the only state's name that wasn't taken by a band

When I think of certain decades I have a sort of synaesthetic response. Its not so much that the 80's makes me think of gloworms, popples, Care Bears and/or unchecked AIDS epidemics. Rather, I think of various shapes and colors and sounds, each falling into place like colors on a Rubik's cube.

The early ninties were neons, Cherokee brand acid washed daisy dukes for boys and of course Big Dogs clothing: ergonomically designed to conceal FUPAs and forcefully exhume the most decayed cultural memes, print their corpses across mainsail sized t-shirts, and then piss in your eyeballs with whatever Dog pun pus they happened to concoct. Maybe this was a southern thing. that and Big Johnson T-shirts.

Anyhoo: I've been trying to determine what this decade, the aughts, will be remembered for? It seems the i-pod computer solids is the number one contender. All the dayglo klaxons tawdry-kaka thats coming into fashion now seems to be walking down that road. but there's a folk-art thing going too. a kind of earthy-tone, sea-foam green crayon running parallel to the Devendras and Newsoms. The very same seed that the "Dad beard explosion" has germinated from in the last few years. In other words it's cool to like The Band and CCR again so raid your attic for crackly old vinyl with your Dad's name written on the liner notes.

And thats where bands like Arizona are coming from these days. Arizona is an NYC band that likes to wear flannel and when you ask them why, they go "What?" and look around going "Get a-load of this guy" thumbs a-jabbin' at you. Their songs are catchy and lovely and carry around hatchets and corn-cob pipes. Check oot their myspace page because they are very very unsigned but if they stick around I bet they'll be puttin out some good stuff.

Te Amo Tanto sounds like Neil Young singing on a Grateful Dead track with a little help from Derek and The Dominoes. Check it.

Arizona's myspace page.