationally since 2003.
Gigi La Femme - is one of New York City’s sultriest striptease stars and co-producer of the monthly show Revealed Burlesque at the Under St. Mark’s Theater. A Golden Pastie Award winner for Best Booty Shaker 2009 and Miss Coney Island 2010, the multi-talented bump ‘n’ grinder, go-go girl, chanteuse and pin-up model has traveled the nation performing signature acts.
Minnie Tonka - the Sassy Semitic Sexpot has been dazzling audiences with acts ranging from Streisand to hair metal, matzo and Manischewitz to Mary Tyler Moore. She's the co-founder of Kosher ChiXXX, all-female Jewish Burlesque Revue, produces the annual Menorah Horah burlesque Hanukkah show, and more.
And local guests!
Hosted by Desiré d'Amour - Tucson's own Desiré d'Amour started her burlesque career as a mainstay in the San Francisco burlesque community. She has appeared on CBS, NBC, and CNN and was the central focus of a German documentary on the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum and Pageant.
"O'Death... draws from the starkness and spiritual purity of Appalachian folk, the noisemongering of punk and the rowdy theatricality of Tom Waits. With quiet pluckings of banjo and angry, anarchic hollers, its songs jumble the sacred and profane." - The New York Times
"O'Death howls like Neil Young and hollers like Tom Waits" - Spin
"Picture Tom Waits and Iggy Pop together in a musical touring edition of Deliverance and you might come close to figuring out what I'm talking about." - Treblezine
"There are plenty of folk and country-tinged bands floating around America these days, but few are able to take Americana and evolve it toward something interesting or unique, something that begs to be heard, something catchy enough to dance (or stumble) to." - Portland Mercury News
"...if your idea of a good time is a crowd of folks moshing to the sound of banjo feedback and Savage Republic drumming, then live O'Death is your cup of moonshine." - Village Voice
"With lyrics as candid as Josh Ritter's, McGraw's vocals dance over tight guitar riffs and up-tempo rhythms, informed by his past as a percussionist. His voice is at once familiar and refreshing..." - Jackson Hole Weekly News
"McGraw's music is heartfelt, spiritually rich and endlessly wise... folk music of the sort that can enrapture anyone who takes the time to really listen." - Black Magic Plastic
Cancer Brides, if you don't already know them, will ring true with fans of Black Flag and the Melvins... the Brides feature a "supergroup of Tucson hardcore dinosaurs" - Tucson Weekly
Matt Bauer creates absolutely beautiful lo-fi Americana in the vein of Iron & Wine, Hayden, (Smog) and Will Oldham!
"Matt Bauer... (is) understated, bare boned, intimate, the sound is pared back with guitar and banjo providing skeletal support for a set of songs portraying nature red in tooth and claw... a tremendous record." - Americana U.K.
"Listen closely and you'll hear in Bauer's heart-breaking tales of modern life, of condoms and coke cans left by cemetery fences, and of wildfires burning in the west. Influenced by country and bluegrass, Bauer is reinterpreting those traditions to create a haunting modern sound." - San Francisco Bay Guardian
"He's channeling something heavy, preparing the rest of us for a darkness or beauty that we aren't yet ready to receive. We believe Matt Bauer is a prophet." - Thrasher
"Matt Bauer... examines the intermeshed realities of our world, its natural workings of beauty and cruelty..." - Skyscraper
John William Gordon is an amazing jazz fusion guitarist. He started playing at age 14 after becoming obsessed with the recordings of The Mahavishnu Orchestra. In college he fixated on the music of Charlie Parker then Thelonious Monk.... He's a great musician and fun to watch as well as listen to!