0
The South by Southwest festival, staged in Austin Texas, has reached a level of revered infamy since its maiden show in 1987. The event's goal to create an outlet for creative people and companies to come together and share ideas holds true today, as it has for an impressive span of years. Lucky for us Tucson “starving artist”types who can't possibly ride their bike all the way out to expansive Texas, Tucson is on the trail to Austin for many bands. Burger Records, based in FULLERTON, CA, didn't stand a chance of missing us on their glory filled route to one of the most anticipated festivals in the country. Could there be a better venue for Burger Records in Tucson other than La Cocina? Burgers? Kitchen? I think not.
The caravan to Sxsw was made up of over ten bands, performing two showcases at La Cocina on Friday and Saturday. Saturday night was my first trip down to the magical ambiance of the restaurant/venue/old west style cantina. La Cocina is like this melting pot of diverse ages and walks of life, blended together with great food, tasty drinks, and some fantastic music. As much as I would have loved to go to SxSW, the intimacy of this show was something I could not have experienced at such a large festival. Packed inside, in front of the cozy performance space, the crowd all shared a free glimpse into the talent gathering in Austin.
The show kicked off with local favorite, Acorn Bcorn's, bluesy garage rock. Sisters Marina and Leann Cornelius posess a synchronicity with one another that is not only admirable and entertaining but also necessary for the labor intensive set they perform. While Marina is busy on the guitar and vocals, with Leann playing bass, the two share the task of the percussion section. Their mastery of the stage is one that must be seen to get the full experience of their music.
The first of the touring bands, Sam Flax, took the stage next, filling it with a variety of pedals and aggressive blush makeup. Their glam rock duds couldn't have fit better for their synthy new wave tunes. Armed with two keyboards, a drum machine, and a couple guitars, the band borrows the best parts of 80's pop and forces you to dance to it.
The next of Burger's bands was Tomorrows Tulips. The band brought that reverby lo-fi that fills up your garage on a hot summer day with friends and lemonade(probably the spiked variety). The boyfriend/girlfriend duo's beach mentality hazily broke over the audience like a small wave carrying with it the distant smell of the ocean on muted guitar strings.
Also on the tour were the doomy teenagers behind, Feeding People. Combing elements of punk, heavy psychedelic, and garage rock, the youthful talents prove they are musically wise beyond their years. The energy of the band and the 18 year old female's powerful voice threw me into that nostalgic dance from the past when someone's older brother had to buy you beer.
Taking the fuzzy psychedelic sound that seemed to resonate the whole evening and amplifying it's volume, The Cosmonauts, rocked their short set. Their gritty, repetitive, music manages to supply catchy hooks and long twisted melodies, despite the ringing that has to be pounding in their heads. The sound is reminiscent of the bands who started the garage rock movement but has this brand new shiny aesthetic. Hard to lump into the new psych genre, the band is clearly creating songs by their own rules.
Following The Cosmonauts was one of my favorite performers of the night, King Tuff. Kyle Thomas(King Tuff) is a truly multi talented, multi project man, playing in Feathers, Happy Birthday, and stoner metal band, Witch. This king of fuzz visits us from the past, leaving a relic of groovy 70's rock behind him. Although, the influence is drawn from another era, the songs retain an exciting and unique quality.
The last band of the evening was another of Tucson's own, The Resonars. The band, formed in 1991, had a bit of a jump and stop start, playing one year, breaking up, playing two years and breaking up again, leaving talented musician, Matt Rendon, to peruse recording on his own. “I have been playing since I was 11, a long, long time. I was always listening to music and always loved music but my folks got me a drum kit for Christmas and that was it. I was pretty sure that's what I was gonna do. Up until that point I was gonna be a pro football player,” Matt reminisces.
Resurrected in 2001, The Resonars are joining the numerous Austin bound at SxSW this year. “ If you can imagine what this scene is with the 4 bands yesterday and the 7 bands who are here today, there's gonna be 75 at this event were playing. It's at this place called the Spider House. There's gonna be 75 bands all over the freaking place, on 5 stages. It's just gonna be nuts. All these people playing with Burger really admire each other. We have 3 shows within a 20 hour period. We drive there, do that, finish and ya know drive back, cause we all work.”
The band draws it's inspiration from the rock giants of the 60's in their pop infused, psych rock. Though Matt attributes any of his “country shuffle” to Tucson, he finds lyrical inspiration in what's around him and in the music he admires. “You’re influenced by other bands you see. It sparks a competitive spirit in you and you’re like, that's a great fucking song. I gotta try to do something as good as that.”
You can get yourself out to South by Southwest when youre broke. Countless bands and hippsters have done it and you can probably find a blog or youtube video all about it. If not, I mean someone should get on that. I want to know. If you missed the festival this year or the Burger Records showcase, fear not. Many of the bands will be stopping back in Tucson on their way home.
