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1980

2010-03-03T20:01:00Z

2010 is here...or has been for over 2 months. If you were born in 1980, you will be turning "30" sometime this year, if not already. It's scary to think that the "80s" started thirty years ago. Also, it's amazing when you realize that the "Reagan" era started nearly thirty years ago as well.

However, I do not have any interest to write about politics because 1980 was also an incredible year for music. Often looked upon as the year that we lost one of the greatest drummers of all time and one of the most beloved singer/songwriters (John Bonham and John Lennon), as well as the poster boys for American punk (Darby Crash) and English post-punk (Ian Curtis), 1980 had much to offer for young lovers of new music. In fact, it may be my personal favorite year for modern rock. A few of my all time favorite bands released their debut album in 1980; Psychedelic Furs (self titled), Echo & The Bunnymen (Crocodiles), and Bauhaus (In The Flat Field).

1980 was probably the most productive year for The Clash. While their double LP London Calling (released in December 1979) kept The Clash in the forefront of the modern rock world, Joe Strummer and company spent half the year recording the triple-album Sandinista (which saw a December 1980 release date). If the Clash had their way, they would had released stand alone (non-album) singles every month in 1980. They did, however, break out with one - "Bankrobber" - before CBS Records halted the idea.

While 1980 may have been the highlight year for the post-punk movement as it helped establish "new wave music" as a viable commercial format, many punk rock songs were able to break the airwaves as well. "Los Angeles" by X, "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll, and various songs from The Ramones come to mind. Joan Jett released her debut album in 1980 before recruiting members of Rik L. Rik and The Avengers to form the Blackhearts (the album would later be released to greater ears in 1981). 1980 was a great year for AOR as well when you consider breakout records by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pat Benatar, and The J. Geils Band.

This is not the first time i have been fixated about the year 1980 and the soundtrack of those 12 months. Whenever my curiosity gets the best of me and I find myself skimming through the playlists/charts of modern rock radio stations today, I often fantasize how these playlists would look had the stations, now controlled by their mega-media conglomerates, operated in 1980. Outside of college stations, there was not much in the way of commercial alternative radio in 1980. If a new wave record with hit potential had enough of a guitar driven sound (think The Cars) it would probably had made it's way to AOR radio. If a song had more of a dance beat to it, it may had found it's way directly on top 40 radio. Then again, I often question if there was a major new wave radio station in every major media market, how much of their format would be AOR crossover - much like how so much of modern rock radio can be heard on the active rock station a few turns of the dial away.

So here I present my official 1980 playlist...as sort of a what a modern rock station heavy rotation list would look like 30 years ago. 30 songs from 30 artists. Just for fun and to celebrate my favorite year in music.

1980

ROTW: Hellbound Glory - Old Highs and New Lows

2010-02-14T19:57:00Z

HELLBOUND GLORY - Old Highs and New Lows (Gearhead Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to buy the CD from AMAZON

The South Beach Slammer

2010-02-08T20:45:00Z

I worked the shift for the big game yesterday and needed a few good drink specials to promote. Since the game was held in Miami, I decided to come up with a tropical shooter using some overstocked ingredients and named it the South Beach Slammer. Everyone loved it, so I thought I would share.

SOUTH BEACH SLAMMER (shooter)
1/2 oz. Margaritaville Passion Fruit Tequila
1/2 oz. Pineapple/Coconut Pucker
The tiniest splashes of orange, cranberry, and grapefruit juices.

Add all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain & pour.



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ROTW: Flowers of Zeus

2010-02-07T13:41:00Z

FLOWER OF ZEUS - Diamond Rings EP (Trumpton Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to download the EP from AMAZON

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Diamond Rings

ROTW: The Number - EP

2010-01-31T13:35:00Z

THE NUMBER - EP (Zine Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to download the EP from AMAZON

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from EP

Benefit Show for Erratic Radio

2010-01-26T17:23:00Z

Erractic Radio was nice enough to bring garage rock and piss-punk to the FM radio airwaves in Phoenix and Phoenix should be nice to come on out and help keep the show on the air.



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News Around The Blogosphere

2010-01-26T13:41:00Z

Just want to point your direction to a few things I have been reading about lately.

AZPUNK.com is reporting that plans are underway to re-open the notoriously famous Nile Theatre basement in Mesa under the new name The Underground.

Bob Lefsetz from The Lefsetz Letter wrote this about the new Dashboard Confessional album "Remember when emo was the rage, when "Screaming Infidelities" ruled MTV? Well, that audience grew up, got jobs and got married. Maybe Chris Carrabba needs to too."

MK Magazine is reporting that Michael Monroe has unveiled his new band featuring Sammi Yaffa and Todd Youth.

Battery In Your Leg has an exclusive single (free download) from Cosmo Jarvis.



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ROTW: Spoon - Transference

2010-01-24T13:56:00Z

SPOON - TRANSFERENCE (Merge Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to buy the CD from AMAZON

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Transference

Various Rants

2010-01-19T13:22:00Z

I am a few months behind on posting my rants. Some of these came from the holiday season, therefore may appear outdated.

Holiday Rants

One of the many highlights of my holiday season: buying a CD at ZIA in Tempe and having the cashier, who sounded like Jeff Spicoli, read the name on my debit card in a while telling me my last name sounded "Metal".
Here is an X-mas shopping rant. I went to Borders which, besides Bookmans and the library, has the largest book inventory. Looked up Personal Foul by Tim Donaghy on their self serve computer directories: "NOT IN STORES". This book came out a month before Christmas and was talked about on every sports program that covered the NBA. It's not like it's a rare book from an small indie press. This is the type of non-intuitiveness in retail that hurt the record stores. Get with it, Borders!
The best thing about the concept of Santa Claus: not having to wrap large and oddly shaped gifts. Just place the gift near the tree with a bow attached. The element of surprise is already there when the family member wakes up to find that Santa left a gift. No gift wrap needed.

