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If it's their last time, Stones are going out with a flourish (updated)

This really could be the last time. I don't know.

But one thing's for sure, the Rolling Stones will be going out with a flourish if it is.

Of course, people have been speculating about the Stones' retirement plans since their 1969 American tour, their first after all the screaming teenagers from the Beatles/Stones' friendly rivalry grew their hair out, got high and started to actually listen to the music.

This Stones fan and student is happily soaking in the increasing number of media reports and announcements that suggest their much-anticipated 50th anniversary celebration is about to hit full stride. I've got my Google alerts all set up.

Recent reports that the band will play two shows at London's 02 Arena in November and two more at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn before the end of the year — for a cool $25 million — are just the latest in a flood of activities to mark the band's silver anniversary, which should span this year and next.

They first played as the Rollin' Stones on July 12, 1962 at London's Marquee Club, where they gathered this past July for some group photos. It's fitting that two of the members of that first incarnation  — singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards — would want to commemorate it with some live gigs this year. They've hinted as much in press interviews.

These silver-haired legends  (well, not Jagger and Ron Wood, who still dye theirs), have suggested but not confirmed that they'll mark their anniversary with a tour next year since drummer Charlie Watts, the other holdover from the classic lineup, joined in January 1963, a month after bassist Bill Wyman, who quit the band in '93.

My guess is they won't do a conventional Stones tour, where they open with a secret club gig, play big stadiums and a few arenas over a two-year period. I'm not sure Jagger's 69-year-old body, finely tuned as it is, or 68-year-old Richard's knotty, arthritic fingers can handle the rigors of another marathon tour along the lines of the 2005-2007 "A Bigger Bang" global trek.

Let's not forget the wear and tear on currently sober guitarist Wood, 65, as infamous these days for his long benders as he's famous for prickly guitar slinging, or that Watts, 71, survived throat cancer eight years ago.

Speculation in the press that the band will go a different route, possibly multiple nights in a handful of cities, seems likely. It's not as physically demanding and, in keeping with the Stones' ability to turn their shows into the musical equivalent of a major sporting event, it will add to the special nature of the performances. Tickets should be sky-high.

How close they'll come to us, and when, is anybody's guess, but stops in Texas, Arizona or Colorado and California seem likely.

Meanwhile, the band's celebration rolls on.

"The Rolling Stones: 50," an exhibit of photos at London's Somerset House that opened July 12, ends its run Sunday, a week later than planned due to turnout. An accompanying photo book, "The Rolling Stones 50," comes out Oct. 16 in the States.

That's almost a month before "Crossfire Hurricane," filmmaker Brett Morgen's documentary on the band, including new interviews and footage from their April rehearsals in New York, will air on HBO. The film, which debuts on Nov. 15, purports to chronicle their journey and attempt to explain just how this mottled bunch of old millionaires have kept it together all these years.

"When we got together, something magical happened, and no one could ever copy that," Wyman is quoted as saying in the doc. Wyman, by the way, took part in some rehearsals with the band, as did departed virtuoso guitarist Mick Taylor, so don't be surprised if they make spot appearances on the Stones' forthcoming shows.

"Crossfire Hurricane" debuts days after  the obscure tour documentary "The Rolling Stones Charlie Is My Darling — Ireland 1965" comes out in various configurations, including a box set, on DVD and Blu-Ray on Nov. 6. It's the latest from the archives of ABKCO, the company that owns most of the Stones' music from the 1960s.

There's more, of course. It wouldn't be the Stones without all kinds of merch, music and videos to peddle, but the bonanza for fans is the wealth of previously bootlegged treasures coming out of the band's deep vaults.

They include "Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones: Live at the Checkerboard Lounge 1981," the now legendary show by the legendary blues pioneer that featured guest shots from Jagger, Richards, Wood, late Stones' boogie woogie keyboardist Ian Stewart, guitar ace Buddy Guy, harpist Junior Wells and others when the Stones were in town for a show on their "Tattoo You" tour.

The 16-song video, released by Eagle Vision, is a bit of a disappointment. Waters, who was 68 at the time (two years before his death), was in good, gravelly voice and his guitar work, especially his slide playing on "Baby Please Don't Go," was surprisingly supple. But he's more like the guest in a show that was taken over by others, not the Stones so much, but Wells and obscure Chicago guitarist Lefty Dizz, who drag out the last quarter.

Jagger, in his bright red warmup suit, is annoyingly self-conscious, in a don't-know-what-to-do-with-himself sort of way, as is Dizz's desperate attempts to be let into this exclusive club. He shares the stage, but  doesn't measure up.

Better is the shorter, 11-song companion CD, which skips Muddy's bands two warmup songs, sticks to the meat of the program and accentuates the music, particularly Muddy's teacher-student exchanges with Jagger. It also better showcases the musical highpoint, an accelerating and incendiary guitar dance between Guy and Richards on "Next Time You See Me." Priceless.