The South by Southwest festival, staged in Austin Texas, has reached a level of revered infamy since its maiden show in 1987. The event's goal to create an outlet for creative people and companies to come together and share ideas holds true today, as it has for an impressive span of years. Lucky for us Tucson “starving artist”types who can't possibly ride their bike all the way out to expansive Texas, Tucson is on the trail to Austin for many bands. Burger Records, based in FULLERTON, CA, didn't stand a chance of missing us on their glory filled route to one of the most anticipated festivals in the country. Could there be a better venue for Burger Records in Tucson other than La Cocina? Burgers? Kitchen? I think not.
The caravan to Sxsw was made up of over ten bands, performing two showcases at La Cocina on Friday and Saturday. Saturday night was my first trip down to the magical ambiance of the restaurant/venue/old west style cantina. La Cocina is like this melting pot of diverse ages and walks of life, blended together with great food, tasty drinks, and some fantastic music. As much as I would have loved to go to SxSW, the intimacy of this show was something I could not have experienced at such a large festival. Packed inside, in front of the cozy performance space, the crowd all shared a free glimpse into the talent gathering in Austin.
The show kicked off with local favorite, Acorn Bcorn's, bluesy garage rock. Sisters Marina and Leann Cornelius posess a synchronicity with one another that is not only admirable and entertaining but also necessary for the labor intensive set they perform. While Marina is busy on the guitar and vocals, with Leann playing bass, the two share the task of the percussion section. Their mastery of the stage is one that must be seen to get the full experience of their music.
The first of the touring bands, Sam Flax, took the stage next, filling it with a variety of pedals and aggressive blush makeup. Their glam rock duds couldn't have fit better for their synthy new wave tunes. Armed with two keyboards, a drum machine, and a couple guitars, the band borrows the best parts of 80's pop and forces you to dance to it.
The next of Burger's bands was Tomorrows Tulips. The band brought that reverby lo-fi that fills up your garage on a hot summer day with friends and lemonade(probably the spiked variety). The boyfriend/girlfriend duo's beach mentality hazily broke over the audience like a small wave carrying with it the distant smell of the ocean on muted guitar strings.
Also on the tour were the doomy teenagers behind, Feeding People. Combing elements of punk, heavy psychedelic, and garage rock, the youthful talents prove they are musically wise beyond their years. The energy of the band and the 18 year old female's powerful voice threw me into that nostalgic dance from the past when someone's older brother had to buy you beer.
Following The Cosmonauts was one of my favorite performers of the night, King Tuff. Kyle Thomas(King Tuff) is a truly multi talented, multi project man, playing in Feathers, Happy Birthday, and stoner metal band, Witch. This king of fuzz visits us from the past, leaving a relic of groovy 70's rock behind him. Although, the influence is drawn from another era, the songs retain an exciting and unique quality.
The last band of the evening was another of Tucson's own, The Resonars. The band, formed in 1991, had a bit of a jump and stop start, playing one year, breaking up, playing two years and breaking up again, leaving talented musician, Matt Rendon, to peruse recording on his own. “I have been playing since I was 11, a long, long time. I was always listening to music and always loved music but my folks got me a drum kit for Christmas and that was it. I was pretty sure that's what I was gonna do. Up until that point I was gonna be a pro football player,” Matt reminisces.
Resurrected in 2001, The Resonars are joining the numerous Austin bound at SxSW this year. “ If you can imagine what this scene is with the 4 bands yesterday and the 7 bands who are here today, there's gonna be 75 at this event were playing. It's at this place called the Spider House. There's gonna be 75 bands all over the freaking place, on 5 stages. It's just gonna be nuts. All these people playing with Burger really admire each other. We have 3 shows within a 20 hour period. We drive there, do that, finish and ya know drive back, cause we all work.”
The band draws it's inspiration from the rock giants of the 60's in their pop infused, psych rock. Though Matt attributes any of his “country shuffle” to Tucson, he finds lyrical inspiration in what's around him and in the music he admires. “You’re influenced by other bands you see. It sparks a competitive spirit in you and you’re like, that's a great fucking song. I gotta try to do something as good as that.”
You can get yourself out to South by Southwest when youre broke. Countless bands and hippsters have done it and you can probably find a blog or youtube video all about it. If not, I mean someone should get on that. I want to know. If you missed the festival this year or the Burger Records showcase, fear not. Many of the bands will be stopping back in Tucson on their way home.
0
When I met with Kevin Henderson, of The Swigs and Fish Karma, at his home, I was greeted with a hug, a cold beer, and a 1974 Creem magazine with Iggy Pop on its cover. The hug was a sheer expression of joy and mutual appreciation for the meeting of the minds about to take place. The cold beer was only appropriate for the beautiful Tucson afternoon around us and the Creem magazine that was for inspiration. It was not for me to emulate but rather to think on a time in music journalism, made up of passionate people, just having fun writing about the music that fueled their lives. Inspired, that sums up the feeling I experienced when I spoke with Kevin and now whenever I put on The Swigs, pivotal rock album, Johnson Family Values.
