Who's ready for the Tucson music scene to make a name for itself? Every musician from every local band...you can all put your hands down now.
After years of showing potential, the axe-thrasher for one of Arizona's finest local acts is past ready to see the scene explode, along the lines of Chicago and Seattle.
"There's a good foundation here for what could be a great scene," said Ian Philabaum, guitarist for Chango Malo. "But everyone's own personal interests can mess things up. It doesn't seem like a group effort going on."
Chango Malo (Spanish slang for "bad monkey,") is one group that isn't sitting on its laurels. The band has been tearing up the local scene for nearly five years with some of Tucson's most entertaining live performances. Plus, they'll be performing quite a few gigs this week.
Consisting of two guitarists (Philabaum and Ryan Couch), a bassist (Justin Lillie), vocalist (Quin Davis), drummer (Jericho Davidson) and saxophonist (David Clark), the band offers a sound as diverse at its lineup.
"Soul-punk is probably fine," Philabaum said about Chango Malo's sound categorization. "Really, it's high energy rock 'n' roll. It's pretty simple, always loud and fun."
The band is starting to see the rewards from their ferocious and frenzied live shows. Recently, they played the famous South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin and have also been asked to play the upcoming Nemo Festival in Boston this fall. Getting a chance to play at such a renowned gig was a dream come true for the band, which has tried to get onto the bill for years.
"It was the coolest rock 'n' roll experience we've ever had," Philabaum said. "You play South By Southwest and people notice, which is great."
On Friday, the band will headline at Hotel Congress, where they'll play their brand of thrashy and volatile punk, rock and soul with local and national friends Dead Boys Club, Out the Window, and Maintenance.
"Congress is one of our favorite places to play in all of Tucson," Philabaum said. "It's like our home."
The band will play choice cuts from their "Septic Style" EP and "Alas Poor Lucy" album and, hopefully, unveil some of the new material they plan on laying down in the fall.
Among their jobs, tour schedule, and otherwise hectic lives, Philabaum said finding the time to record is tough. While there's no set date for their upcoming album, which they will begin recording in the fall with Manifold guitarist Tom Beach at The Root Cellar, band members hope to have an album out by next year.
"January is a realistic goal," Philabaum said. "We'll start recording in September. A week of recording, a week of mixing, optimistically it could be ready by November or December."
Like many local acts, Chango Malo is so set on unifying their local scene that they're not content with playing just one show a week. In fact, the band will play The T.A.M.M.I.E.S., a free local act showcase at the Rialto Theatre, tonight.
They'll also perform at Downtown Saturdays, a sponsored festival that incorporates local music, food and drinks.
While Philabaum isn't particularly pleased with the current local scene, he is optimistic about the potential in local-sponsored events like these.
"Seems like there's a lull right now, unfortunately. But when you get down in a rut the only way out is up," Philabaum said. "These shows ought to be a sign of what our town can do."
Chango Malo will play a free show tonight at 7 at The Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., with Al Perry, Mankind, Little Kings, LemonMan and Friends, Mariachi Luz de Luna, Arthur Migliazza and Kevin Pakulis.
They'll also play Friday at 9 p.m. at Club Congress, located at 311 E. Congress St. Tickets are $4.
Topping off the week, Chango Malo will play a free show Saturday along with other bands Solace Brothers, Camp Courageous, Love Mound, Less than Famous, and Campo Bravo. The show kicks off at 7 p.m., but Chango Malo takes the stage at 12 a.m. (yes, technically Sunday) at the Thrifty Block open lot, east of the Bank One building.