Plus Dizz is a lot less annoying when you don't have to watch him.

While the Stones continue their new policy of reissuing previously bootlegged live recordings, including a limited edition box set of their 1973 Brussels show that tops out at $1,500, they've reportedly cut some new songs in Paris. 

Personally, I'd love to hear them cut a new studio album, their first this decade, to see what they can come up with, but we'll probably have to settle for a couple of new songs on a planned hits collection. Called "Grrr!," it will come out in four configurations, including 50-song 3CD and 80 -song 4CD versions, on Nov. 13. The cover, an ape with the Stones' famous licks logo, will come in 3D versions.

The new songs are called "Gloom and Doom" and the aptly titled "One Last Shot."

Will it be their last time?

I don't know, but I do know I've got to figure out how to get to one of those Brooklyn shows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concert update: SCMF set times announced

The Sun City Music Festival has posted the set times for this weekend's shows at Ascarate Park.

Here's the rundown:

SATURDAY

Sun City Stage

Kevin Focus, 7-8:15 p.m.

Zedd, 8:15-9:30

Nicky Romero, 9:30-10:45

David Guetta, 10:45-12:15 a.m.

Knife Party, 12:15-1:30 p.m.

Bass Dunes Stage

Revolvr, 8-9 p.m.

Crizzly, 9-10

Flux Pavilion, 10-11:30

Modestep, 11:45-12:30 a.m.

Downlink, 12:30-1:30

Electro Cactus Stage

Audrey Napoleon, 8-9 p.m.

Riva Starr, 9-10

Nic Fanciulli, 10-11

Stefano Noferini, 11-midnight

Umek, midnight-1:30 a.m.

SUNDAY

Sun City Stage

Lucky Date, 7-8 p.m.

John Dahlback, 8-9

Morgan Page, 9-10

Sander Van Doorn, 10-11

Dada Life, 11-midnight

Above & Beyond, midnight-1:30 a.m.

Bass Dunes Stage

D!rty Aud!o, 7:45-8:45

Alvin Risk, 8:45-9:45

Dirtyphonics Live, 9:50-11:05

Dillon Francis, 11:10-12:20 a.m.

Kill the Noise, 12:20-1:30

Electro Cactus Stage

Gina Turner, 8-9

Gesaffelstien, 9:30-11

Joris Voorn, 11-midnight

M.A.N.D.Y., midnight-1:30 a.m.

Go to suncitymusicfestival.com for ticket and other info.

 

Cigarettes After Sex takes the stairway to dreamland on 'Firefighter' EP

Greg Gonzalez knew the sound he wanted to get on "I'm a Firefighter," the new EP his rotating collective of a band, Cigarettes After Sex, will release at 9 p.m. Aug. 31 at Lowbrow Palace.

And he knew where to get it.

"We cut it in the stairway of the Fox Fine Arts Building," he said of the UTEP building that houses the art, theater and music departments.

"It's just a hallway sound. It's so reverby," said Gonzalez, a melodic bass player by trade who produced the EP with engineer Walter Byers and sings on all four tracks.

It must have done the trick, because "I'm a Firefighter" takes that stairway to dreamland. It's the sound of someone slipping into a sensual, nocturnal world, topped by Gonzalez's hushed, asexual vocals, Steve Herrada's atmospheric keyboards, Phillip Tubbs' spare guitar lines and the band's simple, restrained accompaniment.

Listen to the four-song collection, currently streaming at cigarettesaftersex.com, and it's hard to believe the band — including Emily Davis on acoustic guitar and Greg Leeah on drums —  has been together only seven months.

Or that it cut the sultry opening track, "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby," on the same day its members first heard it. It was recorded after only one rehearsal, but you'd never know it. That was pretty much the modus operandi for "Firefighter."

"I wanted to have a spontaneous approach to the songs," Gonzalez said. "The band never heard it. It was actually written that day."

Pretty amazing, really, but also a testament to the collected talent Gonzalez has assembled, a group, he said, that seems to know how to play these songs. The sound is inspired by, among others, the haunting, austere Cowboy Junkies classic "The Trinity Session," recorded with one mic in a church, and David Lynch's "Twin Peaks"-era work with husky-voiced singer Julee Cruise.

"Everyone  just knows the style we're doing, that kind of dreamy sound," he said. "They're playing is very simple and instinctual."

It's hard to tell how long this lineup will last. Davis has her own career as a solo act and with her band the Altar Boys. Tubbs fronts the experimental band Boxcutter, which will release its EP, "The Beast," at tonight's Lowbrow show.

Halfbreed Lovers and Sound on Sound also will play. Cover is $5, $8 for under 21. "Firefighter" will sell for $5 at the show.

Gonzalez wrote three of its songs, including the title track and aptly titled "Dreaming of You." It also features an hypnotic version of Texas cult legend Roky Erickson's "Starry Eyes."

