The Beta Sweat
Let’s Shake Some Dust
Mudhouse Records

It all starts here for the Beta Sweat.

Through a name change, a slot in a national music festival and a growing local fan base, the Beta Sweat has largely remained a Tucson secret.

And there’s not much evidence that will change, but it’s entirely possible it could.

Let’s Shake Some Dust, the band’s debut album, succeeds in ways their previous records did not.

Formally, the band’s thunderous live shows seemed to equate them more with a force of nature than a struggling local three.

Such a spirit is difficult to carry through the door into a recording studio. The band’s former recorded work- The Sweat Band EP and the songs recorded to take to the South By Southwest festival but not formally released around here, some of which can currently be heard on their MySpace – never seemed to quite capture the raucous energy of their live shows.

Dust does, from start to finish.

It takes the fiery passion and propulsive electricity from a Beta Sweat show and parlays in through your speakers.

The LP was recorded at Tucson’s historic Rialto Theatre, presumably when it was empty, which somehow makes it sound at times like the band is playing down a well, echoes and all, and other times like they’re breathing down your neck.

Despite the spacious surroundings, oddly enough, they’ve never sounded better. Maybe it took a large venue to match a huge sound.

Lead singer and guitarist Marina Cornelius’ lyrics are more audible, as her weighted, soulful voice fluctuates from sultry, to hypnotic to straight-up possessed- transforming from wine to whiskey in an instant.

Drummer Jake Bergeron, the thumping diesel engine of the band, sounds like he’s at every point on his drum kit at the same time, trying to make you guess which piece he’s going to slam next.

And understated bassist Leann Cornelius thuds away, leading the charge, overseeing the entire project, quietly keeping everyone in line and on time.

For those who have followed the bluesy, garage trio for the past few years, Dust is not an album’s worth of new material. There’s probably three songs you haven’t heard before if you own the Sweat EP, are familiar with their MySpace tunes or been to their shows.

You can’t fault the band for not recording all-new material for their debut. The stockpiled songs are too good not to properly include on a full-length.

Keep in mind, Tucson has been spoiled with most of these gems the past few years. The rest of the world has not.

Particularly benefiting from the re-recording process is an invigorated “Anvil Me,” which becomes twice as urgent as the original, and “Turn Around” which turns more explosive.

The seductive opener, “We All Want To Come On,” is a live standard, like the blistering “Red and Blue,” that we’ve just never heard on record.

Of the new songs, “Black Hills” is up there with anything they’ve done and fits nicely on the LP with older material. It has a marching drum beat with a narrative that follows like a nursery rhyme at times, but blasts into that trademark-Beta Sweat tornado sound. “What would you do if trouble came lookin’ for you?,” Marina asks.

Another standout new song is “Around the House,” which employs an accordion that adds an extra layer of warmth to the creeping drumbeat and bass line. “You made a formal rose garden in your heart where the weeds once grew,” Marina sings. “And try as you might you could never keep the roses in bloom.”

On the minus side, one thing I’d pick on would be leaving out “The Wind Was Blowing” from the Sweat EP, which would have been interesting to hear after a similar re-recording. It’ll make a nice B-Side one day, but that’s a minor gripe for a band that has built it’s reputation on sheer will.

The Beta Sweat is first and foremost a Tucson band. Their music reflects that- it’s the sound of the passing freight train, the low-rent, High-Life credo, the appreciation for what Tucson is and isn’t.

Whether these ethos can move past Pima County is debatable, but there’s a feeling to the music that makes it larger than the city, timeless and unique- both requisites for added attention.

It’s up to the band to stay hungry and keep pushing, if they own such goals.

Recording at the Rialto was a risk. The band could have easily gone the predictable route and opted for a traditional studio. The move paid off though, sending a message of urgency through simplicity.

There aren’t many bands around town that could successfully pull-off such a bare bones recording move, nor would many want to.

And that’s part of what makes the Beta Sweat such a draw, they kind of just have it: song craft, talent, creativity, originality and determination.

If I were in a local band, I might hate the Beta Sweat right now.

But you can’t blame the Beta Sweat.

They were just raised that way.

The Beta Sweat plays an all-ages CD release show Friday night at the Rialto Theatre with Al Perry and Golden Boots. Doors are at 7 p.m. and showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $5.