Being the founder of The Refreshments, Roger Clyne knows something about 90s music. An Arizona mainstay, Clyne made good on the college radio airwaves when the band signed with Mercury Records. The Refreshments peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts with their smash hit “Banditos”. Fast forward 25 years and thousands of shows later, Clyne now helms Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers (RCPM) with PH Naffah (another Refreshments original), and they continue to tour nationwide, playing all the classics from their early days on the road with the likes of The Gin Blossoms and Dead Hot Workshop. Naffah has been with Roger for decades so the showmanship just comes natural. The quartet is rounded out by long-time bassist, Nick Scropos, and Jim Dalton, the Colorado based lead-guitarist who fronts the Denver-based Railbenders and has worked with the Hickman-Dalton Gang with Johnny Hickman, co-founder of Cracker.
On Dec 29 & 30, 2023 RCPM scheduled a pair of more intimate shows at Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom to ring in the New Year. I caught the second of these shows which was opened by The Jons, a Tucson-based rock band. Pulling double-duty, The Jons later joined RCPM back on stage adding additional percussion, horns, and tambourine. Having performed together multiple times before, the chemistry between the two bands was electric and truly resonated with this crowd. RCPM took the stage at 9:15pm where they welcomed most of the opening band to accompany them onstage. Bassist Nick Scorpos, usually a stoic figure on stage, had a ball hamming it up for the audience and camera with a genuine smile that shows exactly how much this band loves the energy of the audience. Having followed Roger Clyne since the 1990s and having seen him at the original Nita’s Hide Away over two decades ago where Tempe Marketplace now stands, I have an intimate knowledge of his audiences and this show was no different. Crescent Ballroom was packed with a strong mix of middle-aged desert rats with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces. I don’t know many audiences and artists who engage with one another the way these two do with Roger sharing cheers and tequila shots with several audience members, Nick fist bumping those in the front, and Jim smiling mysteriously under the rim of his ever present Stetson. To ring in the New Year The Peacemakers crafted a set list across their vast discography including old fan favorites from Mekong to Native Hearts “Flowerin’” to give everyone something to enjoy. Other stand out tracks for me include “Switchblade” and “Counterclockwise” from Americano! and “Contraband” off of 2007’s No More Beautiful World.
RCPM isn’t a band to watch from afar. Crescent Ballroom, with a 500 person capacity, felt a lot more like a family gathering than a concert. While the band has larger bi-yearly pilgrimages to Mexico for their wildly popular Circus Mexicus and January Jam (this year pushed to President’s Day weekend due to the closure of Lukeville’s port of entry), holding such an intimate show in Phoenix made this final show of the year a hope for a successful 2024. Everyone in attendance was immersed in the music and decades of musicianship from a highly talented quartet of home grown local talent who clearly love what they do. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers continues to work hard at putting out new, successful music and continues to put on kick ass shows across the Southwest and beyond.
Set List
I Don’t Need Another Thrill
Tributary Otis
Preacher’s Daughter
West Texas Moon
Little Hung Over
Mexico
Leaky Little Boat
Switchblade
Love Come Lighten My Load
Suckerpunch
Mercy
Every Kind of Lucky
Buffalo
City Girls
Contraband
Maybe We Should Fall In Love
Counterclockwise
Broken Record
Mekong
Banditos/King of the Hill
encore
Dolly
Flowerin’
Viva Love