The soft-spoken Cigarettes After Sex frontman sees a future for a band that started four years ago playing '80s influenced dance material before evolving into the late-night lonely sound of the current group.

"The stuff before always had a strong dance element," he said. "It's still dance music, but it's more like a slow dance."

A recent tour took the band as far east as Austin and as far west as Los Angeles, where it made some contacts, including an agent it may turn to "help us promote the record, get it reviewed" and possibly book some tours.

"I'm really happy with this lineup," he said. "I'd like to keep it a while."

 

 

Concert update: Les Ballet Trockadero, Afro-Cuban All Stars and more

El Paso's Lola Productions, who's brought off-the-beaten track acts such as the Bellydance Superstars and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, is teaming up with UTEP's Special Events office for a diverse new performing arts series this fall and winter.

Called the Signature Series, it will include performances by New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band, ballet parodists Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars.

The series starts with "Sacred Music Sacred Dance," featuring Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery, at 7 p.m. Nov. 11. Tickets are $33 and $38.

They'll be followed by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, who'll release a 50th anniversary box set this fall, performing their "Creole Christmas" show at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22. Tickets: $35, $40.

Hip Australian neo-cabaret singer Meow Meow (David Bowie chose her to play New York's High Line Festival) will perform at 7;30 p.m. Feb. 9. Tickets: $27, $32.

Bella Gaia, a multimedia exploration of the earth that uses music, dance and film (by Kenji Williams), will be staged at 7 p.m. Feb. 21. Tickets: $30, $35.

Cuba's DeMarcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars will play their mix of Latin and jazz music at 7 p.m. March 3. Tickets: $35, $40.

The Monte Carlo ballet will dance at 7;30 p.m. April 13. Those tickets are $35 and $40.

The series will close with YouTube sensations 2Cellos at 7 p.m. April 17. Tickets are $34 and $39.

All performances will be at UTEP's Magoffin Auditorium.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 14 at the UTEP Ticket Center, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

In other performance news:

• The El Paso Playhouse will stage two radio show-style performances at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 in the theater at 2501 Montana.

The program will open with the Noel Coward play "Still Life," about what happens to an unhappy married couple.

It will be followed by "Alive in the Grave," about a downtrodden man who pickpockets a corpse. Or so he thinks.

Tickets are $7 at the door.

Call 532-1317 or go to elpasoplayhouse.com for more info.

 

Concert update: Brantley Gilbert, Dirty South, Jealous Sound, Darlene Zschech and more

Brantley Gilbert is probably best known for writing three hits for Jason Aldean — "My Kinda Party," "The Best of Me" and "Red Dirt Anthem."

But the guy who straddles the line between country and Southern rock has a growing fan base himself.

Evidence of that is his fall "Hell on Wheels" tour, which comes to NMSU's Pan Am Center at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19.

The support bill includes two relative unknowns, Greg Bates and Brian Davis, and one guy who's done pretty fair himself, Uncle Kracker, the former Kid Rock DJ whose had huge hits with "Follow Me," "Drift Away" and "When the Sun Goes Down," a duet with Kenny Chesney.

Tickets are $20.40, $30.65 and $35.75, plus service charges, on sale at 10 a.m. Aug. 30 at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

In other concert news:

• Indie rockers The Jealous Sound have added a Tricky Falls stop to their fall tour at 8 p.m. Oct. 17.

Daytrader and EP's the D.A. will open the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10, on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 at All That Music & Video, Bowie Feather's, Maria's Closet and holdmyticket.com.

• Worship music start Darlene Zschech, formerly of Australia's Hillsong Church, will perform at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Abundant Living Faith Center.

Zscech is best known for her ubiquitous song "Shout to the Lord."

Tickets are $20, on sale at the church, 532.8543 or alfc.com.

• The Garden in the Union Plaza district will celebrate its third anniversary on Oct. 6 with a set by Serbian DJ Dirty South, part of his "City of Dreams" tour.

It's the longest North American tour of his growing career, named for his new single, and will run from September through Christmas.

The birthday is turning into a nice tradition. Paul Oakenfold topped the party last year.

Tickets are $15 GA and $25 VIP for 21 and older, $25 GA for 18-20 and $500 for a table of six, with bottle service, on sale now at jandkpresent.wanttickets.com.

• Ruben Gutierrez, one of the deans of jazz piano around here, will perform with his band Case Closed for EPCC's annual Jazz at Sunset concert at 7 p.m. Sept. 7.

The concert, which will be in the Americana Language Village at the Valle Verde campus, also will feature another local jazz piano great, Billy Townes, and the Jorge Gonzalez Trio.

It's free. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged.

Townes, by the way, will team up with Albuquerque singer- guitarist-violinist Daniel Park for a free show Aug. 31 at the Network, 317 E. Mills.

