Email Author Gilbert Garcia

1997 Stories by Gilbert Garcia

• Double Threat

  published December 25, 1997

  At the heady peak of his career, Frank Sinatra's vocal mastery was so absolute that his pop peers simply called him "The Voice." In the... More >>

• Recordings

  published December 25, 1997

  Prince Paul psychoanalysis (what is it?) (Tommy Boy Records) "As long as I can remember, people have hated me." With that... More >>

• Dance Lessons

  published December 18, 1997

  No matter how fast Phoenix grows, there are times when living here can feel like being stuck in a sequence from Footloose. We all remember that... More >>

• Recordings

  published December 18, 1997

  Phonoroyale Radio Flavored In pop music, context is everything. Five years ago, when guitarist Jack Randall and singer Mary Katherine... More >>

• Recordings

  published December 11, 1997

  You Am I Hourly, Daily (Sire Records) You Am I is a Sydney, Australia, trio that's achieved an oddly impressive distinction... More >>

• Ragin' Cajuns

  published December 11, 1997

  Victor Perrillo doesn't like talking to the press. When local papers ushered in Perrillo's Scottsdale club, Cajun House, with a flood of... More >>

• Rhymes of Passion

  published December 11, 1997

  Everyone has a different definition of grace. To some, it's Joe DiMaggio effortlessly roaming the spacious center-field grounds of Yankee Stadium.... More >>

• Loose Pucks

  published December 4, 1997

  I'm not one of those millennial fear mongers who believes that some artificial calendar calculation is reason to start panicking. Basically, the... More >>

• Sophomore High Jinks

  published November 27, 1997

  Near the back of Pita Jungle, there's a modest wall of fame. Here you can find a photo montage of local celebs and favorite customers of the... More >>

• Mighty Casey

  published November 20, 1997

  Al Casey is rocking. But the 61-year-old guitar legend isn't plugged into an old Fender tube amp. His custom Gibson L-5 guitar is nowhere... More >>

• Blue Bayou

  published November 20, 1997

  Xanadu. It was the colossal palace that Charles Foster Kane built as a monument to himself in Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane. Xanadu was... More >>

• Recordings

  published November 20, 1997

  Tito & Tarantula Tarantism (Cockroach Records) Tito Larriva is the very definition of a rock 'n' roll journeyman. His stints... More >>

• Recordings

  published November 13, 1997

  Ivy Apartment Life (Atlantic Records) What exactly is pop music? When Van Morrison was asked about the term in 1984, he said... More >>

• Chamber Punk

  published November 13, 1997

  Mary Timony sounds confused. The singer/guitarist for the Boston trio Helium knows she's supposed to be calling someone, but she can't quite... More >>

• Beggar's Banquet

  published November 13, 1997

  Thirty years ago, no male in the Western world could have been blamed for wanting to be like Mick. Living the life of Jagger at that time meant... More >>

• Native Tongues

  published November 6, 1997

  So-called "ethnic" bands face a perpetual dilemma. If you unite with other bands and organize a movement, you're likely to be marginalized,... More >>

• Recordings

  published October 30, 1997

  Portishead Portishead (Go! Beat/London Records) Portishead's 1994 single "Sour Times" was one of those rare tracks so arresting... More >>

• Unsung Guitar Hero

  published October 30, 1997

  It was a Friday night, and Glen Buxton was jumping up and down with excitement as he watched boxing on TV. The only indication that anything was... More >>

• Memphis Creeps

  published October 23, 1997

  Anybody can be dumb. Stupidity requires vision. In rock 'n' roll, the distinction means everything. Journey was just plain dumb, but the... More >>

• Bowled Over

  published October 23, 1997

  Christine Zahn is excited. Because of circumstances no one could foresee, this 47-year-old owner of Tempe Bowl and admitted musical neophyte has... More >>

• Mac Daddies

  published October 16, 1997

  All Mick Fleetwood wanted was a guitarist. Fleetwood Mac's drummer was checking out the studio of engineer Keith Olsen when he heard a... More >>

• Recordings

  published October 16, 1997

  Bjork Homogenic (Elektra Records) The very idea of Bjork is so appealing that you can feel like Ebenezer Scrooge for even... More >>

• Power Failure

  published October 16, 1997

  Fairness and legality. They are two separate concepts. Though they stop to chat from time to time, they don't always hang out together. ... More >>

• Emotional Miscues

  published October 9, 1997

  Although they've never really gone away, the Rolling Stones have had more "comebacks" than Richard Nixon. Every time they emerge from their... More >>

• Trigger Happy

  published October 9, 1997

  It's three in the afternoon, and Mark Zubia has a sore head. The Pistoleros guitarist staggers into the band's roomy Tempe rehearsal room a... More >>