Downtown Tucsonan - February 2008 - (Page 13)

Downtown Last Call Brawlers = 100% Rock ‘n’ Roll by Jamie Manser hen adroit musicians combine their passion and dedication to the craft of song writing and performing, and have parallel personalities, a great band it can make. the Last call Brawlers is a great band. the quartet is comprised of singer Marty Muerto, stand-up bassist Eric Eulogy, guitarist Justin Valdez and drummer Joel dunst. Eric and Justin started the band in october 1999, and a bit of role shuffling over the years brought together the current line-up. In 2001, Marty came on as the singer and steve Howell joined on drums. when Howell left in 2005, the guys knew they were not going to just hire a new percussionist, they wanted the right one. “Marty’s cousins carlo and chris Muerto introduced us to Joel,” Justin said. “after he proved to us that he rocked on the drums, liked the same porn stars as us, and was willing to give his all – every time, every show – we knew he was the one.” the serendipitous meeting created a rock tour de force, morphing a good band into an excellent one. their upcoming album, Pointing Fingers, combines the elements of punk, rockabilly, surf, psychobilly, hardcore, country, blues and rock into a seamless blend of very catchy tunes. compared to their self-titled 2003 release, the 15-track LP is definitely a step up and showcases the evolution of a committed group. “the new album is a result of us adapting to Joel’s musical style, ability, and professionalism, and Joel adapting to being a Last call Brawler,” the band said in an email. “what came out was just a natural progression of all of our influences and styles, and yes, Justin has become even more of a kickass guitar player. also, it is quite possible that Marty’s testes have finally dropped. Yay!” It’s true – Marty’s the man and Justin’s fingers move like quicksilver on the strings, and Eric holds tight the rhythm section with Joel. Eric and Justin write the majority of the lyrics, and “every now and then Marty will write Live W continued on page 14 Photo by A. Contreras dean & Britta Rounder Records (Released February 27, 2007) ack Numbers is a work of art; an original and consistently beautiful album by dean & Britta, a musical duo based in new York city. It’s dream pop; slow, sometimes melancholy, always sweet, and highly polished. there’s no abrasive or dissonant chord on the whole album. dean’s smooth and soft voice misses his sweetheart, Britta purrs “la, la, la, la” in the background on Me and My Babies. In Our Love Will Still be There, dean and Britta assure us of just that. It is no surprise as they sing to each other “I will always love you.” It is enough to make you sick, really. Especially for those of us, most of us, who labor away in our flawed relationships or find ourselves alone in this world. Based on the songs they write, this married duo is deeply and hopelessly in love, with nary a harsh word for each other…ever. the best song on the album is You Turn My Head Around, when Britta displays a modicum of passion as she gently croons “Baby…” then a fuzzy, electric guitar wails in the background, adding to the bluesy, psychedelic ambiance. Back Numbers B continued on page 14 february.08. downtown tucsonan 13 http://www.tucsonburlesque.com

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Downtown Tucsonan - February 2008 Contents From the Editor Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Restaurants & Cafes Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performances Film Events Museums Historic Downtown Downtown Travelogue Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - February 2008

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