Music Rants

Although Chuck D. doesn't actually rap on it, "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth is truly the most powerful rock/rap collaboration EVER. The fact that Kim Gordon and Chuck D unite over their mutual disgust for LLCool J solidifies my revelation.
I learned a very important lesson about jukebox wars: there is absolutely no way to trump a David Allen Coe "classic".
My top 5 musicians born on January 8th: 1. David Bowie 2. Elvis Presley 3. Robbie Krieger (The Doors) 4. Mike Reno (Loverboy) 5. Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley). Sorry, R. Kelly.
If your band has been around for 10 years and you are still pulling only 10 people to your shows, now is not the time to perform your entire 10 year catalog on stage. And if you didn't hear what people were saying, no matter how much you play faster and harder, they still think you sound like Creed.
You would think that a band called Neon Trees wouldn't look so gray and dull.
I wasn't expecting Inward Eye to rock. I should had done my homework. They're from Canada and have songs that sound like The Clash's more pop-oriented material.
Nico Vega = Yeah Yeah Yeahs with screamo vocals and less imaginative guitars.
One thing I always wondered: did Grand Funk Railroad ever actually play funk music?
Storm The Beach ripped it up a few weeks back. Impressed. The oldest punk rock guitarist I have ever seen. Older than any of the guys in the Relics. Yes, perhaps even older than any of the guitarists who have ever played in One Foot in the Grave.
So all your prayers have been answered. Scorpion vs Tarantula finally hired a bass player and became a quartet. They've always rocked but damn does that bottom end help.
This is not an endorsement of Social Distortion, although I have been a fan in the past. I just want to say that covers of "Ring of Fire" should start and stop with Social D. Hearing 2nd rate "punked up" covers of this Johnny Cash classic during jewelry commercials and TV theme songs must stop.
I recently heard the most ridiculous thing scanning through XM/Sirius. On the 90's\grunge station Lithium they are advertising "Black Hole Sundays" for those who want to hear Soundgarden all day. My bet is that they don't even play anything off Ultramega OK.
Okay, every once in awhile I like to play "Dream Weaver" on the jukebox for giggles. But to hear some newly turned 21 year old young lady say "Oh My God...It's Flock Of Seagulls" is truly priceless humor in so many ways.
I saw a band the other night (name escapes me) that sounded like either a really bad Jimmy Eat World knockoff or Journey. I couldn't decide which one.
Hey bands: when you set up your Myspace page, make sure you don't put any booking/contact info. And while you are it, please make sure you don't add a proper description of yourself in the "About" section, like a bio or anything. And when you upload songs, make sure you select the option that doesn't allow anyone to add songs to their Myspace playlists. You wouldn't want your music to go viral now, would you?
I saw Toad for the first time. Powerful rock. It was like stoner-synth-punk.

Food/TV/Sports/Culture Rants

Something I was pondering while watching a Cardinals game a few weeks back: when does Chips & Salsa stop becoming a snack and start becoming a meal? 1/4 bag in? Half bag? Now, I hate to go "Andy Rooney" on my readers, however when you think about salsa, some say it's a dip and some say it's a condiment. Shouldn't salsa technically be considered a salad?
Now this made me chuckle. Vince Thomas from NBA.com calls cornrolls the "NBA Mullet". www.nba.com/2009/news/features/vince_thomas/11/17/retired/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Comments about 3 commercials I saw while watching episodes of the second season of S.O.A.. 1. Even when he is telling people to drink responsibly, I still can't stand Kid Rock. I wonder what all his new friends in Nashville think about him pimping cherry flavored bourbon. 2. Some dude just taught us how to make a Disarano and cranberry. Gee...guess what the ingredients were? Unbelievable. 3. "From the director of Juno...starring George Clooney"...yikes.
I loved watching the Lou Amundson dunk over Zack Randolph during the first Memphis-Phoenix meeting this season. Randolph laughed because he knew he deserved the payback after the stunt he pulled last year. Is there better revenge for getting smacked in the face during an NBA game than to posterize your nemesis? Now someone needs to teach Steve Nash how to dunk over Tracy McGrady.
Cardinal games are not as fun to watch without Kurt Warner. Maybe Leinart can do a beer bong during the game to entertain me.
I hate the "WIRED" gimmick on the TNT/ESPN NBA Broadcasts. I don't want to hear what the coaches are saying because they never let us hear anything worthwhile. I don't want to hear Kobe "be himself" on the court. Hey NBA, do you want to make it fun and worthwhile? Turn that mic up whenever there is a altercation. Let us hear what Rasheed actually says to the ref before he gets hit with a "T".
I watched X-Files: I Want To Believe finally. Now that it is revealed that Mulder and Scully have a romantic connection and are physically involved, anyone find it odd that they still call each other by their last name?
If there are any single or divorced men reading this who are thinking about getting married , watch Deadly Women on the ID network. One episode of that show might change your mind.
I was watching Serial Mom at a friend's house this past weekend. I was trying to guess the year it came out. Rikki Lake looked so young but Matthew Lillard played her brother and looked around the same age. Come to find out that the movie came out in 1994 and Lillard recently turned 40. Shocked me...I thought he was much younger.
I just looked up Youth In Revolt on Wikipedia. Someone please tell me why Michael Cera is still playing 16 Year old boys in movies. The dude is like almost 30 now, right?
There is justice in the world when a great actor like Gary Oldman finally gets top billing in a blockbuster movie playing opposite Denzel Washington.
Since Guy Ritchie has been setting up sequels in his last 2 films, I just hope the sequel to RockNRolla comes out first.
Only in the NBA can a player who has only played 47 minutes the entire season thus far due to injury and is on the trading block be 2nd place in All Star voting for West Conference guards. Just because of China and the fact he is teammates with Yao Ming. Then again, if the NBA separated Shooting Guards and Point Guards in the voting categories,this wouldn't be an issue. Fortunately Nash ended up winning that second spot.
So I realize that a show like "The Jersey Shore" will be laughed at, ridiculed, mocked, and then forgotten about six months after it goes off the air. My question is why can't we just ignore crap like this to begin with? Why can't we, as a society, just shake our heads, turn the channel, and let our initial lack of enthusiasm speak for itself? How can such creative minds be so easily amused?
The Taco Bell Drive-Thru diet? OK, they got my attention. I actually like the Fresca-style tacos. But keep this in mind: Atleast Jared walked or rode his bike to Subway every day. I am not sure how not even getting out of your car is going to burn those Taco Bell calories.
Someone just offered me a Velamint. Ofcourse I ate it, but do they even make these anymore? How old do you think this mint was? It was still yummy.
I wonder if they have a patch for Mentos addiction
Watching these Cisco commercials I realize that Ellen Page really needs a good movie script to showcase her "charm"
I stayed up late one night to watch Die Hard on Spike. They are now showing commercials for penis pumps on TV. They are using the whole E.D. angle to push them. They even had a half-dozen testimonials from various senior citizens. Bizarre
Which beer company showcases their customers as total douchebags more? Budweiser or Miller Lite?

