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We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Strictly Tabu

by The Carnivaleros

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1.
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Sheriff Joe 04:38
Sheriff Joe's a big bad lawman, was a travel agent man Before he put his shiny badge on, used to book folks 'cross the land But the big man wanted more action, ran for office, Hohokam land The red-faced white man became a cowboy, of his domain of dirt and sand. Sheriff Joe, Sheriff Joe, tell us how far will you go With your love of the spotlight and your cheeks all aglow Sheriff Joe, Sheriff Joe, will your reign ever end Spreading terror in Maricopa, Apache Junction to Gila Bend For the crime of coming north, lettuce pickers tossed in jail Wearin' cartoon convict outfits, for the media to hail Justice rides now in the back seat, sittin' next to you and me Least for all in Maricopa with no chance to cop a plea. Sheriff Joe, Sheriff Joe, tell us how far will you go With your love of the spotlight and your cheeks all aglow Sheriff Joe, Sheriff Joe, will your reign ever end Spreading terror in Maricopa, Apache Junction to Gila Bend
3.
What fell from his mouth was well salted and frank His boarding house pass long expired Three squares and a roof had passed him on by And his dang dogs were blistered and tired His last meal was pulled from a storm drain on Main It could have been someone's old shoe Shuffling cards, sleight of hand were part of his game And fervent applause was his due He was a Supper Club Magician, an illusion technician Pulled rabbits for coins from the rubes But his gambling debts drove him right over the hill Disappearing act final and cruel He seemed to look older than years fifty five And to some that just might be true He'd been flyin' and drinkin' and drivin' and cryin' For twenty years twisting his screw He wanted to rise on the ladder of fame Share the spotlight with Teller and Penn But pawnshops and racetracks kept calling his name What might have become never been He was a Supper Club Magician, an illusion technician Pulled rabbits for coins from the rubes But his gambling debts drove him right over the hill Disappearing act final and cruel
4.
Blue Saguaro 04:30
5.
He was a small motor repairman before he got the call At the tender age of sixty painted talking art on all The material he could find, scraps of cardboard, wood and clay Houses, sidewalks, signs of bible verses rambling every day He saw his sister Abby floating high up overhead That early vision set the stage for a calling that would spread To people all across the globe and perhaps the other side He spoke of love and family, gave those who see a ride With sacred art and rhyme from his prophetic dreams To Georgia pilgrims flock and swoon to view his peculiar scheme Five thousand paintings strong by the former preacher man Found a voice that spoke to thousands more than any pulpit can The spirit took in Howard's mind with no visual boundaries And in his bargain found, to boot, his immortality
6.
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She found him one morning In his easy chair It looked as if he was smiling It seemed like he had not a care I'd see him walk by in the mornings We'd chat about nothing at all His union suit all ironed neatly And his cowboy hat standing tall He played pedal steel in the evenings He was young at age eighty three He made playing music seem easy With roots grounded deep as a tree He's playing that steel now above us For all of our loved ones to hear Spirits waltzing and dancing the two-step I feel that he is still near He played pedal steel in the evenings He was young at age eighty three He made playing music seem easy With roots grounded deep as a tree
8.
Party Girl 03:31
Party Girl, party girl, where you goin' tonight? Party Girl, party girl, with your cheeks so bright Party Girl, party girl, dressed up to the nines Party Girl, party girl, looking mighty fine Heading down a country road secluded rendezvous Pitch black night no shadows cast an undisclosed taboo Party Girl, party girl, where you goin' tonight? Party Girl, party girl, with your cheeks so bright Party boy, party boy, stranger with no name Party boy, party boy, out to play the game Party boy, party boy, made a secret date Party boy, party boy, a téte-a-téte with fate His fever's been a burnin' young men have their needs Wants to see a party girl out by the river reeds Party boy, party boy, stranger with no name Party boy, party boy, out to play the game Party Girl, party girl, where did you go to? Party Girl, party girl, whole town's looking' for you Party Girl, party girl, she's been gone a week Party Girl, party girl, car found in the creek Teddy on her pillow posters taped up on her wall Mom fretting' in the kitchen, Dad's not home at all Party Girl, party girl, where you goin' tonight? Party Girl, party girl, with your cheeks so bright
9.
Flea Circus 04:29
10.
We are all wearing our tin foil hats to protect our liberty When we are wearing our tin foil hats We'll be free, don't you agree? We're free, don't you agree? We are all wearing our tin foil hats you can wear one, too We are all wearing our tin foil hats 'Cause they're watching me and you They're watching me and you We are all wearing our tin foil hats deflect rays aimed at our minds We are all wearing our tin foil hats We've been given the signs We've been given the signs We are all wearing our tin foil hats reynold's wrap wrapping our crown We are all wearing our tin foil hats Spread the word town to town Y'know we ain't fooling' around We are all wearing our tin foil hats beams rainin' down from the sky We are all wearing our tin foil hats Everyone else is a spy Live in fear 'til the day we die We are all wearing our tin foil hats to protect our liberty When we are wearing our tin foil hats We'll be free, don't you agree? We're free, don't you agree?
11.

about

Bandleader Gary Mackender has penned five instrumentals and six seductive tales of life in America for his fourth full length album. Mackender's lyrics deal with the human condition as he sees it; some light, some dark. The tales told on this latest project range from a story of the life of American folk artist Howard Finster, a lament about a deceased neighbor and friend who played the pedal steel, a supper club magician who's fate is sealed due to gambling debts and other shenanigans, and the tale of Arizona Sheriff Joe's rise to fame.

credits

released April 4, 2014

Musicians contributing on Strictly Tabu include Karl Hoffman, Mitzi Cowell, Mike Purdy, Neil Harry, Catherine Zavala, Landis Kearnon, Marco and Dante Rosano, Carla Brownlee and Rick Peron. Horn arrangements by Greg Mackender.

"Gary Mackender is, let's face it, The Carnivaleros, and the guy wears so many hats (writer, player, singer, producer, engineer) that it's miraculous his neck doesn't snap under all the weight, but it's precisely that omni-involvement with every aspect which produces the unique sound and vibe each time out, a blend of Ennio Morricone with a few beers in him, Herb Alpert serving tequila, Nick Cave sitting back and grinning in conversation with Mark Hollis, Gary Brooker staggering in—especially in Supper Club Magician—to add his two cents worth and illuminate the decadence of everything. This odd sonority is, in short, as Mackender himself wryly puts it, 'desert bayou music' but sieved through a very Eastern European colander. Then there's brother Greg Mackender's killer horn arrangements and eerie-as-hell theremin in Blue Saguaro, and you have to wonder: why on Earth is Hollywood asleep at the switch and these guys not making movie soundtracks?"
- Mark S. Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, 2014

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The Carnivaleros Tucson, Arizona

My songs contain elements of blues, tango, zydeco, cajun, country, rock, and yes, polka (of course!). I see my songs as mini- movies, novellas put to music. If you are one of Those About To Rock or a firm traditionalist, my music is not for you. “A guaranteed party starter that hails from Tucson but extends its sonic tendrils to New Orleans and Beyond.” – Fred Mills, Blurt Online, 2018 ... more

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