Not Monotonous

These days it seems harder and harder to see a good show in Tucson. There are long fallow periods followed by a concentration of exciting events that only the hardy can handle. The WXSW mini-festival here, piggybacking on SXSW in Austin, is a prime example. For once, there are multiple things I want to see. But I won't be able to go to most shows. What I am going to see, barring the onset of the Rapture, is Monotonix. I've wanted to see this band for a long time. When I reviewed their EP for Zeek, I watched tons of YouTube clips that demonstrated without a doubt that the seeming hyperbole surrounding their live shows is merely a statement of fact. Anyway, if you want to be impressed, disturbed, unsettled and perhaps given a brief glimpse of the sublime, you should join me at Club Congress on March 25th at 8pm. This is one show that even the installation of an over or under-21 "cage" won't ruin.

The Rigging Is Full of Knots

I've spent the last hour at City Court here in Tucson. While hardly pleasant, the experience is illuminating and not without its consolations. For one thing, the percentage of people of color far exceeds the norm in the suburbs where I live. Yes, the fact they are here in court, waiting in long queues to deal with penalties they can't afford says a lot about the persistence of inequality in this nation. But the room is filled with a resigned, yet collegial spirit. It reminds me of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where diversity is more widely encountered. I like hearing multiple languages, including African ones being spoken. And it's good to be reminded that, even if the system is rigged, there are places in the network where the stresses from without are counterbalanced by resistance from within. That said, having access to the internet on my phone certainly makes it easier to redeem the edgy dullness of waiting far too long for far too little. The time spent feels less like time wasted.

Hidden Track

[Poll #1356321]