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Music
Monday, August 13, 2018
ZoSo Brings the Sounds of Zep to Rialto
Posted By Xavier Omar Otero on Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 4:25 PM
ZoSo: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience rocked The Rialto Theater on Saturday, Aug. 11.
“It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled…Yes, it has.”
Once upon a time, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there emerged a mythic band from the UK: Led Zeppelin. For 23 years, ZoSo have provided a ticket to board a time machine—back to an era in rock history that defined glamour and excess—for all who dare climb the “Stairway to Heaven.”
During their 90-minute set, ZoSo took the audience on a trip “Over the Hills and Far Away,” to “California” and “Kashmir,” through “The darkest depths of Mordor” and back.
The attention to detail is impressive. Yet, it’s more than verisimilitude: Vocalist Matt Jernigan’s lion’s mane, kimono shirt and bell-bottomed jeans that epitomize Robert Plant. Or employing vintage instruments: A Ludwig Vistalite drum kit or Gibson EDS-1275 doubleneck guitar. It’s the musicianship—from guitarist John McDaniel’s spot-on rendition of Jimmy Page’s complex solo on “The Song Remains the Same” to drummer Bevan Davies’ savage barehanded drum pounding, as the mighty John Bonham once did, during “Moby Dick”—that truly captures the magic of a band who decades after their heyday still inspire zealotry.
As an impressionable teen, I recall seeing an iconic photo of Jimmy Page in Rolling Stone. Page seated in a dressing room—pouring a fifth of Jack Daniel’s down his gullet—prepping for the show. The caption read, “Nectar of the Gods.” Imagine? And, although, ZoSo are not the real deal, they came crashing down with the fury of Thor’s hammer.
“It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled…Yes, it has.”
Once upon a time, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there emerged a mythic band from the UK: Led Zeppelin. For 23 years, ZoSo have provided a ticket to board a time machine—back to an era in rock history that defined glamour and excess—for all who dare climb the “Stairway to Heaven.”
During their 90-minute set, ZoSo took the audience on a trip “Over the Hills and Far Away,” to “California” and “Kashmir,” through “The darkest depths of Mordor” and back.
The attention to detail is impressive. Yet, it’s more than verisimilitude: Vocalist Matt Jernigan’s lion’s mane, kimono shirt and bell-bottomed jeans that epitomize Robert Plant. Or employing vintage instruments: A Ludwig Vistalite drum kit or Gibson EDS-1275 doubleneck guitar. It’s the musicianship—from guitarist John McDaniel’s spot-on rendition of Jimmy Page’s complex solo on “The Song Remains the Same” to drummer Bevan Davies’ savage barehanded drum pounding, as the mighty John Bonham once did, during “Moby Dick”—that truly captures the magic of a band who decades after their heyday still inspire zealotry.
As an impressionable teen, I recall seeing an iconic photo of Jimmy Page in Rolling Stone. Page seated in a dressing room—pouring a fifth of Jack Daniel’s down his gullet—prepping for the show. The caption read, “Nectar of the Gods.” Imagine? And, although, ZoSo are not the real deal, they came crashing down with the fury of Thor’s hammer.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Free Ticket to Amazing Live Moments in Music History? Yes, Please. All with Your Library Card!
Posted By Pima County Public Library on Tue, Jul 31, 2018 at 3:40 PM
Maybe you've already heard, but it bears repeating...
Pima County Public Library now offers access to Qello Concerts. "What's that?" you ask. It's a never-ending concert ticket!
Qello Concerts =
Pima County Public Library now offers access to Qello Concerts. "What's that?" you ask. It's a never-ending concert ticket!
Qello Concerts =
- The only place to watch more than 1,500 full-length concerts and music documentaries
- Features performances of iconic and new artists
- Streaming on-demand to your device
- Unlimited access so you can binge-watch just like Netflix
- Available for FREE with your Pima County Public Library card
- Carlos Santana
- Bruce Springsteen
- Billy Joel
- Etta James
- Blondie
- Charles Mingus
- The B52s
Monday, July 23, 2018
The Psychedelic Furs Warmed Up Rialto Last Week
Posted By Xavier Omar Otero on Mon, Jul 23, 2018 at 1:18 PM
The Psychedelic Furs at The Rialto Theater, Tuesday, July 17
Before being banished for making a hellish cacophony, brothers Richard and Tim Butler started out jamming in their parents living room. During a time of mass unemployment, seeing the Sex Pistols at London’s 100 Club in 1976 proved transformative.
