Today’s post is a little self-promotion for a new band here in Tucson. We’re calling it The Tirebiters. I’m excited to be kicking the cans for this project, a band headed up by Portland, Oregon transplant Lex Browning.

Lex moved to town a few years ago with quite the packed resume. Early on, when living in Tennessee, he did a stint as fiddle player for Queen Ida followed up as a member of the band Great Plains, a staff songwriter (in Nashville), session musician and fiddle player for Tanya Tucker, Pam Tillis, and Trace Adkins. After the Tennessee stint, he was in Portland for many years working with his old friends from the Holy Modal Rounders as well as the Freak Mt Ramblers, Troy Stewart of the Decemberists, and as a solo singer/songwriter. His last touring gig was a few years with Poco up until the pandemic hit.

On bass is Steve Grams, who has lived and worked in Tucson since the 1970s. He’s worked with practically everyone in town over the years but is best known for his work with The Bad News Blues Band, Kings of Pleasure, and the infamous duo Grams & Krieger. Steve and I have played a few dates together over the years but this is the first time we’ve ‘officially’ been in a band together.

The material will mostly be Lex’s original material, a few of Steve’s songs, along with a sprinkling of NRBQ and a classic country song or two.

Our debut performance will be the perfect pairing as we’ll ‘open’ the night for Nancy McCallion’s Pandemic Band at Monterey Court on Tucson Friday, July 30th. The Tirebiters will go on at 7pm and Nancy’s band will hit it about 8:30.

Get your reservations now, or just show up!

And now…