Johnson Family Values is one of those pure rock and roll pieces that will stand the test of time. “It really throws down the gauntlet for any rock and roll band in the God damn world. We are serious but we have a great sense of humor. We will, we will rock you.” The title is based in literature and acts as a sort of life force in Kevin's band. “It’s this William S. Burroughs thing. The last couple things he wrote were these novels that were based in the Wild West. The Johnson family is this outlaw, underground group with a heart. If the hooker on the second floor is doing her business but isn’t bothering you, you don't rat her out. But if a child is going to be hit by a car you intervene. It’s a great metaphor for what a rock and roll band is. We are there, and we got your back.”
The Swigs do seem to embody this concept. A band of groovy brothers, screaming out across the streets and bars of todays Wild West like some rock powered bullet at high noon. Yet, instead of that bullet ending in demise, it opens up the audience’s heart so that we may be receptive to the power of music. It is the seemingly other worldly strength of music that has drawn Kevin to wield it and even better use it to both our benefits. “Its expression. It’s the best damn mode of expression I can think of. It’s beautiful. It can be hard to go into dark parts we don’t like to go but we can come out of it and become elevated. It’s the ultimate. With The Swigs, none of us are doing this for some idiotic dream. We're doing it cause we have to, it has to come out. If you get a band that grooves on it, great. And if that band can affect people so they can groove on it, its utopia.”
The record, produced by Kevin and Nathan Sabatino at Loveland Studio, was crafted to match the sound of their live performances. “Most of it was a take of us in the room. We get together to work. We are not like drinking buddies, which bands can end up as now. I can bring them stuff and within a rehearsal or two it's there. You have to have a certain level of band to do that.” That high level of band consists of drummer Mike Troupe and bassist Eric Snyder, who have made up the band's line up since 2009/2010. “Mike my drummer, is probably one of the best in the world. Eric Snyder, I have known for years. It just sort of happened. We sell the fact that we are an amazing live band. We could open for anyone.”
Original tracks, “Transmissions” and “Raw Little Animal” really speak to Kevin's spirit. “We all have negative voices in our head. “Transmissions” is a banishing spell on that.” “Raw Little Animal” is Kevin's answer to the “misogyny and hatred of women” present in hip hop. “With all my fondness for carnality, I wanted to express it in a way that stands, without being a prick about it. I’m very proud of that. Alright, were gonna talk about sex and female raunchiness and applaud female raunchiness but with respect. I hate all the misogyny that came out of hip hop. I despise the hatred of women. We can get raunchy but raunchy doesn’t mean you hate women.”
The band is currently working on their new album, Purl, an archaic term for a beer infused with wormwood. Kevin is aiming to take the emotional territory of “Raw Little Animal,” and expand on it, delving deeper into the human condition. “Maybe we can talk about more things that are kind of shoved under the rug, with respect and just enjoy. We are moving into deeper stuff, like what a relationship is. I'm not about kid stuff. It’s all about growing it up; otherwise it just wouldn't be worth the trouble. We are getting into emotional territory that is not necessarily rock around the clock.” The Swigs plan to utilize more acoustic instruments and space on this album to compliment that often dark emotional ground that we all either hold on to or release.
When reflecting on Johnson Family Values, Kevin says, “It will stand the test of time. I really don't care if it takes people ten years to realize it. I’m proud of it as an artifact of my crazy year of 2010-2011. I think it means that to more than just me and people will follow that.”
Sometimes it takes us years to find a mentor, someone as excited and willing as you are for the driving forces of your life. I took a happy shortcut, or maybe won the mentor lottery, or had made the right personal connections. Who knows? However I got it, I’m really pleased to find someone like Kevin, who wants to nurture those who just want to share this great, connecting energy that is music. As I started walking home into the much colder evening, I thought about what Kevin had to say about love. “Love, with a capital L, is a huge, supreme power, but love, on occasion, can be beat by this wonderful trio of human stupidity, repetition compulsion, and fear. Love, real love is such a power but a lot of the time poor ol' love is up against stupidity, habit, and fear and they will win.” With a Creem magazine in my lap and my fingers ready to type up the next heartfelt word, I have found my means to combat the “trio” and help love win. I can’t think of a better soundtrack to become inspired by right now then Johnson Family Values.
Pictures by fotovitamina 2011
When I met with Kevin Henderson, of The Swigs and Fish Karma, at his home, I was greeted with a hug, a cold beer, and a 1974 Creem magazine with Iggy Pop on its cover. The hug was a sheer expression of joy and mutual appreciation for the meeting of the minds about to take place. The cold beer was only appropriate for the beautiful Tucson afternoon around us and the Creem magazine that was for inspiration. It was not for me to emulate but rather to think on a time in music journalism, made up of passionate people, just having fun writing about the music that fueled their lives. Inspired, that sums up the feeling I experienced when I spoke with Kevin and now whenever I put on The Swigs, pivotal rock album, Johnson Family Values.