“I had never seen anybody with that much confrontational in-your-face charisma. It was mind-blowing,” says Richard Butler of Johnny Rotten.
Embracing the three-chord revolution, soon after the Butler’s formed a band. The Psychedelic Furs emerged onto the London scene in 1977, far too melodic to be punk. Produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel), their debut, The Psychedelic Furs (1980), was awash with dissonant guitars, brash outbursts of saxophone and Richard Butler’s snide growl. The LP became a top 20 hit in the UK. Then, with the advent of MTV in 1981, a more poetic second album Talk Talk Talk (Columbia), and lush videos directed by Tim Pope, The Furs trajectory was set.
The Psychedelic Furs played to a rabid audience of approximately 700 at The Rialto Theater on Tuesday, July 17. Here are some highlights.
After long minutes of soundchecks and roadies tweaking gadgetry, keyboardist Amanda Kramer fingered the stately intro to “Dumb Waiters” as the band came to life. Enter Richard Butler wearing shades. Sounding somewhat like Johnny Lydon, Butler sang, “Gimme all your paper, mah/So I can get a gun/She has got it in for me/Yeah, I mean it honestly.”
Next, Paul Garisto, a session drummer since the age of 17, pistoned the beat like a locomotive on “Into You Like A Train.” Racing, the band hit full stride. Ever charismatic, Butler worked the stage like a Shakespearean thespian who has played the same role countless times—hands on hips, crouching down catlike, arms outstretched grasping for something unseen. His signature moves still strike a chord with the audience.
Before being banished for making a hellish cacophony, brothers Richard and Tim Butler started out jamming in their parents living room. During a time of mass unemployment, seeing the Sex Pistols at London’s 100 Club in 1976 proved transformative.
“I had never seen anybody with that much confrontational in-your-face charisma. It was mind-blowing,” says Richard Butler of Johnny Rotten.
Embracing the three-chord revolution, soon after the Butler’s formed a band. The Psychedelic Furs emerged onto the London scene in 1977, far too melodic to be punk. Produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel), their debut, The Psychedelic Furs (1980), was awash with dissonant guitars, brash outbursts of saxophone and Richard Butler’s snide growl. The LP became a top 20 hit in the UK. Then, with the advent of MTV in 1981, a more poetic second album Talk Talk Talk (Columbia), and lush videos directed by Tim Pope, The Furs trajectory was set.
The Psychedelic Furs played to a rabid audience of approximately 700 at The Rialto Theater on Tuesday, July 17. Here are some highlights.
After long minutes of soundchecks and roadies tweaking gadgetry, keyboardist Amanda Kramer fingered the stately intro to “Dumb Waiters” as the band came to life. Enter Richard Butler wearing shades. Sounding somewhat like Johnny Lydon, Butler sang, “Gimme all your paper, mah/So I can get a gun/She has got it in for me/Yeah, I mean it honestly.”
Next, Paul Garisto, a session drummer since the age of 17, pistoned the beat like a locomotive on “Into You Like A Train.” Racing, the band hit full stride. Ever charismatic, Butler worked the stage like a Shakespearean thespian who has played the same role countless times—hands on hips, crouching down catlike, arms outstretched grasping for something unseen. His signature moves still strike a chord with the audience.
Five Great Things To Do in Tucson Today: Monday, July 23
Posted By TW Fun & Games Desk on Mon, Jul 23, 2018 at 1:00 AM
Birds of Tohono Chul Walking Tour. It’s easy these days to look up at the sky and see only a fickle force of nature, which seems like it’s trying to set you on fire until it starts unpredictably pouring down water. But when you look up at the sky, you also have a pretty good shot at seeing one of the 140 species of birds that have visited Tohono Chul Park (on any given morning, you’re pretty likely to see at least a dozen). From our state bird the cactus wren to sweet little families of quail, from woodpeckers hiding in cactus holes to one of our year-round hummingbird species, they’re everywhere! Head over to Tohono Chul and a docent will walk you through it, teaching you how to identify birds and guiding you down the easy-to walk paths. 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday through September. Tohono Chul, 7366 Paseo del Norte. $10 seniors/military/student, $13 adults, $3 kids 5 to 12, free for members and kids under 5. Details here.
