|
|
 |
HOP ON POP: If I may be so bold as to paraphrase the lyrics
of late-'70s one hit wonder, M, let's talk about pop music (shoobie
doobie doo wop, wop bop shoo bop). Once an abbreviation of "popular"
music, pop music today describes virtually any style of music
that's completely infectious, any song that infiltrates your brain
after a listen or two, regardless of how popular it actually is.
To borrow another phrase, "It's the hook, stupid."
(Which brings up lesson number two: there's no such thing as a guilty pleasure. If you like it, fess up, dammit! Have no shame!) Hook is also the reason why members of Cheap Trick, Madonna and Kurt Cobain are arguably some of the finest songwriters of the last few decades. All knew their way around a hook like nobody's business. Red alert, fans of pop. You all have a difficult decision to make on Friday, April 9. Fresh from a splendid showing at the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, Shoebomb combines the gritty guitar sound of the Pixies, the seductively knowing vocals of the Breeders, and lyrics that are uniquely the 'Bomb, for a sound best encapsulated by the tag "power pop." Formerly known as the Simpletons, Tucson's Simplistics are also inspired by the Pixies, but throw elements of Bowie-style glam, Cars-era new wave and '90s alternarock into their pop Cuisinart. This week's show finds them celebrating the release of their hot-from-the-pressing-plant release, Beautiful Me. And Tempe duo Les Payne Product combines the quirky, jerky pop of XTC with enough rhythm and tempo changes as to be reminiscent of Frank Zappa. This stellar trio of bands opens the Friday night festivities at 9 p.m. on the Club Congress stage, 311 E. Congress St. Cover charge is $5; call 622-8848 with further questions.
Heavily influenced by classic Britpop, especially the angular guitar work of XTC and the lush, pastoral melodies of the Kinks, the band also at times brings to mind the college pop of early dBs and even Jonathan Richman. One of the most famously reliable bands in Tucson, Wise Folk Malcontent combines delicately rocking pop songs (courtesy of singer/songwriter/guitarist Andy Gardner) with a slightly sharper emo-core edge. Sometimes augmented by cello (though they're sans cello for this appearance), the band has an endless supply of beautifully angst-ridden songs to unleash on an always-appreciative audience. This double bill kicks off at 9 p.m. Friday, April 9, at the Plaza Pub, 20 E. Pennington St. There's a $3 cover at the door; call 882-0400 for details.
FAIR'S FARE: If the weather has your internal clock second-guessing,
the 89th appearance of the Pima County Fair should provide
a little assurance that spring has, indisputably, arrived. The
fair opens this weekend with a handful of diverse bookings designed
to please everyone. For the modern country fan, the fair offers
up country radio mainstays (and onetime Star Search grand
prize winners) Sawyer Brown, who kick things off on the
Budweiser superstage at On Saturday, April 10, the fair will feature a free (with regular fair admission) performance by Black Top/Alligator recording artist Rusty Zinn, who's touring in support of his brand-new release, Confessin'. Combining Chuck Berry-styled classic rock and traditional rockabilly with jumping West Coast swing/blues, Oakland-based Zinn is truly a young talent to keep an eye on. He'll take the fair's Michelob cantina stage at 7 p.m. The pride of Canada, pop-rockers the Tragically Hip, perform on the fair's Budweiser superstage at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 11. All tickets are $10, and may be purchased through all Dillard's box offices. All shows take place at the Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road (take exit 275 off of I-10). Call 792-3930 for additional information. BAND WAGON: Comprised of notable locals Pete Fine (sitar and vichitra vina), Stefin Gordon (tambura, vocals, swaramandal, guitar and gopichand) and Todd Hammes (tabla), Sanjaya celebrates the release of their new, self-titled and self-released CD this week. In addition to performing a variety of traditional Indian ragas, the group also explores original East-West fusion arrangements (the disc features two original songs, two traditionals, and a cover of the Beatles' "Within You, Without You"). The soothing sounds of Sanjaya, along with special guest didjeridoo player, Allan Shockley, hit the stage of the UA Social Sciences Auditorium at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 10. Advance tickets are available for $8 at Antigone Books, Enchanted Earthworks, Guitars, Etc., Hear's Music and Zip's University. Get them by phone at 529-0356, or online at www.ticketweb.com. They'll cost $10 at the door. Hot on the heels of last week's hugely successful outing by Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd, Zeitgeist continues its Jazz at the Institute series this week with a performance by the Dave Scott/Tony Malaby Quartet. Tenor saxophonist Malaby, who left his hometown of Tucson for New York in 1995, earned praise from the New York Times for being "one of the young crop of musicians quietly bringing together the worlds of straight ahead and free jazz, a careful player with a singing tone and an adventurous way of shifting from hard-bitten written lines into floating abstractions." Trumpeter and pianist Scott's first band included childhood chum Pat Metheny, and he has since worked with the likes of Clark Terry and Gerry Mulligan. The quartet is rounded out by bassist Trey Henry and drummer Billy Mintz. The band performs at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, at the Mat Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave. Advance tickets are available for $8 at CD Depot and Antigone Books. They'll cost $10 at the door. Formerly known as REO Speedealer until humorless '70s relics REO Speedwagon found out what they were up to, Texas' now streamlined Speedealer is one of the hardest, heaviest, ass-kickinest bands on the circuit today. Self-described as "monster truck rock meets hardcore punk metal," what else would you expect from a band whose debut CD (on Royalty Records) features titles like "Pig Fucker," "Cocaine Dave" and "Double Clutchin' Finger Fuckin' "? Lock up yer daughters on Sunday, April 11, when the band, in the company of Custom Made and Los Federales, infests the Double Zero, 121 E. Congress St. Things should kick off around 9 p.m. Call 670-9332 for cover charge and details.
LAST NOTES: Record collectors unite! Once annual, the Tucson
Area Record Show has gone semi-annual for its fifth gathering
of more than 30 dealers hawking wares which include vinyl in all
formats, CDs, videos and other quality memorabilia. The show gathers
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at the F.O.E. Eagles
Lodge, No. 180, 1530 N. Stone Ave. Early-bird admission (promptly
at 8 a.m.) is $4, with the price dropping to $2 at 9 a.m., or
$1 if you bring two cans of food for the Community Food Bank.
For more information, call 628-8075.
|
 |
Home | Currents | City Week | Music | Review | Books | Cinema | Back Page | Archives
|
 |
© 1995-99 Tucson Weekly . Info Booth |
|
The hook is the primary element in any pop song, the proverbial
vacuum that sucks you in, and the solitary unifying principle
that allows the music of any number of genres to be, ultimately,
classified as pop. Lesson number one in Pop Music Appreciation:
never, ever be afraid of the hook. Oh sure, it may get you into
trouble every now and then. It is, after all, the excuse for not
changing the dial when "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls
comes on, and it's the reason you might have to explain to your
friends that that "Doot doo doo, doot doo doo doo,"
song by Third Eye Blind really isn't all that bad.
The other popstravaganza happening on April 9 combines one of
Tucson's mainstays with a relative newcomer. Longtime Tucson residents
will remember singer/songwriter Dennis Mitchell from his
late-'80s outfit, Dennis Mitchell and the Wilsons. After a stint
in Portland, Oregon, where he formed a new project called The
Bremen Town Musicians--which released the excellent CD
Quagmire Expedition (Bremen Town Records)--Mitchell is back
in Tucson with a new trio that includes former Wilsons bandmate
Rick Moe, and ex-Passionflies member David Hostetler.
