The Commodores!

In all of the interviews I've done over the years, I have to say this was my favorite. JD from the Commodores really came alive to me, and I felt like I had made a friend after we hung up the phone. 

That kind of connection, when you just hit it off with whoever you are talking to, is so special, and to me- it's kind of sacred. 

Not only that, but it always ends up having a positive impact on the piece, because the guards are dropped. 

See what you think!

Commodores dock for local fundraiser 

Kelly Lewis 

JAG Entertainment

By KELLY LEWIS

calendarplus@tucsoncitizen.com They've been together for more than 30 years, but in a concert that touts dancing, pyrotechnics and nonstop energy, The Commodores will show that they're just as funky as they were in the days of "Brick House." "It's been a while since we've been to Tucson, but we are really looking forward to coming back," said J.D. Nicholas, 55, a member of the The Commodores since 1983. Having weathered years of tour buses, fast-paced performances and a rotating set of band members, Nicholas says it's love of their fans that keeps the group touring. "We just love being in front of an audience," Nicholas said in a recent phone interview from his home in Las Vegas. "It doesn't matter if there are five people in the audience or 5,000. As long as there is someone listening, we will keep playing." With songs as legendary as "Three Times a Lady" and "Too Hot Ta Trot," The Commodores have no problem drawing an ever-changing crowd. "Over the last few years we have seen a lot of young parents bringing their kids," Nicholas says. "We see a lot of young kids dancing up front, having a great time and it prompts us to continue what we're doing." With the youth in the crowd and dance moves that never get old, The Commodores easily stay hip with the times. The group has even ventured online, creating a myspace blog, at myspace.com/thecommodoresnow, on which they frequently give advice to up-and-coming musicians. "I was just on our MySpace page and the most messages that we get are from younger audiences or artists," Nicholas says. "Some are giving up props, and some are wanting the same longevity that we have had and ask us how they should go about getting it." With a complete package of new songs that make you dance and older ballads that moisten the eyes, Nicholas describes a Commodores performance as an endless roller coaster. "There is a time to sit down and listen, and then there is a time to get up and dance," he says, laughing. As for that most famous former Commodore, Nicholas says that original member Lionel Richie often makes appearances at the band's concerts. "You never know when he will show up at one of our shows or when we will go to one of his," he added. The band dealt with the death of founding member Milan Williams in 2006. But it has built upon its struggles to emerge as strong as ever. "There is so much going on in the world and there are so many reasons for people to be unhappy," Nicholas says. "But, for the time that we are on the stage, we just like to take people's minds off of that and instill another emotion that they can take with them and hopefully make the world a better place." IF YOU GO What: The 11th annual Laughter on the Sunnyside. Dinner and silent auction preceding performance by The Commodores. Proceeds benefit the Sunnyside Unified School District. When: Saturday - silent auction and dinner at 5:30 p.m., show at 8:30 Where: Desert Diamond Casino, Interstate 19 and Pima Mine Road Price: $150 for dinner, auction, and concert; $35 from Ticketmaster in advance for Commodores concert only; $40 at the door Info: ticketmaster.com or desertdiamond casino.com; dinner tickets can be purchased by calling 327-1121

Every year in Tucson, we have this lovely thing called the folk festival, in which local artists show off their work. One artist, in particular, Tim Wiedenkeller, gathered love and support from the community with his songs that remember the old days of the Old Pueblo. 

Check it out! 

Go trout fishing at folk festival  KELLY LEWIS

calendarplus@tucsoncitizen.com

A two-day event filled with stuff for the whole family, the 22nd annual Tucson Folk Festival is helping keep alive the spirit of storytelling that helps define the genre.

From workshops that focus on some of Arizona's stories and songs to craft booths and five stages of music, the festival provides the opportunity for attendees to learn something new and have a little bit of fun.

It seems fitting then, that Trout Fishing in America, a two-man band known for grabbing attention with silly but informative songs, should serve as one of the headliners at this weekend's event.

"It would drive us crazy if we had to do one thing all the time," bassist Keith Grimwood says in a phone interview from his home in Arkansas. "We play shows for kids, shows for adults, family concerts and everything in between."

Together for more than 30 years, Grimwood and guitarist Ezra Idlet are known for their eclectic range of songs that cover such wacky topics as nose-picking and the dreads of bed-head.

"People ask me a lot of times, 'What's the difference between a kids' show and an adults' show?' Grimwood says. "My quick answer is, 'No love songs at the kids' show.' Kids hate that kissy stuff."

For those who want to experience the difference for themselves, Trout Fishing in America will play two shows at the festival - one in the afternoon for children and one in the evening for adults.

"I think the evening show will rock a little harder with more soloing, love songs and stuff like that," Grimwood says. "If you see both shows, you can tell me the difference."

When they aren't self-producing albums from their own label (Trout Records), or attending the Grammys for the three nominations they have received, Grimwood and Idlet are teaching songwriting workshops at local schools around the country.

"It's surprisingly educational because creativity is so important in every aspect of our lives," Grimwood says. "People ask at first, 'How will you get the kids to respond and participate?' Well, we did two songwriting workshops and I said, 'How do you turn them off?' "

With a sound that appeals to a wide variety of people, it's no surprise that Grimwood says his band has seen its audience expand with each decade.