Townes goes on at 6, Park at 9.

Billy will debut the video for "Can't Get You Off of My Mind," a track from his eclectic "Alchemy" album, which he released over the summer. It features singer Tony Mac.

• Connecticut indie band the Mercies play a show Sept. 1 at The Percolator.

Locals the Black Coats, Kids of Castro and Animal Spirits open the 8 p.m. show.

Jealous Mountain Duo will be there Oct. 26.

• With his At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta commitments over for the time being, guitar wunderkind Omar Rodriguez Lopez will take his eponymous band on the road for a week's worth of West Coast dates Oct. 20-28.

The tour opens in Portland and ends in San Diego. The Crypts will open.

• Splendid Sun Productions, the folks behind the Neon Desert Music Festival, bring Tycho to the Lowbrow Palace on Sept. 4. Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 day of show.

They've also added a Sept. 12 show there by Hume ($8 and $10), a freebie by Eyes Lip Eyes on Oct. 9, Mono on Oct. 11 ($8 and $10), the return of Gardens & Villa on Oct. 16 ($10 and $12), Cult of Youth on Nov. 1 ($8 and $10), El Ten Eleven on Nov. 3 ($8, $10) and Starf----r on Nov. 5 ($15 and $18).

• Death metal progenitors Napalm Death, who  released new album "Utilitarian" last winter, will coheadline a fall tour with Municipal Waste.

The tour, which opens Oct. 26, will come to El Paso's House of Rock Live on Nov. 17.

Various bands are opening parts of the tour. Attitude Adjustment will play the El Paso show.

 

 

 

 

Concert review: Classical Mystery Tour a nostalgia trip worth taking

I'm not a fan of tribute bands. They're usually not reasonable facsimiles of the real thing, and if the real thing is still in existence, what's the point?

Unfortunately, the Beatles broke up 42 years ago, and they stopped touring four years before that to become studio rats. That's a long time to rely on old "The Ed Sullivan Show" clips and other video memorabilia, all of which was recorded long before the words high-definition came into the public lexicon.

While the technology has a changed, a lot, since the Beatles were changing the world, the music they created during the time John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were an active brotherhood in the 1960s continues to grow in stature, better respected now for its relative sophistication and inherent melodicism. It holds up pretty darn well.

Fifty years is nothing by classical music standards, where pieces written in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s routinely are performed. Which makes the notion of a Beatles tribute band that performs with symphony orchestras an intriguing idea, indeed.

Or, as Benjamin Chadwick of the Classical Mystery Tour Beatles tribute band pointed out during Saturday's performance with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, the Fab Four never got to play with an orchestra.

Nor did they, he joked later, ever plug their website, which CMT did.

Saturday's show was joyously good fun  — which had the orchestra's musicians clapping, singing and smiling along with the happy crowd of 1,800. It was kind of a what-if moment. Wouldn't it have been nice, to paraphrase their American rivals the Beach Boys, if they had played with an orchestra and there was a good video recording of it kicking around?

It's an intriguing premise for a concert, an idea that CMT's Jim Owen, a classically trained pianist who plays Lennon, started pursuing in 1996, now performing almost exclusively with orchestras around the country. It's nostalgic, to be sure, but also intriguing to think of what the group, whose innovative use of unusual instruments and classical orchestration, would sound like with a real orchestra.

This particular group of fake Beatles has some pedigree — most of them have performed in Beatles' musicals, such as "Beatlemania" and "In My Life." They also have an obvious reverence for the music, and who wouldn't? The Beatles not only led rock music in a dizzying number of directions, they were naturally gifted melodists with a flair for innovation and invention.

CMT follows certain fake Fab Four formulas, including costumes and wigs that evoke the early, mop top Beatles, the semi-militaristic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" uniforms of their drug-induced psychedelic midperiod and the shaggy, long-haired look of their last years together.

What separates CMT from most of the tribute band pack is both their choice of material, leaning mostly on Beatles' songs that featured orchestration and unorthodox instrumentation, such as "Penny Lane" and "A Day in the Life," and a rare ability to deliver surprisingly accurate approximations of the recordings most of us have tattooed permanently in our brains.

Chadwick, who originally was not scheduled to be part of the band for this performance, may be one of the best McCartney impersonators around. He rivals former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Dana Carvey, in his prime, for his obvious reverence for the singer and the accuracy of his execution, from the precise vocal similarities (Chadwick's is a bit thinner) to nailing McCartney's many boyish, self-conscious mannerisms.

Chadwick, like his fellow bandmates, clearly has put some effort into this, and makes it look easy. A natural right-hander, he learned to play bass left-handed — McCartney's a southpaw — and impressively recreated Macca's melodic bass lines, which were pretty sophisticated for their time.

He was an immediate audience favorite and clearly enjoyed himself onstage and at the autograph table that attracted a long line after the show.