Fatherhood Rants

One of the instructors at my son's karate school claims to have once been Chuck Norris' bodyguard. Why would Chuck Norris need a bodyguard? He's freakin' Chuck Norris! Doesn't anyone at this school read the internet and know how awesome Chuck Norris is?
The Monday before Thanksgiving, I had lunch at my son's school and participated in the turkey trot .Now I can see where my lunch money goes.Microwaved bagel dogs? And if the kids want PB&J instead, they have to spread it on themselves. WTF!
I can't help to think that the music teacher at my son's school looks like the lead singer of Samiam. Maybe the school orchestra will breakout into "Capsized".
I was stoked to hear "Grace" by Supergrass on my son's Lego Rock Band last night.

Miscellaneous Rants

If my cat is smart enough to understand the concept of my alarm in the mornings, how come he doesn't understand what the snooze button is?
"Ya gotta love this", "Ya gotta love that". No, I don't gotta love it. Not everything I once deemed as terrible deserves my sense of irony.
Time management doesn't seem like a option for someone who multi-tasks between things that are his responsibility and things he is passionate about.
Think twice before offering suggestions to an ambitious delegater.
From this point forward, I no longer work at "Hollywood Alley in Mesa". Instead, I work at "Hollywood Alley located in the heart of the DoRa district in west Mesa".
There is citrus-scented hand sanitizer at my day job that, when applied, smells like a Absolut Citron & tonic. It always makes me wish there was a happy hour in my near future.
The best Hot Toddy recipe in the world. Cup of hot water, one squeeze of a lemon, one shot of Wild Turkey Honey Liqueur. That's it.
I am not a fashion cop but track pants with chain wallets look awful.



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Truck Stop Rock Fest

2010-01-19T01:15:00Z

Antique Scream returns for Truck Stop Rock Fest at Hollywood Alley. They will be joined by Greenhaven, Hogjaw, Adam Lee Cogswell. Also, PBR is supplying limited edition 32 oz. Trucker Travel Cups. They come filled with Pabst for $5 and each refill is only $3.



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ROTW: Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?

2010-01-17T13:50:00Z

BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - WHO KILLED SGT. PEPPER? (A. Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to buy the CD from AMAZON

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?

R.I.P. JAY REATARD

2010-01-13T22:40:00Z

Matador Records, as well as a host of other sites, are confirming the death of 29 year old punk musician Jay Reatard.

Something that has been overlooked. Jay had been complaining alot of being sick on his twitter. I realize that "dying in his sleep" seems to take on a new definition recently, but let's wait for the autopsy here before anyone assumes. If he had truly been ill the last week, he could had died from any of a number of causes. A friend of mine mentioned that you heard Jay had chronic asthma as well.

I have written about Jay alot on this blog (click here to see all articles tagged with Jay Reatard). I was fortunate to have booked his first Arizona appearance as a solo artist three years ago this week, months after the Blood Vision album came out. Jay would play Hollywood Alley an additional time about 18 months later.

Many people knew Jay originally from his band The Reatards. However my first taste of his music was when I was listening to a goth station on Shoutcast called Radio Ghoul School and heard a band of whose t-shirt I would always see Ryan Wong wearing around town, Lost Sounds. The song was "Reasons To Kill" from their second full length album Black Wave. After 80 seconds of eerie synthetic noise, the song rocks out in a dark, self-isolated-in-a-cold-damp-cell manner. Even though "Reasons to Kill" fit well on the Radio Ghoul School playlist among less-angst-spewing dark sounds like Sisters of Mercy, the song, much like the entire Lost Sounds catalog, can't really be considered goth (although "Ocelot Rising" from the same album comes very close). Jay Reatard and his co-founder and then-girlfriend Alicja Trout called their style "Black Wave" prior to naming their album the same. Upon their definition,Black Wave was the outcome of combining synthpunk/new wave music with the rage, hate, and apocalyptic subject matter found in black metal.

I was uncertain at first on who sang the lead vocals on "Reasons to Kill" as it was too thick and deep to be Alicja. But after re-visiting early albums from Sparks and remembering on what the male falsetto voice is capable of, I had it later confirmed that yes Jay is performing lead vocals here.

So, in tribute of Jay Reatard and for a limited time, I have posted "Reasons To Kill" here for you to download. R.I.P. Jay, you will be missed.

*UPDATE* 01/19/10:
Ryan Rousseau texted me after the funeral this weekend to tell me that they buried Jay right next to Isaac Hayes. As far as developments, tracking Jay's death left me sour towards this so-called "Web 2.0" and it's viral ability to transfer both fact and fiction. Jay was found dead at 3:30 in the a.m. on Wednesday January 13th. The next day, Fox News Memphis had reported that Memphis police were investigating his death as a possible homicide, which included the typical posted tip lines and "rewards for information". This immediately went viral, with Pitchfork and a few others picking up the story and hundreds of tweets and various other blogs linking to the secondary sources. By Friday January 14th, Fox News Memphis had removed their "possible homicide" page and left the original notice about his death. What wasn't mentioned, nor considered by anyone who initially linked to Fox News Memphis, is that it is police procedure to investigate all D.O.A.s as possible homicides before ruling out any foul play. I do not have a problem with the initial misunderstanding. However, as late as Saturday, the day of Jay's funeral, a Twitter search proved that hundreds of Twitter users were still spreading the news that Jay Reatard may had been murdered. Many linked to, not the Fox News Memphis article that wasn't there anymore, but rather to second and third generation sources which referenced the Fox News article (some blog noted that the FOx News article in question was removed). Even today (Tuesday, January 19th), people are still discovering that Reatard passed away nearly a week ago. A Twitter search this very moment shows a few people still passing on that the surprise that he was possibly murdered versus only one who is trying to stop the rumor by tweeting "Jay Reatard was not murdered!". That is my gripe. If rumors can spread fast via the web, Facebook, twitter, etc, then why can't they be diffused just as fast. And if Fox News Memphis realized their over-anticipated reporting and took down the page suggesting Jay Reatard was murdered, then why haven't the blogs who helped carry the rumors corrected their errors yet?

Well, on a happy note, there is a cool download on Jay Reatard's official website. It's a Nirvana cover "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle". It's reportedly the last song Jay ever recorded, sans the irony of him covering another artist who died way before his time.



