After numerous appearances on various local and international music compilations, Tucson's Weird Lovemakers have blessed the listening public by releasing Irving, a four-song, 45 rpm EP. Longtime club favorites and simply a "must" for any party's success, the Weird Lovemakers have captured the super-charged energy of its live performances on this little slab of root beer-colored vinyl. You may find yourself inviting friends over to spill beer and jump around your living room while giving this beauty a spin. What sets the Weird Lovemakers apart from others in the punk genre is the uniqueness of its lyrics. On the title track, guitarist/vocalist Greg Petix, who also draws the comic strip "Swonk," tells the tragic tale of "Irving," a hero destined to be every woman's best friend but never anyone's lover. Men who have played the confidant in hopes of becoming the copulant will easily identify with Irving's misfortune. The second song, "Catholic Guilt," describes bassist/vocalist Hector Jaime's break with his faith due to the development of a crush on the Virgin Mary. As a young Prod, it never occurred to me that the iconography of the Holy Mother might lead to her representation as some sort of holy sex symbol. Upon further investigation, however, I must concur with Jaime; Jesus, your mom is a babe. The B-side is equally good, offering the listener a recipe for stress and confusion on "Get Uptight" and live-for-today ethics via "Snuff Like a Hog." You'll laugh yourself right into the poorhouse. The artwork itself is both amusing and instructional as the Weird Lovemakers give a step-by-step program for learning its songs on guitar, complete with pictures and nurturing words of advice from guitarist Jason Willis. Move over Mel Bay, the Willis method is destined to become the now, hip, happening path for budding guitarists. Throw that Steve Vai instructional tape in the deck and hit record to begin chronicling your own six-string odyssey. The record is available at Toxic Ranch Records and the Weird Lovemakers will be hosting a record release party at the Luna Loca Cafe on Saturday, March 30. Enjoy life, eat out more often.
- M.R.