Writer's Note: Another article that was lost when I stopped writing for a particular site.

The Last Call of Contraband

It’s hard to say good bye to an old friend.  And, what friendship is
stronger than the one between music and the fans bonded to it? Few,
for sure. When a band breaks up, we head for our iPods and boom boxes,
playing the songs over in our heads, grasping our tissues and
wondering what we could have done differently. Rather then sulk over
the end of a great local band, we all reminisced on the good times on
Saturday night for Contraband’s final show. The band is splitting up
after its years of performing in Tucson. Yet they chose to go out with
a joyful yell, fueled by whiskey and friends.  Far more pleasant than
the next morning’s hangover, the songs and energy of Contraband will
pound in our heads long after they are gone.

When we arrived at the house party, after a long, cigarette-filled
cruise down the far reaches of Valencia, the desert cul de sac was
already near capacity. Friends and fans of the band came together, on
the porch and out in front of the garage, sharing beers and greeting
newcomers. It wasn’t long before Contraband vocalist, Tim Hunker,
passed his birthday bottle of Fireball Whiskey to each of us, urging
us to take a celebratory shot. That first hospitable gesture would set
the pace for the entire evening. As the crowd began to gather out in
front of the stage in the garage, a nostalgic wave of the good ol’
times and parties of the past washed over us all.

 The first band to take the stage was a local four-piece band, Fenom.
The group, relatively new, proved they would have a voice, or shall I
say, growl, in Tucson’s metal scene. Influenced heavily by genre
staples like, Pantera and Slayer, they play pretty traditional thrash
metal. Vocalist, Gavin Illmad, was well equipped with his snarled
lyrics and epic locks which could only have been crafted to head bang
by a benevolent metal God. After chatting with Gavin throughout the
evening, I am still warmed to see the sweet man underneath the
screams.

I was pulled back by a watchful friend as pumped up party goers began
to mosh harder, per the bands request. The relentless drumming of
Professor X and the fast guitar work by Chuck Taylor and David Chuco
kept the tempo of their set in constant acceleration.

With a party of this caliber, the night would not have been complete
without a visit from local law enforcement. Shredding inevitably lured
those blue and red lights into the neighborhood, and our illusion of
an old fashioned high school desert party was completed. I don’t know
if our shouts: “If you’re under 21, ditch the drink,” and “fuck the
police,” contributed to the resolution but the party continued on with
closed garage doors and no further interruptions.

The whole mood of the stage was altered when For or Against began
their set. As the sweat now dripped down our enthused faces, we found
ourselves transported to a more intimate garage venue. The Tucson band
was offering up their take on classic underground punk and it’s an
inviting version of the genre. Hard enough to play alongside the
gruffest of rockers, yet catchy enough to get the crammed crowd
moving, the band deserves to be heard.

Maury Morales, also the drummer for Contraband, shines as For or
Against’s front man, presenting a certain likeable je ne sais quoi
capable of leading the band and crowd throughout the night. Alongside
cousin and guitarist, Steve Ellingsworth, the two are the band’s
remaining founding members. The newest addition to the group is
drummer Chris Hack. Beating his drums, with the strength he has gained
from wrestling competitions, he proves to be complimentary to the
other member’s talent. Bassist Keith joined up with the group just a
few months prior to Chris, bringing with him the energy of his
hardcore band, Knuckle Junction.

All night, I had pondered what band was going to take on the
responsibility and gift of playing “Happy Birthday,” to Contraband’s
singer. The votes were all yays when Tim walked into For or Against’s
set. By a jury of fans, it was decided who would do the honors and
honor him, they did.

The conversations, between sets, flowed like the quickly lowering
levels of beer from the keg. My attentions were so focused on the
clanking of party cups with new friends that I didn’t see Maid Misery
start their set. The whole garage rumbled with the force of the music
inside as I tried to budge the door, weighed down by the large crowd
within. The local metal band had the party at its most primal with
their fast assault style of hardcore music. Positioned safely in the
back, I felt their maniac energy as if it were, unapologetically right
in front of my face. Maid Misery is comprised of David Lucero
(vocals), Caleb Evens, (guitar) Erik Gomez, (guitar/ backup vocals)
Levi Grenier (drums), and Dillon Sharp (bass). For two years the group
had ripped their quick moving guitar strings across Tucson’s ears with
an energy that could bust ear drums and windows.

I had a feeling that the only thing preventing rock and roll induced
destruction of property that night was an overall respect for the
music and our hosts. We could have brought the house down but everyone
was just too damn nice for that.

As Contraband set up inside the garage, now humid with our sweat and
the condensation dripping off our beer cans, the moment we had been
waiting for, approached. The whole party, to be fair, was the moment I
had been waiting for all week. The long work days and responsibilities
were left behind us. And we found a good spot to watch the show.
Contraband gave us that musician-to-fan interaction with the fun
loving energy that has come to be expected of them.

Quickly after they began their take on metal and alternative rock,
vocalist Tim Hunker went out into the crowd, searching for extra sips
of booze in light of the current alcohol shortage. Alongside vocalist
Mike Hamilton, the two utilized the whole space, joining us in the
fray and turning the microphone outwards to us. I’m pretty sure I was
blushing the whole time Mike and I sang Sublime’s “Santeria,” to each
other but as I am a professional… Let’s call that “off the record.”
Blushing is for sissies and the set was anything but.

Slowing down would have been an unacceptable move as well, made clear
by Maury Morales, drumming in his tornado of a 2nd wind after his
previous set with For or Against.  The beers brought half way through,
were probably necessary just to cool Jaime Gryszkin down after his
talented guitar work. As I sang along with the guys, to another
beloved cover, I smiled to bassist Kyle Benson, wondering if he was
going to groove out in Russia. Though Kyle is moving out of the
country to teach English I can only assume he will throw a little
school of rock into the curriculum.

Contraband did teach us something valuable in their time performing
for us and welcoming us into their lives with glasses extended.
Talent can come together to create a new and interesting variation of
a genre. A good song and a powerful energy can create the most
intimate relationships of our lives. I have to humbly thank Contraband
for the experience they crafted with their music and inviting us to
share it with them. Though, this night was a bittersweet evening, we
all left with some special moment that would ring in our ears forever.
It might have been that shared story of shows past with a stranger
over drinks or singing one last tune with a favorite band. I know we
took that show and carried it home with us. Friend and photographer Kirstin Carnage got a song dedicated to her and she credits Contraband for her start in concert photography.

The thing about those parties that represent those best times of our
lives is that the memory lasts far longer than the beer. Though
Contraband’s show days are over their music will stand up in Tucson’s
underground music scene like the photographs taken that night We’ve
got to hold onto these nights and songs as tightly as we held our last
drinks that night. Thank you to all the bands who helped us celebrate
and thank you to Contraband for all the good times.

Alright. So, I know that this might look like I am..how shall we say...half-assing. I haven't done much of anything on this tumbleweed abundant blog. Well, I have decided to stop wasting space here and indulge my need to explore and ramble about music. So lets call this a test post. I'm playing around with the layout a bit and thinking about features so i'm in building mode. Here's an unsubstantial but hopefully fun little post to kinda re-claim Beatbox Saguaro and do something with it.