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Sunday May 11
Isaac Hayden
9:30 PM
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"Isaac Hayden has developed an informal yet compelling performance style his fans compare to Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Tracy Chapman... In February and March 2005 Isaac debuted songs from his album on MySpace.com with excellent response (over 30,000 plays in 3 months) from MySpace's 18 million listeners." - CD Baby
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Isaac Hayden |
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Monday May 12
Langhorne Slim
11:00 PM
Presented by KXCI Community Radio!!!
With
Little Black Cloud 9:45 PM
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Langhorne Slim has a lot of industry buzz building around him. He first began to gain public notice through touring with the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players and an appearance at last year's Bonnaroo Music Festival. His song "Electric Love Letter" was recently number 5 on the Rolling Stone editor's top ten picks, and he recently appeard on the Late Show with David Letterman. If you are a fan of Josh Ritter, The Avett Brothers, Two Gallants, Nick Drake and/or Bob Dylan - Langhorne Slim may just be your next favorite new artist!
"Langhorne Slim's glimmering folk-rock is propelled by simple, straight-ahead beats and spruced up by cello, bells, tuba, accordion, pizzicato violin, Rhodes piano and countless other interesting instrumental choices. Every bit as important as the sonic variation, though, is Slim's impressive songwriting, which now places him in the league of contemporaries like Josh Ritter, Conor Oberst and the Avett Brothers." - Paste
"The music that Langhorne Slim writes and performs feels deeply familiar - the kind of sounds that might emerge from a scratchy 78 or drift off of a twilight porch deep in Appalachia. His songs are constructed from traditional materials... and they hew closely to the time-worn subject of love. Dig a little deeper, though, past the tangle of banjo and swirl of Hammond, and you hear something a little less historical, a little more punk, a little more eccentric and personal. It's something that would scare the piss out of most of the Oh Brother Where Art Thou crowd." - Splendid
"Your next obsession: Langhorne Slim... The first thing you notice about this Brooklyn folkie is his mercurial voice, which crackles with vulnerability - but hardens for withering curveballs... evoking, by turns the Pogues, Arcade Fire and a very caffeinated Salvation Army Band." - Entertainment Weekly
"This second full-length effort from Slim is a pleasure." - Tiny Mix Tapes
Little Black Cloud is Cathy Rivers' project featuring a round robin of some of Tucson's best musicians!
"Rivers is powerful, poignant, introspective, and reflective. She is an undeniable feminine force whose lyrical and smoky, sultry vocal talents rival that of Tucson's male dominated music scene..." - Downtown Tucsonan
Rivers' "smoky but powerful voice...gives the punk rock set something to listen to when they go home alone at four in the morning." - Albuquerque Journal
"like an abandoned mining town with broken bottles - relationships, fantasies of relationships, loss of innocence and self-knowledge. Rivers' voice is melodic and believable..." - No Depression
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| Tickets : $8.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Langhorne Slim
Little Black Cloud |
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Tuesday May 13
American Music Club
10:30 PM
With
Jose Saavedra 9:30 PM
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The Golden Age is American Music Club's ninth album - the second since they broke a ten year hiatus with 2004's critically acclaimed Love Songs for Patriots. AMC's primary songwriter and leader Mark Eitzel has described it as the most instantly pleasing record that they have ever released. Critics seem to agree... as they have been singing its praises far and wide. Fans of Nick Cave, Bill Callahan (Smog), Elliott Smith, Red House Painters, The Replacements, The National and Okkervil River should already be familiar with AMC, but if you are somehow not familiar with American Music Club you owe it to yourself to see them perform live... simply amazing.
"Since 2004's comeback album, Love Songs For Patriots, AMC leader Eitzel has had to rely on his songs and persona alone - which makes The Golden Age even more stunning. His trademark gloom still dominates, but his ability to bend glacial chords around pure poetry remains vital. In fact, it's stronger than ever." Grade A - The Onion
"American Music Club's central values - humility, self-effacement through musical understatement, sentimental candor - may be currently out of fashion, but The Golden Age proves that, handled with care, they never truly go out of style." 7.7/10 - Pitchfork
"The Golden Age... (is) a rich and rewarding set of songs whose gentle surfaces belie their troubling strength." 4 stars - All Music Guide
"The Golden Age is (American Music Club's) most placid disc since 1989's United Kingdom." - Spin
"The Golden Age is a bewitching and thoroughly addictive record that proves that even when they push themselves out of their comfort zone, American Music Club can still come up with a classic." 4/5 - Music OMH
"The Golden Age is the real thing." 4 stars - Uncut
4.5/5 - Alternative Press
"I can't stress enough how brilliant this recod is, how pertinent and valuable its songs are to our lives." - Pop Matters
"a glittering statement of purpose from an institution reinvigorated." 4 stars - Paste
"The Golden Age stands alone as another distinct chapter in the life of American Music Club, precious to those who know them." - Drowned in Sound
Jose Saavedra, a Puerto Rican-born singer-songwriter now living in Tucson, has been developing his musical career and style following the tradition of Latin-American song and the musical genre known as Nueva Cancion for the last ten years. This guy is great...a real treat - you should definately check him out! He's like a Puerto Rican Nick Drake... No kidding!
