Tucson Weekly: Soundbites (October 22

Sound Bites HIGH VOLTAGE: When alt-country spearheads Uncle Tupelo acrimoniously split up in 1994, their cultish-but-burgeoning following started a zealous debate over the future of the band's members. Would co-bandleaders Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy each start their own bands, as rumored? And if so, which would prevail? The Internet dialogue was already in full swing, even before the bands actually formed.
So in 1995, when Tweedy's Wilco released A.M., and Farrar's Son Volt put out Trace, the debate intensified. Wilco seemed to retain the rockier terrain of Tupelo's country-rock landscape, while Son Volt kept, for the most part, to the backwoods region mined by Tupelo's later efforts. Both were strong debuts, with no clear "winner."
But in late 1996 and early '97, when the time came for their sophomore efforts, it seemed as though Wilco had pulled ahead of Son Volt, whose Straightaways fell into that crack in the pavement known as the "sophomore slump." The basic formula was pretty much the same as Trace, but the songs weren't nearly as strong. It seemed rushed to meet the deadline of having an album in the marketplace to compete with Wilco's magnum opus, Being There, a two-disc song cycle which single-handedly reinvented the band and ran the musical gamut from the bombastic album opener "Misunderstood"--an instant rock classic in the vein of The Replacements' "Unsatisfied"--to weepy acoustic ballads ("The Lonely 1") and bouncy pop ("Outta Mind (Outta Sight)"). It was widely regarded as one of the best releases of the year, whereas Son Volt's Straightaways was largely forgotten by everyone except the band's most fervent followers.
So where are we now? While still waiting for Wilco's follow-up, Son Volt has beaten Tweedy to the punch by releasing Wide Swing Tremolo (Warner Brothers) on October 6. While it's not quite the revelation that Being There was for Wilco, it's the band's strongest effort to date.
The songs retain Farrar's downcast approach, but they're extremely well-written this time around; and the band seems to have been reinvigorated, putting a little more into their performances than the cultivated ennui we've become accustomed to. From the Neil Young-inspired growling guitar and distorto-vocal attack of the album's opener, "Straightface," to the white-boy funk-meets-Americana groove of the closing track, "Blind Hope," the band actually sounds like they're having fun playing this stuff, and that goes a hell of a long way in describing the charm of this album.
Hopefully, that will translate to the live show as well, which comes to town on Tuesday, October 27, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. The all-ages show kicks off at 8 p.m. with Creosote, one of Tucson's leading proponents of the alt-country scene. Advance tickets are $12, and may be purchased at Guitars, Etc., Yikes!, and Zip's University. Call 740-0126 for more information.
HOT PICK: While locals Crawdaddy-O are usually described as a New Orleans-style brass band (and indeed they are), that description doesn't do justice to the downright celebratory funkiness that infuses their sound. Their call-and-response high-energy approach to all things bayou tosses a bit of mambo and swing into the mix, and has earned them a well-earned reputation as one of Tucson's most fun live bands.
Determined to take Mardi Gras out of the desert and to the rest of the world, the band embarks on its first national tour later this month, culminating in an appearance at the prestigious CMJ Music Fest in New York City on November 6.
To make sure they don't run out of gas money along the way, the Crawdaddys have planned a fundraising send-off party for 8 p.m. Saturday, October 24, at Nimbus Brewery, 3850 E. 44th St. There will be two stages set up in the warehouse-style space to accommodate a roster of talent that includes Celtic-influenced five-piece Morrighan; 1998 TAMMIES winner for Best Solo Acoustic Performer (and former Milkseed-frontwoman) Sapphire Kieft; folk/bluegrass duo Roaster; and the Whiskey Dicks. Five bands for five bucks, and the proceeds go toward spreading the Crawdaddy-O gospel across this great land of ours--what are you waiting for?
LAST NOTES: Tucson producer extraordinaire, Randy McReynolds--who has recorded the likes of Green on Red, Rich Hopkins and The Luminarios, Rainer, Naked Prey and Shoebomb, among others--has finally released the debut disc of his own band, Panic Over Trainwreck.
Abusement Park, a full two years in the making, showcases the knack for '80s-influenced pop/rock tunes local fans have come to love from their live performances over the past few years. The band, one of the loudest in Tucson (reportedly they've actually packed up their gear and stormed out of local clubs when management asked them to "turn it down"), features vocalist/guitarist Trixy Crowder, drummer Rick Moe (also of Luminarios), and recent addition, bassist Bill Green, with McReynolds on guitar. Panic Over Trainwreck celebrate their new release at 10 p.m. Friday, October 23, at Route 66, 3146 E. Grant Road. Call 318-4767 for details.
A band with a reputation for having one of the best live shows north of the border (the Canadian border, that is), Ontario's The Tragically Hip pull into town this week in support of their eighth album, Phantom Power (recently released on Sire Records).
Steering away from the self-produced approach they took for 1996's Trouble at the Henhouse, this time they enlisted Los Lobos' Steve Berlin to help out longtime engineer Mark Vreeken. The result is an album more texturally rich than the band's previous efforts; more layered and complex. It's one of those records that unfolds a little bit more each time you listen to it.
See what the hubbub is about at 8 p.m. Thursday, October 22, when the band takes the stage at The New West/Gotham, 4385 W. Ina Road. Nineteen-year-old blues-rock guitar phenom, The Derek Trucks Band, opens the show. Tickets for the all-ages fun are $18 in advance, $20 day of show. To charge by phone, call 1-800-638-4253.

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