Photo courtesy of azpeacemakers.com Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers will tour with Lynard Skynard before they release a new album at the end of the summer.

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers climb back in the saddle this weekend with a show at City Limits

Staying in touch with their local fan base in southern Arizona, Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers are performing at City Limits on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The Arizona Summer Wildcat caught up with Clyne and talked about the Peacemaker's new album, mariachi music, and the urbanization of Arizona.

Wildcat: So tell our readers about the status of the Peacemaker's upcoming album.

Clyne: We don't have a release date yet, but the working title is Americano. We're working on the art for the cover in Mexico this week and our manager is coming in [on Wednesday] with the mixes and we'll see which tracks we like. We're not on tour right now, but we're playing some shows at home to keep in touch with our local fan base. We hope to get the album out by the end of the summer.

Wildcat: Any plans for a tour?

Low Down Who: fans 21 and over Where: City Limits, 6350 E. Tanque Verde Road When: Sat. June 28th, doors open at 7 p.m. How much: Tickets are $12 at the door For info call 327-2214

Clyne: After we get back from doing the photography for the new album we're going on tour for five weeks with Lynyrd Skynyrd and [Sammy] Hagar leading up to the release of the new album.

Wildcat: Which groups would you say have influenced your music?

Clyne: I'd have to say Tom Petty, a lot of Bob Marley, and [Jimmy] Buffet have all influenced my music in one way or another.

Wildcat: So what's in your CD player right now?

Clyne: I was just on the road and right now I have Toots of the Maitos, which is a reggae group from the sixties who combined early ska music and some Motown. [It's] really good stuff.

Wildcat: As your music suggests, you're pretty deep into mariachi music. Can you explain how this started?

Clyne: I went to ASU and for my last semester, I went to a campus in Mexico where I studied anthropology and Spanish. While I was down there one of my last assignments had to do with the study of living cultures. I decided to study mariachi and folklore, and I'd go around to villages in Mexico and really get into the scene. I'd play with the bands and travel around. It was a lot of fun.

Wildcat: A major theme interwoven in your music is the urbanization of Arizona. Could you explain how this became a concern for you?

Clyne: I grew up between Phoenix and Sonorita, and I was aware of the changes I'd see along the interstate. And I think that as consumers, we're all part of the problem of urbanization of the desert. I think that we live in an age where we should be aware of the changes in our environment and as consumers, be a bit more aware of our consumption. I consider myself part of the problem too; we all drive cars that pollute and talk on cell phones. I just feel that we should recognize the impact that we are making on the environment of the Sunbelt.

Roger Clyne is the former frontman of The Refreshments, a band infamous in the Tempe music scene in the 1990's. Their album Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy included the hit singles "Banditos" and "Down Together."

The Peacemakers is made up of Roger Clyne, vocals and rhythm guitar, P.H. Naffah, drums, Danny White, bass, Stevie Larsen, the former guitarist for Dead Hot Workshop and Scotty Johnson, a former member of The Gin Blossoms. Their albums include Honky Tonk Union, Sonoran Hope and Madness, and Reel to Real, a live album.