ARIZONA STAR, Aug. 8, 2007 [LINK]
Award-winning duo will bring its old-timey country to The Hut this weekend
By Cathalena E. Burch
cburch@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.02.2007
Two alt-country shows are heading to The Hut in the next week.
First up on Saturday is the much-talked-about Texas Sapphires, a band that snagged the 2006 Austin Music Award for best new band.
The group includes studio musician and former hog farmer Billy Brent Malkus, who teams up with po
punk vocalist Rebecca Lucille Cannon. From her rich, bluesy twang, it's hard to see how she passed as a punker.
The group's Texas country is a throwback to the days when Dobro, pedal steel, bass and a simple drum rap were respectable accompaniments to a soulful twang. Their guy-gal harmonies, especially evident on such songs as "The Emerald Outlaw" off their debut CD, "Valley So Steep," are so crisp and refreshing they'll stop you in your tracks.
The album was produced by famed Texas studio musician and Grammy winner Lloyd Maines, father of Dixie Chick Natalie. It's a showcase of a band that sadly will get lost in today's pop-saturated country music. But fans of old-timey country will absolutely adore their three-chord tribute to the style of Buck Owens aptly dubbed "Barstow Barstool." It's a toe-tapper, so don't be surprised if when they play it Saturday folks mosey to the dance floor.
Former Weary Boy Mario Matteoli opens the show with an intimate set showcasing his solo outing, from his new record "Hard Luck Hittin'." Matteoli spent six years with The Weary Boys, who will occupy the same stage at The Hut a week later.
The Weary Boys' show could be the last time we see the Austin, Texas, band, which has recorded at Tucson's Wavelab Studios. The seven-year-old outfit is calling it a day, according to a written statement from co-frontman Darren Hoff. After this summer, the band plans to split.
It's a shame, really. The Weary Boys made it cool to like country in all its pickin' glory, including the wonderful banjo fest of "Little Birdy" off this year's release, "Coalinga."
The Aug. 11 set features Matteoli's replacement, Matt Downing, on banjo.
The great local bluegrass band Cadillac Mountain opens the show.