Here’s a translation (I left some of the phrasing as it literally translates to ‘Spanish’ – so it may seem a little disjointed at times – but I think it’s charming!):

The Modeens are a duo formed by Cristina Williams (bass and voice) and Jamie Laboz (guitars, organ and voice). Each had a career on their own until their paths crossed in the Big Apple. From one coast to another, they landed in Los Angeles, and then from the city of stars to the deserts of Arizona, where they decided to create this band with the help of J Fen Ikner on drums.

The result of their passion for psychedelic and garage bands of the golden era of the sixties, this album is born in which they invite you to take a stroll through these sounds – reborn in the 90’s with vintage instruments [Ed. I think he may have meant reborn in this decade?] – in a collection of ten songs of their own creation. Their sound is in accordance with our current times but without staying put in one single era nor with a sound of just imitating.

The record starts with a beat rhythm that owes as much to Bo Diddley as to the great organ players of the “swinging” beat in “Tumbleweed”; in “The Day Will Come” they give typical garage sounds articulated in two voices; they distill R&B in “Thang” to enjoy together with the classics of the Pretty Things or Downliners Sect. Later on they go into the studio of Joe Meek and ask “Where are the Spacemen?” while with pyschedelic effects they play two luminous different versions of “Sonic Daydream”; at half tempo and without ceasing to play psychedelic, they set an eye on the Byrds in “Better Late Than Never”; they cover the classic of Graham Gouldman, “Heart Full of Soul” and create a great version. Without going over one single influence and with doses of rock and roll and western, they create “Showdown” and they close with “Zombie Girl” where the Martians’ effect (hitting surfing sounds) create a great theme that without doubt will make wild all the lovers of Man or Astroman?

This is a record that, once you’ve decided to pay attention to its title, is impossible to stop listening to.

Organized by Kevin Henderson of The Swigs, local bands will donate their time and all proceeds will go to benefit the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based environmental nonprofit that is suing BP for violating the Clean Water act and generally holding their feet to the fire – as well as sounding the alarm on various other environmental no-nos going on in the world. The details are below – if you’re on Facebook, please RSVP to the event page here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=133545626663270&ref=ts

Details:

• Artist: The Modeens
• Date: Sunday, August 1st 2010
• Time: 7:30pm
• City: The Modeens in Tucson
• Venue: The Hut
• Address: 305 N 4th Ave
• Venue phone: (520) 623-3200
• Country: United States
• Admission: $10 suggested
• Age restrictions: 21+
• Box office: (520) 623-3200
• Notes: Spillapalooza: A Concert to Raise Awareness of the Gulf Oil Disaster With these awesome local bands:
  
  
  • Al Perry
  • The Swigs
  • Fish Karma
  • Gila Bend
  • The El Camino Royales
  • The Wayback Machine
  • The Dusky Buskers
  • The Fisters
  • The Possibles
  • Vanessa Lundon
  • Aaron Gilmartin
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

Saturday, June 5, 2010
8:00pm – 11:30pm
Location:
229 N. First Avenue (at 8th Street)

Suggested donation of $5 to $10.

Got our first review from Gene Armstrong in the Tucson Weekly:

“Here’s a pleasant surprise: a surf-garage-R&B band playing rambunctious rave-ups that don’t blindly parrot 1960s-style music. Instead, The Modeens take a familiar sound, borrow its tropes and motifs, and rework it, throwing in a modern spin.”

Read the whole thing here.

After such an intense period working on the album, we had to take a break. But happy to say, the tunes are in distribution now. You can buy “Take A Ride With The Modeens” in all sortsa places!

For more deets as well as listening to all the tracks from the cd, go to the handy dandy Modeens Music Page:

http://www.themodeens.com/music/

Next show is coming up Friday at PLUSH opening for the band The Willowz. Cool stuff! $6 in advance and $8 at the door. Read all about it here:

http://www.plushtucson.com/shows.html?band_id=389

Coming up after is a highly recommended fundraiser for the American Friends Service Committee: Justicepalooza @ The Hut on April 25th with Silver Thread Trio, The El Camino Royales and Tryst.

And big thanks to KXCI for all the spins they’ve been giving our record! It’s one of the best community radio stations in the country so give em a try: 91.3 FM or kxci.org.

Details:

• Artist: The Modeens
• Date: Friday, March 26th 2010
• Time: 11:00pm
• City: The Modeens in Tucson
• Venue: Red Room @ Grill
• Address: 100 E Congress St
• Venue phone: (520) 623-7621
• Country: United States
• Admission: Free!
• Age restrictions: 21+
• Notes: Been a long time since we rock n rolled at the Red Room! C’mon down for a friendly rockin lil hang…we’ll be around from 10pm on past midnight. Who knows what we’ll play!
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Details:

• Artist: The Modeens
• Date: Saturday, March 6th 2010
• Time: 10:00pm
• City: The Modeens in Tucson
• Venue: Plush
• Address: 340 East 6th Street
• Venue phone: (520) 798-1298
• Country: United States
• Admission: $5
• Age restrictions: 21+
• Notes: Triple Release Partay! http://www.plushtucson.com/shows.html?band_id=1763
  • 9:30 – The Monitors
  • 10:30 – The Modeens
  • 11:30 – Tracy Shedd
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

We finished up our new cd, Take A Ride With The Modeens – check out some tracks in the jukebox at the top of the site. But you won’t be able to get yer mitts on a copy til our release party on March 6th at Plush. It’ll be a triple release night with honey-voiced Tracy Shedd and power trio The Monitors!

We’re saving up aaaall our mojo til then so mark yer calendars now!