Haggis

On April 13, 2003, two-time New Times Music Showcase "Best Pop Band" winner Haggis found itself nominated in the "Most Entertaining Live Show" category, which necessitated a big, dramatic finish -- like breaking up onstage! Singer/guitarist Brian Talenti recalls, "It was the end of the set, something wasn't sounding right, and I stopped a song in the middle, which wasn't received too well by the band. That night we all went our separate ways." Now returning to McDuffy's, the scene of that acrimonious showcase performance (which they actually won), Talenti, Tony Burns, Moon, and Jack Obregon will reunite for a tentative one-off, opening for the Muddy Violets and hopefully closing some old wounds. With this gig so close to Halloween, some fans might think Haggis plans to resurrect "Draggis," the band's annual trick-or-transvestite alter ego, but Talenti vows, "This year I won't have to shop for high heels." Talenti, who's maintained a weekly Thursday night acoustic gig with Burns at Monkey Pants in Tempe, adds, "It'll be fun to hide behind the wall of distortion again." Not to mention a totem pole of wig heads!