Bring in the noise

Arizona Daily Wildcat The Funkyard Gang will be performing as part of Funk Fest '98 Saturday night at the Rialto Theatre. The concert, presented by the Tucson Musicians' Network, will start at 8.

Being in a band requires responsibility, organizational skills and leadership, and if you don't have connections to other people involved in music you're like Rhode Island: small, insignificant, no voice in Congress, and absolutely no entertainment appeal.

Which is where the Tucson Musicians' Network comes in. It's a network whose purpose is to get musicians connected with each other. The network has a quarterly publication, also called Tucson Musicians' Network, which twice a year provides a listing of all performers who are members. The other two issues have band profiles and stories relating to the local music scene.

For $15, your band becomes a member, and suddenly the world of performance takes on a whole new meaning. Not only do you get publicity and exposure, in the form of listings in the publication and on the Web site, but you get to support local music as well. It's so easy to become cynical and whine about how the local scene sucks and no one cares and we should all move to L.A. and inhale heroin through balloons, but the sun will come out tomorrow, and concepts like this musicians' network are like the flowers that come back in spring even after you dumped turpentine into the flower bed.

Take, for instance, the shows that the network puts on. This Saturday is Funk Fest '98, a funkified all-ages night at the Rialto Theatre featuring Crawdaddy-O, Funky Bonz, the Funkyard Gang and Annie Hawkins Band. It's a showcase of Tucson funk, of all things. The network has one show every quarter to get the word out about specific bands in a specific genre that maybe hasn't really been considered in the larger general scheme of things; last fall the network staged a Latin-themed concert.

"We try to pick up stuff that isn't represented as much and give it some attention," says Brent Pearson, Tucson Musicians' network director. "We try to get people more exposure - just get people out to see."

Pearson explained that the goal of the network is right in line with the TAMMIES, the local music awards, in that it seeks to push bands into the limelight and give them an opportunity to play for lots of people, as well as give the people an opportunity to learn about as many bands as possible. Except it's not a one-night stand; "It's just a steady-rolling thing," said Pearson.

In conjunction with the Funk Fest, the spring issue of Tucson Musicians' Network is, surprisingly enough, a funk issue. The publication, which can be found waiting in anticipation of an eager music-person to grab and read it at cafes, music stores, and other such establishments around town, features stories on the funk masters themselves, as well as informative articles on the new bars on Fourth Avenue.

There is something inherently cool in the idea of an association of bands. And you don't even have to be in a band to join - solo artists are welcome, as well as businesses. It emphasizes what's good and what's going on in an organized way, and you get to see themed shows on top of that. Funk shows even. It's a groove thang.

Funk Fest '98 is this Saturday at the Rialto Theatre. Doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 8pm. It's all-ages, and tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at CD Depot, Hears Music, and Workshop Music, and for $7 the day of the show.