Soundbites

AWFUL RACKET, INSANE CLOWNS

Perhaps it’s a Halloween hangover: The Rialto Theatre this
week hosts a pair of acts known as much for their costumes and
stagecraft as their music.

First up is GWAR, which was formed in the late ’80s at a
Virginia university, reportedly as an experiment in marketing. Not that
it really matters; all the band’s members wear elaborate
creature-costumes—and while the people wearing the costumes have
changed somewhat over the years, the characters remain the same. The
group’s fictional backstory is that they’re the descendents of aliens
once stranded in Antarctica, the lowest scum of the Earth, and that
over time, they’ve grown to be almighty interplanetary warriors whose
goal is to enslave the people of our planet. Or something like
that.

With such a story, you might have guessed that GWAR (which stands
for “God, What an Awful Racket”) plays metal. You’d be right. Really
intentionally goofy—but fun—metal, to be precise, with
titles like “Baby Raper,” “Slaughterama” and “Fishfuck.”

But people don’t go to GWAR shows only for the music. The band’s
live performances are glorious lowbrow spectacles that change with each
tour, as theatrical as they are musical. (If this will be your first
GWAR show, be warned: Wear something that can get sprayed with fake
blood and other liquids.)

The band is currently touring to support its 2009 album, Lust in
Space (Metal Blade), which celebrates its 25th anniversary.

GWAR performs an all-ages show at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 13.
(Hey, that’s Friday the 13th! How appropriate!) Advance tickets are
$22; they’ll be $26 on the day of the show. The Rialto Theatre is
located at 318 E. Congress St.

People of a certain age and/or intellect may only know the rap-rock
duo Insane Clown Posse for the juicy media reports of the
exploits of the group’s two makeup-wearing members, Violent J and
Shaggy 2 Dope, and their fans, who like to be known as Juggalos. The
two have gotten into trouble with the law a few times, once for
clubbing a Juggalo with a mic, and another time following a skirmish
at, of all places, a Waffle House. Juggalos, meanwhile, have been in
the news for luring fellow Juggalos into the woods and beating them to
death, apparently acting out the lyrics of Insane Clown Posse
songs.

Due to their devout fans and a marketing machine that resembles that
of Kiss, the group has become a cash cow, issuing comic books, making
pro-wrestling appearances and releasing multiple versions of their
albums so Juggalos will have to buy them twice (at least).

And then there was the series of six albums, each one containing a
secret hidden message related to the impending apocalypse. Bearing in
mind that ICP’s lyrics are often gruesomely violent—one song is
called, simply, “I Stab People”—that message, in a nutshell, was
to follow God if you want to get to heaven. Huh?

Bring your Faygo bottles when Insane Clown Posse performs at the
Rialto on Sunday, Nov. 15. The all-ages show begins at 7:30 p.m.
with opening sets by (hed) p.e., the Dayton Family and
Intrinzik. Tickets are $30 in advance, or $32 on the day of the
show.

For more information about either show, call 740-1000.

RISK-TAKERS IN NEED OF COMMAS

Though they had previously released a pair of albums and a slew of
EPs, Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John—which includes three
dudes, despite the lack of a comma or two—came to most of our
attentions in 2007 with the American release of the album Writer’s
Block (Almost Gold), which contained “Young Folks”—one of
those rare pop songs, like “Tainted Love,” that everyone seems to love
regardless of their taste in music.

Rather than rush out another album to capitalize on the success, the
group defied expectations last year by releasing Seaside Rock, a
limited edition, vinyl-only, mostly instrumental album. And earlier
this year came Living Thing (Almost Gold), the proper follow-up
to Writer’s Block—and another risk-taker.

Where Writer’s Block was a decidedly pop affair that
embellished its guitar-bass-drums instrumentation with well-placed
flourishes of other instruments—like steel drums and the
whistling on “Young Folks”—Living Thing is another beast
entirely. For one thing, there are almost no guitars on it. The songs
have been stripped down to their bare essentials; in some cases, this
means there’s not much more than effects-laden electronic percussion
and a voice. When there are other instruments, they’re often used in a
percussive manner. There’s a certain ’80s vibe running throughout,
recalling the early days of synth-pop, but it sounds anything but
dated. Living Thing is certainly not the album we might have
expected, but it’s fantastic nonetheless.

Peter Bjorn and John perform at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E.
Congress St., on Tuesday, Nov. 17. El Perro Del Mar opens
the all-ages show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21 in advance, or $23 on the
day of the show. Call 740-1000 for further details.

SHORT TAKES

While the future of Solar Culture Gallery, 31 E. Toole Ave.,
is up in the air after the building’s sale to a developer (see “Toole
Avenue: For Sale” in Currents for more on that), the beloved
art/performance space is hosting a pair of shows this week. On
Sunday, Nov. 15, Horse Feathers, a chamber-folk group
from Portland, Ore., will headline a show that also includes Will
Elliott. Showtime is 9 p.m., and admission is $7.

On Monday, Nov. 16, the venue hosts Sun Circle (from
Vermont and Montana), which Solar Culture’s Web site describes as
“ecstatic high-volume drones, long-form trance music and peace noise.”
Opening at 9 p.m. are Jeph Jerman and Glenn Weyant.
Admission is $8. Both shows are open to all ages. For more info, call
884-0874.

Led by Tucson native Mat Brooke, a former member of Carissa’s Wierd
and Band of Horses, Sup Pop band Grand Archives return to town
this week in support of their latest album, Keep in Mind
Frankenstein. You can read a review of it on Page 52. But it’s also
worth mentioning that fellow Tucson native and Carissa’s Wierd alumnus
Jenn Ghetto, who performs gorgeously spare, heartbroken songs as
S, will be opening the show. In other words, you’re strongly
encouraged to get there early. Grand Archives and S perform at
Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., at 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Tickets are $10 in advance, or $12 on the day of the show. Call
798-1298 for further details.

A night of (mostly) power-pop acts originally scheduled to take
place at Dry River has been moved. Phoenix’s Sugar High, Los
Angeles’ Adam Marsland (ex-Cockeyed Ghost) and a pair of Tucson
bands, the Provocative Whites and the Runaway Five, will
perform at 728 N. Stone Ave. on Saturday, Nov. 14. The
all-ages show starts at 8 p.m., and cover is a suggested donation of
$6, though no one will be turned away.

ON THE BANDWAGON

Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, Garboski and RCougar at Club Congress on Tuesday, Nov. 17; Ghostland
Observatory at the Rialto Theatre on Saturday, Nov.
14; Switchfoot at The Rock on Saturday, Nov.
14; The Fray at UA Centennial Hall on Wednesday,
Nov. 18; … music video?, The Lovemakers and The
Ghost of 505 at Plush on Friday, Nov. 13; Eyes Set
to Kill at The Rock on Sunday, Nov. 15; Eric
Hutchinson and Joshua James at Club Congress on
Sunday, Nov. 15; Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur at
Old Town Artisans on Saturday, Nov. 14; Powerman
5000 at The Rock on Tuesday, Nov. 17; Michael
Dues CD-release party benefiting Compass Behavioral Health Care at
Borders on Oracle on Saturday, Nov. 14; Goat Whore at The Rock on Wednesday, Nov. 18; the “Indoor” El
Tour benefiting Ben’s Bells, featuring the Determined
Luddites, The Geezers, The Rapallos and others at
Geronimo Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 14; LAKE, Karl
Blau, Great Job and Golden Boots at The
HangArt on Sunday, Nov. 15.

This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2009.