Photo credit: Melissa Fossum

I did it. I tasted the tonic. And I’m not going back.

Medicine Tent, local Phoenix band with funky rhythm, retro style, and quirk for miles let me ask them a few questions. Here’s what happened.

Medicine Tent is:

Nicholas DiBiase – Bass guitar

Michelle Kable – Vocals

Mike Logan – Electric Guitar

Bryan Mok – Saxophone

Brad Stell – Drums (unavailable for the interview)

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How did the name Medicine Tent come about?

Bryan:  I think we’ll all defer to Mike and Nicholas for this one.

Mike:  Nicholas and I originally played in a band together called Rocketship 3D that exclusively played vintage rock n’ roll. Two Novembers ago, we were asked to play Word Camp–a WordPress convention in Chandler–but our drummer at the time couldn’t make it. So, we formed a small lounge act featuring me, Nicholas, Jon Rodis, and Michelle; the latter two were not part of our band at the time. Since the lineup of musicians and the songs we were playing were outside of the typical Rocketship mold, we decided to brand the project differently for that specific gig.

Well, one of the songs we were covering that night was “Walk on Gilded Splinters” by Dr. John, a real atmospheric, voodoo-inspired tune. Incidentally, Nicholas has an alter ego that he sometimes reveals to the public. The character is a loose caricature of Dr. John, complete with Gris Gris (amulets and such) and garbed appropriately in a green polyester leisure suit. Nicholas smartly named this character Dr. Snake.

So, half jokingly, I suggested we call ourselves Dr. Snake’s Medicine Tent to conjure up images of slick snake oil salesmen of the late 19th and early 20th century that used music and shows to lure in customers–and with the hope that Nicholas would revive his Dr. Snake persona for live shows.

After that gig, we reverted back to Rocketship, but the lineup of the band started changing. Michelle began singing lead for most of Rocketship’s shows; we invited Bryan to play sax on a handful of songs as a special guest; our original drummer and bassist left the band. So we did what we could to keep going. Nicholas picked up the bass, Bryan became a soloist during most songs, and we got Brad on board to play drums. With the new lineup, the music shifted, too. We decided that the Rocketship brand wasn’t a fitting description of this new project. So we decided to change names. I forget specifically who drug out Dr. Snake’s Medicine Tent, but it was back, shortened for brevity’s sake, and adopted.

How would you describe the music of Medicine Tent?

Mike:  We make dance music. Music that makes you want to move. Music that makes you want to grab your girl or pull your man in close and dance. It’s music that makes you want to celebrate and have fun. We consciously eschewed shoe-gazing, self indulgent, irony-filled tunes in favor of feel good dance music. A person far wiser than me said, “You can’t be down when you’re singing and dancing and clapping.” We try to set the table for people to enjoy themselves.

So, yeah, taste our tonic.

Who/what are you inspired by, individually and as a band?

Nicholas:  As a band, we’re inspired by RnB and dance music from the early 50s through present day. We have a particular inclination toward New Orleans RnB and funk, circa the 60s and 70s. Myself, I’m a cloned funkateer and lifelong devotee of James Brown, George Clinton, Prince, Ohio Players, and I have a special affinity for contemporary RnB and pop a la Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, D’Angelo, and Frank Ocean.

Michelle:  Our individual influences are best heard in the original music we perform. You can hear Mike’s love of Louisiana and his appreciation of RnB, Nicholas’s passion for good rock n’ roll tunes with solid lyrics and clever arrangements, Bryan’s jazz interests, Brad’s appreciation of a steady beat, and my love for strong female vocalists with Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and Janis Joplin.

Bryan:  Allen Toussaint would probably be our single biggest influence as a band. As the saxophonist of the group, I draw a lot of my personal musical inspiration and influence from jazz giants like Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington, as well as classic RnB saxophone great King Curtis.

Photo credit: Tony Deschiney

What can people expect out of a Medicine Tent show?

Mike:  So many of the songs we cover are classic New Orleans-style RnB songs from the 60s–”Lipstick Traces,” “Fortune Teller,” “A Certain Girl,” “Mother-in-Law,” and “Breakaway” are all Crescent City hits of our parents’ and grandparents’ era. These songs were the live soundtrack to many fetes and street parties back home in the 60s and 70s–loud, outdoor parties filled with the smells of gumbo and bourbon and camellias! That’s a bit of the vibe we want to recreate with every show.