Johnson Family Values is one of those pure rock and roll pieces that will stand the test of time. “It really throws down the gauntlet for any rock and roll band in the God damn world. We are serious but we have a great sense of humor. We will, we will rock you.” The title is based in literature and acts as a sort of life force in Kevin's band. “It’s this William S. Burroughs thing. The last couple things he wrote were these novels that were based in the Wild West. The Johnson family is this outlaw, underground group with a heart. If the hooker on the second floor is doing her business but isn’t bothering you, you don't rat her out. But if a child is going to be hit by a car you intervene. It’s a great metaphor for what a rock and roll band is. We are there, and we got your back.”
The Swigs do seem to embody this concept. A band of groovy brothers, screaming out across the streets and bars of todays Wild West like some rock powered bullet at high noon. Yet, instead of that bullet ending in demise, it opens up the audience’s heart so that we may be receptive to the power of music. It is the seemingly other worldly strength of music that has drawn Kevin to wield it and even better use it to both our benefits. “Its expression. It’s the best damn mode of expression I can think of. It’s beautiful. It can be hard to go into dark parts we don’t like to go but we can come out of it and become elevated. It’s the ultimate. With The Swigs, none of us are doing this for some idiotic dream. We're doing it cause we have to, it has to come out. If you get a band that grooves on it, great. And if that band can affect people so they can groove on it, its utopia.”
The record, produced by Kevin and Nathan Sabatino at Loveland Studio, was crafted to match the sound of their live performances. “Most of it was a take of us in the room. We get together to work. We are not like drinking buddies, which bands can end up as now. I can bring them stuff and within a rehearsal or two it's there. You have to have a certain level of band to do that.” That high level of band consists of drummer Mike Troupe and bassist Eric Snyder, who have made up the band's line up since 2009/2010. “Mike my drummer, is probably one of the best in the world. Eric Snyder, I have known for years. It just sort of happened. We sell the fact that we are an amazing live band. We could open for anyone.”
Original tracks, “Transmissions” and “Raw Little Animal” really speak to Kevin's spirit. “We all have negative voices in our head. “Transmissions” is a banishing spell on that.” “Raw Little Animal” is Kevin's answer to the “misogyny and hatred of women” present in hip hop. “With all my fondness for carnality, I wanted to express it in a way that stands, without being a prick about it. I’m very proud of that. Alright, were gonna talk about sex and female raunchiness and applaud female raunchiness but with respect. I hate all the misogyny that came out of hip hop. I despise the hatred of women. We can get raunchy but raunchy doesn’t mean you hate women.”
The band is currently working on their new album, Purl, an archaic term for a beer infused with wormwood. Kevin is aiming to take the emotional territory of “Raw Little Animal,” and expand on it, delving deeper into the human condition. “Maybe we can talk about more things that are kind of shoved under the rug, with respect and just enjoy. We are moving into deeper stuff, like what a relationship is. I'm not about kid stuff. It’s all about growing it up; otherwise it just wouldn't be worth the trouble. We are getting into emotional territory that is not necessarily rock around the clock.” The Swigs plan to utilize more acoustic instruments and space on this album to compliment that often dark emotional ground that we all either hold on to or release.
When reflecting on Johnson Family Values, Kevin says, “It will stand the test of time. I really don't care if it takes people ten years to realize it. I’m proud of it as an artifact of my crazy year of 2010-2011. I think it means that to more than just me and people will follow that.”
Sometimes it takes us years to find a mentor, someone as excited and willing as you are for the driving forces of your life. I took a happy shortcut, or maybe won the mentor lottery, or had made the right personal connections. Who knows? However I got it, I’m really pleased to find someone like Kevin, who wants to nurture those who just want to share this great, connecting energy that is music. As I started walking home into the much colder evening, I thought about what Kevin had to say about love. “Love, with a capital L, is a huge, supreme power, but love, on occasion, can be beat by this wonderful trio of human stupidity, repetition compulsion, and fear. Love, real love is such a power but a lot of the time poor ol' love is up against stupidity, habit, and fear and they will win.” With a Creem magazine in my lap and my fingers ready to type up the next heartfelt word, I have found my means to combat the “trio” and help love win. I can’t think of a better soundtrack to become inspired by right now then Johnson Family Values.
Pictures by fotovitamina 2011
0
The name Terry Trash is notorious in these parts. A fixture in Tucson’s music community for over 30 years, our punk rock hero obtained infamy when he was hit by a train, losing both his right arm and leg. He is lucky to be here but it is us, the music community, who are truly blessed with his influential and very much alive place in local music. Terry’s band, Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks have been getting people drunk and rowdy with their classic mix of punk and rockabilly for 12 years. The group’s staying power speaks for their relentlessness quest for fun and for their country spiked hypnosis over the fans. The Trainwrecks refuse to let a fast moving train and a recent revamp of their band tie them down to the tracks, like some damsel dreading the conductor’s next move.
The narrow confides of Che’s lounge was packed upon my arrival Saturday night. Fighting a battle with the thirsty crowd to the bar, I caught a glimpse of the unmistakable Terry Trash, adorned in a black fur coat which I assume was stripped off some wild desert beast the band beat down with a broken beer bottle. With each sip of whiskey, I watched the man get greeted with a steady flow of adorations from friends. Despite the almost mythical quality surrounding him, there was something so inviting and approachable about the smile lying on his tattooed face. It was all too clear that he is one of Tucson’s dearest friends.
