Tuscon Songs

RD: 2011-11-25

Record Label: Le Pop Musik
Catalog ID: LPM 32
Format: Master

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Catalog ID

LPM32-1

Catalog Title

Tucson Songs

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Le Pop Musik
CD
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Catalog ID

LPM32-2

Catalog Title

Tucson Songs

Record Label

Le Pop Musik
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Format Details

Catalog ID

LPM32

Catalog Title

Tucson Songs

Record Label

Le Pop Musik
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Format Details

Catalog ID

LPM32

Catalog Title

Tucson Songs

Record Label

Le Pop Musik

Tucson, the "smallest metropolis in the USA", has emerged in recent years as a vibrant music mecca. The favorable living conditions - eternally shining sun and affordable rents - as well as the perfect work and performance opportunities for musicians have advanced the development. The sampler "Tucson Songs" is entirely dedicated to the music of southern Arizona. The musical spectrum ranges from desert sounds à la Calexico and Giant Sand to Countrybilly, from Morricone-inspired soundscapes to desert chanson, from traditional songwriter pop and folk to experimental indie guitar pop. The Le Pop compilation makers were actively supported on their treasure hunt in the Sonora desert by Joey Burns (Calexico) and local radio journalist and musician J. Daniel Twelker (who is an ophthalmologist by profession). "Tucson Songs" is the portrait of a music city that has never been seen before - a musical melting pot and creative oasis in the middle of the desert.

Here's the story behind this compilation written by Rolf Witteler

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Gabriel Sullivan

It is no coincidence that Gabriel Sullivan provides the opener to this compilation. According to Howe Gelb, multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Sullivan “can play just about everything”. Working by day at the must-see instrument haven Chicago store and booking a hotbed of talent for the Red Room at The Grill means he is acquainted with almost every musician in the greater area. His most recent band, Taraf de Tucson, brings together classic Americana with Gypsy, Balkan and Cumbia infl uences. Live, he is a sensational treat, and that can be heard on his upcoming album “None of this is Mine”.
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Brian Lopez

Brian Lopez has been enchanting European crowds with his incredible voice (think Roy Orbison meets Jeff Buckley meets Chris Isaak) ever since his first tour with Marianne Dissard. Though in Tucson he was more commonly known as the singer and guitar player of the band Mostly Bears, his solo career is now kicking off with the upcoming release of his album “Ultra” (from which this wonderful duet with Salvador Duran was taken). This is such a diverse and fascinating album full of potential hits that in picking one song was no easy task, but we were more than happy to spoil our ears with them all.
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Françoiz Breut

When Joey Burns found out that his longtime friend Françoiz Breut was going to be part of the 2008 “Some French Friends” Festival in Tucson, he seized the chance and arranged a recording session at Wavelab Studios with one of France’s most beautiful voices. Throughout the Festival, Calexico played as Breut‘s backup band at Plush and Hotel Congress. The coupling of a fantastic band and disarming chanteuse produced a very exclusive cover of the brilliant Nina Simone song, “Keeper of the Flame”, released for the first time on this compilation. Everything is falling into place.
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Orkesta Mendoza

Voted as Tucson’s “New Best Live Act” of 2011, Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta is a 14piece-strong Mambo big band that has opened for Calexico and has no trouble selling out shows in venues of such caliber as the Rialto Theatre in Tucson. Mendoza, who grew up on the Nogales side of the US/Mexico border, regularly plays with Calexico and more recently with DeVotchka, is gearing up to release a full album in early 2012. “Mambo Mexicano” is the exclusive appetizer we chose from it.
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Otherly Love

We came across this band during our onthe-scene research for this compilation at, of course, The Red Room at The Grill. It goes without saying that a band with three drummers, who due to limited space onstage had to perform their magic on the floor, is a highly energetic event. The featured track „Crossed The Line“ is taken from their 2011 album „Sit That Plan“. Typical for the sound of several acts from Tucson where new trends are perceived with a slackly nonchalance, this album could very well have been recorded in the 90‘s. Wild lofi-indie à la Guided By Voices or Thinking Fellers Union 282. Great!
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Andrew Collberg

Andrew Collberg was discovered by his future manager at a talent show as a teenager. At 16, he wrote songs that could have easily been mistaken for Bob Dylan or John Lennon classics. „Plastic Bows“ is taken from his second album which he recorded at the age of 22. Collberg, who is half-Swedish/half-American, reveals this heritage on his latest release „On the Wreath“ which has a great deal of Scandinavian pop appeal. A big part of his charm comes from the ease with which he composes melodies that suit his soft vocals so naturally that his songs leave an impression echoing for a long time.
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Courtney Marie Andrews

And here comes another young talent. Strictly speaking, the 21-year-old Courtney Marie Andrews is a guest on this compilation given that she lives a two-hour car ride away in Phoenix. Though being a friend of Marianne Dissard‘s, she has every right to be referred to as a member of the great Tucson music family. Courtney is a songwriter blessed with a ton of talent that extends to her being a technically truly versatile singer. This fact has also been noticed by emocoreband Jimmy Eat World, who she toured with to major festival stages all during the summer. A great discovery!
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J. Daniel Twelker

Without the help of Dan Twelker, this compilation would not have turned out the way it did. This singer/songwriter, who by day is an ophthalmologist, chairs the weekly radio show „Locals Only“ on Tucson’s community radio station, KXCI (91.3fm). He gave us lots of useful insider tips on the local music scene and also led us to discover „Come Ride with Me“ the opening song to his album „Recycled Love“ in which Blues makes its way through the Sonoran desert. If you are interested in keeping up with the Tucson music scene, check out what is happening by visiting http://kxci.org/localsonly
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Gabriel Sullivan

