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.