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Celebrating Birthdays of Elvis and Bowie

2010-01-05T14:27:00Z

So I hear alot of people don't know Elvis Presley and David Bowie share a birthday. Well on Friday, January 8, 2010 we are celebrating both with my pals the 1977 DJs (Notah and Mykel Sane). This should be a cool event. I am gathering some Elvis and Bowie films to show on the big screen and we are also doingsome drink specials to those dressed up as Elvis or Bowie. No Cocer, Hollywood ALley in Mesa



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TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2009

2010-01-02T02:46:00Z

Well here it is. I have been waiting all year to do this. Like last year, I used my iTunes stats (plays vs. skips, etc), as well as some more superficial methods, to help select the top 15 and rank them. And yes I know that by having two tied at #3 that this list is technically a top 16. So be it.

Clicking the album image takes you to Amazon or another destination to purchase the album.
Clicking the artist/album name takes you to the review.

1. THE PICTUREBOOKS - A LIST OF PEOPLE TO KILL (Nois-O-Lution)

2. THE HORRORS - PRIMARY COLOURS (XL Recordings)

(tie) 3. VON BONDIES - LOVE HATE AND THEN THERE'S YOU (Majordomo)

(tie) 3. TOKYO SEX DESTRUCTION - THE NEIGHBOURHOOD (B-Core)

4. SISTER CITIES - ILUMINACION ESPIRITUAL (self released)

5. METRIC - FANTASIES (Redeye Label)

6. SONIC YOUTH - THE ETERNAL (Matador)

7. JAY REATARD - WATCH ME FALL (Matador)

8. BARES WIRES - ARTIFICIAL CLOUDS (Tic Tac Totally)

9. JOHN DOE AND THE SADIES - COUNTRY CLUB (Yep Roc)

10. VIVIAN GIRLS - EVERYTHING GOES WRONG (In The Red Records)

11. POLVO - IN PRISM (Merge Records)

12. LETDOWNRIGHT- THE WORKERS AND THE WALKERS (self released)

13. GIRL IN A COMA - TRIO B.C. (Blackheart Records)

14. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART (Slumberland)

15. JACK O. & THE TENNESSEE TEARJERKERS - DISCO OUTLAW (Goner)

Also, here is my list of five albums that I thought could had made my top 15 but I was unable to get my hands on them by the end of the year.
1. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
2. Digital Leather - Warm Brother
3. Love Me Nots - Upsidedown Insideout
4. Brian Jonestown Massacre - Smoking Acid or One EPs
5. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic



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ROTW: 5 EPs released in 2009

2010-01-01T06:01:00Z

Some of these were suppose to be the ROTWs for September and October, but I combined into one article.

THE IMPULSE INTERNATIONAL - SATURDAY SUZIE (Mutant Pop Records)

Click the above album image to download the EP from Amazon.

3 fun tracks in a powerpop-meets-punk'n'roll-not-available-in the-mall vein (like The Briefs, The Ends from Austin, FM Knives, etc.). I am curious if they wrote the mega-hit "One Girl, Eight Wheels" for Gotham Girls Roller Derby in their home state of New York. All three songs are superb pop-punk rockers, with the b-sides outweighing the title track in my opinion.

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Saturday Suzie

THE KILLS - BLACK BALLOON (Domino)
This here should had actually been called a "single" as it was featured on 2008's Midnight Boom. Rather it was given a release as an EP on all formats, including a nifty 10". This help the title track stick out more as I felt it was lost among the stellar Midnight Boom album. "Black Balloon" is joined by two unreleased tracks; "Weed Killer", which is fairly typical of a Kills' track and "Forty Four", a neo-blues number that should solicit atleast one or two comparisons to The White Stripes if it ever sees the light of a more proper release. Not sure if the purpose of this EP was to hold fans over until their fourth studio album could be finally released (with much delay due to Allison Mosshart's adventure with The Dead Weather and Jamie Hince's adventure with ill-tempered super models), but unless you are a hardcore fanatic, you can do without this.

LENGUAS LARGAS - I FEEL (Tic Tac Totally)

Click the above album image to download the EP from Amazon.

Lenguas Largas was probably the most talked about Tucson band among Phoenicians in 2009 and this 3-song 7" record proves why. Dee Cosmeticator bought 2 copies at a Rogue West show a few months back and gave me a copy as a thank you for driving. The exclusive term I used to describe Lenguas Largas' style is "Peyote Rock". This Tucson supergroup play punk-gone-neopsych without any shoegaze pretension or use for a high-end studio to translate such a sonic sound. "I Feel" starts out resembling something from Darker My Love's most recent CD except Lenguas is extremely lo-fi. Dual drum/percussionists make you feel like you are hearing two drummers by mistake yet forgetting they have more than the conventional one anyway (if that makes sense). Isaac Reyes (from Shark Pants) has a falsetto voice that show hints of David Thomas and Russel Mael. This is a good primer for a full length, one I would assume would be full of dreamy, uninhibited noisepop.

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from I Feel.

MONO STEREO - SPACE OUT (360 Degree Music)

Click the above album image to download the EP from Amazon.

A young Swedish quartet perform garage/psych that is swell yet familiar. The opening track "Orange Is Green" reveals both miscellaneous 80's britpop and 90s shoegaze influences. "The Day Before Science Fiction" is a hybrid number similar to the well blended Methodrone album by Brian Jonestown Massacre. Speaking of BJM, there is a story in the liner notes inside the Tepid Peppermint Wonderland "best of" album about how "If Love Is The Drug" is practically, and coincidentally, the same song as Dandy Warhols "Minnesoter" and a song that the late Christoper Tucker of The Situation wrote on his own (eventually collaborating with Anton Newcombe on the BJM single). Mono Stereo's "Time Will Never Let You Away" could also be grouped among those neo-psych classics having the familiar verse melodies and progressions noticed immediately, probably less coincidental. Space Out ends with a 70s Stooges/stoner repetitive psych jam titled "You Better". A solid EP that could definitely buzz a few eardrums around the globe, yet may have trouble standing out among the hundreds of underground psych bands that have been buzzing those same ears for years.

Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Space Out

RADIO CRIMES - RADIO CRIMES (May Cause Dizziness)

Click the above album image to buy the 10" record from May Cause Dizziness website.

