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SAVAGE LOVE: Last Thursday the Tucson Weekly, one
of a list of 50 or so publications, radio stations, organizations
and individuals to be regularly graced with E-mail from LeeAnne
Savage, received yet another self-aggrandizing installment
from the "fan club." I would long ago have asked that
The Weekly be removed from said mailing list but
for the amusement I derive from Savage's increasingly audacious
and ludicrous claims--I thought her mass E-mail begging for TAMMIES
votes, replete with balloting instructions, was the absolute top...until
this week's offering came over the wire.
After touting two recent TAMMIES wins--Best Cover Band and Musician of the Year--and a series of six runner-up awards, the April 24 missive proceeded to state: "There have been a lot of (unsubstantiated) rumors circulating that LeeAnne & Band actually won most of the categories where they are mentioned as 'runner-up.' This doesn't matter to us! This band understands the politics of the music scene in this town." Savage seems to be claiming The Weekly, the prime mover behind the TAMMIES Awards Celebration and the Club Crawl, rigged the ballots, thereby cheating her band in order to play favorites. Her insinuations also question the legitimacy of each band/artist who rightfully won those awards. Savage then saw fit to spread this (unsubstantiated) rumor to everyone on her mailing list, including us here at The Weekly. Real smart move. Let there be no doubt: The fact that Savage won Musician of the Year is proof perfect that the readers' votes stood as counted, without any "help" from our staff or music writers. Perhaps Savage is suspicious of ballot tampering because she knows how many ballots naming Savage & Co. were mailed in the first place...? To add insult to insult, her "fan mail" went on to whine about the fact that I never write about her, "much less acknowledge that LeeAnne even exists as a human being." Anyone seen the "Jimmy" episode of Seinfeld? She also expressed concern that we missed the "big-ass print ads...that Budweiser paid top dollar for last November in The Weakly." And here I thought I was doing Tucson's "best cover band" a favor by refraining from comment. At a recent LeeAnne Savage and Schlockadelica performance, I must admit I was hard pressed to differentiate between the tired, tacky covers she's been plugging for the last three years and her less-than-mediocre, uninspired "originals." She spent most of the show bouncing around like an overzealous contestant on Star Search, and all I could think was that if there was ever a need for a sixth Spice Girl--Trite Spice--she's it. In defense of her band, they're all fine players with definite chops who obviously know which side of their bread is best buttered. 'Nuf said? But the cherry on the sundae in that long-winded missive had to be Savage's lament about how much it sucks that so many musicians create competitive cliques, and "wouldn't it be really great if everyone could put their egos aside and hang out together?" Yeah, sure. Now get a life. Savage & Co.'s recent release, Neptune Amor, is an obvious and feeble bid for legitimacy by a bar band desperate to cross over. She may not have much in the way of original talent or professional tact, but she's got a lot of brass, a big mouth and the tenacity, if not the intelligence, of a pit bull. With that, she might just make it. So enjoy your success, LeeAnne. Focus on that half-full glass of Budweiser sponsorship, and keep cashing those checks from your regular gigs at collegiate sports bars. But let's be frank: This Emperor's New Clothes routine wherein you parade around pretending like you're an underappreciated original is an insult to all the hard-working bands that are genuinely trying to create a sound and fury in this desert outpost. I've already devoted more column inches than necessary in this pent-up rant, but I don't want any of you locals to walk away with the wrong idea: I'm all for self-promotion. There is, however, a difference between professional, well-placed marketing and megalomania. If I had to cite one reason for the inertia of the music scene in this town, it would be the lack of business savvy and good self-promotion on the part of the majority of Tucson's bands, as well as a few clubs. Word of mouth is a fine but extremely limited tool. Don't forget your local media are only as good as the information they get. For those who go to the effort to paste flyers all over town, why not drop a few in the mail a couple of weeks before the show? Hint: The Tucson Weekly's Club Listings are free! As for The Weekly, we follow the Groucho Marx School of Fandom: We don't want to join any club that would have us as a member. So in the future, just give us the facts, ma'am.
FOLK EXPLOSION: It's time once again for The Tucson
Folk Festival, held May 2 and 3 in El Presidio Park
downtown. The free event features over 50 local and touring artists
on two stages, a singers/songwriters circle, two areas for workshops--everything
from slide guitar with Stefan George and mandolin improvisation
with Bob Winteringham to hand drumming with Todd Hammes and string
banjo with Andy McCune--plus the usual food and crafts booths
and children's activities. Chris Smither, widely acclaimed
for his own recordings as well as the songs he's written for folks
like Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall and Rosalie Sorrells, is headlining
this year's festival with two performances on the Plaza Stage,
at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 2, and at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 3. Other
performers you might want to make a point of catching are Dede
Wyland at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and
On Wednesday, May 6, Mike Morgan and the Crawl return to The Boondocks, 3306 N. First Ave. Recent San Francisco transplants Lori Davidson and the Intruders do Tucson proud opening the show. Tickets are $7 in advance and for TBS members, $10 at the door. Call 690-0991 for information.
ONE FOR THE CALENDAR: Local die-hards The Fells
have a gig opening for the New Bomb Turks and fellow openers
the Breakmen on May 10 at Boston's, 910 N.
McClintock Ave., in Tempe. Consider yourself warned in plenty
of time to plan a road trip to support some of Tucson's finest.
Call (602) 921-7343 for information.
--Lisa Weeks
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LAST NOTES: Here's a few shows worth checking out: On Thursday,
April 30, Los Angeles quartet The Din Pedals and locals
Whatever rock the Third Stone Bar & Grill, 500
N. Fourth Ave. Call 628-8844 for information.
And lastly, Shallow performs with Not Breathing
at 