I'm not usually one to say "I told you so," but the news is pretty good this time around.

In my commentary about the residual Tucson shows that come from the Coachella weekends, I mentioned a number of bands that will be making stops in Southern Arizona before, between or after those two weekends in Indio, and another band just added a show.

Band of Horses announced via their Facebook page today that they'll be playing the Rialto on April 22. The Tucson stop is among dozens of other shows that make up the band's tour across most of the U.S. The announcement doesn't indicate which bands will be supporting.

Additionally, the Silversun Pickups have announced a stop at the Pima County fair on April 19, just a few days before the Band of Horses show. While the Silversun Pickups aren't playing Coachella this year, having the shows so close together should make for an interesting week for the indie rock crowd.

Tickets to Band of Horses can be picked up here when they go up for sale on Feb. 22, and admission to the Silversun Pickups show is included in the admission to the fair.

File #4: Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris, Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions (1999, Asylum/Elektra)

After taking a week to remove our heads from the condom-strewn New York sewers of Lou Reed, we touch down locally—at the Arizona Inn, specifically—for the crisp, meditative desert of Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris. Theirs is a collaboration so pristine, so lovely, and so unwavering that the connective ampersand is requisite.

Linda, of course, is a native daughter, and her significance to Tucson is unimpeachable. (I will leave it to the comment section, hopefully, to flesh out her local legacy.) Throughout the 1970s, Ronstadt made her mark in the incestuous Los Angeles music scene, backing Zevon here, playing with the Eagles there, before launching a juggernaut career that revealed her as preeminent musical interpreter and vibrant chanteuse. Ronstadt’s output has maintained a prolific clip, but her knockout releases from the ‘70s alone (in this case, over the course of three years) are stunning: Heart Like a Wheel (1974), Prisoner in Disguise (1975), and Hasten Down the Wind (1976). Ronstadt’s throaty vibrato is unparalleled, and its beguiling and calming powers at least partially explain her legions of fans and millions of records sold.

Harris was no slouch either, and Luxury Liner (1977) is as enchanting as anything in the ‘70s songstress oeuvre. A more traditionally countrified twang, Harris was no stranger to the rarefied air of the heavyweight ‘70s, singing backup on Dylan’s Desire (1976) and performing a stunning take on “Evangeline” with the Band the same year for The Last Waltz (released in 1978).

Now, Ronstadt and Harris are longtime friends and had collaborated before Western Wall on Trio (1987)—a treat of shoulder-padded country-western with Dolly Parton rounding out the triplet. The group gave it another go the same year as Western Wall with Trio II, which contains an evocative take on Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush.” Western Wall, however, is required listening; more so for local, musically inclined denizens. Recorded at the exquisite Arizona Inn, the album, appropriate given its principals, is mostly a covers affair. Harris does contribute a couple songs (one with the help of the McGarrigle sisters), but the album’s breadth, dedication, and generosity elevate it above a somnambulant stroll through the material. For instance, opener “Loving the Highway Man” would succeed simply by plucking a brilliant if overlooked track from Andy “Wall of Voodoo” Prieboy’s solo debut—a singer/songwriter who it would be hard to argue had much cache in ’99 (which has certainly, and sadly, dissipated even more in the intervening years)—but the track truly excels by pulling the listener through its chilling tale of ruination with ethereal, haunted vocals and whimpering, hallucinatory guitars.

That Western Wall is now out-of-print seems, on paper only, a slight—on paper because, we dinosaurs of tactile music must remind ourselves, most listeners prefer their music digitally, where the album is readily available (though it is dubbed “The Tuscon Sessions” on Spotify). And though the album initially did well critically, its commercial failure is troubling and has certainly contributed to its peripheral role in the canons of both Ronstadt and Harris. Sure, the album cover and publicity photos throughout may contribute to the adult-contemporary vibe the album seems to perspire, but the jangly snap of “For a Dancer,” aided by Neil Young’s harmony and harmonica (how harmonious of him), or the way the pair amplify Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy,” making it a muscular accordion waltz, are unparalleled by most neophytes in the field. If it’s adult-contemporary folk, and it may well be, then it’s the kind of stellar, top-notch quality that is worth indulging.