The small space the band occupied quickly filled up with friends and spectators, anxious to raise their glasses up into a rock and roll filled air. Often breaking to thank Che’s for their long standing hospitality, Terry spread his tough as nails vocals to both sides of the audience, as well as curious walkers by, gazing in through the window. The whole band achieved a fine tuned, solid partnership with Terry’s vocals in both talent and attitude. The guitar’s clear rifts came from Veteran of the band, Matt Marcus. “I’ve been in since July 2010. It was Trash's birthday. He mentioned that he was starting up the band again and was about to audition a guitar player. When he told me Ken was going to be the bass player, I said "Fuck that guy- I'M playing guitar!" Ken and I kind of took over at that point, reworking the existing music and writing a bunch of new tunes. Terry comes up with the lyrics with input from me, Ken, and others. Chris and Suzy have contributed arrangement ideas, so it's a group effort.” Playing bass this evening was Chris Saxton, filling in for Ken Andree who is temporarily relocated to Austin, Tx for family reasons.
Keeping the aggressive beat was the lovely Suzie Homewrecker. Though she is a recent addition to the Trainwrecks, the drummer is no stranger to Terry or live music. The two worked together back in 87 in the band World of Hurt. “We worked together way back then. I moved to Hollywood and he stayed here where he helped the music scene blossom and I helped the Hollywood scene blossom but then I moved back home. The scene is way bigger here then it was when I left.” It was in the “action packed” Hollywood that Suzie earned the name home wrecker. “I used get drunk and kick holes in peoples walls and break windows. That’s how I got the home wrecker. But I don’t do that anymore. I grew up.” With due pride, she told me it wasn’t until she got clean and sober, that she stopped her wrecking. “I’ve been sober for 10 years. Love right? Love will solve all the worlds problems.”
Suzy just re-entered Tucson’s scene about a year ago and already she has four projects along with The Trainwrecks. She is currently playing in a country cover band, filling in for blues band, Solstice, playing bass in Psychotic Nerve, and filling in for horror inspired band, Full Story at Midnight. At any early age, Suzy discovered she needed to play the drums. “I was like 11 years old and I got the Kiss, Hotter than Hell record and I wanted to be that pussycat. I wanted to be that cat drummer dude. Peter Criss.”
Terry attributes the band’s recent revamp to a parting of the ways without a shred of hard feelings. “Members broke away. Members went different ways. It all started with us voting Steve off the island. He’s hard to work with. Great drummer. Awesome dude. We just grew apart. He’s a great guy and he took us to places we would have never went before. “ In regards to the previous bassist, he says, “My original bass player went to The Besmirchers. He’s doing a very fine job. He was all like distributed about telling me he wanted to quit the band. I was like, go dude, go on man. Expand yourself.”
Though Terry says we, “give him too much credit,” the fact that he’s shooting for the “Tucson sound” is something for us all to take pride in. “Tucson has a Specific sound. No one sounds like Tucson. La don’t sound like Tucson, that’s for damn sure. I’m shooting for that. Shooting for Tucson sound. I want a desert sound.” It is the random nature of our desert that has captured Terry’s heart and rooted him deeply into his home where he plans to stay, with his wife by his side.
The band wishes to record in the future and try to play two shows each month, striving to create great shows at small venues, without overplaying. “I like playing a big arena with tons of people but then again your kinda separated so playing a small bar is cool, everyone is right there around you. You can smell their body odor. Its so personal,” Suzie notes. Terry adds, “People are close to the front. They feel my sweat.”
Chances are, if you have a conversation with Terry or see the Trainwrecks high energy set, your going to want to bash that damn train with a big stick for hurting such a sweet man. I know I do. “It was just a scratch, The heaviest thing I ever lifted was the eyebrows of Tucson..” The man is truly unstoppable, genuinely funny, and a testament to the power of positive thinking. Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks music whips around our favorite bars like a dust devil, picking up friends and free booze in its path. I leave you with some of the most sound advice I have ever gotten, straight from Texas Trash himself. “Don’t squat with your spurs on. Take care of your feet your gonna need um.”
The name Terry Trash is notorious in these parts. A fixture in Tucson’s music community for over 30 years, our punk rock hero obtained infamy when he was hit by a train, losing both his right arm and leg. He is lucky to be here but it is us, the music community, who are truly blessed with his influential and very much alive place in local music. Terry’s band, Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks have been getting people drunk and rowdy with their classic mix of punk and rockabilly for 12 years. The group’s staying power speaks for their relentlessness quest for fun and for their country spiked hypnosis over the fans. The Trainwrecks refuse to let a fast moving train and a recent revamp of their band tie them down to the tracks, like some damsel dreading the conductor’s next move.