"Jose culls folk tradition from both Latin America and English/US. He melds gorgeous vocal melodies with amazing finger picking guitar work. Imagine a Puerto Rican Nick Drake. The lyrics are in Spanish and even if one doesn't understand a single word, the simple, direct arrangements convey deep feelings... We're lucky to have him in our little town. Completely essential!" - Downtown Tucsonan
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| Tickets : $10.00 |
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Sound Samples:
American Music Club
Jose Saavedra |
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Wednesday May 14
D. Mulligan
9:30 PM
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D. Mulligan of The Gadsden Purchase is a singer-songwriter that will resonate with fans of Towns Van Zandt, Steve Poltz and Greg Brown.
"D. Mulligan's music captures the expanse but subtle lushness of his Arizona roots. Mulligan immediately wins you over with his observational lyrics. His hushed voice is pensive, maybe even sad. The music is rich and thick, but never overwhelms the singing. The songs might reference local Arizona landmarks, but the themes are universal. A stellar debut album for late nights..." - Miles of Music
"Fans of Neko Case, Jon Rauhouse and the lot will enjoy Mulligan's easy-going alt-country." - TucsonScene
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
D. Mulligan |
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Thursday May 15
Matt Mitchell + Marianne Dissard
9:30 AM
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Guitar stud Matt Mitchell and French chanteuse Marianne Dissard do the songs they like. And they like their gypsy jazz a la Django Reinhardt, their chansons a la Edith Piaf and Yves Montand, their Porter pearls and Charles Trenet tricks. Plus, when the mood strikes, they'll throw in the odd likeable bossa number. Matt Mitchell is Tucson's most versatile guitar player, lately heard with Al Perry and Hot Club of Tucson. Marianne Dissard has recorded with Calexico's Joey Burns and worked with beau Naim Amor and Giant Sand's Howe Gelb.
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Matt Mitchell + Marianne Dissard |
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Friday May 16
Efterklang
11:30 PM
With
Saint Rorschach 9:30 PM
Slaraffenland 10:30 PM
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Efterklang is amazing indie/experimental/post-rock band from Scandinavia. Their second full-length, Parades has been praised far and wide, just as their debut, Tripper. Fans of Sigur Ros, Rachel's, Mum, Mogwai, Boards of Canada, the Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens take note... this is your newest favorite band!
"It's astounding Copenhagen's Efterklang hasn't yet broken into the American market. The band's 2004 debut, Tripper, featured the type of glitch-pop hooks, flamboyant orchestration, quiet vocals, and slowly building compositions that allowed the musicians to claim as peers Mum and Sigur Ros... grandiose orchestrated pop music." 7/10 - Prefix
"Every so often an album comes along that's so original it's difficult to accurately liken it to anything else - even Efterklang's last album, Tripper, is left behind by Parades." 4 stars - Mojo
"Seriously, (Efterklan's Parades) is one of 2007's finest LPs, no question." 10/10 - Drowned in Sound
"More organic than their 2004 debut, Parades is just as richly rewarding." 4 stars - Uncut
"Efterklang unshackle themselves on Parades, a sober, decisive grasp at grandeur." 7.4/10 - Pitchfork
"Efterklang have managed to locate the sweet spot where the organic meets the electronic." 4.5/5 - Music OMH
"Tripper is the debut full-length by the 10-piece Danish ensemble Efterklang, a band whose name translates literally to 'after-noise' but more loosely to 'reverberation' or 'remembrance'... Efterklang here ensures that, as their name implies, this music should continue to reverberate in your memory for a long time to come." 7.9/10 - Pitchfork
Saint Rorschach is one of Tucson's coolest indie/post-rock/intrumental/expiramental acts... They are often compared to Explosions in the Sky, Bedhead, Mogwai and Sigur Ros, but also shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine - not a bad lot with which to be compared!
"Some of the best new young talent in town... My Bloody Valentine guitar layers and OK Computer-era Radiohead drama." - Tucson Scene
"...sorta like Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky... though Saint Rorschach is a bit more shoegazey." - Tucson Weekly
Slaraffenland creates expiramental-jazz influenced indie-epics. Think Animal Collective filtered through Sigur Ros w/ hints of Broken Social Scene and Grizzly Bear. Amazing stuff!
"Slaraffenland... first full-length release, Private Cinema is a full of dark and radiant songs that compete and unite at equal turns... a mix of soft, textured aural luxury with ominous industrialized beats." 7.9/10 - Pitchfork
"Slaraffenland builds big, imaginative soundscapes out of a rather large palette of instruments - drums, electronics, brass, voices, guitars - touching down in lots of genres but never quite settling." 7/10 - Pop Matters
"Jazz-tinged indie epics from Denmark. Those very words could well be some kind of a launch code for a panicked rush to the exits. In the case of Slaraffenland, however, the only frenzy they should inspire is a hurried dash to the nearest record retailer. Private Cinema, as it happens, is an aural equivalent of the 'land of milk and honey' the band's unpronounceable name translates to - in other words, an exhaustible fountain of the good stuff." 4/5 - Gigwise
"Sun Ra as played by Broken Social Scene..." - Americana UK
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| Tickets : $7.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Efterklang
Saint Rorschach
Slaraffenland |
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Saturday May 17
Sea Wolf
11:30 PM
With
The Hard Lessons 9:30 PM
...Music Video? 10:30 PM
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Sea Wolf, the indie-folktronica project led by singer/songwriter, Alex Church, is blowing up... Evidence you ask? 1) They recently appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show, 2) a recent tour with Nada Surf, 3) they were just named as one of the 100 bands in 2008 you 'Need to Know' in Alternative Press magazine and 4) their latest recordLeaves in the River was produced by Phil Ek, the man many consider responsible for much of the success seen by The Shins and Built to Spill. If you are not yet familiar with Sea Wolf and you are a fan Bright Eyes, DeVotchKa, The National, Nick Drake and Sea Change-era Beck - you need to see this act!
