Chief Beef

If you’re jonesing for some new local tuneage that isn’t hardcore metal, pouty skinny-boy rock, or indie folk, look no further than Chief Beef. Chief Beef — singer/guitarist John Lipfert, bassist Christine Lipfert (yes, they’re husband and wife) and drummer Stewart Alaniz — just might be one of P-town’s best-kept secrets, which will no doubt begin to change with the release of the band’s debut CD, Something About Rock. The band runs in the Tempe keg-rock scene and has deep ties with many of the best bands here in town — Minibosses (in fact, Minibosses guitarist Aaron Burke played in Chief Beef for nearly a year), Worser, Princess Ladyfriend, The Bodhi Tree, and the recently disbanded Batter the Drag, to name a few. Chief Beef play post-rock imbibed with blues-tinged riffery and off-kilter jamminess. With the fractured sensibility of Shiner and the pop-melodies of vintage Jawbreaker, Chief Beef turn in a solid and innovative performance for a frosh effort. There’s lots of variety — opener “Reactions” and the title track rock with a straight ahead urgency, while the more pensive “Quitting” and “Seven” settle into an epic hugeness of itchy-toed grooves and delay-soaked guitars, making this the king of all musical meats.