YOUR SECOND CHANCE TO SEE OS MUTANTES
I was so excited about a month ago when it was announced that Prince, whom I'd never seen live, would be playing over two nights at Tempe's Marquee Theatre that I got tickets to see him the day they went on sale, not bothering to check a calendar to see if I had anything else planned for those dates. As it turned out, Os Mutantes was scheduled to perform at Club Congress on the first of the two nights Prince was playing, Tuesday, April 30. While I was incredibly stoked to see Prince for the first time, I was also extremely bummed I'd be missing Os Mutantes.
So, I may be one of the few people who actually (well, figuratively, anyway – I'm pretty sure there was at least a fist-pump involved) cheered when the Os Mutantes show was postponed due to a van breakdown in Dallas. And I figuratively cheered even louder when the venue announced we wouldn't have to wait months and months for a makeup date: The Os Mutantes show is now scheduled to take place on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12.
Like, say, all those kids who discovered In the Aeroplane Over the Sea after Neutral Milk Hotel had already vanished into thin air, and never thought they'd get the chance to see Jeff Mangum perform those songs live, I discovered Os Mutantes after the fact — like most people, through the posthumous 1999 compilation Everything Is Possible!, released by David Byrne on his Luaka Bop label. And since the band no longer existed, well, I figured I'd never get to see them perform.
Until 2006, when the band re-formed for a one-time gig in London, then never really stopped. Against all odds, on the day they were originally supposed to perform at Congress, the group released its second album, Fool Metal Jack (Varese Sarabande), since reuniting. So, I figured I may get to see them someday, but I'd have to travel to do so. Which could be said about a lot of the acts that already have, or will perform in Tucson this spring.
Band reunions can be tricky propositions from the start. The motives are often questionable, and it can be tough to re-create the magic and hunger a band may have had when they were actually a band. That doesn't seem to be the case here. If you haven't already, go back and read our cover story on Os Mutantes from last week's issue. Thane Tierney provides a great overview of the band's history, why they mattered and why they still do. And he also talks about hearing the group perform recently: "...the years just drop away. The dream is back."
Similarly, a friend of mine who flew in from Texas to see Prince with me had just seen Os Mutantes in Dallas a couple days before arriving in Arizona. He's seen his share of concerts over the years and didn't hesitate in calling the Os Mutantes show he saw "one of the best shows I've ever seen."
Even if you're not interested in the band's remarkable backstory, but you're a fan of Brazilian music or psychedelic rock in its many forms, I urge you to check out the show. It should be one for the ages. (The only downside: Due to the scheduling issue, the show will now be an all-acoustic one.)
Os Mutantes will now perform at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 on the day of show, and you must be 21 or over. Tickets for the April 30 show will be honored at the door. For more info call 622-8848 or head to hotelcongress.com/club.
SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE CATS
As noted in Joshua Levine's review of Monster Pussy's latest release, In Heat! (Bloat Records/Cat Cassettes), in this issue, the band will play its final show this weekend.
Let's face it: Monster Pussy wasn't for everyone. Although the group won the 2011 TAMMIE for Best Punk Band, people either tended to love them or be thoroughly annoyed by them, and I don't think the band members would have wanted it any other way. Frontman Mullarkey modeled the band after his all-time favorite group, Beat Happening: Both stripped away the noise of what most people consider punk rock and whittled it down to its DIY essence. And Mullarkey put his on-his-sleeve heart and soul into every performance the band gave, a lesson that a whole lot of bands could learn from.
So, farewell to Monster Pussy, and farewell to Mullarkey, a true superfan who seemed to attend every worthwhile show in Tucson over the last decade or so. He's moving to Phoenix and guitarist Steven Solloway is moving to Maine, and we wish them both nothing but the best. But back to that last show...