"Alex Church, the fertile songwriting mind behind Sea Wolf, has a firm grip on the shadowy side of Americana. His project's debut LP, the Phil Ek-produced Leaves in the River, is a lush, darkly romantic set piece... If you can stomach one more 'wolf' group on your iPod, this is the one to pick." 7.5/10 - Prefix
"the haunting lyrical content, vocal delivery, and variety of instrumental influence (on Leaves In The River - blend well together to create a delicious mixture of lo-fi sensibilities that make Sea Wolf different from the pack." - Music Emissions
"Sea Wolf's coffeehouse intimacy is a result of a perfect melding of the electronic and acoustic." 8/10 - Kevchino
"Leaves In The River is one of the most captivating listens you will find this year. Sea Wolf is the sonic equivalent of a M. Night Shyamalan film... full of mystery, suspense, and tension, all wrapped up in a gorgeous, lush blanket of sound." 8.9/10 - IGN
One of the most explosive and indemand bands on the Detroit music circuit, The Hard Lessons have played with the likes of Brendan Benson, The Dirtbombs, Hot Hot Heat, The Killers, The Von Bondies, Electric Six, The Gris Gris, Social Distortion, The Detroit Cobras, and Oh My God, among others.
"Vampire Weekend's greatness was quickly overshadowed by the Hard Lessons (at 2008 SXSW)... (with) music diversely influenced, spanning from the most obvious commercial rock to the most obscure underground stuff - without sounding like they're simply a mess." - Undercover
"The Hard Lessons are the latest in a seemingly endless line of fantastic Detroit groups." - Cleveland Scene
"The Hard Lessons cram pure pop into steel-eyed soul and crumple blues riffs and vintage organ into a ball of sheer, snarling energy." - Denver Westward
...Music Video? - lush, indie-electronic sound has been compared to The Postal Serice, Radiohead, M83, DJ Shadow and the Flaming Lips... good stuff!
"...Music Video? stands out in a crowded field of electro-pop groups with their strong sense of melody, flawless production and surprisingly fresh use of synths and samples" - NPR
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| Tickets : $7.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Sea Wolf
The Hard Lessons
...Music Video? |
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Sunday May 18
The Hounds
9:30 PM
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The Hounds serve up a blues, hip-hop, reggae style. Their influences range from delta blues pioneer's such as Muddy Waters to the west coast reggae stylings of Sublime. Nice stuff! |
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
The Hounds |
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Monday May 19
The Via Maris
9:30 PM
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The Via Maris is a great new act from Phoenix! Fans of The Innocence Mission, Low, Whiskeytown, Cowboy Junkies, Over the Rhine, Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters... Great indie singer-songwriter material! |
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
The Via Maris |
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Tuesday May 20
The Dirtbombs
11:30 PM
With
Terrible Twos 9:30 PM
Dan Sartain 10:30 PM
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The Dirtbombs are Detroit garage-rock royalty. Hands down, one of the best acts to come out of the Motor City in the past several decades. For fans of The Stooges, MC5, The Von Bondies, The Gories, The Detroit Cobras, The White Stripes, and The Black Keys.
"Along with the Detroit Cobras and the Hard Lessons, the Dirtbombs round out the top tier of Detroit's garage-rock revisionist scene... In a city rich in Motown nostalgia and disheartened spirits, the Dirtbombs can claim title as the unofficial message-bearer - reviving metro Detroit through pure force and will. We Have You Surrounded, the band's 5th full-length release... delivers the group's signature punk-soul renderings with a taste of pretty much everything else. Space prog-rock, distortion interludes, French pop covers; you name it, it's here." 8/10 - Pop Matters
"We Have You Surrounded is a terrific, accessible hard-rock album deserving of more than cult attention. The usual Dirtbombs configuration of two drummers and two bassists is put to brilliant use, spawning aggressively funky grooves that suggest a Motown rhythm section gone punk." 4 stars - Spin
"Over the past two decades, Dirtbombs frontman Mick Collins has established a hard-won reputation as one of the Motor City's top purveyors of neotrad fuzz-garage fare. His late-'80s group the Gories laid much of the groundwork later built upon by young Detroit acts such as the White Stripes and the Von Bondies... We Have You Surrounded... is down-and-dirty blues-derived rock loaded with sloppy one-take guitar solos and beery, ganglike vocal choruses... (but) Surrounded also reveals a flash of the experimental streak... Here's one old dog with some new tricks." - Time Out New York
"Considering Mick Collins' lengthy garage-rock pedigree, it's hard not to use the g-word when describing his current band. But 10 years on, The Dirtbombs have grown into a powerhouse no garage can contain. We Have You Surrounded... is by far its slickest and most deliberate; immaculately trimmed and fitted, it sculpts fuzz and sludge into glam-shaped, pop-drizzled nuggets." - The Onion AV Club
"We Have You Surrounded is tighter and more focused than 2003's Dangerous Magical Noise without sacrificing the frantic energy that's always been at their core." 4 stars - All Music Guide
"Vintage soul cool, glam boogie, classic rock thrash, and punk bravado." 8.2/10 - Pitchfork
"Age has certainly not mellowed The Dirtbombs, with Collins and his motley crew blending rock, punk, blues and soul with as much conviction as ever." 4/5 - Rave
Terrible Twos: for fans of The Stooges, Black Lips and The Hives.
