Tucson Weekly: Soundbites (February 18

Sound Bites KIDS RULE: Well, it's official: the Korn and Rob Zombie show slated for February 26 at the Tucson Convention Center has completely sold out. It shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone--love 'em or hate 'em, Korn is one of the biggest draws out there right now, and what better do Tucson's music-loving minors have to look forward to than a big-ass rawk show in their own backyard? Answer: not a hell of a lot.
With the exception of the acoustic coffeehouse circuit and the infrequent all-ages show at one of a handful of local clubs, the pickins are slim for the demographic to which popular music most caters. Downtown clubgoers know the sad saga of all-ages-oriented venues: Either they're not able to meet their bottom line without liquor sales (Skrappy's), or they've been systematically shut down by non-supporters (Downtown Performance Center and Luna Loca CafÈ).
The Fine Line, the last and longest surviving teen club, faced both of these difficulties when it moved to its current strip-mall location. Owner Dick Plowman, who says business-wise he "ran the perfect club for 13 years," was hit hard by the city's Dance Hall ordinance, which forced him to separate his 17-and-under and 18-and-over clientele. Furthermore, a couple of neighbors and city officials successfully lobbied the Tucson office of the state's liquor board to block the transfer of Plowman's liquor license to the new property.
The Fine Line is still open every Friday and Saturday night, spinning industrial and electronica till the wee hours, but live music has not been a viable option. Plowman speaks for all when he says, "The most difficult thing is the liquor license--there has never been (an all-ages venue) that's made it without one. You have to pay for bands; they cost more than a deejay. And bands draw a crowd, but it's a drinking crowd."
"You used to be able to mix non-alcohol with alcohol, but recently the state put a stop to that, which I think is a good idea. But it's hard to get enough people to come. The deejay format is good, and we do quite well. But it's still not enough to pay for the club. I keep working on other ways to bring in money, but I haven't been successful." Plowman points out that the city concerns itself with underage kids, but they don't have anything for kids between 18 and 21, which is a substantial (and constant) population midtown, near the UA.
Which leads me to my next question: Why doesn't the TCC book more big name touring acts? Judging from the response to the Korn show, it's a pay-off financially--more so than the average Icecats hockey game in the same space. (Don't get me wrong: I'm not knocking TCC's booking of the Icecats, or the ballet, or anything else for that matter. I'm simply saying the TCC should make an attempt to appease the community as a whole, and that includes representation of teenage music fans.)
When I was a student at the UA in the late '80s and early '90s, I witnessed such TCC bookings as Jane's Addiction, Public Enemy, and Echo and the Bunnymen. What happened?
Growing up in a town of only 100,000 in the '70s and '80s, my local convention center booked such (then) name acts as Kiss, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Doobie Brothers, Ozzy Osbourne and INXS, to name a few. And my friends and I went to just about every show that came to town, regardless whether we were fans. When you're a teenager, there's simply nothing cooler than going to see a band you like--or that you've seen on television, or read about in magazines--standing on a stage directly in front of you, playing their songs live.
Maybe the relevent bean counters don't remember what that feeling is like. But I can tell you I'll never forget seeing Kiss, my childhood heroes, walk on stage for the first time. And I guarantee you that on February 26, a lot of kids in this town will experience the same thing when Korn hits the TCC stage. For their sake, someone ought to make that less of an anomaly.
MOE BETTER: It's been a hell of a month for fans of jam bands, and the ball just keeps on a-rollin' this week when moe. hits town. The band holds the distinction of being one of the few bands in its genre garnering both a religiously devout following (self-proclaimed "moe.rons") and critical acclaim (in 1997, Rolling Stone declared them one of the country's 10 hottest underground bands). They mix a heady brew of influences into a potent potion that's distinctly moe.
Not unlike Phish--which also incorporates virtually every genre under the sun into their music while still managing to sound like Phish--on their new album, Tin Cans and Car Tires (Sony 550 Music), moe uses the country-fried funk of Little Feat as a starting point (album opener "Stranger Than Fiction"), but doesn't even pretend to stop there.
There's the riffy reggae-meets-XTC-via-New Orleans funk of "Spaz Medicine," the wispy country-blues melancholy of "Letter Home," and "Plane Crash," which manages to cram psychedelic pop, bouncy jazz, prog-rock, straight-ahead anthemic rock and roll, and a full-blown orchestral string arrangement into just under nine minutes, without sounding forced. Quite an accomplishment.
