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PIGGIN' OUT: The first time I ever saw Tucson's Pork Torta I was sold. The thickest, chunkiest bass noise I'd ever heard, a guitarist who could barely pluck out the guitar break on Silver Convention's "Fly Robin Fly" and the completely astounding drumming of Lucas Mosely (quick aside: Isn't it weird how Tucson has so few drummers, but the ones we do have are among the best in the world? Think about it: Winston Watson, Peter Catalanotte (aka Splat), Tommy Larkins, Bruce Halper and, of course, Lucas, plus everyone I'm forgetting at the moment)--not to mention the name and the goofy costumes. It was a sight to behold, a rump-shaker of an evening. It was an acid-fueled art project gone completely right. I felt like I had discovered something that only a select few seemed to know: Yes, there were a lot of freaks living among us, talented people doing stuff 'cause it was fun and assuming there were enough like-minded compatriots to cause a ruckus. There were, and I counted myself among their ranks immediately.
I bought a cassette (come to think of it, has the Torta ever released anything on CD?) and a T-shirt that night. They had me at "hello." And just as my shirt has gotten more and more frayed over the years, so have changes come to the mighty Torta. Original bassist Chris Cilla split town for Portland greenery a few years back, so gigs have been few and far between for a while now. But those sporadic gigs demonstrated that the band had actually gotten really good over the years (Ian, the guitarist, receives the "Most Improved Tortan" award). What had probably originally begun as a goof--albeit a fun one for both band and audience alike (rarer than you'd think)--had become a full-fledged bursting-at-the-seams bootyquake for white folks. When you got your groove on, you gotta share it with the masses, am I right? Tough to do when your bassist lives in Oregon. The cure to those ills was the inevitable "finding of a local bass player."
Opening the show is Japanese one-man-band Mai Nagashima, aka My H. Asshole, aka Miso Soup, who has a song written from the POV of a bottle of hair conditioner. I haven't heard him, but a reliable source says he's "definitely working the cute Japanese guy angle, but he's good and funny." Go see the Pork Torta and Mai Nagashima at 9 p.m. on Friday, April 13 at 7 Black Cats, 260 E. Congress St. For more info call 670-9202.
Three and a half years later, the band has finally released the follow-up, Very Soon, and In Present Company (Quarterstick). The record does what few other bands of its ilk have done: takes a math-rock aesthetic and makes it achingly sincere. Whereas most of these bands often sound like they're merely showing off just how many odd time signatures they know, The Shipping News never forgets that it's writing actual songs that people are going to have to listen to. There are dizzying guitar workouts; lush, atmospheric ballads; and tension-building mid-tempo tunes, and they're all great. Expect to see this album on a few year-end Top 10 lists. Do yourself a favor and check out The Shipping News along with Audio Gusto and Umbra at 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at Solar Culture, 31 E. Toole Ave. Cover is $6, and you can call 884-0874 with any questions.
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