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The Brawlers have been a staple in Tucson's music scene since 1999, earning a loyal fan base and five Tamies
along the way. Keeping their success in mind, their greatest
accomplishment is a toss up between their new album and their inspiring
humbleness in my eyes. Each band member takes their own life experiences
and creates a song so genuine that we feel like we were right there
with them. The quartet, made up of vocalist Marty Muerto,
guitarist Justin Valdez, Eric Eulogy on bass, and drummer Joel Dunst,
have gone into some emotional territory for our great benefit.
When an artist creates a record exemplifying their respective genre,
you have a classic album. When that artist boldly steps over that genre
to deliver a unique sound, you have an album that will stand the test of
time. The Last Call Brawlers have crossed many lines in the sand with
their diverse new album, The Pressures of Living, The Darkness of Dying.
The forthcoming effort of a beloved Tucson band is a solid
punk-rockabilly album. It's their ability to draw from a wide pool of
influences that make it a success.
The Brawlers have been a staple in Tucson's music scene since 1999, earning a loyal fan base and five Tamies
along the way. Keeping their success in mind, their greatest
accomplishment is a toss up between their new album and their inspiring
humbleness in my eyes. Each band member takes their own life experiences
and creates a song so genuine that we feel like we were right there
with them. The quartet, made up of vocalist Marty Muerto,
guitarist Justin Valdez, Eric Eulogy on bass, and drummer Joel Dunst,
have gone into some emotional territory for our great benefit.
“That’s what the Last Call Brawlers are- the humbleness of it all.
Personally, I know each of us is the best at what we do. I'm just hoping
everyone else knows what I know. We have a saying, that we are a band
by the people, for the people,” says Justin. Joel adds, “We put
ourselves into these songs. I just want someone to take something from
it. Maybe think about their life and how they can change.”
The band's deep desire to share the human experience is evident in the
album's ten tracks. No life lesson goes uncovered. Through punk, folk,
surf, rockabilly, metal, and Tucson sound we get to think about
break-ups, death, loving memory, and life- for all its up and down's.
Marty explains it as, “its just an outlet. Its a way for us to channel
our energy, whether its positive or negative. Chanel it in a positive
way and if people like it, that’s an added bonus.”
Joel adds, “Its a good way to get out there. Look at some of our songs. They are about break 
ups, death, dying, its a way to carry on. Life. That's one of my biggest influences.”
ups, death, dying, its a way to carry on. Life. That's one of my biggest influences.”
The Pressures of Living was created in a process true to the openness and spontaneity of everyday life. “If you're gonna
do something, do quality. One day, Marty showed up with lyrics and we
wrote music. Joel had lyrics for a song. I wrote one song. We all
definitely put in our two cents. The way the songs turned out are
ninety-nine percent how we wanted them,” Justin told me. “There were
times we didn’t rehearse. We just sat in the living room with acoustic
guitar and lyrics. That works. That doesn’t work, change it here, change
it there,” Joel said of their rehearsals. Speaking on the vocals, Marty
adds, “Its very easy for me and Eric. Our voices kinda
mesh well together. Sometimes I’ll listen and say who was that Eric or
me? We have distinct voices and when we start to harmonize, a lot of
that comes really natural.”
Though each track has something relevant and unique, “1/20” and “Six
String Rhyme” stood out. “1/20” was said to be one of the most difficult
songs to complete. After reworking it in the studio multiple times,
they created the most intimate song on the album. Justin learned
mandolin for this song, written by Joel about the passing of his
brother. “Six String Rhyme,” the catchy track about the power of tunes
over violence, contains the lyric that became the title of the album.
The Brawlers have been away from the stage for nearly a year while they
poured their hearts into their milestone album. So, if you are one of
the Last Call Brawler's many anxiously awaiting fans, be sure to arrive
early to the release party, this Saturday night at the Surly Wench.
“When we play a show its every four or six months and its well
promoted. There's a reason for it. We bring a lot of bands that are up
and coming and we are gonna give them a shot. Diversity. Each band at this show is not like the other bands,” Justin says of their special guests, The Besmirchers and The Misson Creeps.
There are certain bands that come into our lives that speak to our
personal existence. The Last Call Brawlers created a pocket album in
“The Pressures of Living, the Darkness of Dying.” Carry it close to you
and flip through the tracks until you inevitably find that song that
speaks to the place you're in. Whether it is that foreboding car ride to
work or a toast with our loved ones, The Last Call Brawlers have a song
just for the occasion.
