What does she sound like? Okay, remember when Bette Midler was cool enough to make records with Tom Waits? (What do you mean "I wasn't born then"? Shut up and trust us--it happened.) Well, imagine if they had an illegitimate daughter, but left her musical education in the hands of disreputable babysitters like R. Crumb (hence the tendency of Martha's originals to sound like perverse, long-forgotten 78s) and Jane Siberry. Now that you're completely baffled, get your ass to the Tractor on Thursday, March 31, and/or the Sunset one week later, April 7, and form your own damn opinion.
How much do you adore Henry Hanks, the new country-fried psychedelic quartet, featuring former members of Juno and Automaton? Well, go to www.myspace.com/henryhanks and find out. Those MP3s are from a demo produced by Phil Ek, by the way. Now that you're completely smitten, see the guys when they open for the Radar Brothers at Neumo's on Monday, April 11. And get ready to read their name in this column as often as possible.
The Supersuckers will take a break from their tour with the Reverend Horton Heat in April (they play Seattle together on Friday, April 1, at the Premier) to finish their new studio album. In the meantime, snap up a copy of the just-released rarities compilation Devil's Food. It contains a total of 16 tracks, including their cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya!" (previously available only as an iTunes download) and a country rendition of the hell-raising "Born with a Tail." Even if you don't own a turntable, the LPs are collector's items, as they've been pressed on glow in the dark vinyl.
While Border Radio was busy at SXSW in mid-March, the Grim Reaper was afoot. First to go was "the Female Preacher," Lyn Collins, who died on Sunday, March 13, at the age of 56. A protégé of James Brown, the soul singer was best known for her 1972 hit "Think (About It)," later sampled by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock for the classic "It Takes Two." Later that same week, Calexico opened their Friday night SXSW showcase by bidding adios to Lalo Guerrero, 88, who had passed the day before. Guerrero documented Mexican-American life via a variety of musical styles (swing, cha-cha, rock), composed over 700 songs, and was awarded the presidential Medal of the Arts in 1997.