"A lot of shows we are doing these days are family concerts where everyone shows up together," Grimwood says. "I look out there in the audience and I see three, four generations of families out there who are enjoying our music. They may be there for different reasons, but they're all doing something together and it's really cool."

In its first time performing at the Tucson Folk Festival, Trout Fishing in America will play from 1-2:15 p.m. Sunday for the children's show, then hit the stage at 8 for the adult show.

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Cactus refrain will stick with listeners

KELLY LEWIS

calendarplus@tucsoncitizen.com

Local group the Tim Wiedenkeller Band will perform and provide an early release of its single "The New Old Pueblo" at the Tucson Folk Festival this weekend.

Filled with nostalgia for some of the traditions of Tucson's past, the song addresses cultural changes that the Old Pueblo has undergone, singer-songwriter Tim Wiedenkeller says.

"This is one of my most widely requested songs," the banjo player says. "It seems to resonate deeply with longtime Tucsonans especially."

Heartfelt and catchy, the song was created out of a trip he took to southern Arizona 10 years ago.

"A friend of mine threw a party with various Tucson musicians," Wiedenkeller says. "The Ronstadt family came and brought prickly pear cactus, or nopal. We peeled spines and told stories (while) getting to know each other, and it struck me as a privilege to be in a part of the country where they harvest different foods."

A few years later, Wiedenkeller moved to Tucson and began harvesting a patch of prickly pear and started juicing tunas, the fruit that grows on the cactus.

"Quickly I realized no one that I knew knew what nopal or tunas were, and it struck me as tragic in witnessing another culture or tradition falling by the wayside," he says.

"So, I wrote a song about the traditions of Tucson but I didn't want it to be depressing, so its hook is catchy."

The hook, which says, "We no peel nopal no mo' " serves as a cultural reminder of Tucson's past.

"It's interesting, when I perform it for an audience," he says. "The locals are all crying and giggling, and the people that aren't locals are just giggling because they don't remember."

Wiedenkeller will perform at 8:30 Saturday night. So bring your family - and maybe a box of tissues.

Macromantics gives hip-hop to town

Miss Macro, of the Macromantics absolutely blew me away, both in interview and in performance. 

It isn't often you find a female hip-hop emcee, and it's even more rare when you find a hip-hop female emcee with a thick Australian accent. 

Check out the piece: 

Sample hip-hop course of Macromantics  Kelly Lewis  By KELLY LEWIS

calendarplus@tucsoncitizen.com Tucson, meet Miss Macro, aka Romy Hoffman, of the one-woman, hip-hop Macromantics. Miss Macro is a sassy Australian rapper whose lyrics and performance possess the attitude of a tiger walking into a butcher shop. It isn't so much the fact that she's a female MC that sets Miss Macro apart from the crowd. Rather, it's her willingness to address taboo issues such as war, religion and female sexuality in lyrics that seem to roll off her tongue in a matter of seconds. In a telephone interview from Melbourne, Miss Macro says she is excited about performing in Tucson for the first time this weekend. "Hip-hop works for me in my life," Miss Macro says. "It's a raw, here and now, immediate response to (the) world. And I love how it isn't perfect and doesn't try to be." A self-professed "darker type of person," Miss Macro says she was pleased that her first album to be distributed worldwide, "Moments in Movement," showcased her upbeat side in songs such as the trumpet-based opening track "Miss Macro." "Moments in Movement" also touts a guest track with one of underground hip-hop's biggest name, Sage Francis. "I think Sage is one of the most important writers of our generation," Miss Macro says. "We met years ago and we seem to share that same intensity and rawness in our music." The song on which Francis raps, "Locksmith," is one of the darker songs on the album and explores the effects of a broken household. "I'm a product of my father's trade and my mother's substance," raps Francis. Although the album is generating buzz among the hip-hop community, Hoffman says it is her live performance that cements her fan base. "I see myself as a performance artist, not a recording artist," she says. At times quite reminiscent of the playful harmonies composed in the Black Eyed Peas' "Elephunk," and often filled with hilarious vulgarity, "Moments in Movements," is riddled with silly, in-your-face beats and nonsensical lyrics such as those on the third track, "Scorch" which says: "Mmm Kah!/ You can't/ front on boom-bah./ Scoops, ah./Fruit, yum/ come get your crew cuts." But while lyrics such as these show off Miss Macro's playful side, the album as a whole is filled with powerful messages. "I want to affect others. People seem to think this world is theirs and they can do whatever they want with it, and I don't think that's the case," Miss Macro says. "I think people need to take responsibility and give back to others and to their surroundings." As she wraps up her tour with Deerhoof, Miss Macro says she has plans to record another album. "On the next record, I will feel more pressure because the response has been so great for this album," she says. "But music for me is a survival mechanism and next time around I want to show more of my insanity and where the world is around that." IF YOU GO What: Macromantics, with Experimental Dental School and Deerhoof When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Cost: $10 advance, $12 day of show Info: 622-8848, ww.hotelcongress.com

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum rocks out

'Sleepytime' drummer says group plays 'rock against rock' 