"Dan Sartain, like Jack White, Billy Childish and Holly Golightly before him, takes the rootsy music of the old rock 'n' roll masters and makes it his own, updating it for a new decade and audience... An easy way to describe Sartain's music, in fact, is a post punk version of the vintage Sun Records sound... But there are also elements of the Gun Club, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the 60's garage pop of the 'Nuggets' compilations, the punkier alt.country bands and even some Latin dance influences." - Penny Black Music
"If you're the kind of person who wishes time had stopped somewhere around 1963, Dan Sartain is your man. He looks like an extra from a 1950s B-movie about juvenile delinquents and...can make raw, rudimentary rock'n'roll seem like the freshest sound around." 4/5 - The Guardian
"(with) Dan Sartain... what you see is what you get... Some have lazily dubbed him as 'the post-punk Johnny Cash,' but that's over-complicating things. Put simply, Dan Sartain is rock 'n' roll, pure and simple. Not just in his music, but in his image and his attitude." - Drowned In Sound
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| Tickets : $10.00 |
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Sound Samples:
The Dirtbombs
Terrible Twos
Dan Sartain |
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Wednesday May 21
Clinic
11:00 PM
With
Mostly Bears 9:45 PM
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Clinic is set to release their fifth full-length album - Do It!. It is generating a lot of industry buzz, and is sure to garner the same sort of rave reviews their previous four albums have received. Their quirky, often eerie brand of art-punk tinged indie-rock may be described as part Velvet Underground, part Radiohead... it should resonate with aficionados of afore mentioned bands along as with fans of Wire, Suicide, The Fall, Art Brut, The Walkmen, and Pavement.
"Clinic's fifth album still cannibalizes their back catalog, but... the band play up the tension, tossing blistering riffs into mellow ballads and lacing eerie stomps with folk textures: the result is some of the most fascinating music of their career." 4 stars - Spin
"Clinic play with a renewed sense of the same eerie raucousness that drew people to them in the first place." 7.7/10 - Pitchfork
"Clinic chug along like a coal-burning engine churning out thick black smoke on Do It!, working further into their cryptically dour art-punk/psych/soul/folk niche... curiouser and curiouser, but that's the direction that suits them best." 4 stars - All Music Guide
"Clinic has returned to making music that feels limitless." 8/10 - Under the Radar
"Clinic... reaffirm themselves as one of our unsung independent music gems." 8/10 - Music OMH
"Music as taut, spare and ominous as The Bad Seeds at their most malevolent." 8/10 - NME
"The result is akin to walking in the woods alone at midnight - both spooky and compelling." 4 stars - Uncut
"Clinic... little short of brilliant." - Magnet
Mostly Bears are one of Tucson's most promising new bands. They will resonate with people who are fans of Mars Volta, Wolfmother and Queen!
"Mostly Bears is an eclectic and energetic rock group that can conjure the progressiveness of the Mars Volta and counts influences from screamo to Radiohead to Animal Collective." - Arizona Daily Star
"Two veterans of Gorilla Behind Bars who seem to have a penchant for naming their bands while on field trips to the zoo, plus a new drummer compose Mostly Bears." - Tucson Weekly
"The music of this Tucson trio reminds me of some of the more underground sounds that came out of the Athens/Atlanta scene twenty years ago in that they have a knack for sounding strucktured and freeform at the same time..." - AntiMusic
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| Tickets : $15.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Clinic
Mostly Bears |
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Thursday May 22
Liars
11:00 PM
Presented by Stateside!
With
The Lemon Drop Gang 9:45 PM
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The Liars have emerged as standard-bearer for the what might be described as the no-wave/experimental/art-punk movement. They are on tour opening for Radiohead, yes Radiohead... and decided to stop off here in Tucson in between large-market dates with the legendary act. Their latest self-titled effort has met with wide critical acclaim as have all of their previous releases. The Liars are a must for fans of acts like Les Savy Fav, We Are Wolves, Moving Units, Animal Collective, The Dismemberment Plan and ...and You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead as well as the vanguard of post/art-punk movement: Gang of Four, Killing Joke, Big Black, Butthole Surfers, and Sonic Youth.
"Liars wanders wherever it wants to, touching on noise, prog, hard rock, punk, industrial and other styles the band has flirted with in the past, as well as a few uncharted ones... In a lesser band's hands, this kaleidoscopic approach could be a muddled mess, but it makes for Liars' most entertaining album yet." 4.5 stars - All Music Guide
"Liars is scorched-blacktop biker music played through the art-rock filter of a band that's spent the last few years steeped in the bleak sounds of German new wave and early industrial... (its) the first time in a long time that live intensity has really come through on CD." 8.5/10 - Pitchfork
"The Liars' self-titled fourth record takes only seconds to signal the triumphant homecoming of the guitar." 84/100 - Filter
"Each track (on Liars) bears the sound of a confident, secure band of artists who now know they are ready for prime-time, and can weather the onslaught of attention without compromise." 8/10 - Pop Matters
"Liars'... self-titled fourth album may be the maverick trio's most beautifully straightforward yet." 4/5 - Alternative Press
"Liars might not be as singular as the band's past albums, but even a relatively normal outing from these guys is still a puzzle that takes time to solve. Rest assured, it's time well spent." 4 stars - Paste
"If Liars have reached the post-masterpiece phase of their career where they hone their craft to a needle's point, Liars is an absolutely brilliant jump-off." - Stylus
"For Liars, forgoing heady concepts and willful obtuseness - embracing rock music instead of deconstructing it - may actually be the boldest move yet." - The Onion
"You could accuse Liars of abandoning all of their high-art concepts and otherworldly thoughts so they could secure their place on a tour of America's enormodomes with Interpol. Well, you could if this album wasn't so perfect." 8/10 - NME
The Lemon Drop Gang includes former front-man of Galactic Federation of Love. They perform quirky pop tunes, influenced by the likes of Jonathan Richman, The Ronettes, The Kinks and the Beatles, among others. |
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| Tickets : $10.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Liars
The Lemon Drop Gang |
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Friday May 23
Amy Rude
11:30 PM
With
Band of Annuals 9:30 PM
Golden Boots 10:30 PM
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If you are into the sort of dark folk rock acts such as Cat Power, Hayden, Edith Frost, and (Smog) you'll be a fan of Amy Rude - trust us.