Uptown Funk with the Desert Divas. Maybe you like to think of yourself as a desert diva: You can tell the different kinds of cacti apart, you have a fabulous hat to protect you from the summer sun, or maybe you know EXACTLY what ratio you like your Arnold Palmers to be. But the Desert Divas are on a whole other level. These fabulous, feather boa-wearing women are coming to the Gaslight to pay tribute to the pop/rock/R&B sounds of Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Adele, Meghan Trainor, Amy Winehouse and more. Grab your fancy hat, an Arnold Palmer, and maybe even a feather boa of your own, and hightail it over to this show. 7 p.m. Monday, July 23. The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway. $22.95 adult, $20.95 senior/student/military, $12.95 children. Details here.
March for Science Presents: Summer Science Trivia! Hooray for beer! And hooray for science! It’s easy to forget (especially after you’ve had a couple of ’em), but a lot of science goes into the making of beer. This week, Mike Mallozzi, the cofounder of Borderlands himself, will be speaking about the science of brewing. He’ll speak and lead hands-on activities for an hour, followed by an hour of science trivia on all sorts of topics. They say you learn better when you really dive into a subject, so you should probably have a beer to get a solid feel for the subject at hand. But this event is also kid-friendly, so beer-drinking is in no way mandatory. 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 23. Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 Toole Ave. Free. Details here.
Save Face. Like a graphic novel depiction of human folly, Save Face draw bold outlines, pen quirky lyrics and hold a mirror to modern-age pitfalls. In the fist-pump Epitaph Records tradition of The Weakerthans, New Jersey’s Save Face straddle lines between funny and gut-wrenching, “Are you bored or just preoccupied?” While fans of pre-millennial indie will likely find singer Tyler Povanda’s delivery somewhat cartoony and overwrought, closer listens reveal for all his broad emoting, his intention is sincere, at times thought-provoking. The relentless power-chording and percussive drum/bass recall The Dismemberment Plan when they’re good, or woefully overlooked ’90s band The Cunninghams, steering listeners through hyperbolic nightmares and suburban mundanities with aplomb. And their “Heartache” is the best power-pop song of the last decade, easy. With Prince Daddy & the Hyena. Monday, July 23. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Doors at 7 p.m. $10-$12, 16+. —B.S. Eliot. Details here.
Car Seat Headrest. In 2011 Will Toledo penned his heart out. The tunes, raw and painfully adolescent, particularly in their first-person accounts of a small-town Virginia gay boy, “I never came out to my friends on Skype … I laughed and I changed the subject,” earned Toledo a sizable cult following. Twelve albums (!) and a Matador Records deal later, Toledo returned to his beloved debut, with a full band and the musical know-how to see his songs through. Filled with hard-won grace, the Twin Fantasy album is vital and relevant account of silent suffering many of us do even while scrolling social media. Still searching but now well-worn, Toledo’s scratched-up voice carries the ghost of Elliot Smith and even Nick Drake, nestled in a sweetened swirl of post-Sonic Youth guitars and staccato down beats. And still the brutal honesty, with rising hope prevails: “One day we won’t be alone.” With Naked Giants on Monday, July 23. 191 Toole. Doors at 7 p.m. $15-$17. All ages. —B.S. Eliot. Details here.
Uptown Funk with the Desert Divas. Maybe you like to think of yourself as a desert diva: You can tell the different kinds of cacti apart, you have a fabulous hat to protect you from the summer sun, or maybe you know EXACTLY what ratio you like your Arnold Palmers to be. But the Desert Divas are on a whole other level. These fabulous, feather boa-wearing women are coming to the Gaslight to pay tribute to the pop/rock/R&B sounds of Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Adele, Meghan Trainor, Amy Winehouse and more. Grab your fancy hat, an Arnold Palmer, and maybe even a feather boa of your own, and hightail it over to this show. 7 p.m. Monday, July 23. The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway. $22.95 adult, $20.95 senior/student/military, $12.95 children. Details here.
March for Science Presents: Summer Science Trivia! Hooray for beer! And hooray for science! It’s easy to forget (especially after you’ve had a couple of ’em), but a lot of science goes into the making of beer. This week, Mike Mallozzi, the cofounder of Borderlands himself, will be speaking about the science of brewing. He’ll speak and lead hands-on activities for an hour, followed by an hour of science trivia on all sorts of topics. They say you learn better when you really dive into a subject, so you should probably have a beer to get a solid feel for the subject at hand. But this event is also kid-friendly, so beer-drinking is in no way mandatory. 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 23. Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 Toole Ave. Free. Details here.