The narrow confides of Che’s lounge was packed upon my arrival Saturday night. Fighting a battle with the thirsty crowd to the bar, I caught a glimpse of the unmistakable Terry Trash, adorned in a black fur coat which I assume was stripped off some wild desert beast the band beat down with a broken beer bottle. With each sip of whiskey, I watched the man get greeted with a steady flow of adorations from friends. Despite the almost mythical quality surrounding him, there was something so inviting and approachable about the smile lying on his tattooed face. It was all too clear that he is one of Tucson’s dearest friends.
The small space the band occupied quickly filled up with friends and spectators, anxious to raise their glasses up into a rock and roll filled air. Often breaking to thank Che’s for their long standing hospitality, Terry spread his tough as nails vocals to both sides of the audience, as well as curious walkers by, gazing in through the window. The whole band achieved a fine tuned, solid partnership with Terry’s vocals in both talent and attitude. The guitar’s clear rifts came from Veteran of the band, Matt Marcus. “I’ve been in since July 2010. It was Trash's birthday. He mentioned that he was starting up the band again and was about to audition a guitar player. When he told me Ken was going to be the bass player, I said "Fuck that guy- I'M playing guitar!" Ken and I kind of took over at that point, reworking the existing music and writing a bunch of new tunes. Terry comes up with the lyrics with input from me, Ken, and others. Chris and Suzy have contributed arrangement ideas, so it's a group effort.” Playing bass this evening was Chris Saxton, filling in for Ken Andree who is temporarily relocated to Austin, Tx for family reasons.
Keeping the aggressive beat was the lovely Suzie Homewrecker. Though she is a recent addition to the Trainwrecks, the drummer is no stranger to Terry or live music. The two worked together back in 87 in the band World of Hurt. “We worked together way back then. I moved to Hollywood and he stayed here where he helped the music scene blossom and I helped the Hollywood scene blossom but then I moved back home. The scene is way bigger here then it was when I left.” It was in the “action packed” Hollywood that Suzie earned the name home wrecker. “I used get drunk and kick holes in peoples walls and break windows. That’s how I got the home wrecker. But I don’t do that anymore. I grew up.” With due pride, she told me it wasn’t until she got clean and sober, that she stopped her wrecking. “I’ve been sober for 10 years. Love right? Love will solve all the worlds problems.”
Suzy just re-entered Tucson’s scene about a year ago and already she has four projects along with The Trainwrecks. She is currently playing in a country cover band, filling in for blues band, Solstice, playing bass in Psychotic Nerve, and filling in for horror inspired band, Full Story at Midnight. At any early age, Suzy discovered she needed to play the drums. “I was like 11 years old and I got the Kiss, Hotter than Hell record and I wanted to be that pussycat. I wanted to be that cat drummer dude. Peter Criss.”
Terry attributes the band’s recent revamp to a parting of the ways without a shred of hard feelings. “Members broke away. Members went different ways. It all started with us voting Steve off the island. He’s hard to work with. Great drummer. Awesome dude. We just grew apart. He’s a great guy and he took us to places we would have never went before. “ In regards to the previous bassist, he says, “My original bass player went to The Besmirchers. He’s doing a very fine job. He was all like distributed about telling me he wanted to quit the band. I was like, go dude, go on man. Expand yourself.”
Though Terry says we, “give him too much credit,” the fact that he’s shooting for the “Tucson sound” is something for us all to take pride in. “Tucson has a Specific sound. No one sounds like Tucson. La don’t sound like Tucson, that’s for damn sure. I’m shooting for that. Shooting for Tucson sound. I want a desert sound.” It is the random nature of our desert that has captured Terry’s heart and rooted him deeply into his home where he plans to stay, with his wife by his side.
The band wishes to record in the future and try to play two shows each month, striving to create great shows at small venues, without overplaying. “I like playing a big arena with tons of people but then again your kinda separated so playing a small bar is cool, everyone is right there around you. You can smell their body odor. Its so personal,” Suzie notes. Terry adds, “People are close to the front. They feel my sweat.”
Chances are, if you have a conversation with Terry or see the Trainwrecks high energy set, your going to want to bash that damn train with a big stick for hurting such a sweet man. I know I do. “It was just a scratch, The heaviest thing I ever lifted was the eyebrows of Tucson..” The man is truly unstoppable, genuinely funny, and a testament to the power of positive thinking. Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks music whips around our favorite bars like a dust devil, picking up friends and free booze in its path. I leave you with some of the most sound advice I have ever gotten, straight from Texas Trash himself. “Don’t squat with your spurs on. Take care of your feet your gonna need um.”
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Acorn Bcorntalented sisters Marina and Leann Cornelius, opened with their brand of gritty, garage rock. Though various musical influences can be heard throughout their songs, the band does not adhere to set genre rules or molds. In actuality, they don’t really adhere to the traditional structure of a band. Trading off between bass, guitar, and drums, the pair creates a live performance that must be seen to be truly appreciated. How do they make something so labor intensive appear so effortless? All at once
Marina is singing, strumming and stomping her foot against the floor drum, while Leann plays bass and the other half of the percussion instruments. Their mastery of dual instruments and ability to remain completely in synch with one another is made only more impressive by their unwavering stage presence. Acorn Bcorn will be recording a short album though they emphasis their passion lies in the live show.