"Local singer/songwriter Amy Rude can do the full-band country-rock thing better than your average hip Canadian hack, but My Love Is a Velvet Farm sounds more like creative freak folk that several of our own homegrown musicians play: breathy, blended off-key vocals, sparse instrumentation, casually strummed guitars and the feeling of sitting in the backyard and playing for the creosote." - Tucson Weekly
Band of Annuals is a great act that will resonate with fans of Whiskeytown, Court + Spark, Cowboy Junkies, and Richmond Fontaine. Nice stuff!
If you haven't seen Golden Boots yet, you definately should. With their recent signing to Park the Van (that is the label Dr. Dog is on folks), they are one of the most likely Tucson acts to fully graduate to the national stage.
Golden Boots have "an edgy feel, like Beck meets Tom Waits. The songs exude a raw sense of natural discovery evident both in the vocals and instrumentation. It's Impossible to describe the fantasy that animates their composition, arrangements and singing." - Abus Dangerouex Magazine
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| Tickets : $5.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Amy Rude
Band of Annuals
Golden Boots |
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Saturday May 24
The Red Elvises
9:30 PM
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Elvis lives in these Moscow-bred, LA based surf-abilies....they put on quite a show!
"They learned their English from The Beatles and Queen. They love Thai pop. They won the International Band Competition on Ed McMahon's Star Search. They blend good old rock'n'roll with ethnic music from Russia, and they're influenced by Chuck Berry and Fidel Castro. They are the Red Elvises, and they're coming to kick ass and boogie all night." - Nada Mucho
"The feisty, three-fourths Russian act delivers high-octane rock 'n' roll spiced with klezmer and country & western, all the while making full use of the stage with clowning and choreography. Oh, and audience participation is mandatory." - The Weekly Planet
"How do you describe a show that features four fellows dressed in red playing Eastern European-tinged surf and rockabilly? It's that simple. .... garage/surf/rockabilly troika." - Chart Attack
"The guys are ready to fill the high-heeled shoes of the Monkees, with their manic energy and easily identifiable personalities." - The Arizona Republic |
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| Tickets : $10.00 |
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Sunday May 25
Lisa O'Neill
9:30 PM
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Lisa O'Neill a great local singer-songwriter that will appeal to fans of Joni Mitchell, Gillian Welch and Tracy Chapman. |
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Lisa O'Neill |
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Monday May 26
Bradford Trojan
9:30 PM
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Bradford Trojan (aka Lemon Man), meber of the Lemon Drop Gang and former front-man of Galactic Federation of Love, performs quirky pop tunes, influenced by the likes of Talking Heads, Jonathan Richman, The Kinks and the Beatles, among others.
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Bradford Trojan |
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Tuesday May 27
Redlands
9:30 PM
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Redlands, is a great band! How do they sound... Think Nick Drake or Elliott Smith fronting Pedro The Lion or Sebadoh! Fans of John Vanderslice, Death Cab for Cutie and Matt Pond PA should also dig Redlands.
"(Daniel) Thrall's voice and poetic lyrics evoke Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Other more uptempo...tunes bring to mind Pedro the Lion." - Arizona Daily Star
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Redlands |
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Wednesday May 28
Leila Lopez
9:30 PM
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"(Lopez') talented voice...a mixture of Ani Defranco, Fiona Apple and Tracy Chapman. This accompanied by her Latin influenced breakneck style of guitar playing...With a voice like vanilla coffee, bold but smooth, Leila Lopez has a Spanish Bossa Nova style with influence from Santana to the Gypsy Kings and Joni Mitchell." - The Aztec Press
"This native Tucsonan singer-songwriter plays six instruments, and writes lyrics with the poignancy of Dylan. They accompany a smooth, sweet, clear voice that has the jazzy, R & B style of Sade, with attitude... (like) a mellow Ani DiFranco." - Downtown Tucsonan
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Leila Lopez |
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Thursday May 29
Silver Bus
9:30 PM
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Many of you have seen and wondered at that silver school bus sitting on 4th Avenue on the weekends... Well - Silver Bus has moved indoors. If you like folk-inspired singer-songwriter tunes influenced by the likes of The Beatles and Ravi Shankar with a late 60s Height-Ashberry vibe and a hint of electronica , you should catch this bus.
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Silver Bus |
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Friday May 30
The Runaway Five
11:30 PM
With
R'Cougar 9:30 PM
Stillsuit 10:30 PM
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The Runaway Five are one of Tucson's newest and most promising acts. For fans of the Talking Heads, Sebadoh, and Ted Leo.
