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Mood Indigo
MOOD INDIGO DOES not want be just a band--the members want to foster a sense of community."I always like to think that our band is a little more than a night on the town," says Keith Burton, who handles guitar and vocals for Mood Indigo.
Its laid-back, astro-jazz fusion music has a foot-tapping feel, but with a "folk, rock and jazz sound."
"Off the top of my head I'd say we have a folk-rock sound with a lot of jazz influences," Burton says. "We even get a little funky at times."
The sextet has long-standing roots in the Tucson music community, an element Burton says enhances the band.
Burton, Bill Pierce (keyboards), and Kurt Den-Baars (bass) have all been kicking around the local scene for almost a decade.
Vocalists Sarah Clarke and Heather Tobin round out the line-up, and Chuck Den-Baars is filling in on drums, after drummer Rick Pierce vacated the post.
"We're an extended family of sorts, since we've all been around for so long," Burton says. "Although this is a new configuration, we're by no means unfamiliar with each other.
The band's press bio emphasizes Mood Indigo's spontaneity and improvisation, and live performances are peppered with seemingly endless fusion-style jams.
Mood Indigo is the outgrowth of bands such as the Pelicans, Muddshark, Alastic Sky and Fetish.
"I've always had this vision of having two female singers with our regular line-up," Burton explains. "I wanted to bring that gospel-ish element together with our folk-rock sound.
"Having the two female singers is an auditory vision I've had for a while," he says. "Oftentimes it got set by the wayside."
The band, whose members range from 21-40 years of age, plans to release an independent CD within a year.
Fusing jazz, traditional folk and rock sounds isn't enough for Mood Indigo. Burton says the band is working on some community-based projects that he hopes will strengthen the close-knit feeling he thinks emanates from the live shows.
Mood Indigo is not stopping at merely bringing people together for a good time, but is starting to focus on social issues as well.
"I'd really like to see the band as a vehicle to do some things locally, like environment or political issues," Burton adds. "June 21 is the summer solstice, and we're trying to put together a solar potluck, where people can bring food and cook on solar ovens, and we want to run the band off solar energy. We want to create awareness.
"We want to do things that are more than just going to a bar."
--Sarah Garrecht
Propaganda Child
MUSICIANS DON'T LIKE to describe their music. They like to play it and let people who are paid to write about music describe what they do. Unfortunately, some writers are lazy and demand descriptions from band members.
"Ummmm. Let's see. Ooooh," says lead guitarist Jason DeCorse, in some obvious pain when asked to describe Propaganda Child's sound. "It's still got a lot of rock and roll in it but it's getting a little more mysterious. It's a little heavier. I can't really describe it. It's still a little grungy and classic rock mixed together and maybe it can be a little industrial, too. It's getting more progressive."
He's a lot more comfortable playing his guitar alongside singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Kabish, bassist Brandon Gonzalez and drummer James Couzens.
--Michael Metzger