Nevertheless, Ronstadt’s pouty turn on “He Was Mine” and Harris’ sleepy take of “Valerie” grow a bit tiresome beyond a handful of listens, but the other tracks or, in the parlance of the album, “sessions” reveal endless hidden beauties. In part, the roster of studio talent, beyond Young even, is too accomplished for the songs not to captivate, and the attentive ear of producer Glyn Johns appropriately acquiesces to the contributors while mostly reigning in any surplus. From the fevered cracks in the soldier ballad “1917,” to the sparkling, unfolding melodies of Sinead O’Connor’s hymn “This is to Mother You,” to the shaggy dust waltz of Springsteen’s “Across the Border,” Western Wall has, like the city that domesticated it and the women who spearheaded it, much to love.

Kix Brooks will be headliner of this year's official Tucson Rodeo opening concert this year.

Kix Brooks is best known for his '90s hits in the duo Brooks & Dunn, with songs like "Boot Scootin' Boogie," "My Maria," and of course the song that made me get into country in the first place, the classic "Neon Moon."

Despite Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn calling it quits in 2010, the country singer of 30 years came back strong into the music scene with songs like his title track and first single "New to This Town."

His most recent single, "Moonshine Road," is much more upbeat than his first single.

In the song, Brooks shows his country attitude as he shows a woman from the city his hometown.

Brooks told KIIM FM in an interview:

"I grew up with a boathouse in my backyard on this lake in Louisiana called Lake Bistineau and there was this place around the lake from us called Green Park Camp. And, my father, my poor father [laughs], used to beg me and my college buddies when we’d be loading up the truck not to go to Green Park because either we’d come back with a bunch of crazy girls or we’d be all beat to hell. It was always action oriented." He continues, "We went back and forth so many times, and most kids did this growing up especially if the moon was out, we would always turn the headlights out and cruise home with no lights on and we’d just finally referred to this stretch of road as "Moonshine Road.'"

After a strong, successful and long-running career, country fans in Tucson will be sure to enjoy Kix Brooks perform live at the Diamond Center at Desert Diamond Casino (Sahuarita) on Feb. 23. The show begins at 7 p.m. and tickets are available at Ticketmaster starting at $35.

Fact: Regardless of whether or not I've been in a relationship, I've listened to this song at least once every February 14 since 2004. I have never once gotten tired of it, though that's partially because "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" is one of the best damn albums of the 2000s, and I'll generally listen to the rest of the magic on that double-album.

Happy Valentine's Day, Tucson.

Sunday night’s Grammy Awards were full of great music collaborations and of course, scandalous and skimpy outfits (Regardless of the memo that was sent out asking stars to keep visible skin to a minimum).

Although the dresses and designers of the Grammy’s always hit the headlines hard in the following days, the most exciting part of the Grammy’s for me was seeing Fun. receive two awards.

Fun., consisting of Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff, and Arizonan Nate Ruess, took home Song of the Year for their hit single, “We Are Young.” They beat out Ed Sheeran, Miguel Pimentel, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kelly Clarkson in this category.

After winning Song of the Year, Fun. was also honored with winning the Grammy for Best New Artist over Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes, The Lumineers, and Frank Ocean.

It was great to see Fun., as well as other indie bands such as Mumford and Sons, take home these prestigious awards in the music industry and see a shift from the typical winners.

Fun. also announced last week a headlining tour with Tegan and Sara titled “Most Nights.” The tour will not be stopping in Tucson, but for those of you interested in seeing this Grammy winning band, there will be a stop at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix on Sept. 10.

For more information on the tour, click here.

If you're worried about not getting your Celtic punk fill on St. Patrick's Day during Flogging Molly's stop in Tempe, just give it one more month.

The Rialto Theatre announced via Facebook today that Boston Irish punk-rock band Dropkick Murphys will be stopping by for a show on April 12.

The seven-piece is touring the states (along with a handful of stops in the UK) following the release of their latest record Signed and Sealed in Blood at the start of the year.

Tickets will go on sale this upcoming Friday, with advance admission set at $27 or $30 day of show. You can grab your tickets from the Rialto's website here when they go up.

Corey Reidy plays guitar with the local rock band Church Key. He’s also a key instigator in the release of Stunning Tonto Forever, a compilation of Tucson-based acts from the early 2000s on the Stunning Tonto record label. Church Key plays with several other local bands at Plush on Friday, Feb. 8, for the album’s release.

What was the first concert you attended?
Tom Petty. My parents wanted me to “experience the culture” of a rock show. Little did I know that “culture” was a sweaty man named Greg that knew all the words to “Free Fallin’,” which he sang during the chorus of every song.