The album will be available through Itunes, Toxic Ranch, 17th st Market, and Zia Record's after May 5th.
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The EP, released May 1st,
follows their successful 2011 album, Postcards from Paradise. Robot’s
greatest quality is the ability to translate the story of our own
existence through a variety of musical genres. With ever changing tempos
and the use of an eclectic mix of instruments, such as horns, violin,
cello, and a standup bass , the band proves their musical abilities have
many levels.
“Rapture” is our first stop in The Supervillains vision of the afterlife. Starting with a piano, we wave goodbye to the life we once had and, with a ferocious metal, punk infused turn, we find ourselves happiest. “Now that I’m dead and gone I’m happiest cause you don’t hold the power over me.” The move into “Hell” is fast and rising from the minute we arrive, ranging from quick ska to another heavy growl, ending with the sound of waves on a creaking ship. “Limbo” a stand out track for me, sounds like what I imagine pirates would sing out into the seas as they steered towards their own merry patch of hell.
When that ship crashes on the shores of “Purgatory,” it splinters into really danceable ska before it all completely breaks into sharp power chords and vocals. The discordant screams and rumbles of Purgatory all kind of fall away when we enter, “Space,” a step closer to the other side. “Space” is made up of a chorus of horns and seems a breakthrough in the journey that the band has created in Robots. No time is wasted in the final destination, “Heaven,” a spirited track that really relays the band's full spectrum of genres.
Robots is the SuperVillains album for the well-rounded music fan. Each one of the six tracks has a little something for everyone, whether it is piano, ska, or metal harmonies, all of which heard throughout the album's entirety. I don't know what the afterlife has in store for me, but I do know that if they play Robots on the way, I would feel like my life had properly been honored. It would sure distract me from the uncertainties of the afterlife.
The Supervillains will be stopping in at The Hut, Thursday May 10th as part of their Rah Rah Robots Tour. Tickets are available for $10 advanced and $12 at the door. They will be joined by Élan, Neiphi, Funky Bonz, Sean Donnelly, and CCS Crew , with Dj Knoccout spinning on the outside stage.
I'm a sucker for a well done conceptual album. A certain level of
musicianship is necessary to delve into a source material and create
something personal on many different levels. The Supervillains have led us to Hell's gates with their ska/punk
interpretation of “Dante’s Divine Comedy.” Their six song EP, Robots,
is what the afterlife would sound like if you had a hell hound gnawing
on thick guitar strings as you gripped your last drink for dear life.
Well, that is if your dear life wasn't still back in some other level,
swaying under heavy guitar and growls, with beams of a cello beckoning
you into the light.
The EP, released May 1st,
follows their successful 2011 album, Postcards from Paradise. Robot’s
greatest quality is the ability to translate the story of our own
existence through a variety of musical genres. With ever changing tempos
and the use of an eclectic mix of instruments, such as horns, violin,
cello, and a standup bass , the band proves their musical abilities have
many levels.“Rapture” is our first stop in The Supervillains vision of the afterlife. Starting with a piano, we wave goodbye to the life we once had and, with a ferocious metal, punk infused turn, we find ourselves happiest. “Now that I’m dead and gone I’m happiest cause you don’t hold the power over me.” The move into “Hell” is fast and rising from the minute we arrive, ranging from quick ska to another heavy growl, ending with the sound of waves on a creaking ship. “Limbo” a stand out track for me, sounds like what I imagine pirates would sing out into the seas as they steered towards their own merry patch of hell.
When that ship crashes on the shores of “Purgatory,” it splinters into really danceable ska before it all completely breaks into sharp power chords and vocals. The discordant screams and rumbles of Purgatory all kind of fall away when we enter, “Space,” a step closer to the other side. “Space” is made up of a chorus of horns and seems a breakthrough in the journey that the band has created in Robots. No time is wasted in the final destination, “Heaven,” a spirited track that really relays the band's full spectrum of genres.
Robots is the SuperVillains album for the well-rounded music fan. Each one of the six tracks has a little something for everyone, whether it is piano, ska, or metal harmonies, all of which heard throughout the album's entirety. I don't know what the afterlife has in store for me, but I do know that if they play Robots on the way, I would feel like my life had properly been honored. It would sure distract me from the uncertainties of the afterlife.