Save Face. Like a graphic novel depiction of human folly, Save Face draw bold outlines, pen quirky lyrics and hold a mirror to modern-age pitfalls. In the fist-pump Epitaph Records tradition of The Weakerthans, New Jersey’s Save Face straddle lines between funny and gut-wrenching, “Are you bored or just preoccupied?” While fans of pre-millennial indie will likely find singer Tyler Povanda’s delivery somewhat cartoony and overwrought, closer listens reveal for all his broad emoting, his intention is sincere, at times thought-provoking. The relentless power-chording and percussive drum/bass recall The Dismemberment Plan when they’re good, or woefully overlooked ’90s band The Cunninghams, steering listeners through hyperbolic nightmares and suburban mundanities with aplomb. And their “Heartache” is the best power-pop song of the last decade, easy. With Prince Daddy & the Hyena. Monday, July 23. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Doors at 7 p.m. $10-$12, 16+. —B.S. Eliot. Details here.
Car Seat Headrest. In 2011 Will Toledo penned his heart out. The tunes, raw and painfully adolescent, particularly in their first-person accounts of a small-town Virginia gay boy, “I never came out to my friends on Skype … I laughed and I changed the subject,” earned Toledo a sizable cult following. Twelve albums (!) and a Matador Records deal later, Toledo returned to his beloved debut, with a full band and the musical know-how to see his songs through. Filled with hard-won grace, the Twin Fantasy album is vital and relevant account of silent suffering many of us do even while scrolling social media. Still searching but now well-worn, Toledo’s scratched-up voice carries the ghost of Elliot Smith and even Nick Drake, nestled in a sweetened swirl of post-Sonic Youth guitars and staccato down beats. And still the brutal honesty, with rising hope prevails: “One day we won’t be alone.” With Naked Giants on Monday, July 23. 191 Toole. Doors at 7 p.m. $15-$17. All ages. —B.S. Eliot. Details here.
Events compiled by Emily Dieckman, Dylan Reynolds, BS Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Rialto Theatre's JD Souther Show Postponed Until August
Posted By Jim Nintzel on Wed, Jul 18, 2018 at 1:56 PM
You know that JD Souther show we've been mentioning in print and online? Tomorrow night's performance has been postponed "due to illness and inability to travel," per Team Rialto. It's rescheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18.
Know Your Product - Mourn
Posted By Jeff Gardner on Wed, Jul 18, 2018 at 1:30 PM
Much like their native Catalonia, indie rock band Mourn are anxious to break free. Whether it's from the binds of record deals, societal constraints or typical song structures, with their newest album, Sorpresa Familia, Mourn breaks free and revels in the noisy catharsis.
Difficulties with their previous label and youthful woes synthesize into some wonderfully anxious indie rock. Mourn sings about tearing off your flesh and becoming a skeleton, lying about everything being fine, and so on. The angular, post-punk guitars aren’t repetitive to the point of annoyance, however. Mourn takes their time to enjoy the atmospheric beauty of transitional tracks before diving back into aggressive punk anthems. But their anger never gets in the way of technical playing or diverse song structures.
Catch Mourn playing at the Valley Bar. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 26. $12 - 14. 16+.
Carla: Daniel Caesar Freudian
I recently discovered Daniel Caesar, a Canadian R&B singer with an amazing, hypnotizing deep voice. The whole album flows perfectly, its quiet vibe is pleasant. Lately, I've been paying extra attention to songwriters that write in a honest way. People that you can really tell they're writing from their heart, people that open themselves to you. That while they do it, in a way, they discover themselves more. This album brings me exactly that: honesty, peace and deep sounds.
Leia: Berri Txarrak Jaio. Musika. Hil
Berri Txarrak is my favorite band since 2016, I think. And "Jaio. Music. Hil" is for me their best album. Every single song is a hit and I think that this album resumes how the band is and how they work together.
Jazz: Chris Bell I am the Cosmos
This album is so emotionally intense and honest. I like the way it makes me feel when I listen to it. Musically it is very interesting. It keeps your brain active because of all the details and structures. Also, the melodies are very beautiful.
Antonio: Engine Down Demure
This album shows a great level of instrumental technicality. I think it is a hugely underrated album even in the underground scene. It has a beautiful and great vibe of pain and affliction.
Difficulties with their previous label and youthful woes synthesize into some wonderfully anxious indie rock. Mourn sings about tearing off your flesh and becoming a skeleton, lying about everything being fine, and so on. The angular, post-punk guitars aren’t repetitive to the point of annoyance, however. Mourn takes their time to enjoy the atmospheric beauty of transitional tracks before diving back into aggressive punk anthems. But their anger never gets in the way of technical playing or diverse song structures.
