December 14 - December 20, 1995

The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils.

--Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

These guys are cool, heh-heh-heh-heh-heh
Yeah, yeah these guys are cool

--Beavis and Butt-Head

TAMMIES TERRIFIC: After some months of anticipation, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the 1995 Tammies CD will be available beginning December 15. For those unfamiliar, the Tucson Area Music Awards were created by The Weekly to acknowledge exceptional accomplishment in the many different genres in the Tucson music scene.

Given that compilations are usually assembled around a particular theme, a certain flow is inherent from the outset. When the operating conceit is a place, there's a broader range of diversity, requiring special attention to detail.

"Sequencing was definitely a challenge," said Jeb Schoonover, producer of the project. "I think we ended up doing a good job making it flow."

Indeed they did. Not only does it flow, but the sound quality is remarkable, thanks in large part to Craig Schumacher, who co-produced, engineered and mixed the CD at Wavelab Studios.

"Most of the recording was done in May and June and mixed in July," says Schumacher. "Jeb was really busy this year, not only with this project, but with the renovation on the Rialto as well. Fortunately, we had already established a good working relationship when we worked on the first Tammies CD the year before, so there was a lot of trust there."

"I saw how Craig worked," Schoonover confirmed, "and I have the utmost respect for him."

All but three of the winners are represented on the CD, illustrating a scope of talent in this town of which many might be unaware.

"I think this does represent a large cross-section of Tucson music," says Schumacher. "It is really amazing what's going on in this town. I was familiar with some of the bands who came into the studio, but the Latin music was particularly exciting for me because I had never done it before."

All of the tracks are worth a listen, but stand-outs include Naked Prey's snappy "That's How Much I Love You"; "The Caper," a sneaky, spare and cool original by Honoree in Jazz Greasy Chicken; the bouncy, enchanting "All Around My Hat" by The Mollys, Honoree in Traditional/Ethnic; and the sensual, haunting, entrancing "Images" by the Ismael Barajas Latin Jazz Band.

The Who's Who of featured artists includes Ginger, Sam Taylor, Dog & Pony Show, Latino Sólido, Mood Indigo, Stefan George & Songtower, Neon Prophet, Los Changuitos Feos, Travis Edmonson, Crystal, Jamie Anderson, Betty Stress and the Weird Lovemakers.

Schoonover notes that special thanks goes out to Brad Singer, owner of Epiphany Records.

"Epiphany getting behind this is really what made it happen," says Schoonover. "Even though Brad is based out of Phoenix, he's done a lot in the way of promoting Tucson talent by putting out CD's by Dog & Pony Show, The Drakes and Naked Prey. He deserves a tremendous amount of credit."

Schoonover added that they will be sending the CD out to A&R people to proudly present to the industry what we have going on here. This release will also officially kick-off the 1996 Tammie Awards--stay tuned for details.

This CD is more compact than last year's release, resulting in a retail price of only $10.99, something to look for when you're doing your holiday shopping.

LAST NOTES: Flathead will be headlining at Club Congress, at 311 E. Congress St., on Friday, December 15. They've been called rockabilly, alternative country, rig rock, hick rock, broken-down bluegrass and a bunch of other stuff. Al Perry called 'em good, and after listening to their self-titled CD, I concur. Opening is Walter Salas Humera of the Silos. Call 622-8848 for information.

Jerry's Audio-Video is working with the Southern Arizona Chapter Alzheimer's Association to make a difference in the lives of area people with Alzheimer's Disease. Music therapy is an important tool in the treatment of the disease so they are asking for donations of old albums, tapes and CDs from any era to assist in this effort. You can drop them off at Jerry's Audio-Video, 201 S. Wilmot Road, through January 15.
--Jennifer Murphy

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