Soundbites

CRAWL, LIPS, RECORDS, ETC

This week is jam-packed, with a little something for everyone, but
the biggest day of all is Saturday, April 18.

Of course, there is the Weekly‘s own Spring Club
Crawl™, which features roughly 100 acts on stages and in
venues all over the downtown/Fourth Avenue district. You can read all
about it in the insert in the issue you’re holding (you onliners can
find it with a click), but I’ll quickly mention a few things.

The spring Crawl—unlike the Fall Club Crawl™, which is
almost exclusively local—features Tucson-based, regional and
national acts, the latter of which this year include the fabulous M.
Ward and Rootz Underground. (Unfortunately, the Watson
Sisters had to cancel their scheduled appearance.) My honest
assessment? This is one of the strongest lineups we’ve had in a
while.

Wristbands are a steal at $8 in advance, available at both Zia
Records locations, or $10 on the day of the event, available at most
participating venues or at the gates.

While we urge you to have a blast, we also urge you to do it
responsibly. Cabs and designated drivers are the way to go, people.

If the Crawl isn’t your thing, and you’re looking for some killer
garage rock, might I suggest the Black Lips show at
Plush? The Atlanta foursome has become known as much for its
onstage antics—nudity, getting run out of India earlier this year
for said nudity, pissing into their own mouths—as their hooky
tunes, but at a Black Lips show I attended in Austin last month, the
band played a straight set, and nobody seemed to miss the antics.
They’re good enough that they don’t really need them.

Black Lips perform at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Saturday, April
18. Opening at 9:30 p.m. are Flowers Forever and Golden
Boots. Tickets are $10. Call 798-1298 for more
information.

If, like me, you were bummed to find out that Club Crawl™ and
the Black Lips were happening on the same night, I’ve got a perfect
solution: Black Lips, along with local rapper Mike Superhero,
will be performing and signing autographs earlier the same day at the
Zia Records store at 3370 E. Speedway Blvd., as part of
Record Store Day, a celebration of the virtues of record stores,
which are plentiful. A slew of limited-edition releases from dozens of
great acts will be released that day as well, so be sure to bring some
cash. For further details, call Zia at 327-3340.

MEANWHILE, AT THE FAIRGROUNDS …

The Pima County Fair, which features a merely so-so schedule
of live music this time around, gets underway this weekend, too.
Performers this year include Phil Vassar on Saturday, April
18; Ramon Ayala on Sunday, April 19; Breakdown
Tucson on Monday, April 20; Nat and Alex Wolff on
Friday, April 24; Bret Michaels on Saturday, April
25 (skank alert!); and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers on
Sunday, April 26.

All concerts are included in the price of fair admission ($7 for
adults, $2 for children 6-10, free for kids five and younger, $5 for
parking), which, let’s face it, is kinda awesome. For more info, head
to pimacountyfair.com.

R.I.P., BUD SHANK

It saddens us to report that saxophonist Bud Shank, who was
scheduled to perform on Sunday, April 19, as part of the
Tucson Jazz Society’s Jazz Under the Stars series, passed away
on April 2. Instead, saxophonist Doug Webb, who was originally
scheduled to perform with Shank, will perform a tribute starting at 7
p.m. on Sunday, at St. Philip’s Plaza, 4280 N. Campbell Ave.
Tickets are $15 for TJS members, $20 for the general public, and $10
for students, and may be purchased at www.tucsonjazz.org, Bookmans or by
calling 903-1265.

HIGH WATT-AGE

Before playing in a number of band configurations and joining the
reunited Stooges, the legendary Mike Watt played bass and sang for the
Minutemen (respect!) and fIREHOSE (ditto!). If you’ve never seen him
perform live, you’re missing out on one of the most entertaining and
ferocious bassists around. (He doesn’t call his instrument the
thunderstick for nothing.)

