"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
The Lemonheads perform their classic 1992 album It's A Shame About Ray - IN IT'S ENTIRETY... FROM START TO FINISH!
"Almost 16 years after its initial release, Dando's slacker pop sounds almost Zen. Those short songs now seem concise and even disciplined... exuberant pop melancholy." 8.4/10 - Pitchfork
"If Lovey captured Evan Dando as he found his signature blend of punk-pop, jangle pop, and folk-rock, It's a Shame About Ray is where he perfected that style." 4 1/2 stars - All Music Guide
"The jury will probably be out forever deliberating whether Evan Dando will be remembered as the greatest lost hope of the post-Hüsker Dü world... One thing however, that most Dando/Lemonheads observers can almost unanimously agree on, is that 1992’s It’s A Shame About Ray is the most consistently rounded album Dando has ever put his hands to." - Delusions of Adequacy
"It’s a Shame About Ray was not only a commercial smash for the Lemonheads, it was an artistic peak." 8/10 - Pop Matters
"It's A Shame About Ray... is a near-flawless rock album." - Punk News
"Planet Jam's... co-founders, singer/guitarist Marius Todirita and bassist/singer Kacy Todirita, met while busking on the streets of Italy. Kacy, whose last name was Armstrong in those days, was traveling across Europe with some friends, while Marius, who was drafted into the Romanian Army during the 1989 revolution, was still living there, illegally, according to the band's MySpace bio. Years later, the pair (moved to) Tucson, eventually adding Steven Abramson on keys and Kini Wade on drums. Thus began Planet Jam... Planet Jam doesn't play straight-up reggae; instead, they infuse it with strains of various types of world music, most often Eastern European gypsy music. In other words, Bob Marley this ain't, even if they address similar political and sociopolitical issues." - Tucson Weekly
"Planet Jam is emblamatic of the new fusion between eastern and western cultures." - Renastera Banatena
"The members of the local 'world jam reggae' band, Planet Jam, come from different backgrounds and cultures but all share one powerful passion: music." - Tucson Citizen
The Dusty Buskers perform a mix of traditional Irish, Western and Appalachian folk. Very nice stuff!
"The Dusty Buskers... Celtic-bluegrass tunes with a punk attitude and a subversive comedic slant."– TucsonScene.com
"Sideburn-friendly, Celtic-infused Americana/bluegrass with a punk-grog buzz... A family feud with fiddles, mandolins, harmonicas, whiskey and silly hats." - Tucson Weekly
"Foot-stomping fun that sounds great." - Downtown Tucsonan
"The Dusty Buskers... fun and funky trio, full of energy and enthusiasm." - Silver City Sun-News
"Laura Gibson... provides a new soundtrack for your next long hike through the enchanted forest." - Rolling Stone
“One of the year's most breathtaking albums. Beasts of Seasons is nothing short of a masterpiece.”- NPR
"Laura Gibson treats syllables with the same patience and loving precision a mosaic maker might put into cutting and arranging his/her tiles… rewards repeat listens." - Pitchfork
"The idiosyncrasies in Gibson's forlorn croak and the deep melancholy of her observations make for a genuinely moving listen" 4 stars - Q
"Gibson's Beasts of Seasons... both quietly devastating and life affirming" 4 stars - Mojo
"Laura (Gibson's) serene folk guitar clarity is only bettered by her euphonious lilt that cascades with a celestial quality throughout." - NME
"Like North Carolina's similarly verdant Bowerbirds, Breathe Owl Breathe keep their lyrics earnest and un-showy and then bask in organic splendor. They got me, didn't they? ." - Pitchfork
"Breathe Owl Breathe's... flare for pop-addled melodies flips the contemporary folk aesthetic, eschewing freakiness in favor of charm. It’s a dynamic built on coupling clever arrangements with lyrical whimsy." - Paste
"For years, fans have watched Breathe Owl Breathe make the far-out hit very close to home. On Magic Central, though they take some winding backroads, they always meet us in the same, entirely human place." 8/10 - Pop Matters
"Breathe Owl Breathe... an impressive set of folky rock with a penchant for infectious melodies, bittersweet harmonies and warm instrumentation." - NPR
A great new act in town, Ex-Cowboy blends spaghetti-western themes with both traditional and indie-folk.
Faster Than Light are quickly making a name for themselves on the local and national music scenes. With varied musical backgrounds and eclectic influencing tastes, this promising trio creates hard-to-categorize music that is at times calm and at others blisteringly heavy.
"I'm not convinced that Nate Jasensky, Chris Pierce and Jim Borquez of Faster Than Light are mere mortals—and if you were at this show, you catch my drift. While their new CD, Moment of Chaos, provides tangible evidence of their talent, it's their live show that will set them apart from other bands in Tucson... This killer trio manages to mesh at least two distinct styles of music within each song, and they make it not only work, but flourish. Funk, soul, folk, prog, punk, pop ... it was all there" - Tucson Weekly
"Faster Than Light's... Moment of Chaos is a debut bursting with musical ideas, bright and brash but meticulously well executed." - Zocalo
"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
Sugar Stains are a newly formed Tucson punk/pop/surf band, powered by aggressive female voice, pounding bass riffs, driving drum beats, and catchy guitar riffs. Nice!
Michael Gonzales has spent a great deal of time in our local music scene both as a musician and as the director of a local art gallery and all-ages venue, the now-closed Living Room. This talented singer-songwriter loves to play in front of new people using music as a way to encourage community and forge new friendships.