Owens played Lennon as somewhat aloof and reserved, but matched his nasal inflections with alarming accuracy. Facially, he looks the part. Later, when he donned a white suit and long wig, it conjured an image of the Beatle as an emerging radical,  far from the cute mop top, and the target of paranoid U.S. authorities who tried to deport him for his politics long after the Beatles departed.

His shining moment came on "A Day in the Life," the Beatles' dramatic ode to a dead friend that was one of the most arresting songs the band ever fashioned once it became a fulltime studio group. Owen recreated Lennon's trippy spiral vocal as the hyper Klein and orchestra gamely tackled the mounting discordant tension that gives the song its drama. It ended the first half of the show and drew an immediate standing O from the crowd.

Drummer Chris Camilerri, a touring veteran who has played with Joe Walsh and Peter Noone, didn't look like Ringo so much, but honed to Starr's beat-oriented style and got some Ringo-style love when he tackled his vocals on "With a Little Help From My Friends" and the obscure "White Album" lullaby "Good Night."

Guitarist John Brosnan, the only Englishman in the group, evoked Harrison's sense of quiet reserve. While his solos lacked Harrison's fluidity, his vocals on "Something" and "Here Come the Sun" were well within the ballpark.

The members of the orchestra were more than up to the task and, thanks to being miked, were able to compete with the louder, electrified instruments. The orchestra played with enthusiasm and precision, save a couple of blown notes in the brass section (an errant trumpet on "Penny Lane" led Chadwick to laugh). It no doubt fed off the audience's obvious appreciation and Klein's obvious adrenalized energy.

El Paso historically was overlooked by rock's most important and  influential artists in the '60s and '70s. The Beatles never played here. The Stones didn't make it until 1994, and again in 2006, well past their prime as a hit-making recording band.

It's no surprise that tribute acts, even lame ones, go over here. They fill a void. But few in that wretched subgenre of pop music strive for the kind of high musical standards and accuracy that Owens' band does. As a bit of a purist who grew up a child of the British Invasion, I don't suffer Beatles or many other  tribute bands lightly, but there was little suffering during their two-hour, 27-song performance.

EPSO doesn't do enough pops programming, but hopefully the success of this one will prompt more, including — and I can't believe as a tribute-band hater that I'm saying this — a return by this bunch in a few years. Just pass on the Elvis impersonators.

 

EP's Dirty River Boys take 'Flight' with debut album

The Dirty River Boys’ Marco Gutierrez says the self-described “outlaw folk” band from El Paso was on a mission during the recording of their first album, “Science of Flight.”

“The main thing we were trying to do was capture the energy that comes out of the live show,” he said by phone recently. “We put our heart and soul into those 90 minutes we’re playing. But it’s a difficult thing to do to make that transfer over (to the studio). I wanna say we did.”

The acoustic quartet plans to play several of the songs from the new album, due Sept. 10, when DRB closes close out Townsquare Media’s free Cool Canyon Nights series Aug. 30 in the McKelligon Canyon Ampthitheatre. Doors open at 6 p.m.; music starts around 7:15.

“Science of Flight” barely contains their manic stage energy over the course of its 15 songs. It also captures something else — the sound of a live rattlesnake.

“At one point the bass player, C.J. (Colton James), who lives in the middle of nowhere on a ranch, caught a baby rattlesnake and put it in a cage,” Gutierrez said, still sounding somewhat incredulous.

He put it in an aquarium and brought it to Austin’s Yellow Dog Studios, a former brothel described as “decadent and discreet” on its website, where owner and engineer Dave Percefull placed a microphone over it.

“Even Dave said it was gonna sound cool on the record,” Gutierrez said, laughing.

The baby rattler may be the most unusual “instrument” on the record, which includes acoustic guitars, standup bass, cajon, assorted percussion, harmonica, banjo and pedal steel.

Live animals aside, the new album brings into sharp focus the formidable — and burgeoning — songwriting abilities of its singer-guitarists, Nino Cooper and Gutierrez, who started the band in El Paso three years ago with percussionist Travis Stearns.

James, who lives near Seguin, joined last year, around the time the group moved to Austin, the result of a Texas circuit touring schedule that keeps them on the road 200 shows a year.

The group, which shares management with veteran Texas star Cory Morrow, has barely taken a break since then, squeezing out two EPs, last year’s “Long Cold Fall” and “Train Station,” while shaping the songs for “Science of Flight” on the road.

With dusty ballads and adrenalized footstompers like “Road Song,” “Riverbed Wildflowers,” “Youngblood Blues,” and “Letter to Whoever,” Cooper and Gutierrez confidently weave their tales of woe, love, heartbreak, joy, betrayal, transcendence and life on the road.

Many of them, like the Irish-sounding romp “Raise Some Hell,” are road-tested, fleshed out from the constant tinkering that goes on night after night on stage.

