By Tom Reardon, April 2019 Issue.
As we slip into spring and the desert is starting to bloom, it seems only natural to look at three recent releases with local Valley of the Sun ties. Two of these artists have been around the block for some time now, with ties to folks like Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana, Neil Young, and Black Flag, and one is relatively new, but we shall see below if their recent output is worth the price of admission.
Meat Puppets — Dusty Notes
If you grew up in the ‘80s in Phoenix, or for that matter, any college town anywhere, you were probably aware of the Meat Puppets. The Kirkwood brothers, guitarist/lead vocalist, Curt, and bassist, Cris, were darlings of the college rock world after a brief dalliance with punk in their early days and the occasional bout with heavy drug addiction. They played shows with everyone from Husker Du to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and confounded many an audience with their unique take on underground rock. On Dusty Notes, they are joined by Curt’s son, Elmo, and keyboard player, Ron Stabinsky, and for the first time in two decades, original drummer, Derrick Bostrom. While this is no Meat Puppets II, that doesn’t mean it’s terrible, which it is not by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a bit all over the place, but that’s what the Puppets do best. Stabinsky’s keyboards and Bostrom’s unique style take this record to heights the band’s previous three or four albums have failed to hit. Who else could cover The Searchers “Sea Of Heartbreak” and have it fit right in? Only the Meat Puppets. Let’s hope this lineup has the chance to record a few more records.
Favorite tracks: “Nine Pin” and “Unfrozen Memory.”