Soundbites

NOT DAVE MATTHEWS

You may know Tim Reynolds as one-half of the Dave Matthews-Tim Reynolds Acoustic Duo. Or, you may have seen one of his frequent solo acoustic performances at Plush over the years. You certainly know the Dave Matthews Band, for which he now reportedly plays guitar full-time. You may not, however, know him from TR3, which, according to his publicist, is his favorite of all of his projects.

Here's a bit of backstory: Reynolds grew up in St. Louis (mmm ... Budweiser) playing bass in his church, before moving to Charlottesville, Va., where he would eventually meet Matthews. In the early- to mid-'80s Reynolds was gigging with future Dave Matthews Band members, and had formed TR3, a funk-rock trio. When Matthews eventually started his own band, he invited Reynolds to join, but was turned down. Reynolds wanted to pursue TR3.

For eight years, Reynolds had been living in New Mexico, but recently moved to North Carolina, where he met bassist Mick Vaughan and drummer Dan Martier, with whom he formed a new version of TR3--the version that will perform this week. And some 20 years after TR3 first formed, this new incarnation will be releasing Radiance, the first album under the TR3 moniker, which will be available at the show. According to a press release, expect to hear "a mix of updated Tim classics to wild covers of everything from James Brown to Prince to TR3's newest catalogue of material."

TR3 featuring Tim Reynolds will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. The Marcus Eaton Trio opens at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, available in advance at plushtucson.com. For more information call 798-1298.


NOT THE YELLOW ONE

You may know Jack Dragonetti as the man behind Jack Drag, which from the mid-'90s to early-'00s churned out a series of albums that contained the sort of lo-fi psychedelic folk-pop with beats that was all the rage in the mid-'90s. Somewhere around the turn of the century he met another singer-songwriter, Blake Hazard, who is the great-granddaughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald, while both were living in Boston. The pair became romantically involved and started collaborating on music, the first fruits of which was Hazard's 2002 debut solo album, Little Airplane (Kimchee), which Dragonetti produced.

The pair soon relocated to L.A. to continue to pursue music together, but, as the City of Angels has a way of crushing dreams, they broke up shortly after arriving there. But each continued to write songs on his/her own, mostly about the breakup, and it wasn't long before they were sharing those songs with each other. Happy ending time: The pair began dating again and formed a duo called The Submarines, which has released two albums on Nettwerk, 2006's Declare a New State!, and last year's Honeysuckle Weeks, which are full of dreamy, beat-laden pop tunes sung mostly by Hazard, whose voice recalls that of Aimee Mann. Unless you've been hiding under a boulder, you've heard the duo's song "You Me and the Bourgeoise," which has become ubiquitous by way of inclusion on a current iPhone commercial, and gave the group the requisite career bump.

The Submarines perform an all-ages show at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Sunday, Feb. 1. Opening are The Morning Benders, whose hook-filled music is rightfully compared to early Beatles, and Tucson's Young Mothers. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, available in advance at hotelcongress.com. For further details call 622-8848.


NOT JUST A CRYBABY

You may know James Intveld as the singing voice behind Johnny Depp's character in the John Waters film Cry-Baby, the producer of former Tucsonan Troy Olsen's debut album or the songwriter behind Rosie Flores' "Cryin' Over You." Or, you may have seen Intveld perform his patented, potent mix of rockabilly and honky tonk in Tucson clubs throughout the '90s.

It had been a while since we had heard from him, until he resurfaced last year with Have Faith (Molenaart), his first new album since 2000, and an August Tucson show to promote it. Here's what I wrote at the time: "If anyone had any doubts before (and I'm pretty sure no one did), Have Faith only reinforces the fact that Intveld is the real deal. He flits effortlessly from twangy ballads ('A Woman's Touch') to earnest singer-songwriter (the title track), country gospel ('Walk With Me') to straight-up honky tonk ('Pretty World'), and covers it all with aplomb. In a just world, these songs--three of which, it's worth noting, were co-written with Tucson's John Coinman--would be inescapable on country radio. But, alas, the world is not just, and James Intveld remains obscure, one of the finest country singers you've never heard."

This week Intveld returns to town, sharing a bill with the likeminded Kenneth Brian, who relocated to Austin, Tex., from Nashville, Tenn., when he landed the lead part in the theatrical hit Hank Williams: Lost Highway. Brian recently self-released Fallin Down Slow, a mostly hot slice of honky tonk and vintage country (with an occasional detour into Black Crowes territory) that was produced by Hunt Sales, son of Soupy and onetime member of David Bowie's Tin Machine. The album also features some hot-shit guitar playing from renowned Texas gunslinger-for-hire Will Sexton.

Fans of true-blue honky tonk can't do much better than the double-bill of James Intveld and Kenneth Brian, which hits The Hut, 305 N. Fourth Ave., on Friday, Jan. 30. Admission is a paltry five bucks and things get rockin' at 9 p.m. Call 623-3200 for additional info.


NOT JUST AN ANSWERING MACHINE

You may know singer-songwriter Steve Poltz as the co-author of "You Were Meant for Me," Jewel's crazy successful 1996 hit; or you may remember his '90s band, The Rugburns, in which he first flaunted his considerable songwriting chops. Or, you might know him as the guy behind the Answering Machine album, a collection of 56 45-second songs originally recorded as his outgoing messages. Or, for that matter, you may know him from his frequent solo acoustic performances at Club Congress, where he returns this week for a show sure to be spiked with equal parts pathos and humor. Don't let the "adult-contemporary" tag throw you off: Poltz is a clever songwriter with a quick wit, whose between-song banter is often as entertaining as his music.

Catch Steve Poltz at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Doors open at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $8 via hotelcongress.com; they'll be $10 on the day of show. Call 622-8848 with any questions you may have.


SHORT TAKES

The ladies of Tucson Roller Derby host a Season Six Kickoff Party at the Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. Fourth Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 31. Expect the usual mayhem, as well as performances from the Lemon Drop Gang and KISS tribute band Wasted Aces. Admission is $5 at the door, and things should get, ahem, rolling around 9 p.m. 882-0009.

The El Camino Royales, a newly formed blues-surf-rockabilly trio comprising Michael P. Nordberg, the Deadtones' Andrew See and Mighty Joel Ford, will play on two consecutive nights this weekend. They'll be at Nimbus Brewing, 3850 E. 44th St., on Friday, Jan. 30, along with Big Galoot, at 7:30 p.m.; and at The Hut, 305 N. Fourth Ave., with Last Call Brawlers and The High Rollers, at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31. For more info call Nimbus at 745-9175, or The Hut at 623-3200.

Elsewhere: The Egyptian Lover is at Club Congress on Friday, Jan. 30; Slightly Stoopid and the Supervillains are at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., next Thursday, Feb. 5; and The Lujan Benefit Show featuring American Death Trip, Bricktop, and Knuckle Junction hits Vaudeville, 110 E. Congress St., on Saturday, Jan. 31.