"One of the best new bands in town, drawing comparisons to Built to Spill and probably ripping off some '60s pysch/garage/pop band from Sweden nobody's ever heard of, if you haven't seen R'Cougar yet we STRONGLY urge you to do just that." - TucsonScene.com
Stillsuit: one of Tucson's newest acts... This trio does a great job with their expiramental-indie set. Fans of Afgahn Wigs, Pinback, Smashing Pumpkins and Tortoise should dig! |
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| Tickets : $5.00 |
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Sound Samples:
The Runaway Five
R'Cougar
Stillsuit |
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Saturday May 31
Molehill Orkestrah
11:30 PM
With
Family of Light 9:30 PM
World Class Thugs 10:30 PM
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The ladies and gents of The Molehill Orkestrah are performers in the old world tradition. This independently managed outfit consisting of mandolin, guitar, cello, violin, baritone, trumbone, bass, and drums... playing a variety of musical backgrounds ranging from classical to punk rock, from mariachi to jazz, fuse diverse contemporary genres with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Klezmer, and Eastern European influences. For fans of Devotchka, Andrew Bird, Rachel's, Calexico, and Tom Waits.
"The Desert Gypsy propheteers of Molehill are nothing short of mesmerizing every time they set out... Molehill plays with a primal urgency that is undeniable." - Tucson Weekly
Featuring members of Dusty Buskers, Family of Light may best be described as expiramental or etherial Americana. For fans of Sparklehorse, Will Oldham, Okkervil River and Gram Parsons.
World Class Thugs incorporates many different styles within an Americana backdrop, running the gamut from jugbeat folk, carousel music, and roots-rock, to post-punk melodies and low desert tales of sorrow. Fans of Gogol Bordello, The Dresden Dols and Barbez!
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| Tickets : $5.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Molehill Orkestrah
Family of Light
World Class Thugs |
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Sunday June 1
Sweetbleeders
9:30 PM
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"Sweetbleeders... lush pop songs and ballads that remind me of XTC, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel, and, occasionally, (the) Beatles. It's well known in musician's circles that Vining is one of the most talented songwriters in the (Phoenix area) when it comes to classic Americana and British pop music." - Phoenix New Times
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Sweetbleeders |
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Monday June 2
Kevin Pakulis
9:30 PM
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"Kevin Pakulis offers up a greasy, gritty, socially conscious music. He mixes a voice that is more melodic than Jon Dee Graham with guitar playing that would make Billy Gibbons proud." - Miles of Music
"kind of a cross between Warren Zevon, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen... Pakulis is the kind of guy who supplies music that becomes 'the soundtrack of your life.'" - Music for America
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Kevin Pakulis |
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Tuesday June 3
The Fiery Furnaces
11:00 PM
With
Grand Ole Party 9:45 PM
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The Fiery Furnaces revolve around the brother and sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, whose sonically diverse releases have been lauded by virtually every music mag and web site in the known universe. These guys are pushing the artistic envelope in so many ways its hard to keep track. This act has a very high probability of being touted as a seminal act of the the early years of the new century in some future issue of Rolling Stone. Be sure and see them now, so you can brag to your children on how tuned-in you once were.... For fans of The Walkmen, The Kills, Cold War Kids, the Arcade Fire, the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith and Captain Beefheart.
"An astonishing act of rejuvenation and reclamation, (Widow City, the band's latest) may just be the group's best to date, and solidly reestablishes Eleanor and Matthew as progenitors of brilliantly exciting, mind-scrambling pop." Grade A - Stylus
"Widow City's major accomplishment is how it captures the band's live power and sheds some of their mannered studio sound. It rocks hard, and often." 4 stars - All Music Guide
"Widow City is endlessly enjoyable, yielding new detail every time you slip through its song mazes." - The Wire
"Widow City is by far the band's toughest-as-nails record yet." 4/5 - Tiny Mix Tapes
"Widow City is the Furnaces' punchiest set to date." 4 stars - Mojo
Grand Ole Party have been busy touring the country opening for the likes of Rilo Kiley, Vampire Weekend, Rogue Wave, and can now add The Fiery Furnaces to that esteemed list. Fans of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Gossip and The Kills take note! |
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| Tickets : $10.00 advance / $12.00 day of show |
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Sound Samples:
The Fiery Furnaces
Grand Ole Party |
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Wednesday June 4
4th Street String Band
9:30 PM
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4th Street String Band plays contemporary acoustic bluegrass that should strike a chord with fans of Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss and The Duhks... Nice stuff! |
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
4th Street String Band |
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Thursday June 5
Gaza Strip
11:00 PM
With
Mozart's Sister 9:45 PM
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"Gaza Strip... Distorted guitars kick you back to the grunge days. The vocals can be described as the lovechild of Frank Black, Kurt Cobain, and Fred Schneider videotaping. The visual that just popped into your head might be unpleasent, but the sound Gaza Strip manages to conjur up is not. The energy this band puts out is addictive, these guys know how to put on a show." - The Scene
"Gaza Strip have obviously studied their Nirvana and Pixies textbooks" - Tucson Weekly
 "In Tucson's alternative rock music scene, dominated by male-fronted bands, Mozart's Sister provides a breath of fresh air. This rockin' power trio is nestled somewhere in that sweet spot between female-fronted 90's alternative rock bands like Belly and Juliana Hatfield, and 80's pop-rock like the Pretenders and the Motels." - KXCI
"Mozart's Sister... a threesome of greatness." - <i>AZ Night Buzz</i>
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| Tickets : $4.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Gaza Strip
Mozart's Sister |
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Friday June 6
KXCI 'Locals Only' CD Release Party!