Alex Empty leaves Phoenix (and his band The Half Empties) behind and forms Radio Crimes in San Francisco with members of The Lucky Stiffs and Thunder City. Phoenix record label May Cause Dizziness, a longtime supporter of Alex, helps bring his music to the masses in the form of a limited edition white & black target/swirl 10" record. Some may think Radio Crimes are just another street punk band on a mission to figure out what made bands like The Jam and Elvis Costello & The Attractions so cool. However these four songs are more than just 70s brit-punk all modded up. Alex reveals his dealings with personal politics, demons, bad decisions, and urbanite boredom within the inner city on songs like "Tokio Rose" and "Occidental". But if you just want to dance, "Plastic Bottles" has a neat Mick Jones-y intro riff that sounds like it's straight from either the London Calling or Sandinista songbooks and is layered over a beat that would surely guarantee the song a spot among any mod-night DJ setlist, possibly segued right into "A Town Called Malice". It's a shame that the future of this band is uncertain, with Mr. Empty returning to Phoenix shortly after the release of this record. If there are any copies of this record left, I'd say get one now because a re-release is unlikely.



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ROTW: Five CDs from the local Phoenix area

2009-12-31T14:02:00Z

Some of these were suppose to be the ROTWs for September and October, but I combined into one article.

DAGG NABBIT STUBBS - HOT GARBAGE (50/30/30 Records)

Click the above album image to buy the CD from the band's website.

Deep south ignorance, when done as shtick, can be quite charming. The Dagg Nabbit Stubbs are quite the charmers,enough so that local indie rockers dismiss comparisons to Hell Yeah or Clutch while packing any venue that the Stubbs dare flaunt their bare-in-overalls garb. This supergroup in disguise have been pulling folk's legs here in Phoenix for almost 2 years. I myself was even fooled when I thought the band was actually from Swampwater,GA when I had first saw them perform. Putting aside both the musicianship and sense of humor these boys have, their most overlooked talent is singer Sweetwater Jones' ability to tell a story through lyrics and adlib banter. It successfully brings the listener into the swampy world of Dagg Nabbit Stubbs and, even if that journey only lasts a few minutes into each song, it's a skill that 99% of artists (outside of folk genres) cannot claim. Nothing else I can say will do this six song CD justice other than to wiki-quote a few of the songs while leaving some of the best lines for you to discover on your own.

"Devlin' Under The Influence"

"get in the car...strap in the baby...and my sweet cousin Ronnie, because he's got special needs"
"we're going faster than a specter of death...or a golden cheetah on some crystal meth"
"Ronnie, fetch us another Bartles & James from the cooler in the back, would you? Whooo! Mmmm, this good, what is this? Is this Pina Colada? Goddammit Ronnie you know I like blackberry... now go fetch it!"

"The Devil's Dance Party"

"This is the crappiest prom I've ever been to...and I've been to none"
"Bullocks! I don't know what the hell that means. I saw it in a British movie once".

"You, Me, and the Devil Makes Four"

"my ouija board gives me pick up lines"
"I'm the king of the fairgrounds. You're the queen of the trailer"

"These Pancakes Are Made With The Devil's Bisquick"

"Munching on a Dorita sandwich..."

EARTHMEN AND STRANGERS - EARTHMEN AND STRANGERS (FDH Music/Discos Cagados)

Click the above album image to buy the LP from FDH website (CD version Out-Of-Print).

If you hadn't heard the name Earthmen and Strangers and I played a few select tracks from this album telling you only that the band was from Phoenix, you might swear I stumbled across a lost record from Greg Sage and the Wipers. However, Mr. Sage is not involved here, but Ryan "Wong" Rosseau is. Always eager to record, Rousseau and his new band went into the studio only a few short months after playing their first show in the summer of '08. The result is a new style for Rousseau that still depends on the adrenaline rush from his manically rhythmic guitar attack while allowing his vocals to relax and breathe a little. Recently, Rousseau has taken a liking to guitar-driven pop-oriented post-punk, referencing The Psychedelic Furs, The Vapors, and The Church in interviews. Personally, I hear traces of Adam & the Ants, Wire, and the less experimental side of Sonic Youth - as well as some Aussie proto-punk influences (Radio Birdman, Saints). The album in it's rawest vision is solid and focused, while attempts towards a neo-psych vibe doesn't fully translate quite yet. And while this is Rousseau's best vocal performance to date, he still lacks the commercialized tonality to present this record as anything remotely power-pop. However, Rousseau's track record speaks for itself (Wongs, Destruction Unit, Tokyo Electron, Reatards, Yuma Country Territorial Prison Guards), so whatever it is that he is trying to accomplish with Earthmen and Strangers, he will get there. In the meantime, enjoy the catchy "My Bartender", the Wiper-esque "Naked To The Stars", or the hypnotizing "Gonna Wake The Dead". Or if anything I have described hasn't captivated your musical imagination, wait a few weeks until FDH releases the new Tokyo Electron album.

GREEN LADY KILLERS- JUST FINE (self released)

Click the above album image to buy the CD from CDBABY.

It still hasn't been accepted here in the desert that girls can rock as well as the boys. All female acts are, unfortunately, still considered a novelty in these parts. My pal Sarah Deathriage of the bands DeSade and Adam's Evil just wrote about this very subject on her Facebook page recently. However, no band in Phoenix discredits this poisonous pre-cognition about women rockers more often than The Green Lady Killers. This all-female trio never really associated themselves in the same punk rock circles as many of their contemporaries. They came out of nowhere and many longtime underground promoters in town still have not a clue of the talent, showmanship, and drawing power that GLK have. Since 2004, singer/guitarist Lady Van Buren and drummer Cherry Bomb have set up shop in any venue that would take them while performing with any band that would share a stage. Exposure to the diversity from rubbing shoulders within many different small circles of the local music scene has ultimately help GLK create their own world around them. Perhaps there was something suspicious when, a few years ago, Lady Van Buren and Cherry Bomb hired Louis Lashes to replace their original bass player while adding a fourth member in Pete "Dusty Jimenez" Grosso on lead guitar. There was definitely an improvement in the new gender balanced group, as shown on their self titled EP released in 2007. However, in the middle of 2008, the two original Lady Killers sought a change back towards the original makeup of the band, thus dumping the boys and moving towards making their band a trio once again.

