{"id":2235790,"date":"2026-01-15T10:50:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T10:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2235790"},"modified":"2026-01-15T10:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T10:50:39","slug":"phoenix-rockers-scorpion-vs-tarantula-drop-blistering-new-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/phoenix-rockers-scorpion-vs-tarantula-drop-blistering-new-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix rockers Scorpion vs. Tarantula drop \u2018blistering\u2019 new record"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Seventeen years and five albums in, the locally based band Scorpion vs. Tarantula<\/a> is more than a well-oiled machine: it\u2019s a force of nature. They\u2019ll be celebrating the new release with a show.<\/p>\n

On their new record, \u201cThe Longest War,\u201d SVT (as the quartet is affectionately known) delivers its best work yet, capturing the power of their intense live show with eleven skull-piercing, blood-curdling tracks of magical mayhem. If you\u2019ve never seen<\/a> or heard them, imagine what would have happened if The Stooges and Janis Joplin had a supremely self-assured baby.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In reality, they are so much more, though. When Scorpion vs. Tarantula plays a show, they take complete control of the stage, and within the first thirty seconds of song number one, singer L. Hotshot typically has the audience in the palm of her hand, as well. You simply can\u2019t take your eyes off of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is not to say that guitarist Jay Bennett, bassist Terrance Neira and drummer Michael \u201cCappy\u201d Renfroe are wallflowers who fade into the background. Nothing could be further from the truth. For years now, Renfroe has been one of Phoenix\u2019s best drummers, providing the driving beat that allows Bennett and Neira to lock in and lay down one of the most powerful guitar\/bass combos in town.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scorpion vs. Tarantula\u2019s singer L. Hotshot pulls zero punches.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All four members of Scorpion vs. Tarantula shine brightly on \u201cThe Longest War.\u201d Clearly, working with talented knob twirler Byron Filson at Villain Recording for the first time paid dividends on the recording. When we sat down to talk about the record on a chilly Friday night, three-quarters of the band were more than complimentary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love him, and it turned out great. After a while, we really bonded, and I was saying to Jay, \u2018No one knows who he is,’\u201d says Hotshot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While this is not a story about Filson<\/a>, listen to \u201cThe Longest War\u201d and see what you think of Filson\u2019s mixing, production, and mastering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a singer like Hotshot, the recording process is often not the greatest experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the live performance. I\u2019m not a fan of the recording process,\u201d says Hotshot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI like (the recording process),\u201d says Bennett with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amazingly, the band didn\u2019t do much in terms of pre-production for the new record, instead going into Villain at the suggestion of a friend, and rocking out over several one or two-day sessions at the Northeast Phoenix studio. The end product is tight, packs a punch, and hits in all the right places. There were some learning curves, though, between band and engineer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t hold back,\u201d says Hotshot, before continuing: \u201cSo when we started doing the first tracks, and I let out a scream on the scratch vocal tracks, Byron (Filson) sort of turned around in his chair and went, \u2018Whoa-ho-ho-ho,\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Neira, Filson said Hotshot was \u201cterrifying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That was definitely not the first time that someone was intimidated by the \u201cL. Hotshot\u201d approach to attacking the vocals in a song. Having been fortunate enough to see the band for the past 17 years playing in various venues around town, one of the most fun things to watch now is how the crowd reacts to her as she prowls around the stage. First-time Scorpion vs. Tarantula fans are easy to spot; they\u2019re the ones with their mouths wide open.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to the band to put on a great show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I owe that to anyone who is there to see us,\u201d says Hotshot.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Scorpion vs. Tarantula\u2019s ferocious rhythm section.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Neira, who was a longtime fan of the band before joining, it was a natural transition from being in the crowd to being on the stage after taking over for original bassist Tana Youmans in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was super easy for me, actually. Being a bass player, I\u2019m not one who feels like I have to get up there and own the stage. I always wanted to be in the band, though, but I\u2019m not the type of guy to say, \u2018if your bass player ever quits,\u2019 but Jay (Bennett) and I had the Michigan connection (as both hail from up there),\u201d says Neira.<\/p>\n

In addition to laying down some killer bass lines across the entirety of \u201cThe Longest War,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Neira also lays down some blistering guitar on the A-side track, \u201cI Can Handle the Blood.\u201d<\/span> That song is a true ripper and is guaranteed to get the blood pumping, but it is just one of several absolutely great songs on the record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the band, the title of the record refers to writer and activist Rebecca Solnit\u2019s essay, \u201cThe Longest War,\u201d which uses the concept \u201cto frame the ongoing struggle for women\u2019s rights, bodily autonomy, and freedom from male violence and sexism as a fundamental, enduring war, not just isolated incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lyrically, the album\u2019s songs tackle a variety of topics in a powerful, fully rock \u2018n\u2019 roll kind of way. There are no victims in Scorpion vs. Tarantula\u2019s songs on \u201cThe Longest War,\u201d but there are certainly protagonists looking for healing, respect, and a voice of their own. <\/p>\n

When Hotshot sings the third verse of \u201cI Can Handle the Blood,\u201d there is no mistaking the power behind her voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cPain without a cause
Is a pain that you can\u2019t back
You keep givin\u2019 it to me, baby
I\u2019m gonna give it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scorpion vs. Tarantula is definitely a band that walks the walk and talks the talk. While Hotshot does invariably own any stage she\u2019s on, powerfully prowling around as the band rages behind her, there is always an underlying atmosphere of inclusivity. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the best thing about Scorpion vs. Tarantula \u2014 they throw one helluva rock and roll party, and everyone with a good attitude is invited to come and have fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Join the fun at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 17, at Chopper John\u2019s as the band celebrates the release of \u201cThe Longest War\u201d with support from three relatively new local bands, Timber Giant, The Oblidiots (ex-members of Labor Party and Monkeycat) and Beaver Creek.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.phoenixnewtimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seventeen years and five albums in, the locally based band Scorpion vs. Tarantula is more than a well-oiled machine: it\u2019s a force of nature. They\u2019ll be celebrating the new release with a show. On their new record, \u201cThe Longest War,\u201d SVT (as the quartet is affectionately known) delivers its best work yet, capturing the power […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2235791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[24104,22366],"class_list":["post-2235790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-local-music","tag-rock-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Phoenix-rockers-Scorpion-vs-Tarantula-drop-\u2018blistering-new-record.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2235790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2235792,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235790\/revisions\/2235792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2235791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2235790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2235790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2235790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}