Even before we knew about his new project Taraf de Tucson, we had fallen madly in love with the song „Me and the Dog“ from his solo album „By the Dirt“. It is – as we would phrase it through a popular journalistic formula – “the best song Tom Waits never wrote”; the parallels in their vocals are striking. Still, Sullivan’s remarkable debut album has paved his own stylistic direction which we explicitly recommend from our side of the road.
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Boffomet

Boffomet is a street musician. To see him live, check out his stage at the corner of 4th Avenue and University Boulevard. Known to his friends as Boffo, he lives in the desert on the outskirts of Tucson where he practices – as he would say – chaos magic. “Circus of Love” is to that effect a bizarre lofi -gem with the lowest registered numbers of listeners on myspace (yet!). So we really quarried a very exclusive listening experience from the desert sands and – just for the record – we never cared about internet statistics anyway.
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Golden Boots

Golden Boots are a commonly appreciated institution in Tucson, who perfectly embody the self-invented genre of old-old-countrypsychiana. By the way, the hint leading us to the discovery of “Days are Night” came from Giant Sand bass player Thøger Lund. But no matter who you talk to in Tucson, everybody in the scene has his or her own very favorite Golden Boots song. And even abroad, they have a lot of fans and friends: their friendship with the band French Cowboy (who also recorded in Tucson) led them to play as each other’s supporting acts while on tour in France.
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Naim Amor

The website tucsonunderground.com has recently raised the French-born singersongwriter into the ‘legend’ status alongside Al Perry, Howe Gelb and Calexico. An exceptional guitarist (who is also a classically trained violinist), he was once half of the Amor-Belhom Duo (Thomas Belhom being the other half) before kicking off his solo career with the beautiful album “Sanguine”. He also recently has been composes soundtracks for film. Though the wonderful “Creole” does evoke great pictures, it is not a soundtrack, but a track from his follow-up album, “Dansons”, which will be released in November 2011 on Vacilando 68.
Show Artist
Silver Thread Trio

DJ Laurie Starr at Tucson’s local radio station KXCI has described these three ladies as follows: “Listening to the Silver Thread Trio is like being seduced in a church.”, a beautiful picture we gladly pass on to you. Their interpretation of “Who killed Cock Robin?” guarantees such seduction. Their brilliant debut album reveals elegant arrangements of traditional songs for three voices, washboard, banjo and guitar. We are especially excited to take a listen of their own compositions which will be included in their forthcoming album. Looking forward to it!
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Marianne Dissard

Since the space in this booklet is limited we will not even try to fill you in on the importance of Marianne Dissard for the young Tucson scene. To name a few: Brian Lopez, Sergio Mendoza, Gabriel Sullivan, Andrew Collberg and Clay Koweek are musicians on this compilation she brought to our attention by bringing them to play along with her in Europe. But her collaborations with the top of the pops of the Tucson music scene such as Calexico and Howe Gelb go way back in time. The duet with Brian Lopez is taken from the sublime second album “L‘Abandon” in which she dedicates more room for the Americana and Mexican infl uences than on her debut release, “L‘Entredeux”, which was produced by Joey Burns.
Show Artist
Amy Rude

Amy is the soul of altcountry in Tucson. Her writing is unique and voice has the ability to make her songs shine like desert stars. Her band, Heartbeast, is a Tucson-Allstar lineup with Naim Amor on guitar, Thøger Lund (Giant Sand) on bass, Vicki Brown on violin (featured on every Tucson record that has a violin) and Arthur Vint (Dissard, Amor, Collberg, Sullivan) on drums. “Stump of Love” is from her fourth album, “Can You Hear Me Crying Through The Walls”.
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Bread And Circus

Here comes a quartet that is as much typical as it is rare. Typical for the Arizona-scene because is brings together alternative and country. Rare because of the way Bread and Circus does it, cool, raw and energetically, done only before by the likes of Green on Red. For those who are not in the loop, Green on Red was a figurehead in the US College Rock scene alongside R.E.M., Camper Van Beethoven and The Feelies. Good to know that this tradition has been passed on so successfully.
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Al Perry

If there is one song that represents the overall sound of Tucson, it would have to be Perry’s version of “Dreaming”. Several of the music styles roaming the wide barrio streets come together to witness the marriage of Country & Western and Mariachi, helped in part by Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino. With his former band The Cattle, he wrote country-punk-history and has been a hero in Tucson ever since. His soft voice, the subtle melancholia and the fine irony make him an icon. Come back to Europe, Al!
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Giant Sand

Howe Gelb and his legendary band Giant Sand do not need further introduction. Instead, what follows is the story that inspired the last track of this compilation. In January 2011, six people were killed during an attempt to assassinate Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as she was giving a speech to concerned citizens in front of a supermarket in Tucson – the world was shocked. For the victim’s families, for those who were injured and for the entire town of Tucson, this was a traumatic event. Gelb’s response was to record ”Recovery Mission”, an offering of a first step back to normality, musically a new beginning destined to provide comfort for all those who are hurt. The song is also featured on the CD “Luz de Vida“ (http://musicagainstviolence.org) whose sales revenue will fund providing help for the victims of this killing spree.
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Tuscon Songs

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