8:15 PM
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Celebrating KXCI's newest 'Locals Only' compilation which includes some of Tucson's finest acts. |
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| Tickets : $5.00 |
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Saturday June 7
Mostly Bears
11:30 PM
With
Wolves Are Coming 9:30 AM
Mr. Gnome 10:30 PM
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Mostly Bears are one of Tucson's most promising new bands. They will resonate with people who are fans of Mars Volta, Wolfmother and Queen!
"Mostly Bears is an eclectic and energetic rock group that can conjure the progressiveness of the Mars Volta and counts influences from screamo to Radiohead to Animal Collective." - Arizona Daily Star
"Two veterans of Gorilla Behind Bars who seem to have a penchant for naming their bands while on field trips to the zoo, plus a new drummer compose Mostly Bears." - Tucson Weekly
"The music of this Tucson trio reminds me of some of the more underground sounds that came out of the Athens/Atlanta scene twenty years ago in that they have a knack for sounding strucktured and freeform at the same time..." - AntiMusic
Wolves Are Coming is a new Tucson act. Fans of Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss should welcome their arrival to the Tucson music scene.
Mr. Gnome is causing quite the stir in the upper Mid-West. This duo sounds a bit like early Blonde Redhead fronted by PJ Harvey with hints of Led Zeppelin and Portishead, forging a sexy trip-hop/indie/metal sound quite different from much of what is out there. Expect to hear increasing buzz about this band!
"Boy does this Ohio duo make a lot of noise. In fact, this sophomore EP... sounds more like a mid-career offering from an accomplished hard-rock quartet. Such is the overwhelming nature of the two-some's aggressive-yet-beautiful sound." - Paste
"The last album I reviewed by Mr. Gnome pretty much knocked me out flat. This self-titled follow-up hits just as hard... Tightly written songs weave around trip-hop atmospheres, indie rock guitars, and glamorous female vocals that while eerie are out-of-this-world delicious... Mr. Gnome you're devilish, awe-inspiring, and something that fans of Tool, Massive Attack, and Portishead can all find in common..." - Smother
"Mr. Gnome... a trip-rock style that melds the percussive swagger of Portishead with the metallurgy of Black Sabbath." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Frantic drums and tortured female vocals greet the ears from this soon-to-be seminal indie rock project... With trip-hop's downtempo beats, rock's thrills and gorgeous vocals that you'd expect from Tricky or Portishead's more enigmatic journeys... Mr. Gnome stirs in a stew of heavy rock." - Smother
"Mr. Gnome glides through catchy and crunchy hard rock arrangements... post-modern prog rock arrangements that arrive in burning starts and smoldering stops. Promising work." - Amplifier
"like Black Sabbath fronted by a breathy Fiona Apple" - Cool
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| Tickets : $5.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Mostly Bears
Wolves Are Coming
Mr. Gnome |
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Sunday June 8
Eddie Chiurco
9:30 PM
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Eddie Chiurco, a local folk songwriter making great acoustic-rock Americana with a slightly jam band feel. For fans of Blues Traveler, The Samples and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Eddie Chiurco |
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Monday June 9
Firewater
11:00 PM
Presented by Stateside!
With
The Mission Creeps 9:45 PM
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Firewater incorporates a global range of musical influences into their highly-dynamic sound, with such varied influences as Klezmer, Indian wedding music, art-punk, and Tom Waits-style cabaret poetry to create their heady, often quite danceable sound. They are to release their fifth full-length, The Golden Hour, this spring on Bloodshot. Its sure to garner the same sort of praise as have their previous releases which drew acclaim from Rolling Stone, Paste, Pitchfork, CMJ, NME and a host of other reviewers. For fans of Gogol Bordello, DeVotchKa, Tom Waits, Mark Lanegan, Soul Coughing and Mike Doughty.
"The Mission Creeps stay true to the classic surf rock style coined by The Cramps, using zombie inspired themes, fast tempos and bluesy guitar riffs. The lead singer, James Arrr, has the perfect voice for this genre of music - a little Elvis mixed with some Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash." - Eugene Weekly
"Mission Creeps... combine surf rock, punk, and the Doors, topping it off with an eerie dosage of Ennio Morricone-inspired gunfight licks that fit seamlessly into the band's tales of desert-highway depravity." - San Francisco Bay Guardian
"Like a toned-down version of the Cramps by way of Deadbolt, the twangy, reverb-heavy guitar, Arrr's genuinely sexy bellowing croon (a la Bauhaus' Peter Murphy) and the band's grinding rhythms all add up to something more than your standard clad-in-black, death-obsessed affair." - Tucson Weekly
"The Mission Creeps are for fans of the Cramps, Bauhaus, spooky surf-rock, select Doors songs, and low-budget horror flicks from the 60's and 70's." - Tucson Scene
"Mission Creeps play organ-driven, menacing surf rock, sometimes with go-go dancers, fronted by a singer who resembles a younger, less-dead version of Roy Orbison." - Arizona Daily Star
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| Tickets : $10.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Firewater
The Mission Creeps |
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Tuesday June 10
Stefan George
9:30 PM
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"Stefan has... been named Best of Tucson since 1994 in songwriter, solo acoustic performer, and acoustic ensemble categories, and has been a finalist at Telluride and Kerrville, where he now hosts the annual Blues Summit. In addition to his solo acoustic work, he has an electric trio, The Conrads, a duo of guitar and hammered dulcimer, Arm & Hammer, and a folk band, Songtower." - Arizona Blues Hall of Fame
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Wednesday June 11
Al Perry
9:30 PM
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"Al Perry... like an old-school preacher; timeless voice, stern demeanor, but a twinkle escapes those pale eyes once in a while. Laconic, ironic, dedicated to curating what used to be known as country and western, Al Perry is a testament to the best of live music in Tucson." - Tucson Underground
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Al Perry |
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Thursday June 12
The Holy Rolling Empire
11:30 PM
With
The Monitors 9:30 PM
Birds & Batteries 10:30 PM
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The Holy Rolling Empire (formerly The Crowd) is one of Tucson's coolest new acts! For fans of The Shins, The Flaming Lips, and The Beatles.... we expect a lot from these home-town boys. Good Stuff!!!