Photo by Emily Sarten
Young Hunter followed, filling the stage with its seven members and smoke machine. Oh, I could have banged my head all night to their fuzzy, psychedelic, stoner metal. The band produces quite the atmosphere with enchanting vocals as two sets of drums pound into your head. Imagine yourself driving through the desert heat with the roof down, gasping out for water, and following a trail of buzzards into the apocalypse. Heavy, lyrically charged, and groovy the doom influenced band draws most of their inspiration from the desert they call home. Vocalist and guitarist Ben Blake, expressed how valuable Tucson’s music community is. “Tucson accepts it’s music. It doesn’t fight with its identity.”
The band is a true merging of eclectic and multi talented minds. Each of the band’s members are in other projects and have been making music together for about a year. Ben and girlfriend Julia Deconcini, vocals, and keyboard, come into Young Hunter from their folk band. The couple explained, they had always wanted to make something heavy and and that this music fits a lot better. It gives them a new way to put their ideas out there. The band is currently working on a record to be completed around May with plenty of live shows coming up including, Brootal Sunfest in March and an upcoming tour to Seattle.
The dance floor reached its sweat drenched climax when Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout took the stage. The band’s bizarre, highly infectious and danceable rock and roll has cemented its place in our hearts as one of Tucson’s most beloved bands. I’m pretty sure we all have a Mr. Free story and I have yet to hear a dull tale. Each time Dimitri (Mr. Free) stepped off the stage and into the crowd’s panting faces it sent the mass of bodies into a enthused seizure. The band’s live show really breaks the standard segregation between fan and artists, taking their manic energy and planting it directly into the dizzy crowd. Mr. Free manages to create complex, beat heavy brilliance without getting lost in its own chaos.
Speaking with the band offstage was almost as much a spectacle as the live set. The band launched into the story of their formation, all chiming in with additional back stories and the secrets to their seemingly unending energy. These guys have been making music together for years and have been friends for the majorities of their lives. They are currently working on what they say will “legally be their best album, yet“. Mr. Free and the Satellite Freak out will be performing with fellow Bloat Records artist Bob Log III in what is destined to be a dance filled night of whimsical oddities.
The desert doesn’t often give us rain but it does seem to have some ability, shrouded in mysticism, to produce and house great musical talent. Seek out Tucson’s performance driven acts like Acorn Bcorn, Young Hunter, and Mr. Free and the satellite Freakout. There is a beat vibrating under the hot sands of the city of Tucson that should light your shoes on fire. All you have to do is wait for the sunset to end and get yourself in front of the stage. The music of our artists will tell you all the rock and roll stories of the desert.
The overall feeling at Club Congress Wednesday night was definitive of our thriving music scene. From the multi talented musicians who graced the stage, to the enthusiastic crowd dancing in front of it, everyone was elevated. Everyone was united by a love for music and there was a resounding sense of pride in their involvement in Tucson’s music community. Each of the three bands who made up the free show, are prime examples of the talent and passion that make Tucson such an incredible, musical experience.
Photo by Emily Sarten
Photo by Emily Sarten
Acorn Bcorntalented sisters Marina and Leann Cornelius, opened with their brand of gritty, garage rock. Though various musical influences can be heard throughout their songs, the band does not adhere to set genre rules or molds. In actuality, they don’t really adhere to the traditional structure of a band. Trading off between bass, guitar, and drums, the pair creates a live performance that must be seen to be truly appreciated. How do they make something so labor intensive appear so effortless? All at onceMarina is singing, strumming and stomping her foot against the floor drum, while Leann plays bass and the other half of the percussion instruments. Their mastery of dual instruments and ability to remain completely in synch with one another is made only more impressive by their unwavering stage presence. Acorn Bcorn will be recording a short album though they emphasis their passion lies in the live show.Photo by Emily Sarten
Young Hunter followed, filling the stage with its seven members and smoke machine. Oh, I could have banged my head all night to their fuzzy, psychedelic, stoner metal. The band produces quite the atmosphere with enchanting vocals as two sets of drums pound into your head. Imagine yourself driving through the desert heat with the roof down, gasping out for water, and following a trail of buzzards into the apocalypse. Heavy, lyrically charged, and groovy the doom influenced band draws most of their inspiration from the desert they call home. Vocalist and guitarist Ben Blake, expressed how valuable Tucson’s music community is. “Tucson accepts it’s music. It doesn’t fight with its identity.”The band is a true merging of eclectic and multi talented minds. Each of the band’s members are in other projects and have been making music together for about a year. Ben and girlfriend Julia Deconcini, vocals, and keyboard, come into Young Hunter from their folk band. The couple explained, they had always wanted to make something heavy and and that this music fits a lot better. It gives them a new way to put their ideas out there. The band is currently working on a record to be completed around May with plenty of live shows coming up including, Brootal Sunfest in March and an upcoming tour to Seattle.The dance