The deconstruction dance


By Eli Herman
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday, April 29, 2004

As semesters end, presidents flounder and felines begin to mate in the spring sun, one question remains: "What to do this weekend?"

Local bicycle shop, BICAS, has answered the question with vigor.

A "dance explosion" will detonate tonight in the Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage warehouse, with reverberations sure to be felt at least a block away. Billed as a Deconstructive Dance Party, the Tucson independent music scene finds a new way to assert itself. While Jacques Derrida is not promised to be in attendance, the bands Sugarbush, No Bunny, The Galactic Federation of Love and Old Time Relijun will be stirring up deconstructive dance sentiment.

Sugarbush is a local band fronted by 6-foot-tall twin sisters Dawn and Kee who, according to their press release, will not reveal their last names.

The quartet plays music that's an amalgamation of Patti Smith, the "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" theme and The Slits.

Sugarbush's experimental style is perhaps more at home in the BICAS warehouse.

"It's like a show in someone's living room," said Dimitri Manos, media arts senior and drummer of Sugarbush. "There's an intangible quality that clubs don't have. There are a lot of great clubs in Tucson, but this is different; it's very participatory."

The bands playing all have a dance quality, meaning that if you go to brood and stare at your feet, you might feel a bit out of place.

"All four bands down there will be some sort of stripped-down dance music," said Manos. "Maybe it's dirtier than that. It's a dance night though - we don't claim that it's anything else."

The sentiment behind this show should perhaps be explained. BICAS is a bicycle collective that functions out of the same location as the show. During the day, BICAS is a trade-parts-for-work, nearly nonprofit bicycle shop - although it does have to pay the rent, so fees are inevitable. The shop - manned by assorted musicians from the show - endeavors to educate and provide cheap alternative traveling methods. This attitude explains the eagerness to spread the gospel of experimental music and the "Show for All Ages" policy.

That's right, your 15-year-old hipster sister is welcome. Especially for the kiddies, the talents of No Bunny will be on display for the evening as well.

No Bunny is actually a one-bunny show with children in mind. For the kids, No Bunny doesn't swear and usually brings gifts. The music of No Bunny is a mix of original songs and originally interpreted cover songs. No Bunny's rhythm section is prerecorded while No Bunny himself plays on his toilet-seat guitar and sings. The one-man show was originally titled "The No-Money Bunny" and premiered three years ago on Easter.

"I would just like to say that No Bunny cares, and No Bunny's gonna be there for you when you're down," said No Bunny in reference to his fans and future fans.

When asked about the true nature of his music, the anonymous man behind the rabbit mask said, "It's bunny rock first of all. It's like bunnies and rabbits in a blender. The No Bunny persona is one that will not be shed for any reason it seems."

The show is guaranteed to be a genuine Tucson music experience in a unique atmosphere. As the night closes, your glistening body will be forced out of the small warehouse hole, and you'll realize that your weekend has just begun.