Nicholas:  Our entire concept is related to the tradition of the earliest societies of using music and dance as a way to get everybody involved in a communal expression of life, love, and raw feeling. A Medicine Tent show is like a high-energy, ecstatic social ritual. The line between us and the audience is completely blurred.

So you can expect serious rump shaking, hormone-drenched dance madness. Bad decisions. Sweat.

Best band moment/biggest accomplishment thus far?

Nicholas:  Every gig we play is our biggest moment right then–though I gotta say, our appearance at Crescent Ballroom was certainly the most memorable, along with our performance at the wedding of a local music icon, Ben Broyles!

Michelle:  I’d say our biggest accomplishment is that after a year of hard work, we’re still making new music, finding great events to be a part of, and getting our name out there.

Bryan:  The best band moment for me was being up on the Crescent Ballroom’s main stage. There was something truly satisfying about playing on the stage of my favorite local music venue and seeing people dancing to our music in the crowd.

Mike:  We’ve stuck together through a lot of setbacks, too, a lot of rearranging of the band. We’ve had tremendous resiliency. And we’re bringing music to the people of Phoenix that is pretty rare and seated in great tradition. That’s a huge accomplishment.

If you could choose one word to describe Medicine Tent, what would it be?

Michelle:  Medicine.

Bryan:  Fun.

Mike:  Tonic.

Nicholas:  Sex.

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You can taste Medicine Tent’s tonic at the Arizona Epilepsy Foundation’s Gatsby Mardi Gras Gala this Saturday night (tickets are still available!) or Wednesday, February 27^th when they play the Lost Leaf alongside Frequent Kings. Check out the Facebook invite for full info.

To tide you over, here’s a musical snack for you all, Medicine Tent covering Ike and Tina Turner’s “You Shoulda Treated Me Right” for Under Cover for the Phoenix New Times.

Clyne has a special connection to this state in his music, singing mostly about the American Southwest and Mexico, his two haunts of choice. In my opinion, Arizona has always had a dearth of great local music, but Clyne proves the exception.

I was thrilled and honored when Clyne accepted my request to send him interview questions over email. He graciously answered them all, and you can read about the inspiration behind “Switchblade,” “Green and Dumb,” and more.

Photo credit: Cassandra Tomei

Chelsey Heath: What first inspired you to pick up songwriting? Do you remember the first song you wrote and where it ended up?

Roger Clyne: Ego, probably. Now I find that songs benefit most when I get Ego out of the way.
I do remember the first song I wrote and am glad (whew!) no one else does!

CH: During the Refreshments era, many of the songs off of Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy have some kind of social commentary. Most strikingly, “Mekong” evokes the unrest in the Vietnam war. What inspired this song and what did you want people, such as those who did not live through that war, to take away from it?

RC: Celebrating Life with fellow travelers turns strangers to friends.

CH: Continuing on to the Roger Clyne and Peacemakers era, “Green and Dumb” off Honky Tonk Union tells a heart-breaking story of unrequited love and loneliness. Was this song based off experience or inspired by popular culture, etc.?

RC: I wrote that song at my family’s ranch in Southeastern Arizona. The song is based on personal experience, though I amplified it a bit for poetic impact. I wrote most of the song on a cold, windy night whilst “haunting” the outside a little adobe house on the property. My loved ones were inside, I was outside.

It was Easter weekend and my father and I had just put down one of the family’s best horses due to a compound-fractured front leg. It is always shocking and horrible to have to euthanize such a strong, silent, graceful creature. I was bitter and sick about it. I felt unclean and did not want my energy at that moment, in that state, to enter into our house.

So I stayed outside most of the night in a mad attempt at purification, peering into the light at the life in the house, I imagined myself as a lowly, invisible ranch-hand, weary of dirty work and deeply in love with a young woman far outside my own reach, and wrote that song.

CH: Then, the Americano album has two social commentary songs.
The first song I want to focus on is “Switchblade.” Since you do travel down to Mexico each year, can you describe how you feel about the drug war tearing that country apart? What would you like to see done about the “Federales pulling bodies out of shallow graves”?

