Light up your life with The Lumineers!

Name:  The Lumineers
Genre:  Folk Rock
Sounds like:  The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Of Monsters and Men, The Avett Brothers

Judging from the large number of holds on their self-titled CD and a sold out show at the Rialto Theatre this past Thursday, it seems that many people are as excited by The Lumineers as I am! One of my favorite new bands, The Lumineers are a folk rock band from Denver whose rapid rise to stardom is underscored by the simple beauty of their songs. As guitarists Jeremiah Fraites stated in an interview earlier in the year, "We're not reinventing the wheel...the ideas themselves are very simple." Those of you looking for blistering guitar solos might try a different band, but anyone who craves songs about hopes and dreams, loss and love, would do well to give this band a listen!

Singing by numbers

Do you sing to yourself? I don't sing in the shower, but lately I sing in the pool. The "singing" one does while swimming is obviously more in your head than actual singing. I have been trying to think of songs with numbers in them to help me count laps. Here are some of the songs I sing during my long, slow swims:

Wilco at TCC Music Hall

Wilco absolutely killed it at the TCC Music Hall.  Jeff Tweedy and company seemed to be fully enjoying themselves, playing in Tucson for just the third time.  They played The Rock in 1996, UA Centennial Hall in 2009, and last Wednesday night.  The band was great, the sound was great, and the audience was appreciative and energetic.  Read on for more details about the wonderful show and the full setlist.

G&S - Who Knew?

If you normally listen to rock, punk rock or blues, here is something new and totally different. Actually it's something kind of old.

I never thought I cared for Gilbert and Sullivan. The various exposures I had with this music previously from community theater companies and amateur singers were...let's just say, not to my liking. Then due to odd circumstances and historical curiosities I listened to some CD's of their work from various casts. My new and stunning verdict is...The Mikado is great. It is a funny and musically entertaining piece of work. Several songs were excellent on this CD, The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan, distributed by Prism Leisure.

Check it out and let me know if you feel like skipping around the room when you listen to it.

~Endora Pipistrella Fortunata

(Sergio Mendoza) Y La Orkestra @ HoCo Fest

Y La Orkestra (formerly Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkestra) celebrated the release of their first studio recording Mambo Mexicano! at Hotel Congress on Saturday September 1st as part of HoCo Fest.  The band delighted the home crowd throughout the set and the lengthy encore with Mambo-inspired songs and generally amazing musicianship.  Read on to find out more about the small army of musicians who made up the band for this stellar performance.

Beatles: all you need are solo albums

If there is one thing I can't get enough of it, it's oxygen. Second to that are the Beatles. Recently I decided I would check out what solo albums the members of the Beatles recorded and are available at the library. I found a good assortment! The number of albums the four lads from Liverpool put out is quite astonishing, and some of it is astonishingly bad (we're looking at you, Ringo) but you can find some of the best there is to offer quicker than you can tell me who the Walrus really was.

John, Paul George and Ringo have all contributed strongly as solo artists to the music world after the Beatles split in 1970. Each ex-member of the Fab Four, in addition to releasing strong solo albums, also were in bands: John and Yoko One in Plastic Ono Band; George in the Traveling Wilburys; Ringo's All Starr Band; and Paul in Wings.

Now, on with the Magical Mystery Tour:

My Concert List

I've been to quite a few shows since last December and thought I'd share some of my memories with you...if you went to any of these shows I'd love to hear what you thought!

Found Magazine + Rasputina Visiting Tucson

After catching the hilarious Found Footage Festival at the Loft recently, I'm really excited for more peeks into the weird private moments of America, at the Found Magazine tour coming to Club Congress Saturday, October 20th. They often choose great musicians to accompany their show (the last time they were in town, it was the Watson Twins), and this time, one of my favorite (and equally weird) bands, Rasputina, is joining them.

Plus, on the following Sunday, October 21st, the Found Magazine folks are going to stop by Main Library at 2pm for a free matinee performance sponsored by, that's right, the coolest public library in Pima County. (The Sunday show will be minus Rasputina and some of the more risqué content). Read on for more info about Found Magazine and Rasputina!