Come see what the hype is all about when moe. hits the stage of the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., on Tuesday, February 23. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Advance tickets are available at Zip's University and Guitars, Etc., or charge by phone at 299-4733. All tickets are $10. Call 740-0126 for more information.
BAND WAGON: Fans of heavy guitar rawk would do well to check out Spite (from Charlotte, North Carolina), whose brand of churning guitars, pounding tribal rhythms, and moody, self-loathing lyrical cynicism has earned them Next Big Thing status from fans and critics alike. Their live shows reportedly and regularly delve into a sweaty, half-naked frenzy--as it should be.
Bring your earplugs to the Double Zero, 121 E. Congress St., at 9 p.m. Thursday, February 18. Local pummelers Ithica open the show. Call 670-9332 for details.
With more than 40 years of experience under his belt, bluesman Guitar Shorty promises a well-oiled performance this week, to promote his new release Get Over It (Black Top/Alligator Records). Born William David Kearney, his uncle taught him to play guitar as a kid in Florida. At the tender age of 14, a club owner renamed him Guitar Shorty due to his age and size. Shorty toured with Ray Charles, Otis Rush, and Sam Cooke during the 1950s. While on tour with Cooke in New Orleans, he met legendary blues showman Guitar Slim's tour manager, who offered him an opening slot on Slim's upcoming tour.
It was a turning point for Shorty, who watched Slim's wildman antics every night from the side of the stage. Soon after, Shorty began incorporating similar stunts, one-upping Slim with headstands, somersaults, and back flips during his live show. He continued to work with the likes of B.B. King, Little Milton, Johnny Copeland, and T-Bone Walker in the '60s, before settling down in Seattle, where he married Jimi Hendrix's stepsister, Marsha. Hendrix, in fact, confessed that Shorty's playing was a big influence on him, as he would go AWOL during his stint in the Army in order to catch Shorty's performances in Seattle and L.A.
In 1971, Shorty relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked as a mechanic to supplement his income while still playing local blues clubs. Though he'd recorded numerous singles and EPs over the years, it wasn't until early 1990, when Shorty was on tour in England, that he got around to recording his first full-length album. That album, 1991's My Way or the Highway (released on the British label JSP) earned Shorty a coveted W.C. Handy award for Best Foreign Contemporary Blues Album, and in the process, propelled him back into the blues limelight where he belonged all along.
The no-holds-barred bluesman takes the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, February 20, at The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave. Call 629-9211 for details.
Local veteran jam band Spacefish has just released its third album, the appropriately titled 03 (Coriva Records). While the disc is light on the extended improvisational instrumental interludes the band excels at live, it's heavy on the groove-oriented funkybluesjazzreggaepsychedelia that garnered them a devout following in the first place.
In other words, it doesn't matter how well you can jam if you don't have the songs to jam around. These guys have the songs. From the reggae-infused opener "Tony's Auto Service" (bonus points for not singing in a pseudo-Jamaican accent), to the funky acoustic pop of "Fire" and the groovy slow-burn of "Ruby," there's something to keep longtime fans and newcomers alike happy. Catch these boys in their element, on the stage, on Friday, February 19, at the Third Stone, 500 N. Fourth Ave. They head out for a road tour of the East Coast soon thereafter. Willis opens the show around 9 p.m., and cover is $3. Call 628-8844 for more info.
And finally, it saddens us to report the passing of a fine local musician, and by all accounts a truly wonderful individual. Best known as the longtime drummer for The Rowdies (though he lent his talent to Sam Taylor, Chance Romance, Neon Prophet and others throughout the years), Vinnie Fragetti died of a heart-attack on Wednesday, February 10.
Berky's Bar, 5769 E. Speedway, will be the location for a celebration of Vinnie's life and an opportunity to help raise money for his family in this time of need. The event takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 21. Live music will be provided by Tony and the Torpedoes and many other local bands, and several local businesses have donated merchandise for a raffle fundraiser. While no one will be turned away, a cover charge by donation is requested. Call 296-1981 for details.

Home | Currents | City Week | Music | Review | Books | Cinema | Back Page | Archives