The Supervillains will be stopping in at The Hut, Thursday May 10th as part of their Rah Rah Robots Tour. Tickets are available for $10 advanced and $12 at the door. They will be joined by Élan, Neiphi, Funky Bonz, Sean Donnelly, and CCS Crew , with Dj Knoccout spinning on the outside stage.
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Kicking
off the show with their dark, horror spiked, surf rock was local three
piece, The Mission Creeps. The band could easily be called one thing or
another, be it psychobilly or garage rock, but it simply would be insult to the diversity of their music. Made up of James Arrr,
vocalist and guitar, Miss Frankie Stein on bass, and Joseph "Crowley"
Elias on the drums, they put on a powerful live show full of various
influences. Match their, punk, rockabilly, bluesy, surfy, psychedelic sound with their goth presence and you have a forerunner in Tucson's live music scene.
All Photos by: Emily Sarten
I had the great privilege to interview the Last Call Brawlers and get
an early listen of their monumental new album, The Pressures of Living,
The Darkness of the Dying. They gave me far more then their time and a
bloody Mary at Bison Witches. They allowed me to fall in love with their
music and in return be loved back. The Last Call Brawlers certainly
played to a packed bar of friends and devoted fans Saturday May 5th at the Surly Wench. It was clear in the talented guest bands, The Mission Creeps and The Besmirchers,
plus the cheering crowd, that their new album deserved a proper
celebration. With the splashes of beer flying out of our swaying glasses
like confetti, we all did our part to ensure The Pressures of Living
had one Hell of a birthday.
Kicking
off the show with their dark, horror spiked, surf rock was local three
piece, The Mission Creeps. The band could easily be called one thing or
another, be it psychobilly or garage rock, but it simply would be insult to the diversity of their music. Made up of James Arrr,
vocalist and guitar, Miss Frankie Stein on bass, and Joseph "Crowley"
Elias on the drums, they put on a powerful live show full of various
influences. Match their, punk, rockabilly, bluesy, surfy, psychedelic sound with their goth presence and you have a forerunner in Tucson's live music scene.
Diversity, as promised to me by the LCB, was the theme of our party. Reverberating off of The Mission Creeps surf guitar we landed, face first in The Besmirchers
punk chaos. One of the most visual, aggressive sounds to come out of
Tucson, the band had me gasping with excitement each time singer, Lenny
Mental, banged his microphone into his forehead. Seemingly blessed with a
G.G. Allen sensibility, Lenny didn't waver in his charged performance,
spitting out his punk truths every time his head slammed into the stage.
Band mates, guitarist Superstar Penis Demilo, bassist Skrew, and drummer PBR
Destroyer matched their infamous front man with their in your face
assault on their instruments and the crowd. The band is one of those
splash zone shows and unless you got a poncho or a strong will you
better step back before "One More Slut" or "Pussy 
and Smack," bloody up your top.
and Smack," bloody up your top.
When the Last Call Brawlers took the stage it was one of those show
experiences you remember long after your weekend is through. Each new
song fell on receptive and long awaiting ears and there was an
unbreakable momentum pushing the audience closer and closer to the
talent on stage. Always making sure to thank those who made the album
possible, The LCB
reveled their diverse new tracks. Blending shining examples of punk and
rockabilly with folk, surf, blues and Tucson rock and roll, the band has
cemented their place as a Tucson staple. Vocalist Marty Muerto,
enthusiastically sang of the power of music against violence in, “Six
String Rhythm,” the track containing the title of the album. Eric Eulberg
was literally on bass, standing atop the large instrument while singing
back up vocals. In what is my favorite song off the album, “1/20”,
Justin Valdez trades in his guitar for mandolin in this beautiful track
about loss. The song was the first drummer Joel Dunst has written and
the sincerity of it all was inspiring.
The Pressures of Living, The Darkness of Dying, is an essential album
for, not only us desert dwellers, but also music lovers of all variety
of climates. All at once, it serves as a definitive punk-rockabilly
album and a diverse take on the highs and lows of everyday life. Aided
by the talents of special guests, The Mission Creeps and The Besmirchers,
I can only hope that we the audience gave the Last Call Brawlers the
kind of celebration they deserved. Whether you made it out to the album
release show or not, make sure to support this band and get yourself a
copy of their stellar album. It is available at Itunes, Zia Records, Toxic Ranch and 17th St. Market.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Last Call Brawlers for
letting me play a part in this. Tucson is lucky to have you.