Saturday, November 19, 2011

Good People + Good Music= Awesome Night and Awesome show.

I always hate being the barer of bad news. To be that one who inevitably breaks your heart by revealing an unwanted truth that destroys your world perception. TandT fans... there is no Santa, there is no Easter Bunny and your favorite bands haven't always sold out arenas..

Every band has started out by paying their dues, as it were, by playing any venue that will have them. All to often they played for audiences that consisted of their family and friends as well as the other bands and their family and friends. I don't know about all of you, but there has been countless times that I have stood in complete awe of a band or performer on stage and wondered what would have it been like to have seen them in their early days, to watch the change in their sound back then to now, watch them rise from little to unknown opening acts to having their names written high up on marques and selling out the largest venues across the country. Oh what a feeling that would be to know that, in however small of a way, you were inherently a part of their eventual success simply by taking a chance on them before anyone else did.

This is exactly why we should support local music and venues. To witness art being created right before our eyes, to be present at the ground floor or the creation of something uniquely different and original. Something that 30 years from now we can look back fondly and see "I was there."

All that being said. I was in audience tonight for a local show here in Tucson, Arizona for some amazing up-and-coming bands. Their venue was off the beaten path at the Fraternal Order of Police Hall. A small but nice venue with full bar that was conveniently separated from the main performance hall so that you could step away from the music for a moment if needed. The show started off slow, in fact, myself and my guest were the only people in attendance that were not a member of another band for quite a while. That changed very soon after.

The first band to perform was The Gentlemen Scumbags who announced that were changing their name to No Radio effective as of November 19, 2011.


The Gentlemen Scumbags (No Radio)


I have to say, they won me over quick. They were one of those bands that you knew immediately loved music and playing it. Their sound is not one I can easily describe so I will let you judge for yourself. I was reminded of a early Blink 182, however. I mean that in the most complimentary way as possible. Their energy, their technique and their sense of humor was all top notch. You can listen to them free at their Facebook page through the link above. Out of the allotted  free tracks, I like Narcissists and Socialites as well as Virgo, however, they had a song that they performed live that knocked my socks off. Paying homage to one of the greatest american trio's off all time by performing Destiny's Child's Say My Name. If given the opportunity to see this Tucson trio perform, I suggest you jump on it. Remember, The Gentlemen Scumbags will be known hence forth as No Radio, so keep an ear open.

The Next band was Four Against One


Four Against One

I will be honest... During their first few songs I wasn't to thrilled. They had great energy, but I felt I was watching a group of guys playing separately from one another and not as a group. However! as their set progressed they started to win me over and pushed me over the "fan edge" in their favor when they coverd one of my favorite songs of all time, Say it Ain't So by Weezer. Joining them onstage were several concert goers and The Gentlemen Scumbags who joined in on the performance. I started off as not the biggest fan but was quickly converted. Their energy and fan interaction alone is worth seeing them live so make sure you check their facebook through the above link to keep tabs on their shows. 

The last band I saw was TandT favorite, The Zoo Incident.


The Zoo Incident

We spotlighted this Band in episode 7: Exterminate the Babies at tandtpodcast.com or on iTunes by searching TandT Podcast! By the time of their performance people had started to file into the venue. I found out  shortly after their performance that this was their first live show and, my friends, they did not disappoint! I brought a friend along to enjoy the music with me and so that I would not be alone... Seconds into the first song she leaned in to tell me ".. wow. they sound really good!" and this was dispite the fact there was a loud feedback echoing through their equipment is they played. the feedback was only noticeable in between songs. In addtion to lead singer, Andrea Alaniz's uncanny voice that you would never believe came out of this tiny girls body, you have the smooth and captivating rifts from Guitarists, Alex Hamby. On bass was Chris Bikerdike who stood out in a night filled with very talented bassists. Lastly was Logan Mitchell on drums who sat the tone with intricate drumming that kept my feet moving the whole set. All in all, The Zoo Incident lived up to the very high expectations I had set for them. You can hear them for yourself at bandcamp.com as well as buy their album for what you see fit... but don't be cheap... 

There was a final band who performed; however, I had to unfortunately leave before they took the stage. But! where I dropped the ball you can pick it up. The band was the Debased Eights, so if you hear of a show that includes them, check them out and let us know what you think or listen to them free at their facebook page through the provided link. 

Thank you to all the bands that performed for giving your audience an awesome experience and a show well worth the price! I, for one, can not wait to see any of them again perform live.

Tommy with The Zoo Incident after their show
November 18, 2011 at the FOP Hall Tucson, Arizona


-Tommy of TandT Podcast!
tandtpodcast.com
twitter: tandtpodcast
facebook and iTunes search TandT Podcast!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Exciting Stuff Coming Soon For TandT!

Howdy TandTanites!

So... as teased in the last few episodes, we have some awesome things coming up. First off, Thanks to all those who participated in our charity auction which raised nearly a 100$ for the American Cancer Society. Hey! It's better then nothing and besides, how much have you raised?.. Also, Don't forget to help others as we approach the holiday season, one think you can do is donate your time, money and especially your blood to your local American Red Cross. A single blood donation can be broken down to help 3 separate people and it takes an hour of your time. Be a hero, save a life.

...back to our big news...

We have been teasing merchandise from TandT and it is almost here, I have seen some of the rough sketches and drawings for their designs and Holy Cow! are they exciting! All done be local artists, printed locally and sold be a couple of local guys. So when you buy from us you get awesome apparel and you get to support a local business.

sweet art is coming your way too. The same artists that are designing those shirts are also doing some prints for sell as well. If you like original art that can help your pad, portfolio or print collection stand out you will need to check them out. again, amazing! and a lot more stuff in development.

for our community we are planning on arranging some local shows and events (not just our show recording). We want to help you see and support people far more talented then we and their craft(s).  Music shows, days in the park, charity sporting events to help raise money.

This little thing was started one night by "throwing our hat over the wall" or, in the parlance of Kevin Smith, "going where the puck is" has already exceeded my (our) wildest exceptions. 6 episodes in and we are rapidly approaching 1,000 downloads! all with no advertising or campaigning outside of social media and word of mouth. I was a self-described "lost" individual in regards to my place or station in life for a long time; I love film, I love music (despite Troy's claims) and love art and all that encompasses but never new how I fit into any of that. Then I discovered Podcasts like Smodcast, Tell'em Steve-Dave!, Nerdist, Hollywood Babble-On, WTF and so on; suddenly, I started to make sense of what I was supposed to do; I found the medium for my artistic outlet. All those shows I mentioned deserve full credit for inspiring me to pursue all this. Thank you, Kevin Smith and fam, Chris Hardwick and co, Marc Maron and cats...

biggest thank you of all goes to my co-host, Troy. If I hadn't met you this would all still be an idea. You do something that only a few others can, make me genuinely laugh.

getting a little bitch-like, I know. I just celebrated my Birthday on the 1st of November and for the first time in a long time I am perfectly happy with my spot in life... I could use some booty... :)

Keep checking back for updates, events, new shows, shirts, prints, mouth hugs from Troy, Josh will wash your car, I do windows... Just Keeping checking back!

-Tommy of TandT Podcast!
@thomaskeith51 on twitter