Others, like Gutierrez’s oft-performed “Medicine Show,” took a left turn in the studio. The band had dropped it from the set, but decided to take a swing at it during its two-week stay at Yellow Dog last June.

“When we were in the studio I wanted to try and make it sound like a Stonesy kind of vibe ... but it came out almost like a New Orleans jazz-rock kind of thing,” he said. “I was really surprised it went in (that) direction.”

It helps, he said, that Yellow Dog owner-engineer Percefull, who coproduced with the band, brought his own bag of tricks — and vintage instruments – to the mix. After learning their way around a studio on those two EPs, the group was up for some experimentation.

“We did some cool electric sounds,” Gutierrez said. “He’d say, ‘Pick up this weird guitar I have in the studio and I’ll throw some weird distortion on there.’ All the suggestions came out cool.”

Thursday’s show will serve as a local preview of the new album, in part because the band doesn’t have another hometown gig lined up just yet.

“We’re probably gonna play the bulk of the new album,” Gutierrez said. “We’ll still play our old ones and play ones people enjoy hearing, but we want people to get familiar with these new songs. We want to hammer them as far as possible.”

One song they might play is “Science of Flight,” a quieter, hopeful number Cooper wrote when the band was still crashing on friend’s couches in Austin before it uprooted from El Paso. They were staying with a friend when Cooper played the song to Gutierrez.

“I was blown away. I thought, ‘Dammit, why didn’t I write that one,’” he said. “We were sitting around trying to think of an album title and I was like, ‘Man, that name “Science of Flight,” the song itself, kind of sums up what we’re all about, what we’re trying.”

 

 

 

 

 

Concert review: Two takes on Carnival of Madness

The big summer tours usually skip El Paso to play larger venues, particularly sheds (aka amphitheaters), in larger cities. The third Carnival of Madness tour bucked that trend with an Aug. 18 stop at Don Haskins Center that drew a crowd of 5,435.

I opted not to cover it. I was too worn out, frankly, from all the extra writing I did in the run up to and during the Plaza Classic Film Festival, plus I was trying to do most of my regular coverage for the paper and helping my mom recuperate from a recent hospitalization.

Luckily, my friend Ryan Brassard of Axestogrind, the heavy music site, asked one of his contributors, J. Blaine Simmons, to review it for us, which I'm finally getting around to posting here. As luck would have it, reader Vincent Arrieta sent me his two cents' worth — unsolicited.

Here's what they thought.

By J. Blaine Simmons

Confined in the event tent, more commonly known to native El Pasoans as “The Don,” was a stage that held five touring bands all in convergence for the Carnival of Madness tour. 

The tour features nothing but rock, albeit with a wide range of styles and in various forms.  There were impressive supporting acts on tour with headliner Evanescence, including New Medicine, Cavo, Halestorm and Chevelle.

Yet another great tour comes to the Sun City – we have been spoiled this year for sure!

The marathon began with New Medicine; this being a return to El Paso for the Minneapolis, MN-based act.  The band just came through the 915 only four months ago, playing Tricky Falls in April with Shinedown. 

The boys from Minnesota rocked the crowd, bringing with them a clear and unique Midwest rock style, performing a select set from their 2010 debut release, "Race You to the Bottom"(Photo Finish Records).

Next to hit the stage was St. Louis-based Cavo, who have been on tour this summer in support of their 2012 release, "Thick as Thieves" (Eleven Seven Records).  Cavo had an energetic presence that invigorated the crowd, with frontman Casey Walker switching out from guitar duties and holding down vocals while Chris Hobb blazed the remainder of guitar work and solos.  The stage presence of Brian Smith is worth noting, as he roamed the space slapping the bass throughout the entire set.  

The first choking moment of delight came with Halestorm.  The Pennsylvania-based alternative rockers pumped out a truly exceptional set, delivering mostly tracks off their 2012 release, "The Strange Case of…" (Atlantic Records).  Frontwoman Lzzy Hale showed off her wide range of talents, which included an excellent set of pipes and keytar/guitar skills. 

Halestorm's set was great until it turned exceptional when Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee joined  for a duet of “Break In.”  Halestorm proved without a doubt they are a great complement to Evanescence on the third annual edition of the tour, and first to feature female-fronted bands.

The excitement was thick following Halestorm’s set, and the anticipation  growing before Chicago’s melodic rockers Chevelle hit the stage.  They're are a definite favorite  here, and it showed when the almighty bull was revealed at the beginning of the set.  The crowd roared as this massive toro bravo was revealed as “Hats Off to the Bull," the title song of their new album, broadcasted loudly. 

The stage was decorated in a bold red with gold accents, keeping with the tradition of Chevelle and their stylish stage presentations.  The set rocked hard and all four of the supporting bands worked hard in bringing us to this point in the Carnival of Madness tour bill. 