Just Fine documents the latest GLK chapter immediately after the acquisition of Chicago transplant Annie Venom (who lends her Dinah Cancer style vocals on the horror-rock anthem "Zombified"). If you can imagine a world where Joan Jett and Lita Ford kept The Runaways alive through the 80s and 90s, then you will understand why I've been caught saying "...with rock as this good as GLK, the world doesn't need The Donnas" over the last year. Songs like "My 45", "Linger On", and "Dance Floor" are primed to be rock radio hits. Close your eyes and listen to the high energy cut "Time Bomb" and you'll wonder how long it will take for a music supervisor to license this for the next blockbuster movie or MTV-reality series soundtrack. Producer Jamison Weddle did a great job on, not only Lady Van Buren's lead vocals, but the polished back harmonies of all three members that help make the GLK songs sound "big". Listening to Just Fine you'll realize that, regardless of any pre-conceived novelties, this all female rock band are taking themselves very seriously. Yes, there is a strong pop-rock element heard in GLK's music although it never risks sounding Disneyed-out like, let's say, The Dollyrots. Loaded with psychobilly riffs, punk rage, and pop-metal sensibilities, GLK take their songs to places most so-called "bad girl" bands wouldn't dare.

LETDOWNRIGHT- THE WORKERS AND THE WALKERS (self released)

Click the above album image to visit the band's myspace page to learn how to purchase the CD

Letdownright is a Phoenix supergroup featuring former and current members of Trunk Federation, Half String, and Moody Fishermen. The quintet is led by Jim Andreas who has always had an amazing voice. I first heard Jim sing in 1989 when auditioning for Bootbeast - a band he originally started years earlier as Bootbeast Carnival during Phoenix's less-heralded post-Mad Gardens punk scene. Much like Sun City Girls, Mighty Sphincter, and Victory Acres, Bootbeast were one of the more art damaged punk bands that would occasionally piss the hardcore kids off. Years after Bootbeast, Andreas formed Trunk Federation, which received critical praise from almost every regional publication between California and Texas that covered indie rock. Where Andreas has been since the demise of Trunk Federation is not important (although rumors insist that he has been working on this current project for well over five years). What is important is the fact that this talented singer/songwriter is back with the help of a few friends, including drummer-turned-guitarist Chris Kennedy (also from Trunk Federation) and the spokeswoman for all things indie in Phoenix, Kimber Lanning. Letdownright is far more pop-oriented than I remember Trunk Federation ever being. The experimental traits that Andreas and Kennedy were once known for are now merely building blocks to comprehensive compositions. Such blocks include odd, yet catchy keyboard melodies, tightly liberated drum patterns, and Fripp-inspired guitar riffs that simply take a backseat to Andreas' sweet pop logic. From the first few songs on The Workers and The Walkers, Letdownright sound heavily influenced by David Bowie, Lou Reed, Cockney Rebels, Roxy Music and T-Rex. Deeper in, I can hear touches of Ben Folds and Joe Jackson in their electric piano-driven pop cuts like "The Rake's Progress" and "Everybody Loves You". The nostalgic ambiance is not overbearing thanks to Andreas' retro-balanced songwriting which, on a song like "Do You Hate Me Now?", resembles equal parts Andy Partridge (XTC) and Britt Daniel (Spoon). The whole album is a reminder on how well an artist can sound if the proper time and preparation is applied. Yet, I am not sure I am want to wait five years for Andreas to write another album this good.

SISTER CITIES - ILUMINACION ESPIRITUAL (self released)

Click the above album image to buy the CD from CDBABY

Sister Cities have evolved from a folky lo-fi White Stripes/Black Lips novelty duo to an aurally abundant quartet by adding a pianist Ana Barraza a year or so after adding bass player Spike Brendle. Iluminacion Espiritual features re-mastered versions from their 4-song promo CD-R they were handing out in the summer of 2008 carefully place as the even number tracks. The odd numbers are the five new songs, including the well constructed "The Other Boys" which brings to mind both their long standing love for the Cold War Kids and the contagious, but well hidden, Death Cab For Cutie bug that most indie rock bands suffer from. Singer Brett Davis has a skilled, yet verdant soulful voice that spits melodies which retain raw folkness rather than achieve pop deception. Although I appreciate all elements involved, including Davis' guitar playing, his vocals and curiously post-adolescent lyrics are definitely the x-factor on what makes Sister Cities special. Besides the effort of one originating member, what is truly captured is the fun that their audience has when experiencing the band live. Courtney Robinson's getty-up drum patterns really wake up the senses in prep for goosebump-induced vocal and piano passages. If you have followed the band from their earliest carnation (2006?), then this album is a true mark of maturation and should easily abet some hometown pride. Credit, but don't over-credit, producer Bob Hoag. His engineering and audio shaping skills help make this CD achieve the warmth and depth of your favorite vinyl records. Although I have covered Sister Cities before by posting mp3s, promoting their events, heralding their greatness, etc., I truly feared that reviewing their first full length CD this late in the game would truly set me up as a band wagoner. With a few exceptions (BatteryInYourLeg's Sean Ryan immediately heeded my advice and reviewed "The Other Boys" single back in October), the local indie rock journalism world has yet to catch on. So while I vote Iluminacion Espiritual the best Phoenix, AZ album of the year, I also claim Sister Cities a band most desperately need of a professional manager, someone to help get their music out to more ears. Until then I do not mind at all being one of the only folks in Arizona to write about them periodically.

Free Download "The Other Boys" from Sister Cities new album Iluminacion Espiritual

Disclaimers: Sister Cities and Green Lady Killers gave me a copy of their new CD. Jim Andreas from Letdownright asked Ross from Hollywood Alley if he think I would like a CD not knowing I had my own music blog and Ross said "definitely, Will loves free CDs from bands". I found the Dagg Nabbit Stubbs CD on a table at Hollywood Alley after the bar had closed. It was probably paid for after the band's set but someone left it behind and it was unclaimed. Ryan never gave me a Earthmen and Strangers CD and they eventually all sold out quick, but I found a used copy at Eastside for $5.99



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Never Been To 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley? MTV Games May Bring Gilman Street To You

2009-12-16T15:56:00Z

Digital Music News reported yesterday that the next artist-branded version of Rock Band will most likely be Green Day. Much like the use of Shea Stadium and The Cavern Club as "venues" in this year's Beatles version of Rock Band, DMN is suggesting that game maker Harmonix (division of MTV Games, distributed by Electronic Arts) will offer famed bay area punk club 924 Gilman Street as one of the Green Day specific venues. I wonder if each Rock Band player has to pay a modest membership fee and undergo a screening in order to play within the Gilman Street setting.



