The Coathangers simply want to dress up like themselves

For the four girls in Atlanta's the Coathangers, starting a band wasn't about paying homage to any sort of musical deity, nor was it about some kind of artistic/musical vision. For Julia Kugel, Stephanie Luke, Candice Jones and Meredith Fr… Continue

O TUCSON! MY TUCSON!

In the nearly 22 years since I first moved to Tucson, I've seen a whole lot of changes and a whole lot of ups and downs. But I can't think of a time when I felt more divergent feelings about the city than I did last week.

At the start of my week, I was feeling really do… Continue

Kevin Byrd, aka Handsome Dick Teratoma, is the creator of Rickey Rat Comics and guitarist/vocalist for the currently inactive Tucson band Absolute Fucking Saints. Byrd has been making gig fliers, posters, T-shirts, stickers and CD packaging for more than 20 years. Keep up with him at kevinbyrd.co.cc.

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1. Tiki Art Now!:

A Volcanic Eruption of Art (book) Various Artists (Last Gasp)

2. Black Moth Super Rainbow (pictured)

Eating Us (Graveface)

3. xWALRUSx

Split 10” with Important Documents (Bonecutter)

4. Various Artists

Th… Continue

Cosmic-tinged alternative rock never sounded better than Australia's the Church during their late-'80s heyday. Albums like Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix were oases of beauty amidst the ugly yet vital cynicism that inspired the band's American peers (Jane’s Addiction, NIN). After the… Continue

Full of radiance and subtleties, Wilco (The Album) is an ambitious yet confident record from a band at its peak, an 11-song odyssey that trades skillfully between tension and elation.

The preposterous album cover (a camel wearing a party hat) and sly title represent the fun side, but the… Continue

When Johnny Cash first sang, "I shot a man in Reno / just to watch him die," it sounded downright menacing, because it sounded as if he might mean it. When Gary Bonnett sings, "Killed a girl down in Texas, down in San Angelo / She broke my heart, so I took her soul," on "San Angelo," a jangly, rootsy a… Continue

The B-52s' local appearance last week was one of those good news/bad news kind of affairs.

Good news: In a departure from most shows at Centennial Hall, no one stepped in to stop anyone from dancing—and to varying degrees, the audience, indeed, did dance. Bad news: A security guy did chastise a… Continue

The Big Stuff

Band/Musician of the Year
The Wyatts (R), 41.4 percent

Runners up:
2. Mostly Bears (C), 34.1 percent
3. Golden Boots (C), 24.5 percent

Up-and-Coming Artist(s) of the Year
The Dusty Buskers (R), 36.2 percent

Runners up:
2. American Android (R), 26.5 percent
3. Digital Leather (C), 18.9 percent
4. The Hounds (R), 18.3 percent

Best New Release (Since May 2007)
Mostly Bears, The Ed Mitchell Clinic (C), 26.7 percent

Runners up:
2. Greyhound Soul,… Continue