THIS WEEK IN LOCAL CD-RELEASE SHOWS
Another week in Tucson, more CD-release shows.
First up is Run-On Sunshine's inaugural release—a cassette on Cat Cassettes, a new, cassette-only label. Run-On Sunshine is Mullarkey's second band. (His first is Monster Pussy, and his third is Cats in a Bowl, for which he plays drums.) Run-On Sunshine is an even more minimalist pursuit than Monster Pussy: Mullarkey sings, and his bandmate, Autumn, plays all of the instruments—which happen to be toys. Their inaugural release is Memory Game.
It's 14 songs in less than 27 minutes, and that's exactly how Mullarkey likes it. (He recently bragged to me that all of his bands' released music still fits on a single CD.) As usual, the songs seem ripped from Mullarkey's journal: "Her First Squirrel!" is about a little girl who finds a squirrel on Mount Lemmon; "Creative Non-Fiction," whose only musical backing is percussion, is about missing Nirvana in their prime and missing out on a girl who wore a Tones on Tail shirt. "Hot Patootie—Bless My Soul" is a cover of the Rocky Horror classic backed only by toy piano and kazoo.
Elsewhere, "The Scene as Seen by Me in the 20-Teens" is a survey of some of Mullarkey's favorite '90s bands and how they fared in the aughts, again backed by toy piano. "A Lullaby for a Cat" is exactly that, an ode to a cat Mullarkey watched for a year. "It's going to sound like I broke down crying on that one, and that's because I did," Mullarkey told me.
Your gauge of how much you will like this cassette is how much you like Mullarkey's delivery. It's all him, backed by a single instrument—percussion, toy piano, accordion—courtesy of Autumn on most of the songs. I like it, but I also understand that not everyone will. It just sounds like good fun to me, but if you're not sold on Mullarkey already, you could probably skip it.
Run-On Sunshine celebrate the release of Memory Game with an all-ages show at Skrappy's, 191 E Toole Ave., at 7 p.m., next Thursday, June 30. Also on the bill are Press Forward (folk-punk from Flagstaff), Space Alien Donald ("the world's oldest gay Canadian rapper"), Arcsin(100) (solo set by Jeff of Strikingly City) and Forrest Fallows. Cover is $5, and the address is 191 E. Toole Ave. Call 777-3704 with questions.
The Provocative Whites, the local, seven-year-strong indie-rock band, releases its third full-length, Sugar Plum Kerosene, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Friday, June 24. (Unfortunately, we didn't receive a copy prior to our issue deadline.) HAIRSPRAYFIREANDGIRLS and Brass Tax open at 9:30 p.m. Cover is a fiver. Call 798-1298, or visit plushtucson.com for more info.
Radio station KWMT FM 92.9 The Mountain is unveiling its fifth volume of in-house-recorded studio sessions at a release party this week with a very special guest. Texas brother-trio Hanson will perform at the release show for Live in Studio C, Vol. 5, which will be held at 6 p.m., Friday, June 24, at Sapphire Lounge, 61 E. Congress St. The CD includes performances by Train, Parachute, Colbie Caillat, The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls and others.
Admission is $10 and will go directly to the Red Cross of Southern Arizona "in honor of those affected by the Jan. 8 shooting." For more information, the number at The Mountain is 618-2100, and the number at Sapphire Lounge is 624-9100.
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL BENEFIT SHOWS
Since we're on the topic of benefit shows, here are two more worth your time and money.
Five local bands will come together tonight, Thursday, June 23, to raise money for those in need due to the wildfires currently devastating our region. The Concert to Aid Victims of the Southern Arizona Fires will start at 4 p.m. at the C-Note Lounge, 1302 W. Roger Road, and will feature performances by the Bryan Dean Trio (4 p.m.), Cinder Bridge (5:30 p.m.), Savage Zoo (7 p.m.), AZ Bay Outriders (8:30 p.m.) and the Dave Owens Band (10 p.m.), with an all-star jam ending the evening. Admission is a suggested donation, and you can call 407-1000 with any questions.
And now, one for the cats.
From a press release: "Two local women involved in Tucson's cat rescue community, Karen Wood and Barbara Crummitt, recently rescued 40 cats from a hoarder living in horrific conditions—8-inch-deep feces, rooms full of garbage, and toxic breathing conditions. Pima Animal Care Center documented the conditions but didn't have room for the cats at its facility, so the women took the cats home and made room for them on a screened-in back porch, cooled by evaporative coolers.
"They are looking for donations to help them care for the cats—food, litter and medical treatment. To be adoptable, all need vaccines and testing; many will need dental care and teeth extractions. Some of the cats are quite thin and have deformed claws, possibly from their former living conditions. Some of the cats are ready for adoption now; others will need more socialization as they emerge from their years-long ordeal. And down the road, they need loving homes, a second chance at a better life."
To help offset those bills, Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave., will be hosting a benefit show from 5 to 10:30 p.m., Sunday, June 26. Cats and Jammers will feature performances by the Kevin Schramm Experience with Lisa McCallion, Cowboy Mike Joyal and Neil McCallion (5 p.m.), the Cochise County All Stars with special guest Heather Hardy (6 p.m.), and Chuck Wagon and the Wheelchairs with special guests Al Perry, Loren Dircks, Zo Carroll, Gary Love and Anna Warr (7:15 p.m.). Admission is a suggested donation of $10, but no one will be turned away. All ages are welcome until 9 p.m., when it becomes a 21-and-older event. Gifts of scoopable cat litter and canned food will be gratefully accepted. All proceeds benefit Last Resort/Tucson's Maine Coon Cat Emergency Fund, and donations are tax-deductible.
If you need more info, head to boondockslounge.com, or call Ellie May at 409-9900.
QUICK TAKES
The Parson Red Heads, based in Portland, Ore., after a stint in Los Angeles, is one of those bands I've been meaning to recommend to you for a while, but I always seem to run out of room before I get there. Their last album, 2008's Owl and Timber, has been on intermittent heavy rotation at my casa since its release, and now they've got a new one, Yearling (Arena Rock), on its way in August.
On first listen, they appear to be just another West Coast band playing Americana tunes with a slight psychedelic edge. But listen a few more times, and the songs' charms reveal themselves: the multi-part harmonies, and the ability to take a song from a whisper to a full-out rockathon when it's called for. The new record was produced and engineered by Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter, respectively, and if you don't know who those guys are, get thee to Wikipedia stat.
The Parson Red Heads perform a free show at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., at 9:30 p.m., Monday, June 27. If you need more info, head to plushtucson.com, or call 798-1298.
In fall of last year, blunt-sucking rapper Wiz Khalifa sold out the Rialto Theatre. This week, the Rialto's in-house promoters are bringing him back to the larger AVA at Casino del Sol, 5655 W. Valencia Road, on Wednesday, June 29. Big Sean opens at 8 p.m., and tickets are $25 to $40. For more info, check out rialtotheatre.com, or call 740-1000.
ON THE BANDWAGON
Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Wednesday, June 29; Johnny Rawls at Suite 147 in Plaza Palomino on Friday, June 24; Peachcake, Hollow Hills and OWLS at Plush on Saturday, June 25; benefit for the Humane Society featuring Scott Kirby at The Hut on Wednesday, June 29; Hot Desert Gypsy Folk Fest featuring Top Dead Center, 8 Minutes to Burn, the Dusty Buskers and Turkish Delights at Trees Please (901 E. 12th St.) on Saturday, June 25; Gabriel of Urantia/Talias Van of Tora and the Bright and Morning Star Band at Berger Performing Arts Center on Friday, June 24.
Be sure to check our listings for lots more good stuff.
