Tucson Weekly: Soundbites (August 21

Sound Bites AT LAST: The stultifyingly hot weather has broken, the kids are back in school, the nights are growing longer--all signs that club life in Tucson is stirring from its summer sedation and that the concert calendar will soon offer a bit more variety and inspiration. The coming week offers a medley of musical fare that should provide something for everyone.
ZAP MAMA: International world music sensation Zap Mama, featuring Marie Daulne, arrives at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, August 24, at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave., for one of only a handful of dates on a selective west coast tour...and their only stop in Arizona. The touring band is composed of the vocal magic of Tanya Saw, Angelique Wilkie, Wahtanga Rema and Lene Norgaard Christensen, with bass and additional vocals care of Maniu N'Guessan and Bilou Donneux on drums.
Breaking away from the all-female a cappella of its two prior albums, Zap Mama opted for instrumentation on its latest--or third--release, simply titled 7. This work introduces the group's rich, textural vocal elements into a musical heritage that stretches from Belgium to Zaire. The songs open a sensual, multicultural dialogue, seamlessly weaving together diverse genres--Pygmy chants, pop world beats, hip hop, and reggae--and incorporating the influences of collaborators like rasta man U-Roy and Spearhead's Michael Franti. The language (English, French and Wolof) is as colorful and versatile as the music itself, uplifting and joyous in its optimism. Reserved seating tickets are $18 and $20, with a $1 discount for students. Call 327-4809 for more information.
ABBA WHO? Every barely pubescent heavy metal boy's wet dream, dazzling Stockholm thrashers Drain S.T.H., (certainly Sludge Nation's bassist must be a fan) are systematically laying siege to the United States, winning fans not because of the spectacle they create--four beautiful Swedish women on stage looking the part--but simply earning respect and admiration because they rock like there's no tomorrow. These women have a handle on the pain-and-doom metal rhetoric, and lay waste to the syrupy pop image of other Swedish breakthrough bands.
Ever since it formed in 1993 in the land of the midnight sun and the third-highest suicide rate in the world, Drain S.T.H. has been playing hard and working towards winning American audiences. The band members have been busting ass to claim a place in the man's world of heavy metal--so don't hate them because they're beautiful, and don't love them for it, either.
Currently supporting their acclaimed release Horror Wrestling (which was greeted with comparisons to Alison in Chains from all corners), Drain S.T.H. will blow the roof off of The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave., on Wednesday, August 27. The headline slot comes on the tail of a busy summer on the road with heads of metal on The Ozzfest Tour, and more recent dates with Corrosion of Conformity and Machine Head. Call 629-9211 for more information.
HOT PICKS: Lissome lipids! FAT makes its bid for classic rock-god status with a jolly leap into the fray of the club circuit, playing rock-and-roll flavored pop reminiscent of the locally known Chronic Future sort: heavy on the Seattle metal, with about a tenth of the fury of Rage Against the Machine. Primarily English, but currently based in New York, Fat's focus is on energy and fun--having it and creating it. The group's single, "Downtime," already in fairly heavy rotation on KFMA, is the first released from its self-titled debut effort. Local crowd-pleaser Shoebomb once again flexes its pop muscle for the out-of-towners, with an opening set at 9:30 p.m. Friday, August 22, at the Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Cover is $5 at the door. Call 622-8848 for more information.
Arizona's Hip-Hop Concert Series brings out the big guns in gangsta rap and hip hop with Westside Connection, featuring Ice Cube, WC and Mack 10. Ice Cube--producer, director of video and films, and on the big screens in a number of Hollywood flicks--is certainly a one-man tour de force in the entertainment industry. He's also manifested his singular musical talents in a laundry list of projects, most notoriously with N.W.A., culminating with the present trio Westside Connection. Westside Connection appears with special guests X-Factor and a guest DJ for an all-ages show on Sunday, August 24, at the Aragon, formerly the Paragon, 144 W. Lester St. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling 321-1000, or at the usual outlets.
LAST NOTES: Longtime San Francisco underground folk scenester J.C. Hopkins, formerly of Flophouse, summoned all of his talents and many of his friends for his stunning solo debut, Athens By Night. J.C. Hopkins and Friends appear with The Twine on Thursday, August 28, at The Airport Lounge, 20 E. Pennington St. Call 882-0400 for more information.
Also, mark your calendar to witness the return of notoriously eclectic Open Mike Nights at the Airport Lounge. They used to be on Thursdays, but for this second season they're scheduled weekly on Wednesday nights.
Funky Bonz hosts a CD Release Party to celebrate the fruits of its labors, Nightmare on Groove Street, at 9 p.m. Friday, August 22, at O'Malley's, 247 N. Fourth Ave. Recorded and mixed at Allusion Studios, the 15 original tracks are a conscious and determined effort by Funky Bonz to establish a reputation as not simply a bar band playing covers, albeit obnoxious covers, but as a creative force in the Tucson scene. Support local music and bring some extra cash for your own copy of the disc, which is also available at Zia, Borders and CD Depot. Call 623-8600 for more information.
Tucson folk duo Arm & Hammer--a.k.a. Stefan George and Anna Duff--also celebrate the release of their latest CD, A La Carte, on Blue Bhikku Records. Join them on Friday, August 22, at The Friends Meeting House, 931 N. Fifth Ave. Tickets are $5 at the door. Call 323-0704 for more information.

--Lisa Weeks

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