EX–IDOLS ON MAIN STREET A PUNK BAND MAKES IT IN SPITE OF ITSELF

Consider the words of Gary Finneran. Start with one of the better songs on the debut CD by Finneran’s band, Ex-Idols. “I’m insane,” Finneran screams. “And I might not hear you say/`Please don’t kill me/Please don’t kill me anymore.'” The song is titled “I Love You.” Here’s Finneran again, this…

HERE ARE A FEW SAMPLES OF HARD CASH:

Believe in him (1961): An intense, convincing young Cash makes his film debut as a singin’, slayin’ salesman in the less-than-killer film Five Minutes to Live. It is rereleased in 1966 (with an added rape scene) for the ever-discerning drive-in crowd, retitled Door to Door Maniac. Accidentally on purpose (1965):…

DO LOOK BACK

Yet another 12 months of popular song have come and gone–for many, a year of soul-touching hits, for others, an unfulfilling mess of redundant backwash. But one thing’s for sure: 1994 was a year of events in the music world. Michael and Lisa Marie got together, Kurt and Courtney broke…

RECORDINGS

Recordings Tom Petty Wildflowers (Warner Bros.) You’ve grown up with Tom Petty. You first saw him all scraggly and snotty in the Seventies, and you couldn’t miss his smug pug and godzillion-selling records through the Eighties. Now, with the release of Wildflowers, the 43-year-old singer/songwriter plays the part of the…

STATE IN AN ALL–AGE RAGE

State in an All-Age Rage When is a concert not a concert? What’s the difference between a “bar” and a “concert facility”? If you’re younger than 21, will the only way you’ll soon be able to see rock is to drive to a quarry? These and other questions are up…

LIVE SHOTS

Live Shows Diamanda Gals, and John Paul Jones Gammage Auditorium December 2, 1994 Three hundred years ago, Diamanda Gals would probably have been burned at the stake. Even in these progressive times, she’s managed to upset more than a few folks–mainly religious officials–with her own particular brand of “entertainment.” And…

FINALLY, A COLUMN ABOUT MUSIC. PRETTY MUCH.

Okay. No drunken adventures this week. No reckless driving or meandering road trips. No wanton sexual adventures or exploding tubes of Blistex. Oh, yeah, I guess I haven’t really delved into, uh, never mind. Fact is, it’s been a hell of a work week, nose to the grindstone, all that…

RECORDINGS

Various Artists The World of the Zombies (PopLlama) To your average human being, the Zombies were a footnote to the British Invasion, a band whose career oldies stations have defined forever by three songs: “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No” and “Time of the Season.” But listen up, average human…

TAPES IN THE MAILSOUNDS OF THE LOCALS REVEALED

Don’t let anyone tell you that Tempe’s own Fluidrive doesn’t take itself seriously. Just check out an excerpt from the band’s florid bio: “Raw music with undeniable groove, power and presence. That is what we stand for. There is so much energy when we play, so much passion and so…

PORT O’ CRAWL: TUCSON

Do you know who Ward Dotson is? Well, I can tell you his girlfriend writes the letters column in Hustler, which probably doesn’t help much. But before we get into Ward–and you should get into Ward–be aware that this is a special Thanksgiving column, dedicated to what yours truly did…

A GRANDE GIG

It is a little before 9 on Saturday night west of Casa Grande. Saturday night at the Francisco Grande Resort, in the Franny Granny Lounge, to be exact. There are five people in the place, swilling drinks and dragging on cigarettes after a day of golf, which makes perfect sense,…

RECORDINGS

Dead Hot Workshop River Otis (Seed/Atlantic) You know about Dead Hot Workshop. You’ve heard ’em, you’ve seen ’em. It’s the band most likely to succeed the Gin Blossoms as Tempe’s top pop export. Indeed, many would argue that Dead Hot was the best band on Mill Avenue back before the…

TINY, TONY AND COMPANY

Tiny, Tony and Company Tiny Tim Mason Jar November 8, 1994 Tiny Tim stepped gingerly onstage (he’s nearly 70, mind you), his short, chubby body filling out a suit fashioned entirely from cloth printed with sheet music. He flashed his expansive, tooth-filled grin that is either depraved or endearing, his…

NOW IT’S MILLER TIME

It’s called Cactus Rose Theater now, but old-timers surely will remember it as the Kiva, a pornographic video store and movie theatre that embarrassed the bejesus out of the surrounding tourista emporiums in Old Town Scottsdale. Now, however, the room is bright, cheery. There’s a sparkling little snack bar and…

RECORDINGS

Various Artists Baywatch (Scotti Bros.) How many of you out there think of music when you think of Baywatch? Liars! ‘Fess up–it’s boobs and buns and bronze skin, defying gravity in the California sun, that you’ve got on yer mind! Superfox Pamela Anderson may chirp “watch my water!” at one…