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FREE MP3 ALERT: Sister Cities - FULL LENGTH DOWNLOAD

2009-12-15T17:01:00Z

Within the next few weeks I will be reviewing some Phoenix-AZ area albums that came out in 2009. I know that the Sister Cities CD titled Iluminacion Espiritual will definitely be among my top 15 overall for the year.

I want you to hear this album, so I have good news. Sister Cities have posted their entire album up as a free download. However, the offer is only good until tonight at 10pm or 100 downloads have been made. So act quick. If you are a fan of Cold War Kids, Death Cab for Cutie and White Stripes, you will not be disappointed.

CLICK HERE: https://download.yousendit.com/Z01OUXV0NmNrYUNGa1E9PQ



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The Ruby Room and other Phoenix Casualties

2009-12-11T13:58:00Z

Disclaimer: As many of you know, in addition to writing, I also spend a few nights a week inside the live music environment. I bartend and occasionally book events at Hollywood Alley in Mesa. Affectionately nicknamed "The Alley", it is a bar/restaurant that is open day and night. During the evening and mostly weekends, The Alley doubles as a 200-capacity 21 & over live music venue with a proper stage and sound system. Established in 1988, Hollywood Alley is one of the longest running Phoenix area music venues catering to local and baby-national entertainment. Before joining the Hollywood Alley family four years ago (after 14 years as a loyal customer), I worked at several live music venues while frequenting others. I have a sincere admiration for the small bars, clubs, and halls in the Phoenix area, both past and present. Over the past ten years I have seen many casualties. I was even on board for some of those casualties. My first four years was at the Bash on Ash, which ended when I was informed of a format change away from live rock music and more towards hip hop DJs. I was also among the very last bar staff at The Mason Jar, which closed in 2005. I was on the bartending staff when The Brickhouse closed the first time. With all that being said, my opinions represent myself ONLY and NOT the opinions of Hollywood Alley staff and management.

On the last day of November, word got out on the web that The Ruby Room in Phoenix would be closing. In fact, it was announced that the following night (Tuesday December 1st) would be it's last.

The Ruby Room was located in downtown Phoenix, a few blocks south from the concentrated area of art galleries and swank dive bars nicknamed CenPho (short for Central Phoenix). CenPho is also the location of the First Friday Art Walks held once a month. Historically, any business involved with the arts has benefited a great deal from the traffic that the Art Walk generates. This includes bars, coffee shops, and restaurants and can happen even if the business isn't located directly on the path of the Walk.

The Ruby Room opened in June of 2007 after Greg Riggins, who previously owned the memorable Emerald Lounge, purchased the spot formally known as Big Al's. A few weeks after opening, I asked Greg if I could book the initial "First Friday" event there. He agreed and set up a three band show, two of which had a history of doing well at Emerald Lounge. However this particular night was a "bust". The few people who did come out noticed during their drive that the parade of people who were attending the Art Walk seemed to walk and gather around a different path far off from where the Ruby Room was located rather than migrate to the Ruby Room after the galleries closed.

Noting my experience, I refuse to mislead an argument that the Ruby Room closed down because of location. Once you learned the back way (7th street to Lincoln or Grant to 1st Street, leading you into the back parking lot), The Ruby Room was a cinch to get to. The original concerns were quickly diffuse by the booking of several weekend events later that year, many that packed the house. Claiming that The Ruby Room was too far south on the one-way part of Central Avenue is an inconclusive argument. Location isn't everything. The arguably more centralized dance club Homme Lounge closed recently and that was right near one of the main light rail stops.

In an interview with Ed Masley of the Arizona Republic, Riggins admits the reason for closing was simply "lack of customers" but goes on to diffuse the theory of location as well, pointing out the recent closing of other venues located in more welcomed settings. However, I disagree with Riggins assessment on his club's own aesthetics. The vibe was right, because simply it was different. I don't think the Phoenix scene wanted The Ruby Room to be a CBGB's. From the Nile to The Blue Ox and, to an extent, Hollywood Alley, we have had too many trashy "posters glued on the walls" punk dives. I welcomed the Ruby Room atmosphere, even if my infrequent visits due to limited funds and a new Mesa address didn't support my admiration.

When discussing the local music scene I realize that there are several sectors involved here; the punk scene, the indie scene, the rockabilly/psychobilly scene, etc. So, for the sake of my arguments and this article, I would like to group them all together under one moniker: "The Phoenix New Music Scene".

So, as someone who has been active in the "The Phoenix New Music Scene" in one form or another since 1992, I would like to offer my insight on why some venues close. Most reasons surround business. Low foot traffic leads to less money earned at the door and in concessions. Low foot traffic has been the result of a poor economy and tough DUI laws. I wouldn't be shedding too much light discussing this any further. It's common logic. However there are some deeper beliefs involved here that leads to the New Music Scene pointing the finger at itself. The self accusation has it's own economic theory as well.

The theory is based on simple math - a ratio. Just like if your expenses in life grow, your income has to grow as well. Phoenix has grown considerably over the past 20 years. The population has grown. The area has grown. When it comes to the New Music Scene, the growth has triggered two things: more musicians (which thus leads to new bands/performing artists) and new venues for these musicians to get their start in. However, according to the simple ratio described above, there has to be a growing audience to support the growth in artists and venues, one that is growing at the same rate as the increase in musicians and venues. If, for example, there were 1500 people in 1999 in the Phoenix area going to any one of ten venues to support local live music on a regular basis, there would have to be 3000 people now to support 20 venues to keep the survival rate the same. If the audience doesn't grow at the same rate, the survival rate of these venues decrease. This is where cities like Seattle and Austin succeed and Phoenix fails or at best barely succeeds.

Right now there are just too many small venues for bands to play. I believe in competition and survival of the fittest. Sometimes a venue closes and the New Music Scene sings in unison "good riddance". However, I believe this time,like a few other times in the past, we lost a very special place with some good,caring people behind it. This time I feel one of the fittest didn't survive.

The thing is, you would think that whenever a venue closes or changes direction, that the email inbox of people like Hollywood Alley owner/E.C. Ross Wincek's would be flooded, but he barely experiences a bump in the wake of a venue shutdown.

