BY B AO L E - H U U TRANQILO | PHOTO BY BELEN MCCORMICK
LOCAL RELEASES
Orlando’s Chris Mendez has gradually been making the creative slide from the turntables as DJ Cub over to the production chair as TranQilo, and the first peek at his production work came early this year on the excellent debut release by promising young local artist Jazzy Soto. That glimpse was particularly noteworthy because Mendez’s thumbprint was all over the EP, most notably “Take Control,” the record’s hottest track and one of the best songs to come out of Orlando this year. Now, with this weekend’s release of Hot Days//Cold Nights, the Grand Collab boss will officially and fully step out as a producer. Befitting the refined aesthetic that Mendez has long championed, this debut is a model of tasteful restraint. TranQilo’s maiden solo voyage is eight urbane tracks that merge clean house music, jazz hooks and distilled soul. The opening Hot Days half packs bright lounge jams lined with svelte and slinky horns, while the Cold Nights side is an after-hours dive into nocturnal minimalism. Taken together, it’s some of the most elegant downtempo music to come out of Orlando in a while Hot Days//Cold Nights will drop on Bandcamp Sunday, Dec. 5, and all other major platforms shortly thereafter. A free release party will also go down that day at Grape and the Grain. The Grand Collab-powered outdoor live event will also feature performances by Eugene Snowden, Abbott & Brown, DJ Rome and Bonita & the Bear. Tinnitus Rex are an Orlando band that bill themselves as an “improv noise jam collective.” Those leery of musical terms like “noise” (not me) or “jam” (so me) need not fear, though. They’re neither as free-
Chris Mendez has gradually been making the creative slide from the turntables as DJ Cub over to the production chair as TranQilo. His maiden solo voyage is eight urbane tracks of clean house music, jazz hooks and distilled soul
form as true noise artists nor as wanky as traditional jam bands. A relief, probably, to a good swath of the listening public. Unlike their usual single releases, Tinnitus Rex’s latest, Road to Ruin, is a sprawling collection of five voyages that spans nearly an hour. Though they’re an extempore act, you don’t need to be versed in free music to access Tinnitus Rex’s realm. As this latest suite shows, their expeditions survey the rock outlands with legibility, heft and atmosphere. Road to Ruin is up now on Bandcamp.
CONCERT PICKS THIS WEEK
Be a mensch and mask up if you go out.
Street Cleaner, Watch Out for Snakes, Moondragon, Pressure Kitten: By definition, all synthwave evokes 1980s cinema. But few acts make it come to life like San Diego’s Street Cleaner, who isn’t
content to simply conjure the soundtracks; rather, he performs live in full costume like an early Mad Max character to personally embody the era’s iconography. Set that stage presence to high-action music of sweeping grandeur and you’ve got a proper spectacle. Completing the bill will be Atlanta chiptune synthwaver Watch Out for Snakes, Orlando acts Moondragon and Pressure Kitten, and Tampa’s DJ Veine. (8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, Will’s Pub, $15) Fotocrime, Fool’s Ghost: This intriguing bill is an alternate look at some certified stars from Louisville’s heavymusic underground. Headliner Fotocrime is the electronic turn of Ryan Patterson, the frontman of accomplished band Coliseum. In this vehicle, Patterson has traded in the progressive punk tendencies of his prior band for a synth-draped darkwave sound. And one half of Fool’s Ghost is Nick Thieneman of excellent heavy rockers Young Widows. In Fool’s Ghost, he and wife Amber strip away the thick rock vestments and go all in on pure atmosphere with their forlorn mood music. All told, it’ll be a deep dive into the inner souls of some very notable heavy-music names. (8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, Will’s Pub, $13-$15) Church Girls, Conversation Piece, Fingerstripes, Here Here: Over the past handful of years, Philadelphia’s Church Girls have built a sturdy name with a straight-shot, rousing brand of indie rock that effectively encompasses melody, heart and power with just enough punk angularity to keep things dynamic. Rounding out the bill will be a diverse young sampling of Orlando indie-rock acts. (8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, Will’s Pub, $10-$12) baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com orlandoweekly.com
●
DEC. 1-7, 2021 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
35