Kelly Lewis 

The End Records

By KELLY LEWIS

calendarplus@tucsoncitizen.com Sleepytime Gorilla Museum does not make your grandmother's music. Unless, of course, your grandmother is a fan of screaming metal bands that emerge dressed as human puppets with a special knack for headbanging. "We are out to destroy ourselves with rock and roll music," says SGM drummer Matthias Bossi in a phone interview from Milwaukee. "We play in the form of rock which is called 'rock against rock,' which means we are destroying ourselves with the very thing that we advertise." A band too experimental to be confined to one category, SGM bridges metal and circus sounds, culminating in what comes across as a mixture of White Zombie and Slayer. Songs are filled with the noise of everyday objects - trash cans, housewares. And SGM will go as far as inventing instruments to create particular sounds, as the band did with the Piano Log, which, at nearly 7 feet tall, is made with piano strings and played with two sticks. "It's all singularly Sleepytime," Bossi says. "It has this fantastic sort of homemade aesthetic. . . . The backwoods, shanty town, bits and pieces of coil sort of sound, and it's beautiful and shabby." Working with all of these different noises means that the recording process, entirely self-produced, is rather lengthy. "History has said that it takes about four years for a record to come together because everyone within the band is such a perfectionist and things need to be a certain way," Bossi says. Yet, somehow, the band that has been more or less underground since its inception in 1999 has managed to record its most recent album in less than two years, since it signed with The End Records in 2006. "The album will be out in May and it has been named 'In Glorious Times,' which is kind of an ironic title because it is kind of a dark and lonely record, for sure," Bossi says. "It's a very personal album and I can only touch the surface of what it's about, but I would say that its overarching theme is that it is a tribute to a very close friend of ours who passed away last year." An ensemble that has made its mark through years of nonstop touring, SGM is once again gearing up for continent-hopping fun, sharing the stage with Secret Chiefs 3, whose members include Trey Spruance (formerly of Mr. Bungle). "We took a year off to make this record, but all this band has ever known is touring," Bossi says. "This is a big jump we are doing here, but our batteries are recharged and we are totally ready to get back on the road and get touring." IF YOU GO What: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum in concert, with Secret Chiefs 3 When: 9 p.m. March 22 Where: Solar Culture, 31 E. Toole Ave. Price: $15, all ages Info: 884-0874, www.solarculture.org

Fashionista makes dreams come true

Red Ant making her fashionable dreams come true  Kelly Lewis  By KELLY LEWIS

weekendplus@tucsoncitizen.com Rachel Woodward knows what it's like to work toward a dream. Spending much of her childhood traveling renaissance fairs throughout the country, the 29-year-old local fashionista has long-since had a goal to create a modern clothing company from medieval fashions. With The Red Ant opening this weekend at 222 E. Congress, Woodward's dream materializes, taking the form of hooded bodices and crocheted purses. "At a very young age, I took a liking to dressing my own dolls," Woodward says in a recent phone interview. "My mom started making bags that she would sell at renaissance fairs and as I went with her I was influenced constantly by the different fashions." Since a typical renaissance fair boasts a variety of clothing styles, from tribal Tibetan to traditional English costumes of royalty, Woodward was constantly alerted to new ways of re-creating older fashions. "I started to realize that if you can take the past and push it into the future, you have modern-day clothing," she says. Now with a collection with a range from "A Clockwork Orange" to "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Woodward says she is proud to display her collection to the world . . . or, at least, to downtown Tucson. "I have English-style bodices that have hoods and do corseting that is very Victorian as outerwear," Woodward says of her fashions. "All of the different eras that I saw at fairs have influenced me in terms of different styles and cuts and have become a part of an eclectic collection that I have in my store." The grand opening is Saturday and will feature dancers on pedestals and fire spinners, in addition to her wide variety of handmade clothing. "This is just the natural evolution of growing up in fairs," Woodward says. "In taking the next step and opening a store, I am taking everything I've learned to the next level." A former student of the Tucson Design College, Woodward has arranged for TDC students to intern at The Red Ant, working for academic credit while displaying and selling their clothing. "At one time I was what you would call a fair brat," Woodward says. "Now I am part of the next generation in wanting to have stability and foundation." From knickers to industrial clothing, Red Ant fashions, priced from $15 to $300, are designed for both men and women, creating a little something for everyone. IF YOU GO What: The Red Ant grand opening Where: 222 E. Congress St. When: doors open at 8 p.m. Saturday Price: free Info: 623-7566 Details: features balloon twisters, clowns, dancers on pedestals and live mannequins modeling in the windows; hors d'oeuvres; bands play at 9 and 11 p.m., with DJs spinning in between. Store hours: beginning Feb. 18, 10 a.m.-midnight Sundays-Wednesdays; 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays RED ANT PRICES › Styles for both men and women fingerless mittens: $15 bikini tops, some crocheted: $15-$25 bodices: $45-$95 feathered wings: $95 grommeted suspenders: $15-20 skirts, jackets; some crocheted: $100- $200 antique fishnet panties: $15-$25 hair pieces: $35- $55 hats, some crocheted: $10- $35 ·