Downtown Live

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Notes

by Jamie Manser

CD Releases

Campo Bravo

It wasn’t surprising when Campo Bravo’s singer/songwriter Mark Matos said Neil Young and Bob Dylan are godfathers of music. Beside the truism, their influence – as well as the desert’s - is stamped all over the new CD Electric Jumping Horses.

The low fidelity recording is comprised of quiet, reflective tales of universal woes, told by a Kerouacian traveler who settled in the Old Pueblo after a decade of wayfaring, playing guitar and writing songs.

It’s almost as if the desert called to Matos; initially in 2000 and then bringing him back in 2002.

He was trying to find his voice and came to a point, while living in Washington, when he decided he wanted to be a full-time musician and have a home base.

“I lived here before and the whole Giant Sand thing – they were making music (here). I looked at different cities and I heard good things about Tucson where you can be a musician and it’s affordable to live here.”

So Matos moved back, quickly finding a niche playing with Demitri Manos, Ryen Eggleston and Mikey Begessi. He has shared bills with Richard Buckner, Autumn Defense (John Stirratt of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo) and Giant Sand. Currently E. Schumeister, Brian Green and Colin Scott comprise his core band, with guest musicians dropping in at shows.

Upon seeing Campo Bravo at last month’s BAM Festival, a good friend of mine said he wanted the CD for drives between Tucson and Yuma.

That road trip would provide a perfect backdrop for the disk. Electric Jumping Horses sonically encapsulates the southwest’s wide expanse, its stoic power, its sparsity and its mystery. “Lonely Wind” feels like the quiescent of the vast Sonoran Desert at midnight; “Nowhere/No Air” feels like a ghost town in the arid grip of June at high noon and “Barrio” conveys the close streets and inky black of the witching hour in a western downtown neighborhood.

The desert has seeped into the transplanted musician and he likened its openness to music.

“Music is more about what you don’t play than what you do. It’s the emptiness between the notes.”

The way Matos intersperses the notes and his open-ended songwriting lend itself to endless stylistic possibilities that can range from folk to rock to country and combinations in-between, a formula for variety at the live shows.

“When you come see us, you won’t really know what you’re going to get.”

See what happens on Wednesday, Oct. 27 when Campo Bravo celebrates the release of Electric Jumping Horses at Plush. Being joined by the Galactic Federation of Love and The Fashionistas, “and some kind of voting thing and hopefully some of the puppet guys,” Matos is hoping for the show to be more of an event – a “carnival-like atmosphere” if you will. Call the club at 798-1298 for more information.

Sugarbush

On a recent Saturday morning, I listened to Sugarbush’s new LP Melodious Snorts/Can’t Dances. I was happily intrigued by the goofy, bass driven grooves with echoic vocals that draw out vowels “ee, ii, oo, uhh uhh, ew ew” on the first song where it is also sung to “Drinnnk the water. Drinnk the water.” I don’t know, so don’t ask.

I do know, however, that it’s a catchy, funky, silly, arty, fun disk that is whistle-licious. It makes me feel alternately like a pimp daddy, disco queen and punk rocker.

God bless these kids who do a deranged cover of Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”

It’s wacky goodness.

Sugarbush’s CD release party is Wednesday, Oct. 6 at Flash Gallery. The Microphones and Julia Doniron also perform. Check out www.SugarbushMusic.com.

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Music Festivals

Austin City Limits Festival

While tooling around Zilker Park in Austin, TX during the third ACL Fest last month, I was questioning the last time I watched an episode of Austin City Limits.

I couldn’t remember and I didn’t realize until I got back to Tucson the reason why: Our PBS affiliate airs the show at 11:00pm on Saturday nights.

I asked Rudy Casillas at KUAT Channel 6 why they relegate it to that slot. He informed me that ACL is an extra show they pick up and the competition for scheduling is tight. Come November, however, it’s moving to Thursdays at 11:00pm, which is a bit more helpful to me.

This fall marks the show’s 30th season and the lineup is looking great. Check out www.AustinCityLimits.org for the schedule through Nov. 20. Saturday, Oct. 2 is the premier episode with John Fogerty.

As far as the festival was concerned, Austin proved yet again why it is the live music capital of the world. Though the three long days were sweltering and droves of tens of thousands descended on the park, people were cool and considerate and the musicians rocked. It was impressive, and so was the roster – which included Calexico representin’ the southwest. Go to www.ACLFest.com to see what you missed. (Nah-na, nah!)

Big AZ Music Festival

For its inaugural year, the BAM fest seemed to go off pretty well. Admittedly I didn’t get out until much later, but my spies reported back with thumbs up. My spies also noticed people out distributing Club Crawl fliers that night. I thought that was interesting...

Club Crawl

On Saturday, Oct. 16, Club Crawl returns downtown with Congress Street closed from 4th to 6th Avenue. Genre spanning local and national acts are sure to please everyone. Wristbands are on sale at CD City, 2809 N. Campbell Ave., and are $8 in advance, $10 day of. The first 2000 buyers will get copies of Club Crawl Vol. 1 CD. It’s not that impressive, but does have a pretty decent mix of local acts.

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