Nowhere Man’s Not Missing With A Superb Sophomore Release
owhere Man’s singer/songwriter/guitarist, Vikas Pawa, said several times during the course of the band’s interview at Plush that he had been trying to think of an anecdote regarding the upcoming release Love Asphyxia.
“I couldn’t think of anything. We don’t really have a story!”
Drummer Michael Hummer countered Pawa’s assertation - “Everyone (in the band) was inspired by his story!”
Hummer is referring to Pawa’s 2003 solo Nowhere Man release Considered to Tears.
Considered was all Pawa – from the songwriting, instrumentation, recording and production - done without the intention of putting together a band.
Nonetheless, the album indubitably drew musicians to him and garnered Pawa a Tucson Weekly Music Critics Award for Best New Release last month, as well as a Tucson Weekly Readers’ TAMMIE award for Best Songwriter.
After listening to the LP, bassist Beth Holub recounted thinking, “I really like it,” which compelled her to ask Pawa about the possibility of being involved with playing the songs live.
As far as Hummer drumming, Pawa initially remembered it stemming from an invitation to play with (now defunct) I Like Red.
“Michael was going to play with Glen (Corey) and I, and since that stopped, I asked him to play with Nowhere Man.”
“No way man,” Hummer interjected. “I heard the CD and I called him and then he called me back and said he was putting together a girl band.”
Pawa conceded with laughter, “That’s right! I thought it would be cool – four girls and me. Maybe it would get more people out to the shows. Sometimes you need something else - an angle.
“That was the initial plan, but it was hard to get together.”
“I just fell into the whole ‘girl band’ thing,” said keyboardist/backing vocalist and Pawa’s significant other, Michelle Kushner.
Interestingly enough, Kushner never played keys before being in Nowhere Man. Her musical proficiencies as a bassist, clarinet player and vocalist obviously enabled her to handle the reins as keyboardist and to subsequently pick up a runner-up readers’ choice TAMMIE award for Best Keyboard Player this year.
Although Pawa “didn’t plan on having another guitar player,” serendipity stepped in
when Merritt Jacob joined the fold.
“Me, Beth and Merritt all work at the same office (Southwest Strings). He started there two weeks before the band got together.”
Fated to converge, the quintet has pooled their talent and musical tastes to create a stylistically varied, yet consistent, album.
While Pawa is responsible for the core compositions, “the band really added to the songs,” Pawa said. “The band actually changes the arrangements.”
Though Pawa admits the group “listens to completely different types of music,” they have proven to be intuitive with each other - cumulating to create a catchy, interesting, intelligent, highly melodic enjoyable listen that could be simplistically described as pop, but, is rather extremely difficult to label. With elements that range from bluesy, balls out, psychedelic and pure rock guitar; to 80s new wave synth; to a clearly Beatles-influenced McCartney-esque “On the Streets,” which captures the heartbreaking essence of “Eleanor Rigby” and “She’s Leaving Home;” to atmospheric and ambient, Love Asphyxia showcases the ardent aptitude of a comely collaboration.
“I was excited about this record because I wanted to have everyone’s music on it,” Pawa elucidated. “Everyone’s skill set is good and it compliments each other. It’s really well balanced. It’s rock, but not too rock. It’s not indie, but it’s not mainstream. We’ll invent our own kind of music one day! If our jobs don’t bury us.”
While Nowhere Man plans to get a distribution deal for the recording, their tour itinerary will be limited to the west to accommodate the members’ work schedules.
“It’ll probably be California,” Pawa said.
“California, Nevada, New Mexico,” Kushner added.
“We have to be smart and efficient” with scheduling the tour, Pawa acknowledged. “Hopefully, we’ll stay motivated. In the meantime, we’re going to keep writing songs.”
If the band continues to evolve as they have from their frosh and sophmore releases, I’ll expect nothing but wonderful things.
Love Asphyxia should be available mid-month through Nowhere Man’s website www.IlikeRed.com, with an offical release in August. It’s more than worth the ten bones. They are scheduled to play July 2 at Plush and, if you are willing to venture to the eastside, at City Limits July 9.
NOTES
by Jamie Manser
Quelling Conjecture Regarding Rialto
Betwixt the flux of Downtown revitalization, rumors are abounding amuck – especially swirling around the state of the Rialto Theatre block. Here’s the scoop: The Rialto Theatre proper is committed in a purchase agreement to be sold to the Rio Nuevo District and will be leased to a new non-profit, Congress Street Historic Theatres Foundation. Doug Biggers, who purchased the rest of the block two years ago, and has more recently formed Congress Street Investors LLC with a group of partners, will be the executive director of the new foundation. The foundation and the investment group have committed to doing much-needed interior and exterior renovations, during which time the theatre will be closed for around six months. One highly visible improvement will be the return of the Rialto marquee.
Live music will return to the Rialto in the winter of 2004-2005 with a grand reopening.
The previously empty storefronts from 4th to 5th Avenue have been donated by CSI, LLC to the arts as Flash Gallery, which is enjoying free rent as an art/music venue in the interim of the structures being refurbished.
As a music venue, it is now officially recognized as Flash Gallery – not La Nuit or Ennui.
The storefront venue will be viable for at least the next few months, as an all-ages establishment, and will continue to have cutting edge music shows under the guidance of Andy Gardner, who was recently awarded by Tucson Weekly critics as a runner up for Best Songwriter.
Having said that, Flash Gallery, 310 E. Congress St., is hosting The Upsidedown on July 3. Hailing from the kicking Portland scene (inclusive of The Shins, Sleater Kinney, The Decemberists, Steven Malkumus, The High Violets, et. al.), The Upsidedown play dark, guitar driven, trippy and atmospheric alt rock. Their debut album Trust and Electricity is being release July 20 on Reverb Records. It kicks ass. Preview it at www.TheUpsidedown.com.
Fridays at the gallery will see AZSessions.com presenting $3 DJ and electronic artist shows running from 9pm to 3am.
Those B%#ches!
In its latest (and most recently, greatest) manifestation as the Surly Wench, 424 N. 4th Ave. had a word-of-mouth “official” opening on June 12 with rambunctious rockers Whiskey Bitch whipping the crowd into a raucous frenzy. When the stage lights went down at one point, lead singer Tony Pickup proclaimed, “The Whiskey beats out the Surly!”
The bourbon beeyatch has finished recording a soon-to-be-pressed demo that will be available at their gigs. Check them out at Club Congress on Friday, July 9 when they play the “Ultra Vixen Super Show,” where Tucson’s Winelord, Solid Donkey and LA’s Blaire Bitch Project will converge to benefit the Tucson Roller Derby. The derby’s Rollergirls will be dishing up their derrieres at the spanking booth - a surefire revenue generating venue. Quite frankly, I’d like to know if they make more money from the door or the fanny smacks.