Evanescence took the stage to a hail of applause and cheers.  Lee showed off the exquisite vocals she was blessed with; she's truly unbelievable to hear live.  Their show was grand.  Lee pumped energy with every breath through each song, and can stop you from breathing with her subtle and intimate mid-set piano solos. 

The highlight of the set was the best rendition of “Bring Me to Life” I have ever heard.  It consisted of nothing but Lee, with backup vocals by the crowd during the unsung interjections many are familiar with from the album version.  The Haskins Center felt united and whole with Lee as  choir leader. 

The set closed with “My Immortal,” which left the feeling of bittersweet partings between Evanescence and the Sun City Saturday night.

If there is one thing that this music enthusiast enjoys more than the music itself, it is that diverse and talented musicians take it upon themselves to monster multiple instruments.  This talent was present throughout the entire event, which really stuck with me as I departed the Haskins Center.

 

By Vincent Edward Arrieta 

The third annual Carnival Of Madness tour's Sun City stop was an incredible celebration of rock and roll. About 5,400 people gathered in the Don Haskins Center to feel and experience the magic of live rock 'n' roll that skips El Paso much too often.

New Medicine started the show off with a bang at with their Beastie Boys-style rap rock. They sure are on the way to the top and never fail to dissapoint. One of the coolest things about the band's live show is the presence of Coolie the Guitar Doctor, a guitar tech who doubles as the band's hype-man and onstage beer server.

The band closed the show with an alcohol-fueled rendition of their drinking anthem, "Race You To The Bottom," with the surprise addition of Arejay Hale of Halestorm. Support this band, see them live, and say "hi" to "Coolie" for me.

Cavo was good, but  seemed out of place in this lineup. Their music wasn't really made for the arena setting, and their absence could have made more room for the other bands to play. Otherwise, they are your standard modern rock band in the vein of Buckcherry or Nickelback. They played music from their newest disc, "Thick as Thieves," as well as their signature hit, 2009's "Champagne."

Next up: Halestorm. Ahhh, Lzzy Hale, how you bewitch me.

Halestorm kicked off their set with a screaming rendition of their smash hit "Love Bites (So Do I)." The band bottom-loaded their set with songs from new album "The Strange Case Of...," playing only two songs, "It's Not You" and "I Get Off," from their self-titled debut. No complaints about that.

The performance was highlighted by a piano-playing Lzzy singing "Break In" with a surprise appearance by  Amy Lee of Evanescence. Rock moment of the year. History in the making. I cannot wait to see Halestorm at a headlining show again so they can play a longer set, and I can watch Lzzy scream and shout how she's a "Freak Like Me"

Chevelle was, as usual, amazing. The Don Haskins Center is a far better venue for them than Tricky Falls. You could actually hear what Pete Loeffler was singing about and Dean Bernadini's bass sounded crystal clear, filling the room with every pulsing note.

Hearing "Hats Off To The Bull" live in that setting was the high point of the whole show for me, the song sounded like a demon being exorcised from a madman. The only thing negative about their set was the fact that they left out some of their most popular (and some of my favorite) songs, like "Antisaint," "Comfortable Liar," "Letter From a Thief" and "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)" in place of newer and deeper songs like "The Meddler" and "Another Know It All," respectively.

I immediately proceeded to purchase Chevelle's newest live album "Any Last Words?" the day after the show to satisfy my thirst for more of this band's performance.

Evanescence closed out the night and sure did make it a point to show why it has that slot. Opening with their latest hit "What You Want," singer Amy Lee and the boys proved their music is not a product of a stale studio. Her voice never faltered in any way throughout the night.

Their performances are powerful, emotional, and energetic as hell. They have a near-Korn style heaviness in the live setting that makes anyone in their right mind bang their head. To balance that out, several roadies wheeled out a grand piano center stage for Lee to perform some of the gentler songs of the night, such as "My Heart Is Broken" "Lost In Paradise" and "My Immortal."

Songs from Evanescence's new self-titled album held up particularly well. The addition of Will Hunt, formerly of Staind, on drums and Troy McLawhorn, formerly of Seether, on guitar was a fantastic choice on her part. The band sounds better than ever. They played every song imaginable for the casual and devoted fans for a good hour-and-a-half.

Unfortunately, the Don did not sell out or even fill up completely for this show, so for those of you who decided not to go, here's your reason why El Paso doesn't get some the best concerts: low attendance.

The crowd that did show up did seem a little divided depending on the bands; the Chevelle fans didn't seem to know many of Evanescence's songs, the Evanescence fans didn't appear to know many of the Chevelle songs and so on. But that comes with such a varied lineup. Everyone in the Don sang along to the mega-hits like "Bring Me To Life" or "Face To The Floor". 

Maybe we need another "Simon" for this generation's rock 'n' roll to hype up the crowds like the Sun City's heyday of rock many moons ago...

