LIVE FROM ... COWTOWN KEEYLOCKO?
The way the human mind works can sometimes be puzzling. For example, every time I look at the name "Ed Keeylocko" (which is a really cool name, by the way--way cooler than being asked, every time a Circle K clerk IDs you, if you're related to Steven Seagal), I think of the old Bogey and Bacall film noir Key Largo, which reminds me of the 1982 lite-rock hit of the same name that paid homage to it, by the hirsute Bertie Higgins. (And as long as we're discussing brain function, why is it that I know the name of the guy who sang "Key Largo," and what year it came out, when I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night?) So, here I sit, with "Key Largo" stuck in my head--which is fine, considering I've been trying to shake Harry Nilsson's far more insidiously catchy "Coconut" from my noggin for the last several days--marveling at the human brain. Or, maybe it's just the coffee. Either way, you're probably wondering to yourself, "But what does this Ed Keeylocko guy have to do with my plans for the weekend?" Read on, Mr. McImpatient.Thirty years ago, when he was just out of the service, Keeylocko bought a piece of desert land west of Tucson, with the idea of building a sanctuary to the Old West. And for the last 30 years, he's done exactly that; having named his little town Cowtown Keeylocko, Ed has been living the life of a cowboy, caring for his animals and living off the land. Cowtown Keeylocko is also home to The Blue Dog Saloon, described in a press release as "the best bar in the land ... a dirt floor saloon where you are free to ride your horse in, where rattlesnakes are displayed or an occasional captured wildcat (who had been eating Ed's exotic birds) may be temporarily held as punishment. It is a bar where Native, Hispanic, Afro-American and white visionaries drink side by side."
And on Saturday, Nov. 19, The Blue Dog will host Cowtown Keeylocko's 30th Anniversary BBQ and Hoedown, which begins at 11 a.m. and goes "till the cows come home," according to the press release. In addition to a whole smoked pig for your gustatory pleasure, there will be music by a host of acts including Loveland, Kevin Pakulis, Tim Wiedenkeller, Way Out West, The New Pep Boys, Andrew Collberg and Greg Morton, who will perform first at an outdoor stage, then later at The Blue Dog. Things promise to run all night long, with a complimentary cowboy breakfast served on Sunday morning. For those who need their sleep, camping at the Cowtown Keeylocko rodeo grounds is free (as is attendance at the festivities).
Directions are as follows: From Tucson, take Ajo Way west (Route 86) 13 miles past Three Points. Turn left on Coleman Road (mile post 142). Follow the signs to Keeylocko. If you've got questions, feel free to call Ed at 429-5778.
SONGS FOR SOUP
For the fourth year in a row, Luminario and Sand Ruby Rich Hopkins has organized the Casa Maria Thanksgiving Benefit, which will this year take place on Wednesday, Nov. 23. In addition to coordinating the event and releasing CDs that benefit Casa Maria, Hopkins also volunteers at the soup kitchen, which is open 365 days a year, dishing out somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 to 800 free meals every day to those who need them. Participating acts this year include Ned Sutton and Friends (some of Ned's past "friends" include Howe Gelb, John Convertino and Andrea Curtis), Barry Melton ("The Fish," of Country Joe and The Fish fame) and Friends (who include Hopkins, Nick Augustine and Harold Acevus of Quicksilver Messenger Service), Brad Brooks (Pollo Elastico) and Nelly and Javier, who are also Casa Maria volunteers.The show will double as a release party for Gimme an F! ... A Tribute to Casa Maria, a two-CD set that includes live performances from Casa Maria benefits past, including ones from Jesse Stanley and Stefan George, the Luminarios, and Billy Sedlmayr and Friends, as well as last year's acoustic set by Country Joe McDonald, presented in its entirety. The CD will be available for $10, with all proceeds going to Casa Maria.
The event kicks off at 9 p.m. at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Admission is a $5 donation. For more information, call 622-8848.
HOMEGROWN EMO
The world certainly doesn't need another emo-ish pop-punk band whose members' record collections don't go much deeper than Jimmy Eat World, but that's not going to stop Tucson five-piece Arlington View, who this week release their debut EP, Your Sweet Aftermath (self-released, but mighty professional-looking and -sounding). That said, the EP demonstrates that Arlington View do this stuff equally as well as just about anyone out there. Chugging chords, soaring harmonies, heart-on-sleeve romanticism, the occasional throat-shredding scream, pop hooks you can sing along with on first listen--all the memes of the genre are present, accounted for and expertly executed. Pretty much every one of Your Sweet Aftermath's six songs could garner request calls to KFMA right now.Arlington View's CD release party hits Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Saturday, Nov. 19. The all-ages show kicks off at 7 p.m. with openers The Silver Screen Affair and The Name Says It All. Cover is $5, and that number again is 622-8848.
FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!!!
Chris Mills, who moonlights as a guitarist for The Fruit Bats and Sally Timms (Mekons), has just released his latest solo album, The Wall to Wall Sessions (Ernest Jenning/Powerless Pop, 2005), so named because the album was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, by a 17-piece indie pop orchestra, in just 2 1/2 days. It's an unbelievably ambitious undertaking, and it works magnificently.In his press kit, Mills is quoted as saying that he wanted to achieve "something like the Phil Spector sound I've always loved, but combined with the imagery of bands like Neutral Milk Hotel or the Flaming Lips," and that's a pretty accurate description of what ended up on the album. On opener "Chris Mills Is Living the Dream," Mills sings "I dreamed I was Richard Pryor / Running on fire down the Sunset Strip / And as the flames burned brighter, my head grew lighter / And I watched the flesh fall from my fingertips," before he wonders "what it means to be burned by something that you love so much." Expect the album to end up on plenty of year-end Top 10 lists, and rightly so. It's a stunner.
Chris Mills performs at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., opening for the eclectic instrumental New Orleans trio Drums & Tuba. Cover is $10. Call 798-1298 for more 411.
ON THE BANDWAGON
Boasting two former members of Three Mile Pilot, San Diego's Black Heart Procession have for the last eight years been releasing albums full of bleak beauty and moody brooding. They'll be at Solar Culture Gallery, 31 E. Toole Ave., on Friday, Nov. 18, along with openers Tarantula A.D. , whose new album, Book of Sand (Kemado, 2005), is full of expansive soundscapes that should appeal to fans of The Dirty Three, and includes guest appearances from Devendra Banhart and Sierra Casady (CocoRosie). The all-ages show begins at 9 p.m. For further details, call 884-0874.Nashville Pussy recently released Get Some! (Spitfire, 2005), their umpteenth platter of balls-out, filthy riff rock. Opening track "Pussy Time" features male/female call-and-response vocals: (Female: "We got the pussy"; Male: "You got the time, baby"), and that's about as highbrow as it gets. The band will be at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Things kick off at 9:30 p.m. with opening sets from Honky (featuring ex-Butthole Surfer Jeff Pinkus) and Cockpit, an all-female quartet from L.A. that includes former Tucsonan Wendy Gadzuk, a veteran of Whiskey Bitch and The 440s. Advance tickets are available for $10 at virtuous.com. They'll be $12 at the door. Call 798-1298 for details.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force fans will want to check out this week's performance from goofy geek-rapper MC Chris, the man behind the voice of the diaper-wearing, rapping spider MC Pee Pants. Also on the bill are SNMNMNM and The Ergs, who kick things off at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Admission is $8. Call 798-1298 with questions.