"The Holy Rolling Empire... have quickly generated considerable buzz, and I'm happy to report the hype is justified... the new school of indie-style, not unlike Cold War Kids... or Voxtrot... The group's songs are both catchy enough to grab you on first listen and complex enough to keep you going back for more." - Tucson Weekly
"Backing vocal harmonies litter the songs, coinciding with a dreamy, vaguely psychedelic air. Numerous riffs and tempo changes elevate (The Holy Rolling Empire) above simple pop, along with lyrics that add a dark undercurrent." - Downtown Tucsonan
The Monitors: Vikas from Nowhere Man, Morgan and Tommy from Ten Percenters... This power-trio will resonate with fans of The Police, The Minutemen and John Tesh.
Spreading lush electronic arrangments and rhodes electric piano underneath pedal steel, Birds & Batteries mesh indie/electronica with hints of Americana. Comprable to Neil Young fronting The Postal Service or M83, or Randy Newman meets Gary Newman.
"Birds & Batteries... a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll, a little bit electronic and all kinds of intriguing pop." - The Onion
"Birds & Batteries is an oddly appropriate moniker for a band whose synthy soundscapes seem to float effortlessly in the air." - Mother Jones
"Birds & Batteries... has a gritty sound that could pass as either alt-country garage rock or fuzzy-synth psychedelia. No song remains completely in either category." - West Coast Performer
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| Tickets : $5.00 |
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Sound Samples:
The Holy Rolling Empire
The Monitors
Birds & Batteries |
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Friday June 13
Jose Saavedra
11:30 PM
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Jose Saavedra, a Puerto Rican-born singer-songwriter now living in Tucson, has been developing his musical career and style following the tradition of Latin-American song and the musical genre known as Nueva Cancion for the last ten years. This guy is great...a real treat - you should definately check him out! He's like a Puerto Rican Nick Drake... No kidding!
"Jose culls folk tradition from both Latin America and English/US. He melds gorgeous vocal melodies with amazing finger picking guitar work. Imagine a Puerto Rican Nick Drake. The lyrics are in Spanish and even if one doesn't understand a single word, the simple, direct arrangements convey deep feelings... We're lucky to have him in our little town. Completely essential!" - Downtown Tucsonan
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| Tickets : $4.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Jose Saavedra |
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Saturday June 14
The Jons
11:00 PM
With
Latino Solido 9:45 PM
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"a huge, unabashed pop sound that's as fresh as it is reverent, and it establishes The Jons as one of the most purely enjoyable bands in a town currently boiling over with them." - Tucson Weekly
On any given night, you might hear Latino Solido play music from Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and of course...Cuba. These guys are great... prepare for a fun time. |
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| Tickets : $6.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Latino Solido |
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Tuesday June 17
Hayden
11:00 PM
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Combining elements of both rock and folk music with a voice that is able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Hayden has had the attention of the music critics for some time. But with his first full-length in four years and debut on the Fat Possum label set to drop this month combined with a recent tour as main support for Feist, more than just the critics are starting to take notice. There is a big buzz on this new record, and it is sure to garner the same acclaim that his past releases have claimed. Hayden is for fans of Iron & Wine, Lambchop, Elliott Smith, Cat Power, Jose Gonzalaz, Nick Drake and Neil Young.
"Hayden's melodies and deadpan delivery occupy their own peculiar kingdom." 4 stars - Uncut
"Like a technology-phobic Beck, Hayden tells his off-kilter tales with a wry eye." 4 stars - Q
"Hayden's delicate little songs are potent, precious things indeed." 4 stars - Mojo |
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| Tickets : $10.00 |
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Sound Samples:
Hayden |
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Wednesday June 18
Leila Lopez
10:30 PM
With
Courtney Robbins 9:30 PM
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"(Lopez') talented voice...a mixture of Ani Defranco, Fiona Apple and Tracy Chapman. This accompanied by her Latin influenced breakneck style of guitar playing...With a voice like vanilla coffee, bold but smooth, Leila Lopez has a Spanish Bossa Nova style with influence from Santana to the Gypsy Kings and Joni Mitchell." - The Aztec Press
"This native Tucsonan singer-songwriter plays six instruments, and writes lyrics with the poignancy of Dylan. They accompany a smooth, sweet, clear voice that has the jazzy, R & B style of Sade, with attitude... (like) a mellow Ani DiFranco." - Downtown Tucsonan
"Courtney Robbins is still a new face in the Old Pueblo, but she has earned her stripes as a successful singer/songwriter back East. In her time playing the clubs and coffeehouses of New England, she has opened for, among others, Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky and Melissa Ferrick." - Arizona Daily Star
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| Tickets : No Cover! |
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Sound Samples:
Leila Lopez
Courtney Robbins |
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Thursday June 19
Andreas Kapsalis Trio
9:45 PM
Matt Mitchell + Marianne Dissard
11:00 PM
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