Thanks to KLAQ and UTEP for bringing us this amazing show, and please do not lose faith in El Paso for future shows. Maybe bring them to a slightly smaller venue like the Coliseum so the crowd completely fills up or sells out. Keep up the good work guys. Keep 'em coming.

In the words of Neil Young: "Rock and Roll Can Never Die."

 

 

 

Concert update: Carlos Mencia, Benny Benassi, Hinder

A slimmed-down Carlos Mencia will return to Bart Reed's Comic Strip for four shows Oct. 26-27.

The former "Mind of Mencia" star is making a regular thing out of this. He was there last year, too.

Performances will be at 8:30 and 10:45 p.m. each day.

Tickets aren't on sale yet, but keep an eye on the club's site, laff2nite.com, or ticketweb.com for prices and on-sale info.

Thanks to reader Robert Arriaga for letting me know.

In other concert news:

• Italian DJ and producer Benny Benassi will bring his "Rough Road Bus Tour" to Buchanan's at 9 p.m. Oct. 24.

It's part of a 16-city North American tour that will start with seven straight shows in the Lone Star State, opening Oct. 17 in Austin.

He'll be joined in El Paso by fellow Italian DJ Congorock and new Ultra Music act Punk is Pink, who feature Benassi on their new single "Perfect Storm." Local DJ Sebern will open.

Tickets range from $25 to $45, but are not on sale yet. They'll be available at the Happy House, the Headstand and eventbrite.com.

• Oklahoma rockers Hinder probably know a thing or two about barbecue, a good thing since they'll play the Budweiser Main Stage at the 27th annual KLAQ BBQ on Sept. 2 at Western Playland.

The messy munch out is from 2-10 p.m.

Tickets are $12.95, on sale at 7-Eleven/Alon stores in EP and Pic Quiks in LC. They'll be $16.70, plus tax, at the door.

 

 

Art update: Tickets for Rembrandt, Golden Age exhibit on sale Sept. 10

The El Paso Museum of Art is one of five museums that will host "Rembrandt, Rubens and the Golden Age of Painting in Europe," which includes more than 70 works by those and other great artists.

The exhibit, on loan from the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY, will be there from Sept. 15 through Jan. 6.

In addition to works by Rembrandt and Rubens, it also will feature paintings by some of the Old Masters from England, Finland, France, Holland and Italy, including Thomas Gainsborough and Anthony Van Dyck.

Tickets for the exhibit are $10, $5 for members, free for military and their families with ID and  children under 13.

They'll go on sale Sept. 10 at the museum's gift store.

In addition, the museum's curator, Christian Gerstheimer, has put together a secondary show, "From Church to Village: 16th and 17th Century Dutch and Flemish Paintings," which will include works from the Dallas Museum of Art, UT Austin's Blanton Museum of Art, Houston's Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation and EPMA's permanent collection. It will be up Sept. 15-Jan. 27.

There will be a number of related programs, including free tours and guest lectures by experts from the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art and Houston Museum of Fine Arts, among others.

Also, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, EPMA is teaming up with the city's three major nonprofit music organizations on supplemental programs.

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Arthur Post will perform Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony and Beethoven's third piano concerto (with pianist Ilya Yakushev) on Sept. 21-22 at the Plaza Theatre. Those tickets will range from $15-$40 from EPSO.

El Paso Pro Musica Artistic Director and cellist Zuill Bailey will join pianist Doris Stevenson in a program of cello music from the 17th to 19th centuries at 8 p.m. Oct. 4. Tickets are $40, $75 per couple, $25 for EPMA members, limited to the first 100, available from the art museum.

Harpists Marien Gonzalez and Marcela Mendez will perform a free concert, "Bach in Harps,"  at 6 p.m. Nov. 20.

El Paso Opera will present "The Birth of Opera," with tenor Jeffrey Lentz, at 8 p.m. Dec. 1. Tickets are $40, $75 per couple, $25 for EPMA members, available from the art museum.

"Musical Reflections of the Golden Age," featuring the Sebastian Ensemble, which specializes in baroque, will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 6. It's free.

The museum also has put together the 17-film EPMA World Cinema Series to showcase mostly recent films depicting real or fictional people and places from the Golden Age, beginning Sept. 22 with a showing of "The Girl with the Pearl Earring," starring Scarlett Johansen and Colin Firth in a fictional account of the Vermeer painting.

Other titles include various film versions of Shakespearean plays, including "Hamlet," "Othello," "Richard III," "Henry V" and "The Taming of the Shrew."

Films will be shown on Saturdays through Jan. 5. Tickets will be $5, $3 for EPMA members and children, with proceeds going to the museum's Meadows Library.

The "Golden Age" touring exhibit opened in October 2011 at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa. It also has been seen at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis (January through April) and the Flint Institute of Art (May through August). After El Paso, it will travel to the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida, where it's final stop will run Jan. 31-June 9.

Information: 532.1707, elpasoartmuseum.org.