It's been awhile since New Times has checked in with Time Out Lounge, so we decided to drop erratic radio DJ and rock-'n'-roll miscreant Westley Allen a line to see what's jumping at TOL -- Allen started booking bands at the small venue about a year and a half ago. Since then, Time Out's music offerings have made a leap from Thursday nights to shows several times a week.
"Honestly, it's turned out better than I expected," Allen says of the progress. "The room sounds really good. They bought a new PA like six months ago, which helps, but that room is just dialed. A lot of great local bands and promoters have taken notice, too."
Agreed. For whatever reason, TOL's room sounds great. A recent Vibrators show saw the OG punks prop themselves on TOL's small stage and blow through a gnarly set. The new PA held up to the band's power, and the absorbent room didn't defeat the noise.
See also: 10 Years Ago, My Bandmate Punched Danzig in the Face
It turns out New Times' contacting Allen was serendipitous -- several SXSW bands are coming through the bar in the coming weeks, either on their way to Austin or dropping by after the festival.
In fact, '60s garage rockers The Sloths are playing tonight -- god bless these dudes, they're like 70 -- before they are swallowed whole by the clusterfuck that is SXSW.
Fifty years after they formed, The Sloths are embarking on their first tour...ever. In a joint release, Burger and Lollipop Records issued Back from the Grave this month, an album that includes eight original tracks, ranging, well, not really any range here, just stripped-down garage rock. Think of Bo Diddley a little too drunk to be fingering his guitar. Clumsy progression, but the good kind of clumsy. The kind of clumsy that is late in all the right places.
Of course, TOL hasn't devoted itself to resurrecting decrepit garage rock from the distant past -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- current garage bands such as Kim and the Created (March 7) and Guantanamo Baywatch (March 13) are dropping in as well.
What's fantastic about Kim House of the Created is she somehow energizes apathy. Hers is the kind of apathy that has fallen into despair. Doo-wop and surf-punk drive the Created's intense songs with the irregular pacing of a pull-string toy struggling to speak. Yeah, it's creepy as fuck and beautiful because of it.
Guantanamo Baywatch revisits the surf-rock of Dick Dale (who himself is coming to Musical Instrument Museum in early April) with a psycho-sexual twitch when they kick off Rampage Fest next Friday.
For those interested in the other SXSW bands touring with The Sloths, Kim and the Created, and Guantanamo Baywatch as they visit the Valley, visit the next page for a comprehensive list of the upcoming shows at Time Out Lounge:
March 6th: The Sloths (Garage band from the 60's) (Burger Recs), French Girls, Echo Bombs, Thee Oh No's https://www.facebook.com/events/1550123751924137/ Saturday, March 7: Kim and the Created (Members of Wavves), Numb Bats, Shovel Thursday, March 12: Lolipop Records PHX Showcase
Adult Books Psychomagic Drinking Flowers Winter The Electric Magpie Susan
Friday, March 13: Rampage Fest:
Guantanamo Baywatch The Memories Prom Body Meat Market Rebel Set
Monday, March 16: Burger Records Showcase
Gap Dream Sarah Bethe Nelson Blood Sister Levitation Room Shy Boys Vision Max Pain & The Groovies
Find any show in Metro Phoenix via our extensive online concert calendar.
9 Tips for Using A Fake ID To Get Into A Show 10 Classic Punk Records That Actually Kind of Suck The 10 Coolest, Scariest, Freakiest Songs About Heroin The 30 Most Disturbing Songs of All Time
Like Up on the Sun on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest local music news and conversation.