One of the desert’s most trippy bands just released a live album! FireBug is an experimental music duo based in Joshua Tree offering a tantalizing blend of psychedelia, desert rock, blues, classic rock and more, all unified by haunting and belting vocals. Juliette Tworsey and Jules Shapiro have had the band for more than two decades, but a move to the desert caused a sonic shift, as the spacey melodies of the Mojave crept their way into the band’s music. After a landmark show at Pappy and Harriet’s last year, the band released a live album of their performance, called Dust and Echoes, on June 5. Learn more at www.instagram.com/firebugmusic.
What was the first concert you attended?
Soundgarden.
What was the first album you owned?
Led Zeppelin II.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Late ’60s/early ’70s psych rock à la Cream, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Also Soundgarden, Radiohead, Florence and the Machine, King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard, and Desert Sessions.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Metalcore.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Led Zeppelin.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Too many to list. Definitely not just one artist.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Pappy and Harriet’s.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Feelin’ Alright?” (by Joe Cocker).
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Black Sabbath. My older cousin Josh was a huge fan. He built guitars and had Sabbath posters all over his shop. They were so different, with heavy themes, heavy riffs, etc. I found my new religion, ha!
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I would ask Leon Russell how he managed to be such a cool cat and massive talent. What happened at the crossroads?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Black Hole Sun” (by Soundgarden). Ha!
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Time Marches On” (by Tracy Lawrence).