RC: The political/economic state of Mexico right now is tragic. And, not to minimize the present situation, but Mexico has historically rarely enjoyed stability or prosperity. The citizenry can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys and, in many places, they live in fear. I believe the US should begin an earnest dialogue about the effects of legalizing marijuana.

Undeniably, there is a supply because of a demand. If marijuana were made legal, regulated, imported, taxed and tariffed, I opine it would provide both the US and Mexico with new and legal revenues, and essentially eliminate the need for the black market and its associated corruption and violence.

CH: The second and final song I would like to ask about is “God Gave Me a Gun.” Since this track does refer to the constant confrontation between people of different religions (including Christians and Muslims), even to the point of violence and war, how do you think it should be viewed in the current climate of protest against the Islamic Community Center near the World Trade Center memorial?

RC: It’s a song infused with such shocking and violent self-righteousness that I hope it provokes introspection and, ultimately, tolerance. A hallmark of “Heaven” is unity, the hallmark of “Hell” is segregation. Religions are different views of the same ineffable event we call “God.” We’re all on tiptoes, looking out from different windows, trying to behold the same sublime Spirit. No need to fight about it anymore. Lift up your neighbor instead. Or look through his window. What do you see?

CH: Also, are there any other songs you’ve written with either band that you think makes a social comment? Any favorites I missed?

RC: There are a lot. In almost every song, I try to weave together conscience and celebration. “Sleep Like a Baby,” ‘Buffalo,” “¡Americano!,” “Goon Squad,’ and “I Know You Know,” are amongst the more obvious.

CH: Finally, could you give a brief rundown of your songwriting process?

RC: It’s really hurly-burly. Rhythm, cadence, melody, poetry, all come in from different directions at different velocities, at different times. Sometimes all at once.

I really try to pay attention and catch all I can. It’s like a having bunch of 1000-piece puzzles in one big box; It’s my job to put them together as best I can.

Photo credit: Cassandra Tomei

You can hear clips of most of the songs Clyne talks about on the RCPM last.fm.

Please also read the interview on Roger Clyne and Peacemakers’ MySpace. Also see additional live concert photos of RCPM on Greg Taylor’s photography website.

Photos courtesy of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Photo credits on two above photos to Cassandra Tomei.

The summer of 2008, brought a few enthusiastic local Phoenix residents together to launch an avenue of communication for local artists, promoters, producers, and fans. Phoenix Local Music provides a platform for life in Phoenix; from art, to music, to local fashion and restaurants. The goal: to encourage locals to reach out and connect with individuals who have an interest in and a passion for the Phoenix culture. Simply speaking, Phoenix Local Music is addressing the often muttered and all-too-frequently unanswered question of what there is to do in Phoenix.

Phoenix Local Music – http://www.phoenixlocalmusic.com – provides a platform for life in Phoenix; from art, to music, to local fashion and restaurants.

When faced with a seemingly uneventful week, people can visit the website and find nearby venues, boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. When too busy or unmotivated to go out, members can browse media groups, read and write reviews, and establish and maintain personal and professional relationships with other members. Phoenix Local Music is the first website locally that is trying to create awareness for those who realize that a city should be more than the place where we live. A city should be a place that comes alive with the presence, appetites, desires, and hopes of its inhabitants.

“Phoenix Local Music is designed to strategically leverage the paradigm shift in human interaction on the internet while bridging the gap of online and face-to-face interaction. Most importantly the development of Phoenix Local Music is not single handed, the interaction, suggestions, and constructive criticism from the community will mold Phoenix Local Music. Our success lies in the hands of our community, understanding this, we seek to distill transparency and expose Phoenix’s developing culture to the global community while strengthening local bonds. As Phoenix Local Music grows the ideas and feedback from musicians, artist, fans, industry gurus and local small businesses will be fused with our strategic plan to perpetuate Phoenix Local Music into the future” (Elliott Lemenager, Founder of Phoenix Local Music).

Phoenix Local Music not only provides an underrepresented voice for local artists, but also lends its use to promoters and producers looking for new talent. Fans will also be given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with artists that may have gone overlooked in the past. Phoenix Local Music goes beyond artists and musicians, into fashion and food; where the art of design and culinary excellence are celebrated as they should be. Here, Phoenix is dissected to show its parts, to show how the blood of this city pumps through every vein and how we, as local residents, can play a part in its beauty.