May 18th @ The Newton (Changing Hands)
Next Wednesday, Stinkweeds and The Trunk Space have teamed up for a special evening of music with Psychic Temple and Slow Moses. For those of you unfamiliar with Psychic Temple, they are a stellar band on the cusp of notoriety and household namedness. Their newest album, on Sufjan Steven’s label Asthmatic Kitty Records, is a blend of their previous efforts to explore and experiment with sound and texture, blending folk, jazz and dreamy pop structures as well as some new directions in songwriting, leaning more towards indie folk and rock. This successful blending of sounds and genres works in part because of the musicians involved in this project. Culled from sessions recorded at home in Los Angeles and the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama – ‘III’ includes contributions and performances from Spooner Oldham (Neil Young, Bob Dylan), David Hood (J.J. Cale, Aretha Franklin), Mike Watt (Minutemen, The Stooges), Avi Buffalo, Nedelle Torrisi (Sufjan Stevens), Elliot Bergman (Wild Belle, NOMO), Dave Easley (Brian Blade Fellowship) and many more. Coming together quickly and intuitively, the album was mixed over three days with Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson). Singer/songwriter Chris Schlarb’s voice and charismatic stage presence is on par with contemporaries like Father John Misty, Phosphorescent or Devendra Banhart, but with maybe a little more technical musicianship mixed in. It is only a matter of time before the rest of the music loving world catches on to this unique, yet delightfully accessible new sound. This intimate show is sure to be one of those “I saw them when…” moments.
Also on the bill is one of our personal favorites, Slow Moses! You may recognize members from Wooden Indian as well as other great Phoenix bands, past and present. Slow Moses will be the perfect accent to this evening with their dense, swirling, worldly blend of psychedelia.
All of this will congeal nicely under the roof of the historic Newton building, which is becoming one of the best spots for intimate live music performances. If you have yet to see a show there, I believe this is a perfect one to start with. With all the attention Phoenix is getting for its live music venues, it is becoming harder and harder to find this kind of intimate performance in town. We have to dig a little deeper to find the bands that are right on that edge of popularity, where they can play shows for the diehard fans, in spaces that are conducive to that kind of personal relationship. These were the shows you would find at Modified Arts and The Trunk Space not so long ago. I think the Newton is the perfect place to continue these types of performances. Come out to enjoy a great show, but also understand that you will be showing your support for these types of performances and letting your city know that drinking wine or a beer while listening to live music in a bookstore is your kind of thing.