Lenguas Largas blew me away two years ago at Gonerfest 9. They played the outdoor stage at Murphy’s, and their three (or was it four?) guitar attack came off as a disjointed, jangly Skynryd that had risen up out of the Arizona desert. They’d sold out of all their vinyl, and they impressed me so much that I actually bought a CD, the most archaic and pointless of merch. They’re stopping in at the Hi-Tone on Friday as part of the Recess Records 25th Anniversary Cavalcade of Clowns. Recess put out their most recent LP, Come On In.
You could call Fullerton, California’s White Night punk, but that wouldn’t really cover all the bases. They also fall into the surfy/garage/weirdo stoner genres. Emphasis on stoner, as they include the ubiquitous 420 in their Bandcamp address. A recent Facebook post praised the citizens of Colorado for their legalization of the good stuff. The band is out in support of their album Prophets of Templum CDXX.
When TSOT announced their permanent hiatus last spring, Midtown bar owners and sound guys alike breathed a collective sigh of relief. But like a cockroach rising out of the glowing embers of Chernobyl, Richard Martin’s banjitar refuses to be extinguished or silenced. My first night in Memphis seven years ago was spent at the Hi Tone where TSOT had a regular Monday residency. I believe my reaction was, “What the shit is this?” I didn’t get it. And that’s because I wasn’t in on the joke. Once it dawns on you, a TSOT show is what all rock and roll shows should be: fun and unpredictable. And usually Sambeaux in his underwear.
Lenguas Largas, White Night, TSOT at the Hi-Tone Friday