What are you listening to these days?
Podcasts, right? A.V. Club’s Undercover series, which has bands picking a song from a list of tunes and performing them, is great. And I can never get too far away from Elliot Smith or the Smiths … or the Cure. Anything with the name Smith involved.

What was the first album you owned?
Queen, News of the World. I would stare at the cover with the band dead and bloody, making up stories as to what the giant metal robot guy did to them. Then I would hide the album because it freaked me out.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love but you just don't get?
Baroque. What is with the harpsichords, powdery makeup and wigs? Also, I don’t like jam bands.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Led Zeppelin, in the midst of their devil-worshipping, heavy-drinking 20s, crashing a car through a barn while Jimmy Page rips a solo made of fire and lightning.

Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Nothing. I totally don’t listen to 311 anymore or Everclear. And yes, Sparkle and Fade is awesome.

What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
The theme from Eyes Wide Shut, as I am propped up in a chair next to my coffin, staring at the crowd.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Les Claypool. Guy blew my mind as a kid, basically taught me that music is what you make of it. There are no rules or boundaries, there is no limit to what you can do, and if you have an imagination, you can create a world out of thin air.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

What song should I be listening to right now?
The Trons, “Time’s Up.”

I've lived in Tucson for a little less than two years now, and, as a music fanatic, I've quickly learned that the Old Pueblo's got some pretty good chops when it comes to its music scene — although that may not be saying much since I grew up in Wyoming, where the only live music comes in the form of country cover bands that have to play behind chicken wire in bars.

Regardless, much of Tucson's awesome booking, at least during the spring season, comes from the Coachella lineup. Ever since the festival began running its two-weekend schedule last year, the bands that get booked are always looking for places to be before, between and after those two weekends in April, and Tucson (and Tempe for that matter) seems to work just fine for these pleasantly surprising mini-tours.

Most recently, Phoenix announced a stop in Tucson for a show at the AVA Amphitheater on April 9, just a few days before their headlining slots at Coachella's Saturday nights. Likewise, The Postal Service recently announced a small tour across the western U.S. with a show at Phoenix's Comerica Theater. Additionally, Rodriguez has two shows in Phoenix in Tucson on the Friday and Saturday before his second Sunday performance in Indio.

The same thing happened last year, namely with Bon Iver's show at the Tucson Convention Center on April 23. Feist opened the show, and both bands had come fresh from Saturday slots at Coachella.

So, if you missed the presale or can't make the 400-mile jog out west, chances are good that whatever you're missing out on may come back this way. For Southern Arizona, this spring's run of concerts is shaping up to be pretty good, too. Who needs Coachella when you've got the exceptional arts community that we have right here?

Despite their best efforts to eliminate the rumors that they were going to reunite, Fall Out Boy has in fact come back together for more musical endeavors.

The band announced on Monday morning that they were making a comeback with a new album titled “Save Rock and Roll.” The full album is set to be released on May 7 and is available for presale on their website now.

Along with the new album also comes a tour. FOB has also released tour dates beginning May 14 in Milwaukee. The tour does include a stop in Phoenix at Marquee Theatre on June 11, but sadly, no stop in Tucson. Tickets for the tour go on sale Feb. 8 and 9.

A single from their new album has been put out to reignite the flame in the love for FOB. The song, titled “My Songs Know What you Did in the Dark (Light Em Up),” is already number two on the iTunes top charts as of today. It is currently only topped by Macklemore’s song, “Thrift Shop.” (Which quite honestly has been overplayed about two months too long if you ask me.)

Phoenix, the alternative rock band from Versailles, France, has just announced a tour that will make six stops in the U.S. Lucky for us, Tucson just happens to be one of them.

The tour leads up to the bands headlining slot at Coachella on April 13 and 20.

It will begin in Vancouver and end in Las Vegas just three days before their performance at the first weekend of Coachella.

The radius clause that Coachella has in place for the bands performing at the festival may be one of the reasons Phoenix is making two stops in Arizona along this short tour. The essence of this clause is that bands can't play shows in Southern California from the time they sign their contract with Coachella to 30 days after the festival concludes, according to the L.A. Times.

Whatever the cause, the band will be playing at AVA Amphitheater on April 9. Presale tickets will open for those who register for Phoenix Online on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. PST or 11 a.m. MST. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, Feb. 8 at the same time.