Watt begins a tour with his latest band, Mike Watt + the
Missingmen, on Friday, April 17, at Plush, 340 E.
Sixth St. As a press release puts it, the band will be “premiering and
honing the repertoire of Watt’s next studio album, Ten and Tweny (sic) Don’t Make Fifty, which will be recorded on May 5, in
Brooklyn,” in the middle of the tour. Garboski and The
Monitors open at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12. Call 798-1298 for more info.

CELEBRATE THE PLANET

The importance of Earth Day seems to grow each year, and the
folks at Club Congress are throwing a big ol’ shindig. The
event, which will be solar-powered, will feature nine bands on two
stages: Grams and Krieger and Friends, The Wayback
Machine, the Kevin Pakulis Band, Johann Wagner and
Raina Rose, all on the outdoor stage; and DJPJ, 21
Pump Street, Mike Superhero and Monster Pussy, all on
the indoor stage.

It all starts at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, and admission
is free. Call 622-8848 for further information.

PAINTED LEMONS?

Hot on the heels of their biggest hit ever, “You,” from the
awesomely named 2008 album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint
That Shit Gold, as well as the release of a deluxe version of their
best album, 2002’s God Loves Ugly, Minneapolis-based hip-hoppers
Atmosphere will return to town for a show at the Rialto
Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., on Friday, April 17. Opening
the show at 8:30 p.m. are P.O.S., Los Nativos and
Attracted to Gods. Tickets for the all-ages show are $20. Call
740-1000 for more information.

GREAT SCOTS!

After releasing a rather lackluster second album, Scotsmen Franz
Ferdinand, they of the angular guitars and dance beats, rescued
themselves from likely obscurity with a fine third album,
Tonight, released in January. They’ll make an appearance at the
Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., on Sunday, April 19.
The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. with openers Born Ruffians.
Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 on the day of the show. For further
details, call 740-1000.

SKRAPING TOGETHER FUNDS

The Living Room, located at 413 E. Fifth St., will be
holding a benefit to raise funds for the new Skrappy’s,
which will be opening, well, at some point, in a new location on Toole
Avenue. The show, which will feature performances from Kool
Shades, Golden Alphabet and Broken End Stereo, starts
at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 18. Cover is a suggested donation.
For more info, head to myspace.com/thelivingroomtucson.

MARCHING ON

San Diegan John Reis has a pretty fine musical pedigree, having
fronted great bands in the past including Rocket From the Crypt, Drive
Like Jehu and Hot Snakes. His latest is The Night Marchers,
whose debut album, See You in Magic, was released a year ago. If
you dig, no-frills, loud, good-time rock ‘n’ roll, you could do far
worse than to check these dudes out when they perform at Club
Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Friday, April 17. Opening
the show at 10 p.m. are The Mission Creeps. Admission is $7. Call
622-8848 with questions.

ON THE BANDWAGON

There’s plenty more action, including: Rupa and the Fishes and Salvador Duran at Solar Culture Gallery on Monday,
April 20; the Robert Cray Band at the Rialto Theatre on Wednesday, April 22; Trust Company, The
Dreaming and others at The Rock on Tuesday, April 21;
Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu at Solar Culture Gallery on
Sunday, April 19; Dieselboy at Level Lounge next
Thursday, April 23; Flametrick Subs, High Rollers and Last Call Brawlers at the Surly Wench Pub on
Friday, April 17; Meiko and Po’ Girl at Club
Congress on Friday, April 17; James Morrison and
Diane Birch at the Rialto Theatre on Monday, April
20; and Willard Grant Conspiracy, the Silver Thread
Trio and Barn Burning at Plush next Thursday,
April 23.

GET YOUR WILCO

Finally, some pretty fantastic news: Thanks to the folks at the
Rialto Theatre, the mighty Wilco will be returning to Tucson for
a show at UA’s Centennial Hall on June 18 for the first
time since 1996. Why am I mentioning it now? Because tickets go on
sale on Friday, April 17. (Presale tickets are on sale now
at wilcoworld.net.) Tickets to the
all-ages show are $32 in advance via Centennial’s box office, the UA
Student Union Bookstore and uapresents.org. Hells yeah!

This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2009.