Leave it to Mullarkey to turn Monster Pussy's final show into an event, a full-blown mini-festival featuring about 15 bands. Doors for The Last Meow open at noon, and here's a look at the schedule: TBA (1 p.m.), Ocean Void (1:45 p.m.), No Radio (2:30 p.m.), Sewn Leather (3:10 p.m.), MC Professor (3:50 p.m.), Jaime J. (4:20 p.m.), TK and the Irresistibles (5 p.m.), Dogbreth acoustic set (5:30 p.m.), break for dinner, Donut Shop Death (7 p.m.), Arthur Barnes Is Dead cassette release/reunion show (7:30 p.m.), Drunk and Horny with an orchestra (8:10 p.m.), Hug of War (8:50 p.m.), The Year of the Snake (9:20 p.m.), The Kris Special (10 p.m.), Logan Greene Electric (10:40 p.m.), Monster Pussy (11:20 p.m.).
The Last Meow takes place at The HangArt, 512 N. Echols Ave., on Saturday, May 11. The show is all-ages and no alcohol is allowed. Admission is $5 before 5 p.m., $6 after. For more info check out the event's Facebook page.
BEST OF THE NEXT
Since the beginning of this year, local promotion companies Tucson Rock Alliance and Miss CJ Promotions have teamed up for a series of genre-specific showcases of up-and-coming local acts called "Tucson's Best." The first installment, which took place at the Rialto Theatre in January, highlighted half a dozen "alternative" acts, and the next installment, which takes place on Sunday, May 12, puts the spotlight on "indie rock" bands. Scheduled to appear at this week's edition are Crimson Skyline, Ocean Void, A.M. Eyes, Silver Age, Creating the Scene, Lying on Concrete, and OrangeKids.
The Indie Rock Edition of "Tucson's Best" begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Advance tickets for the all-ages show are $10; they'll be $12 at the door. For more info or to purchase tickets head to rialtotheatre.com or call 740-1000.
CATCH THEM WHILE YOU CAN
Due to busy touring and recording schedules, local performances by both Brian Lopez and Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta are quickly becoming more rare. This week brings an opportunity to see both, albeit at two different shows.
Mendoza and company are currently at the tail end of a tour that will have taken them to New Mexico and all over Texas, including a return stop at the annual Pachanga! Latino Music Festival in Austin. Before playing a pair of dates in Phoenix and Flagstaff, they'll stop into Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., for a show on Wednesday, May 15. Vox Urbana and Salvador Duran are also on the bill, which gets rolling at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 the day of show, and you must be 21 or older to enter. There's more info at hotelcongress.com/club or by calling 622-8848.
In addition to releasing a nifty new animated video for the song "Montjuic," from his album Ultra, Brian Lopez recently sat in on some sessions for the upcoming album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, and he'll be playing some U.K. dates with her next month. But before he splits, Lopez will headline a show that also features Carlos Arzate and the Kind Souls, on Saturday, May 11, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. The 21-and-older show starts at 9:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $7, and they'll be $9 at the door. Head to plushtucson.com or call 798-1298 for further details.
ON THE BANDWAGON
More good stuff heading our way this week: The Decibel Magazine Tour with Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Immolation and more at The Rock on Tuesday, May 14; Jerry Joseph, Walter Salas-Humara (The Silos), and Steve Drizos at Plush on Wednesday, May 15; Ratt, Dokken, Trixter, and Bugsyy at AVA at Casino del Sol on Friday, May 10; Charlie Faye and Billy Sedlmayr at Club Congress on Saturday, May 11; Qwel and Maker, Big Meridox, and Jivin Scientists at Plush on Friday, May 10; Finch at The Rock next Thursday, May 16; A Tragic Fake, A Perception, and The Endless Obsession at Tucson Live Music Space on Sunday, May 12; The Jons, Brass Hands, and Creme Fraiche at Club Congress on Friday, May 10; Copper and Congress, Shudder Kong, and Douglas Woolsey at Sky Bar on Saturday, May 11; Tesoro and Spirit Familia at The Hut on Saturday, May 11; and lots more.
