Local spins

Beats The Hell Out of Me
‘Revising History’

The long-running Beats The Hell Out Of Me, who have plied their trade in the East Valley for more than 12 years, have refined their punishing hard rock on their latest disc. Many of the cuts here, such as the opener “Down” and “Move Along” have heavy verses that merge into melodic choruses; other cuts, such as “Questions & Answers,” are all-out rockers; and still other tracks, such as the oddly pretty “The Promise” are slow, muscular ballads. While there is a variety of tempos on the disc, the overall sound varies little — thudding guitars, extemporaneous guitar noise, heavy drumming — making some of the songs interchangeable. On the bright side, the musicianship on the CD is solid, especially singer Mike Pistrui, who is an effective hard rock singer, and the production gives this CD the powerful feel it strives for. B

Next show: 9 p.m. Saturday at Boston’s in P.I., 504 S. Price Road, Tempe . Free.
Web site: www.beatsthehelloutofme.net

— by Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out

Fallguy
‘Apocalypse 6T7’

In the opening seconds of “Apocalypse 6T7” a youngster calls local group Fallguy a bunch of “buttfaces.” Those are harsh words, buckaroo, but after listening to the album it's justified. The first real track, “Glam Rock Band,” is a silly, pseudo- satirical stab at hair metal bands of the ’80s. Too bad Whitesnake and Cinderella are no longer around to care. It also begs the question: How can a rap-metal band make fun of a hair metal band? Hair metal is a completely dead form of music and when Fallguy catches up with the rest of the world, there will no longer be any rap-metal either. The song “Join Tha Fallguy Army” is supposed to be the pro-Fallguy anthem, but the idea is a Kiss rip-off. With the song “Unknown Stuntman” Fallguy claims to be an underappreciated stuntman for big Hollywood hunks who still gets to bed all the attractive women. Gee, and here I was thinking you were just some guys who can't stop living in 1998. D

Next Show: 9 p.m. Friday at The Clubhouse, 1320 E. Broadway Road, Tempe, . $5, all ages.
Web site: www.fall-guy.com

— by Chris Fanning, Get Out

Jim Pipkin
‘Time Is Talking’

Previously known as Arizona's Trooper, Jim Pipkin has released his second disc of acoustic storyteller tunes within the past year. He is a gifted lyricist and his engaging tenor immediately draws the listener into his imagery-laced Western tales. What elevates Pipkin’s material above the run of the mill Southwestern storytelling discs one can find for sale at Sky Harbor Airport is his evocative lyrics and fantastic guitar work. Pipkin is clearly influenced by bluegrass flat-picking and this gives his tunes, most notably the mining tale “Tommyknockers,” a haunting, old-time authenticity. Using nice touches such as mandolins, fiddle and banjo for added texture, many of the cuts on this disc — the title track, “Desert Rain” and “Spirit Carries On” — are achingly beautiful. Many local songwriters try to bring the desert alive with their music. Pipkin hits the mark. A-

Next show: 8 p.m. Saturday at ASU’s Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. $14-$18. All ages.
Web site: www.acousticmusicaz.com

— by Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out

Grave Danger
‘Death City’

Blending elements of surf, rockabilly, hardcore punk and tongue-in-cheek gothic humor, Grave Danger's “Death City” is not for those without a sense of the absurd. The title track boasts lyrics such as “yeah, you did it/you're dead/you went and shot your mouth off again/now we're goin’ to Death City!” over a hammering rockabilly bedrock that sounds like Gene Vincent on steroids. There are plenty of reverb riffs, dive-bombing Dick Dale guitar flourishes and straight-up old school punk rave-ups such as “Sin City Girls” to keep this record from being a one-trick psychobilly pony. Grave Danger sounds huge for a trio. With Kevin Daly's terrific guitar playing, Rich Merriman's steady, walking bass lines and crashing, smashing drumming from Dave Kains, this record vibrates with energy. Daly's deadpan vocal delivery belies the twisted lyrics and contains an ever-present, leering wink, making this an always entertaining listen and one of the finest local punk releases of the year. A

— by Chris Hansen Orf