Pop! Goes The Monte:
XOXOXO Followed By The George Squier Orchestra at the Monte Vista Lounge
by Dean Bonzani
6-26-04
Here’s your dilemma: you’ve spent all of the month of June living riotously, and have depleted your funds to such an extent that you’re forced to ration your nightlife until fresh cash arrives. You hear that not one, but TWO Flatlander pop bands will be playing on consecutive nights at the Monte Vista Lounge. With only enough lettuce to buy a coupla drinks...tops...which low-altitude, banjo-less band will you go see?
That’s a tough one. But lemme help you out here.
Tempe’s arty synth-mashers XOXOXO (or X-cubed, as devotees refer to them) are an eerily retro synth band that, despite their exclusive use of vintage analog gear, manage to sound current. But retro. In a modern way, that is.
The lovechild of three Arizona State University students, XOXOXO is gaining notoriety in the Valley of the (Unrelenting) Sun and, naturally, in eastern Europe. They were nominated by New Times magazine in the category of Best Eclectic band in the Valley, and are currently on an ambitious tour of the south and northwest. (Worthy of note is the fact that the band’s website, www.xoxoxomusic.com, shows a map of their tour stops, with Flagstaff being located about five minutes northeast of Tucson.)
Featuring Rachel Taylor on vocals and brothers Zach and Ben Funke on bass and guitar, and shared synthesizer duties, XOXOXO will violently throw listeners back to the glory days of Depeche Mode and the legions of their imitators, while simultaneously satisfying any urges for new and different interpretations of what can be done by machine-savvy dance-pop fanatics with a penchant for killer thrift-store fashion finds. Rachel and the brothers Funke could step right into an Anime feature flick, pick up hot pink, futuristic instruments with multitudes of pulsing LED’s, and launch into their tune, “Fornicate,” with its lyrics:
Cut your heart out, cut your heart out
Leave it at the door
Cut your heart out, cut your heart out
You won’t be needing that any more
And you can bet that Japanese girls would then want Zach and Ben for their very own. Of course, the Japanese businessman would harbor dark fantasies about Rachel, with her razorblade-in-a-creampuff croon and cute button nose.
But, Japanimation-friendly looks aside, this Tempe trio packs a beat-heavy wallop, with bucketloads of honking, burbling electronica, and sinister-sweet, chirping vocals.
Taking themselves far less seriously than the MTV-bound XOXOXO are Tucson’s George Squier Orchestra.
Named for Army officer/ inventor Major General George O. Squier, who gave the world piped-in music in 1922 and named it “Muzak,” G.S.O. are a quintet in the tradition of bands like The Cars. The rhythm section is comprised of bassist Melinda and drummer/vocalist Bonnie, while guitar and vocal duties are shared by Johan and Nathan. Keyboardist/accordianist/vocalist Monte also creates the most excellent and vibrant posters for the band’s gigs, which are far and away some of the best quality examples of the genre that you’ll encounter, especially in these parts.
G.S.O. play bouncy, Velvet Underground/Feelies/Luna- sounding pop with an un-self-conscious enthusiasm that quickly wins over their audiences. Their naiveté causes one to forgive any stumblings or lack of experience, and their undeniable...niceness...makes them compelling, like the last puppy in a cardboard box that says “Free Puppies!”
Their quirky, beachy, boppy tunes will have you wanting to cut your own bangs by candlelight. You’ll dance like someone who just drank a Slurpy-sized cup of jungle juice concocted from the forbidden, filched booze from a dozen parental liquor cabinets. Their unusual melodies and B-52’s beat will make you run out and buy a red Vespa. Or make a skateboard out of old rollerskate wheels, or a treehouse fort.
So, happy club-goers, this is your dilemma: whether to go out on Friday night to see three pretty popsters with Dragonball Z hairstyles, pointy boots and thumping synths (say that one three times fast),
OR
do you plunk down your last wad of dough for some cold ones while you bask in the chimey, farmer-tanned pop of the nervously smiling quintet that is the George Squier Orchestra?
Hell, both shows are free, so go see both bands! Mousse your hair up on Friday night, and wear a prom gown. Gents— skinny ties and Japanese sports jackets are the order of the day. Then, on Saturday night, it’s sleeveless sixties’ sack dresses with platinum wigs and flat shoes, and golf hats and Keds for the menfolk.
Heartfelt, heat-stroked pop from sea level artists, in the Tiki Cave that is the V Lounge.
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XOXOXO, Fri., July 2nd, at 10 P.M., and The George Squier Orchestra, Sat., July 3rd, at the Monte Vista Lounge.
©2005 by Dean Bonzani, All Rights Reserved