Tucson Weekly: Soundbites (March 25

Sound Bites INTO INSLEY: "Americana: n. pl. books, papers, maps, etc., relating to America, esp. to its history, culture, and geography." So says Webster's Dictionary, and I'd hasten to add that a big part of the aforementioned "etc." would have to be music. Names abound (alt.country, no depression, insurgent country, roots rock), but the one that seems to have stuck, and which its wildly differing practitioners seem most comfortable with, is "Americana." So what does it really mean?
In a day and age when rock and roll is virtually all-encompassing, and country music is the type of music played by anyone wearing a cowboy hat, Americana is probably best defined as music that's too country for rock radio, and too rough around the edges for the city-slicked crap that passes for country radio these days. It sounds more authentically American, more traditionally country than virtually any other genre on the dial today. As such, it's been somewhat marginalized as a cult phenomenon.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a music critic that didn't rave about the newest Lucinda Williams or Richard Buckner albums, but the sum total of album sales of those two artists' entire catalogs was a fraction of the last Marilyn Manson tab...and keep in mind Williams and Buckner are two of the bigger names in their pond.
So it'll come as no surprise that most of you haven't heard of Mark Insley, one of Americana's brightest rising stars. And the few of you who have probably remember him from his rousing set opening for the Blasters at the Rialto Theatre on New Year's Eve 1998. Those who were there will surely be back for more when Insley and his band make a return visit to Tucson this week. His 1996 debut album, Good Country Junk (Country Town Music), was produced by Taras Prodaniuk (who also produced Dwight Yoakam), and is a fabulous collection of six original and four cover tunes that comprise virtually all sounds that come to mind when the word Americana is mentioned: honky-tonk, Gram Parsons-inspired country rock, and the obligatory prison ballad.
Interestingly, on an album that's almost half covers, it's worth mentioning that the strongest cuts on the disc are Insley originals--most notably the album opener "The Devil's Knocking," the sultry barroom closer "Paper Thin Disguise," and the aforementioned prison song, "Leavenworth."
Insley's band is augmented by guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who first made a name for himself with L.A. roots rockers Lone Justice, and went on to join legendary countrified punks X. He released his debut solo album, Sparko (Askew Records), a couple years back, and you can expect to hear a few cuts off it during Insley's set as well.
Mark Insley and his band perform opening duties for the fabulous Al Perry and the Cattle, who seem to be enjoying a rejuvenation of sorts with the addition of guitarist/background vocalist Matt Rendon (the Resonars), and a batch of winning new Perry-penned songs (most notably the ultra-infectious "Little Bird," which you'll walk around singing for at least a week after the show).
Show time is 9 p.m. (with another opening band still to be announced) on Friday, March 26, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Cover is $5. Call 622-8848 for details.
BAND WAGON: Is it just me, or have we been privy to a plethora of excellent shows in our fair burg lately? This week continues that trend.
If a group of guys from Gainsville, Florida, were to grow up learning to play by studying seminal U.S. punk bands like the Descendants,
7 Seconds and Dag Nasty, then form a punk-pop trio, then after six months add a horn section to accommodate their newfound ska leanings, they'd end up sounding exactly like Less Than Jake, who hit town this week in support of their second major label release, Hello Rockview (Capitol Records).
The all-ages show (the only kind the band will play) hits the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., at 6 p.m. Monday, March 29, and will also feature opening bands All, Frenal Rhomb and Limp. Advance tickets are $10, available at CD Depot, Zip's University, Strictly CDs, Toxic Ranch, or by phone through Dillard's at 1-800-638-4253. For details on the show, call the Rialto at 740-0126.
Blues fans also have reason to celebrate this week, as two excellent shows are slated to come our way, the first being a favorite of House of Blues founder Dan Aykroyd's: The sax- and harmonica-driven powerhouse sound of Red Archibald and the Internationals. This band is a testament to the benefits of a steely work ethic, playing some 300 shows annually in order to perfect their hard-drivin' R&B-influenced blues sound, duly documented on their most recent release, West Coast Soul Stew (Blue-Tone Records).
Call it truth in advertising: the title pretty much sums up what you're gonna get at their Thursday, March 25, show at Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are available in advance for $7 at Hear's Music. They'll be $9 at the door, unless you're a member of the Tucson Blues Society, in which case they'll remain $7. Call 690-0991 for more information.
The other blues show of note comes courtesy of Bullseye Blues recording artist Smokey Wilson. While he learned to play guitar growing up in Mississippi, he took a sabbatical in 1970, after the death of his mother. At that time, Smokey headed west to open the legendary blues venue The Pioneer Club in Watts, California--a venue which almost single-handedly kept the blues alive in the Los Angeles area for a 20-year period.
Because he was running and performing at his own club, he was unable to tour and make a name for himself beyond the West Coast. That is, until 1993, when Smokey released his first Bullseye recording, Smoke 'n' Fire, which vaulted him into an international limelight. His follow-up album, The Real Deal (also on Bullseye), was nominated for a W.C. Handy award for Best Traditional Blues Album, and he's now touring in support of his newest release, The Man From Mars.
Sporting a nasty-ass guitar sound and ferocious vocals, Wilson will rock The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave., on Saturday, March 27. For show time and ticket information, call 629-9211.
If the Afro-Cuban All-Stars show last fall oobled your wooble, you won't want to miss Jesus Alemany's 15-piece Cuban orchestra, ¡Cubanisimo!, as they present a night of unforgettable traditional Cuban rhythms including cha-cha, rumba, mambo, guaracha, son montuno, descarga, and much more, all intended to get you down on the dance floor. Catch this very special show at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets are $20 at the door. Call 740-0126 for details.
GRAIN OF SAND: And finally, a hearty congratulations to Howe Gelb and his wife, Sophie, who gave birth to a healthy baby boy on March 17. To celebrate, the happy dad is bringing his legendary band, Giant Sand, to 7 Black Cats for a hometown appearance. Their appearance at Club Congress a couple months back was a loose and splendid return to form after a too-lengthy absence. The band is currently preparing a new album for release later this year on Virgin Records subsidiary, V2.
Germany's Das Weeth Experience and Peter Ott (of the band P.O.T.) open the show at 9 p.m. Friday, March 26. Call 7 Black Cats, 260 E. Congress St., at 670-9202 for more information.

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