Soundbites

CELEBRATING JAKE

At 7 p.m., next Thursday, July 8, A Gathering to Celebrate the Life of Jake Bergeron will take place at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.

As we mentioned last week, Bergeron, who was involved in many facets of the local music scene, recently passed away at age of 29. That the gathering will take place at the Rialto is no accident: Jake worked at the theater, and one of his bands, the Beta Sweat, recorded an album there.

Attendees are welcome, and encouraged, to bring cards and letters, which will be passed along to Jake's family. At 9 p.m., a procession will walk from the theater to El Tiradito Shrine to light candles, which will be provided. Feel free to bring flowers or other meaningful items to add to the shrine. The memorial and procession are both open to the public.


RED, WHITE AND TUNES

Quite unbelievably, the Fourth of July is already upon us, and that means lots of celebrations in honor of the ol' Stars and Stripes. Here are some music-related options for your weekend.

Gene Armstrong wrote a feature article this week on Mates of State (see Page 41), who are headlining Hotel Congress' Indie-Pendence Day Extravaganza, on Sunday, July 4. In addition to Mates of State, the event will also include performances by Philadelphia's Free Energy (featuring former members of the excellent Minneapolis-based band Hockey Night), Tucson's Mostly Bears, and Fargo, N.D.-based psych-pop trio Secret Cities, as well as Golden Boots, Seashell Radio, Fauxbois, The Ghost of 505 and Phoenix's Colorstore. The musical action will take place on two stages, but there's more: An after-party will be hosted by DJs O/W/L/S and the Mates' Jason Hammel; there will be BBQ available for purchase; and don't forget to wear your swimsuit for the 22-foot waterslide being constructed for the event. The action begins at 6 p.m., and admission is $10. Call 622-8848 for more info.

Out at the Pima County Fairgrounds, KLPX FM 96.1 is hosting Red, White and Boom!, which will feature a rather odd trio of acts. Headlining the shindig is Jackyl, whose '80s Southern rock somehow got lumped in with the hair-metal bands of their generation. Despite that, they're still best known for their song "The Lumberjack," which, appropriately, featured the only chainsaw solo on a major hit that we know of. Also on the bill: Savor, a Santana tribute band; and perhaps the most versatile band in Tucson, The Jons.

In addition to the music, food and drink will be available for purchase, and organizers promise "Southern Arizona's largest fireworks display" to close out the event.

Music begins at 4:45 p.m. (gates open at 4 p.m.), and the fireworks start around 9 p.m., Sunday, July 4, at the Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road. Tickets are free and available at dozens of local businesses. For lots more information, head to klpx.com.

Underway for several weeks now, the Music on the Mountain series, produced by Bonnie Vining's Live Acoustic Venue Association (LAVA), features acts performing every Sunday during the summer from 1 to 5 p.m. in Summerhaven, on Mount Lemmon. Performing at this Sunday's Music on the Mountain, which just happens to fall on the Fourth of July, is the Kevin Pakulis Band, who specialize in a country-rock-leaning variety of Americana. Admission, as always, is free, and you're encouraged to bring a lawn chair. No outside food or drinks are allowed, but they'll be available for purchase.

In upcoming weeks, the series will feature performances by Black Leather Zydeco (July 11), Chuck Wagon and the Wheelchairs and The Dusty Buskers (July 18), the Retro Rockets (July 25) and The Wyatts (Aug. 1). All performances take place under a big tent located at 12901 N. Sabino Canyon Parkway, on your right as you enter Summerhaven. For further details, head to lavamusic.org.

If it's jazz you seek, patriot, look no further than the Tucson Jazz Society-sponsored performance by pop-jazz mainstays Fattburger, whose debut album was released a quarter-

century ago this year. They'll perform at 7 p.m., Sunday, July 4, at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive. Tickets are $35 for the general public, $25 for TJS members and active-duty military with ID, and $20 for students with ID. To order tickets or get more information, head to tucsonjazz.org, or call 903-1265.

And for those of you who are so darn patriotic that you just can't wait until the Fourth of July to wave that flag wide and high, KIIM FM 99.5's Freedom Fest hits Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way, a day early, on Saturday, July 3. Headlining this year's fest is Clay Walker, whose music has remained remarkably commercially successful in the increasingly fickle world of new country. His latest album, She Won't Be Lonely Long (Curb, 2010), currently sits in the No. 8 position on Billboard's country albums chart. Also on the bill are Tucson favorite Troy Olsen, Blaine Larsen and Tucson's LeeAnne Savage, who has recently turned to country following some local success a decade ago in the pop world.

Gates open at 4 p.m.; music begins at 4:30 p.m.; and fireworks start just after 10 p.m. General-admission tickets are available for $15 at all Catalina Mart locations until July 2. After that, they'll be $25 at the gate. Children younger than 10 receive free admission. VIP tickets are also available. To purchase those, or to get a bunch more info, head to kiimfm.com.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Stay safe out there.


A CONGRESSIONAL TRIO

In addition to its Indie-Pendence Day Extravaganza, Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., is hosting several other interesting shows this week. Here's the lowdown on three of them.

Local supergroup of sorts HAIRSPRAYFIREANDGIRLS will headline a free all-locals show at 9 p.m., Friday, July 2, that also includes Fort Worth (featuring members of past and present local bands such as Hell Ride, Good Talk Russ, scratchingthesurface, The Swim, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Apocalyptics and the Elemenopees) and In Spite I Might. HAIRSPRAYFIREANDGIRLS will be selling hot-off-the-presses copies of their self-released debut album, I Am. And I've Been Looking for You, which is fantastic.

Tel Aviv, Israel, trio Monotonix return to Club Congress on Tuesday, July 6. Everyone who's seen the band perform live agrees that their shows are as much about debaucherous performance art as the music itself—though a new 7" single released by Drag City earlier this week, "Fun Fun Fun" b/w "Try Try Try," ups the ante on the band's recorded output: The A-side reeks of Mudhoney in the best possible way, while the B-side is more geared toward Amphetamine Reptile followers. Still, the reason you buy the ticket is for the show—and what a show it is. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the similarly performance-minded Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout open. Tickets are $10 in advance, or $12 on the day of the show.

The following night, Wednesday, July 7, sees the return of Danish psychobilly trio Nekromantix, aka that band with that dude with the coffin-shaped bass. Unlike the Congress shows already mentioned here, this one is open to those of all ages. The Howlers and The Mutilators open the show. Doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is $14.

For more information on any of these shows, head to hotelcongress.com, or call 622-8848.


ON THE BANDWAGON

Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra at the Rialto Theatre on Wednesday, July 7; Carbon Leaf and Roll Acosta at Plush on Tuesday, July 6; Housefire and Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout at The HangArt on Saturday, July 3, followed by an after-party at Vaudeville featuring Calle Debauche (last show) and Gamma Like Very Ultra; Greyhound Soul, Fourkiller Flats and Silverbell at Plush on Friday, July 2; Lenguas Largas, Perfect Future, Reaching Away and others at Vaudeville on Wednesday, July 7; Downpresser at Skrappy's on Tuesday, July 6; the Lemon Drop Gang at Surly Wench Pub on Friday, July 2; Seashell Radio, Mammoth Life and Leila Lopez at Plush tonight, Thursday, July 1.