Catch Mourn playing at the Valley Bar. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 26. $12 - 14. 16+.
Carla: Daniel Caesar Freudian
I recently discovered Daniel Caesar, a Canadian R&B singer with an amazing, hypnotizing deep voice. The whole album flows perfectly, its quiet vibe is pleasant. Lately, I've been paying extra attention to songwriters that write in a honest way. People that you can really tell they're writing from their heart, people that open themselves to you. That while they do it, in a way, they discover themselves more. This album brings me exactly that: honesty, peace and deep sounds.
Leia: Berri Txarrak Jaio. Musika. Hil
Berri Txarrak is my favorite band since 2016, I think. And "Jaio. Music. Hil" is for me their best album. Every single song is a hit and I think that this album resumes how the band is and how they work together.
Jazz: Chris Bell I am the Cosmos
This album is so emotionally intense and honest. I like the way it makes me feel when I listen to it. Musically it is very interesting. It keeps your brain active because of all the details and structures. Also, the melodies are very beautiful.
Antonio: Engine Down Demure
This album shows a great level of instrumental technicality. I think it is a hugely underrated album even in the underground scene. It has a beautiful and great vibe of pain and affliction.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Go See J.D. Souther on Thursday Night
Posted By B.S. Eliot on Tue, Jul 17, 2018 at 12:55 PM
JD Souther could be the most famous A-list ’70s dude you don’t know. Yes, he co-penned glacial radio hits for The Eagles (“Heartache Tonight,” “New Kid in Town,” natch), The Seeg, Linda Ronstadt (dated and was a producer for her, too) and Bonnie Raitt, and there was his starring cameo in country-rock stoner supergroup Souther, Hillman, Furay. (Listen for Souther’s “Border Town” on their debut for some epic country-rock sleaze.) Hell, the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame even inducted Souther in ’13. Like Paul Williams, you can hum his tunes, sing off-key to his words and never know what the hell he looks like. But his own stuff, under his own name, soars, even if it didn’t fly of shelves well. (His ’76, Peter Asher-helmed LP Black Rose was a thing of pure Mellow Mafia beauty, and it ascended from there to his ’79 gem You’re So Lonely.) Souther pens songs of a different era, when listeners would still endure painful recollection through song, looking for catharsis. His voice is lonely and vulnerable without apology. When he mourns heartbreak, it’s palpable, when he celebrates life, it’s infectious. We’ve lost this direct transfer of emotion from songster to audience in the digital, any-idiot-with-a-laptop-makes-a-record era, and Souther offers a chance to re-kindle such exchanges the old-fashioned way. Thursday, July 19. Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Doors at 7 p.m. $28-$35, All ages.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Goodbye, Flycatcher
Posted By Xavier Omar Otero on Mon, Jul 16, 2018 at 1:00 PM
Until it closed last night, The Flycatcher has been running fervently with the baton Plush handed off in the summer of 2014.
This beloved music venue, watering hole and figurative safehouse has been host to everything from raw hip-hop to heretical Scandinavian black metal. No musical genre was ever off limits.
Supporting both sweaty-palmed local up-and-comers and established international touring acts, the nightclub united an equally diverse enclave of hardcore music junkies, barstool philosophers and weekend revelers alike.
With the final curtain closing, the staff of The Flycatcher responded this last weekend with four nights of Tucson’s finest musical acts and plenty of other friends to honor and celebrate the occasion, welcoming all to come kiss The Flycatcher goodbye.
Until the ever-turning wheel of creation and death buds new life, rest in peace. You shall be missed.
This beloved music venue, watering hole and figurative safehouse has been host to everything from raw hip-hop to heretical Scandinavian black metal. No musical genre was ever off limits.
Supporting both sweaty-palmed local up-and-comers and established international touring acts, the nightclub united an equally diverse enclave of hardcore music junkies, barstool philosophers and weekend revelers alike.
With the final curtain closing, the staff of The Flycatcher responded this last weekend with four nights of Tucson’s finest musical acts and plenty of other friends to honor and celebrate the occasion, welcoming all to come kiss The Flycatcher goodbye.
Until the ever-turning wheel of creation and death buds new life, rest in peace. You shall be missed.
Staff Pick
@ Mission Garden
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Continues through Nov. 24
Corner of Grande Avenue and Mission Lane.
