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Music
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Fun in General / Music Tomorrow's Google Doodle Is Amazing
Posted by Dan Gibson on Tue, May 22, 2012 at 12:00 PM
It won't be up in America until midnight, apparently, but if you're a fan of vintage synthesizers or just making noise, you'll probably lose an hour or so of productivity playing with Google's fully functional (and recordable) Moog synth currently available on Google Japan in honor of the late Robert Moog's birthday. I have no musical talent whatsoever, so mostly I just turned knobs and pushed keys, but maybe you can create something actually listenable before the Moog Doodle is no more.
Music Leon Ware and Quadron Have Crafted the Perfect Summer Song
Posted by Dan Gibson on Tue, May 22, 2012 at 11:15 AM
Leon Ware is a somewhat under-appreciated soul artist - he worked on the Maxwell album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite and essentially created Marvin Gaye's I Want You, among a bunch of other songwriting credits and albums of his own - so it's nice to hear him teaming up with hipster Danish soul act Quadron for a single, "Orchids for the Sun". It's wildly smooth, perfect for the hour or so that it's bearable to be outside these days.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Music Freestyle Explosion Preview: a Conversation With Exposé's Ann Curless
Posted by Dan Gibson on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 4:58 PM
One thing that's worth noting about Ann Curless, one of the members of Exposé's classic lineup, who are playing the TCC Arena tomorrow night as part of the Freestyle Explosion package concert: she seems like an exceptionally nice person. She apologized for missing our original interview time, made small-talk about the city, mentioning that she feels "spiritually connected to Tucson" (she came to town early to spend time with some childhood friends), and really cares about providing a good time for her group's fans. Ann's charm isn't probably a tipping point on whether you should go to the show tomorrow night, but it can't hurt right.
The group is re-emerging from a challenging time following their 2003 reunion, as they fought off their original managers in a battle for the group's name, so Curless feels a real sense of optimism about the state of Exposé. "We're captains of our own ship now," she said, "so it's more about figuring out where to go." The group has recently finished their second single as a reunited group, "Shine On", getting together remixes for its release. "It should be the beginning of more music from us, but we're geographically challenged, plus we don't want to put out sub-quality material."
Still, tomorrow night, Curless knows that people will come to hear the classic material. "You'll hear all the hits, as many as we can play in the time we have," she enthusiastically shared. "There's going to be a lot of great energy, people get to remember the good times they had, and we love to give that experience to our fans."
Do This! / Music Welcome Back, Shondies (Move to Tucson)
Posted by Mari Herreras on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 4:00 PM
I don't often write mash notes for local bands or musicians on the Range. My editor probably thinks that's a good thing. Anyway, the last time I professed my love for a band was Seashell Radio. Yeah, I still love them.
This time I'm professing love for the Shondies, a Brooklyn-based group that should just move here. What is our connection with that city, anyway? Seems like we have many Brooklyn transplants, and I know many Tucsonans in Brooklyn who miss us every winter and a good eggee's when spring arrives.
They play tonight at Plush with the Cordials and Amy Rude, 8 p.m., 340 E. 6th St.
The first time I saw them they happened to play with Seashell at Plush not long after our lovely Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB1070 into law. It didn't make any of our crap go away, but for one night they brought some good music to Tucson. And they keep coming back.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Music Happy Birthday, Taj Mahal
Posted by Dan Gibson on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 1:00 PM
I'm personally not the biggest Taj Mahal fan — sometimes the world music influences sort of wear on me — but he'd be worth noting just for "She Caught the Katy," which is just a great song. Mahal, who celebrates his 70th birthday today, will be at the Fox Tucson Theatre on May 24th.
Music The Best Tribute to Chuck Brown You'll Read
Posted by Dan Gibson on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 11:00 AM
It's impossible to overstate how popular and influential go-go singer/guitarist Chuck Brown was in the Washington, DC area, even if his fame didn't really transcend regional fame, other than a few hits and some legendary samples. However, David Simon, creator of The Wire, probably reflected Brown's legacy best on his blog yesterday:
Just heard the news that the father of D.C. go-go has died. He was 75.Having heard Big G, The Backyard Band and the Soul Searcher horn section bring their funk to New Orleans last Friday, the news lands strangely. The guys on the stage of Tipitina’s last week are very much the proud children of Mr. Brown and his Soul Searchers.
This man, who invented a musical genre and grooved so hard and for so long, is not yet in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. The Dave Clark Five, however, are comfortably settled in the shrine.
Argument enough to burn that motherfucker down to the Lake Erie waterline.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Music You'll Enjoy This Justin Bieber Article More Than You'd Think
Posted by Dan Gibson on Wed, May 16, 2012 at 1:00 PM
There's no particular takeaway to Drew Magary's profile of Justin Bieber in the new issue of GQ other than the fact that he seems to be kind of dull, doesn't want to be punched in the face and likes to draw penises on things, although his failed attempt to do something adult and cool with the Canadian pop sensation makes for a fascinating read:
I ask Bieber if he'd like to venture outside the studio to talk over dinner, but he declines. "It's just a pain in the ass," he says. Bieber exists inside what amounts to a series of interconnected skyways: He goes from his secluded house to his secluded Range Rover to his secluded studio, rarely setting foot in the exposed world. Suggesting that we pop down the block to a restaurant is insane. Stupid, even. I have been assured by Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager, that Bieber is "very normal, very regular," which is nonsense. No one can be normal living under the circumstances that constitute daily life for Justin Bieber.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Fun in General / Music 'Steeling' for a Hot Summer
Posted by John deDios on Tue, May 15, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Apocalypso, a steel band from Tucson, Ariz., originally was formed in 1999, and has been together ever since. Apocalypso plays shows around Tucson at various venues, such as the restaurant Sakura.
Don Cox, Apocalypso's drummer, has played every steel drum that exists.
"[I love] showing the community something unique and fun," Cox says, "something that really makes an impact on the people."
Outside of playing with Apocalypso, Cox formed one of the first steel bands within an elementary school.
Although the steel band program no longer exists, Cox said that he is very proud of what he created, and that he will never be a part of something quite like that again.
Cox said that he and his bandmates experience lots of joy by, "making people happy," with the music that they play.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Music Happy Birthday, David Byrne
Posted by Dan Gibson on Mon, May 14, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Happy 60th birthday to David Byrne, born on May 14th, 1952 in Dumbarton, Scotland. Mostly I'm just using his birthday as an excuse to post one of my favorite live performances of all time (Adrian Belew on guitar!). Still, I really do hope he has a happy birthday.
Music Coachella Announces Next Year's Dates That You Probably Won't Get Tickets To
Posted by Dan Gibson on Mon, May 14, 2012 at 11:00 AM
While they can't promise you a hologram of a (probably) dead rapper this far in advance, this year's attendees haven't had enough time to clean the dust from their orifices, and it'll be months before we even get a sense of who will be performing, the people behind Coachella have announced the dates for next year's two weekends of indie rock excitement (April 12-14; and 19-21), leading to a rush on who can book a room at the Motel 6 in Palm Springs first.
The presale kicks off on Friday, with the general sale coming sometime next year.