Instead, in the wake of a live music venue closing, someone, somewhere is trying to fill some miscalculated "gap" by turning their local watering hole or favorite art gallery into the next hip spot. Although it has always been part of the DIY (punk) ethic to create new places to rock when other venues will not have you, I hope the Phoenix New Music Scene can come together and unanimously confess that we do indeed now have the proper amount of small venues for our scene and there is no longer a need to turn anymore dive bars, art galleries, sports bars, and restaurants - all with inadequate space and P.A. equipment - into new music venues. Not that I have a problem with any such business. I myself am a big sports fan and have found myself chowing down on wings and drinking draft beer in a sports oriented establishment many times. And I am a dive bar fanatic, often following CM Reddings retired Booze Pig column in the Phoenix New Times and making lists of seedier places I want to visit - places where the walls talk and the cocktails don't cost you $5.00 plus. Look around. Dive bars last forever, it seems. Art galleries and sports bars have a significant longevity factor as well. And while I am at it, lets throw in hotels. They will be fine. These establishments don't need live music and the New Music Scene doesn't need them...except when musicians need to find a cheap beer and good jukebox after band practice close to home.

I was at Rogue West last month and, while Automatic Erasers were playing inside, I heard punk rock music outside somewhere in the distance. I asked Xavier the bar manager and he said a bartender he recently fired was hired at a sports bar across the street called O'Brien's. Almost immediately upon her arrival, she started booking punk and rockabilly bands. I refuse to believe that the area of 35th & northern is such a cultural mecca that it requires two music venues showcasing punk rock, or any New Music for that matter. That experience alone is the epitome of what has gone wrong with the New Music Scene. What I found out working at Hollywood Alley (a place that serves as a daytime dive bar, restaurant, and live music venue) is that it is difficult to keep the place serving the needs of all clientèle. Happy hour drinkers may leave early if they hear music from the stage they don't appreciate, or if the music is disturbing the sports telecast they are trying to watch. Those dining may choose a quieter atmosphere. A true sports bar may experience the same conflicts. When the first New Music nights out draw the typical patronage, it's easy for bar management to make a hasty decision. What needs to be considered is that live music audiences are unstable. While a few bands may draw well, some bands have a less loyal following that has more to do with the proximity of their regular gigs (example: if you are drawing 100+ at the Yucca Tap Room and have been performing once a month, good luck getting a fraction of those folks to travel to Glendale or Scottsdale to see you play.) We must consider how bands get their followings as well. I have seen bands with extreme loyal followings have their following cut in half because of something simple like a single band member change or, even more ridiculous, a band member broke it off with a particular girl. When you consider all of this, would you sacrifice your long running and moderately successful karaoke night with live music if you were the manager of neighborhood bar?

Some may argue that we need more heavily concentrated areas to showcase new music, much like what is offered in Austin or, at one time, the north end of Mill Avenue near ASU. I am talking about a strip of establishments that benefit from each other's foot traffic, some offering live music and others offering just food, drink, art, and atmosphere. I am not sure if this will happen but I have often visualized that it will happen on Indian School Road before it happens again on Mill or truly happens in CenPho. Admittedly this vision came before the demise of the Mason Jar . However the proposal of a concentrated area for the arts only works if the means and desire to travel to the strip is there. The public transportation system in the Phoenix area has barely encourage anyone in the New Music Scene to utilize it to it's maximum potential. Hollywood Alley and Yucca Tap Room are keeping east-siders in the East Valley while CenPho is offering enough for the downtowners to stay put on their side of town. Unfortunately, DUI laws have stifled urges to drive and inspired many eager artistic folk to create new venues close to their homes in hopes that people will drive to them to see their band perform. Although I don't want to see that type of DIY ethic discouraged, with so many taking this route it is all working against each other and causing some bad casualties in the New Music Scene.

So, to summarize, here is bullet point on my suggestions how to save The Phoenix New Music Scene from losing more venues.

Understand that if you are in a band and are looking for a gig and none of the available venues will book you, realize that it is not because they don't understand your music. Every venue in town is booking punk and indie. It is because you are unproven and venues can't risk a money making weekend night on a band that may clear the room. I suggest rather than playing a dive bar that has never offered live music before, offer to open for a band on the weekend for free at a more established venue.

From above, offer to prove yourself on a non-weekend night. Every band tells the same story "if you book us on a weekend, we can bring more people". That is obvious and applies to all bands. A special band is one that can pack the house on a weekday. And, if you didn't like my "play free" idea in point one, trust me, if you can pack the place on a weekday you will get paid. That is like a needle in the haystack for small venues. No E.C. in town wants to lose that.

There are three ways for band to make an impact on a club's business while impressing the management. Number one, don't drive away the pre-existing clientèle (if you are playing a karaoke bar that rarely does live original music, this will probably be a difficult task). Number two, steal an existing audience from other venues (difficult, but can be done. However, if successful, you risk hurting a worthwhile venue). And number three, create a new audience (Reach out to friends, co-workers, family, etc. More importantly, survey the area and reach out to a new audience. Case in point, if you are booked at Hollywood Alley, it probably would be better to flier MCC than ASU. Inspiring more people to come out of the comfortable dwellings of their homes and experience live music in an intimate setting is truly the mark of a great band).

Educate your potential audience of the many alternate ways to travel to your dig. Place public transportation routes on your fliers. Supply cab and local motel numbers.

If you are a bar owner or manager, especially of one with a history of being in business for a long time without the need for live music, truly survey your clientèle and ask yourself if your bar needs it. Like I said, dive bars can stay open forever, it's the live music venues that are closing.

If you are an owner or bar manager of a dive bar with a clientèle appreciative of new music, it doesn't mean you need to indulge. Our scene needs dive bars to just be bars too. Just ask Brad at TT Roadhouse and look how long his business have been around. Sometimes not offering live music makes your establishment a hot spot.

And finally, if you are an inspiring promoter with a true passion for the Phoenix New Music Scene and the venues already in existence, ask yourself a few things before booking bands or starting a new weekly event at an irregular spot. "Where is my audience going to come from?""Am I really filling a void by promoting yet another night of New Music in the Phoenix area?" If you are an inspiring promoter who hates most of what Phoenix has to offer in venues and entertainment, well them knock yourself out.

I will close by saying this. Although it has become a headache to see so many bands and promoters flood the scene, it is a sign of a great scene to see so many people inspired to get involved past the act of patronage. It means to me that Phoenix is on it's way to something special. Unfortunately we just don't have the available clientèle here in Phoenix interested in live music to support each and every promoted event. I am hoping that changes real soon.



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New Years Eve

2009-12-01T14:41:00Z



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