This Little Underground: local music releases + events

LOCAL RELEASES

Orlando’s Tierney Tough has been involved in the music scene locally and nationally with all manner of projects. Of course, there’s her own long-running band the Pauses. Then there’ve been stints in other bands, notable ones like War on Women, Matt Pond PA and Beach Slang.

And don’t forget about her work as a scene-building organizer, with events like the Orange You Glad Music Festival, the Pauses’ annual 1990s shows and countless special engagements with indie royalty.

Throughout all these years, however, none of it was just for her until now. Tough’s first solo single, “Apartment 54,” recently dropped on June 23. But this Friday, July 9, her full three-song EP, A Farce to Reckon With, will be fully unveiled.

The recording shows glimpses of her connections, with credits by longtime Pauses collaborator J. Robbins (Jawbox), Patrick Newbery (Cursive) and Shawn Alpay (Laura Stevenson, How to Dress Well). But this work is all about Tierney, and it’s something of a revelation.

Tough’s voice is prominent in the Pauses, and her elegant singing coupled with the band’s intricate indie rock have always made for interesting interplay. But on her solo debut, the vibe-rich musical framing is notably geared to suit her lithe vocal melodies rather than be a dynamic foil to them.

More than anything, this record is a showcase for Tough’s vocal expression. Freed of the need to shine by juxtaposition or contrast, her beckoning voice is the focus and feature here, in a space that gives it full play on its own natural terms. For Tough’s supple essence, it’s a welcome and liberating setting.

A Farce to Reckon With streams everywhere this Friday, but it’s up for preorder now on Bandcamp. The EP will have a limited edition run on vinyl and cassette. If you opt for the physical product, you’ll be lavished with Tough’s well-known attention to tangible media: The vinyl edition is a Polaroid-themed box set with a lathe cut for each song. The cassette version features a glitter shell and comes with a vintage Tierney Tough pencil from a stash that her mom had made for her when she was a kid. Yes, an actual piece of her childhood comes with purchase. The only thing more precious is her own soul, and that’s already in the songs.

Tierney Tough has been involved in the music scene locally and nationally with all manner of projects. Throughout all these years, however, none of it was just for her … until now

MUSIC EVENTS THIS WEEK

Kaleigh Baker & Patrick Hagerman:

As her solo performances affirm, Kaleigh Baker needs backup like a lighthouse needs a candle. However, her weekly Lil Indies residency has recently gotten a fresh shot in the arm with the recurring guest addition of rising local musician Patrick Hagerman, with whom she’s been performing as a duo. When noteworthy individual forces like these decide to join, the result is usually exponential. (10 p.m. Thursday, July 8, Lil Indies, free)

Gruesome, Intoxicated, Three

Knuckles Deep and Human: No doubt, this is already a top-loaded bill with heavily pedigreed, Relapse-signed death-metal supergroup Gruesome in the headlining spot. Worth special note is new Orlando leviathan Human, whom we told you about earlier this year.

In March, the punk-metal band — featuring members of Khann, Dzoavits, Republicorpse, Cannabass and Android — dropped one of the most lethal and talked-about releases in the area’s heavy music scene with their debut, Delicacies of Extinction, on Orlando expat Jake Smith’s Silence Is Death label.

Human only notched a couple shows before the pandemic shutdown, but now that they’ve officially released a certified rager of an album, consider this their proper live introduction. Go get destroyed. (6 p.m. Friday, July 9, Haven Lounge, $15)

Orlando Girls Rock Camp 2021

showcase: The Stone Roses said she bangs the drums, and nowhere is that more literal than at the annual Orlando Girls Rock Camp. It’s not only the coolest school of rock and safe space for the area’s female, trans and gender non-binary youth but also a formative incubator for the next generation who will surely rule this scene and, hopefully, beyond. At this matinee showcase, see the culmination of the creative work that this year’s class has been triumphantly banging away at.

Organizers are trying to keep this year’s event more low-key, so they ask you consider checking out a livestream they are going to offer to make a little more space for close friends and family. (2 p.m. Saturday, July 10, Ten10 Brewing, free)

BY BAO LE-HUU

TIERNEY TOUGH | PHOTO BY SEAN DUNN

baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com