floor reached its sweat drenched climax when Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout took the stage. The band’s bizarre, highly infectious and danceable rock and roll has cemented its place in our hearts as one of Tucson’s most beloved bands. I’m pretty sure we all have a Mr. Free story and I have yet to hear a dull tale. Each time Dimitri (Mr. Free) stepped off the stage and into the crowd’s panting faces it sent the mass of bodies into a enthused seizure. The band’s live show really breaks the standard segregation between fan and artists, taking their manic energy and planting it directly into the dizzy crowd. Mr. Free manages to create complex, beat heavy brilliance without getting lost in its own chaos.Speaking with the band offstage was almost as much a spectacle as the live set. The band launched into the story of their formation, all chiming in with additional back stories and the secrets to their seemingly unending energy. These guys have been making music together for years and have been friends for the majorities of their lives. They are currently working on what they say will “legally be their best album, yet“. Mr. Free and the Satellite Freak out will be performing with fellow Bloat Records artist Bob Log III in what is destined to be a dance filled night of whimsical oddities.The desert doesn’t often give us rain but it does seem to have some ability, shrouded in mysticism, to produce and house great musical talent. Seek out Tucson’s performance driven acts like Acorn Bcorn, Young Hunter, and Mr. Free and the satellite Freakout. There is a beat vibrating under the hot sands of the city of Tucson that should light your shoes on fire. All you have to do is wait for the sunset to end and get yourself in front of the stage. The music of our artists will tell you all the rock and roll stories of the desert.
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By the time we stepped out in front of the stage, Crizzly already had the dance floor in a bass induced frenzy. Blending together dubstep, hip hop, and drum and bass into his party ready remixes, the young dj took control of the crowd. The production value of his set proved that the young artist was already wise in the ways of electronic music. In a blur of shaking hands with people and a little networking here and there, I was off stage, waiting to talk to the dj.
Crizzly, is a man shrouded in a certain aloofness, or shall we say, mystique. Keeping it short and sweet, he shared a little about his first visit to Tucson. “It was awesome. Tucson are a very humble people. I met a few of them and they were very nice. I had a good time.” His visit here was part of a tour, of epic proportions. “My whole life is a tour. I was only home for like a day this week.” He is a busy man, performing at the Never Say Never Festival in Misson, Texas and Electric Forest Festival, Rothbury, Michigan, later this year.
“I want to give them something to dance to. I mean, its music. Its a club. Thats the premise, gotta make um dance.” Crizzly's manifesto holds true out across the crowd who could all relate to and understand his greatest influences. “Radio, television, internet, food. I'm influenced a lot by what I eat.” It was certainly a “cordon blu” quality set.
I wish I would have stumbled onto this show a bit earlier on, as those twenty minutes were the hardest I danced all night. I can only imagine what kind of satisfying fatigue the full set produced in the rest of the club. Crizzly has created well crafted and entertaining party
tracks that will keep you up and bouncing until the club kicks you out. There's a reason he has earned his “must watch” status in the dubstep community and you can hear it in his grimey, cracking bass.
Photo Credits:
Sami Gardner
We didn't plan on walking into Congress twenty minutes from last call Tuesday night but sometimes you have to throw your plans aside and go where the night takes you. The walls of the building pulsed under the weight of the bass inside, hypnotizing us, calling us into spontaneous action. Ignoring the spell cast by crunkstep dj, Crizzly, was out of the question.
By the time we stepped out in front of the stage, Crizzly already had the dance floor in a bass induced frenzy. Blending together dubstep, hip hop, and drum and bass into his party ready remixes, the young dj took control of the crowd. The production value of his set proved that the young artist was already wise in the ways of electronic music. In a blur of shaking hands with people and a little networking here and there, I was off stage, waiting to talk to the dj. Crizzly, is a man shrouded in a certain aloofness, or shall we say, mystique. Keeping it short and sweet, he shared a little about his first visit to Tucson. “It was awesome. Tucson are a very humble people. I met a few of them and they were very nice. I had a good time.” His visit here was part of a tour, of epic proportions. “My whole life is a tour. I was only home for like a day this week.” He is a busy man, performing at the Never Say Never Festival in Misson, Texas and Electric Forest Festival, Rothbury, Michigan, later this year.“I want to give them something to dance to. I mean, its music. Its a club. Thats the premise, gotta make um dance.” Crizzly's manifesto holds true out across the crowd who could all relate to and understand his greatest influences. “Radio, television, internet, food. I'm influenced a lot by what I eat.” It was certainly a “cordon blu” quality set.
I wish I would have stumbled onto this show a bit earlier on, as those twenty minutes were the hardest I danced all night. I can only imagine what kind of satisfying fatigue the full set produced in the rest of the club. Crizzly has created well crafted and entertaining party
tracks that will keep you up and bouncing until the club kicks you out. There's a reason he has earned his “must watch” status in the dubstep community and you can hear it in his grimey, cracking bass.Photo Credits:
Sami Gardner