Mission Impeccable

Z-Trip, Emile, and Radar remake Thursdays at Nita's

Comments (0) By Gilbert Garcia Thursday, Apr 9 1998

"I go to a club and say, 'Let me have your worst night, not your best night,'" Emile says. "If I get 50 people in there, and they've got zero, I'm looking good. If I get 100, I'm the messiah."

Maine Man: Big Pete Pearson is too huge a local fixture to be honored only once, so different Valley clubs are taking turns saluting this blues veteran before he moves to Maine next month. The next tribute show is at Melody Lounge, which hosts Big Pete's music--and barbecue--on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 7 p.m.

Who's in town: Before ska was a commercially proven flavor of the month, Dave's Big Deluxe was around, making Arizona safe for rude boys. It's not quite accurate to call this ska contingent a Tucson band anymore, what with band leader Dave Shuttenberg currently residing in Denver, Colorado, and parts of his band scattered in San Diego and Phoenix. But after seven years together, this band continues to maintain a long-distance skank, and it will celebrate the release of its new CD, Miss Fortune, with a Friday, April 10, show at Jackson Hole.

Whatever you thought of Concrete Blonde's music--and I think it tended to be on the bland side--there was no denying that Johnette Napolitano possessed one of the finest, most distinctive voices in pop music. She's been relatively quiet lately--unless you count guest-vocal duties with The Heads--but she's reemerging with a new solo album and tour, and she'll be at Gibson's on Friday, April 10.

Also, one of the biggest names in the booming Rock en Espanol movement, the Mexico City band Molotov--frequently described as a Latino Beastie Boys--continues Toolies Country's Tuesday-night Rock en Espanol series with a show on Tuesday, April 14.

--Gilbert Garcia

Contact Gilbert Garcia at his online address: ggarcia@newtimes.com