It's yet another crazy-busy week during one of the most log-jammed musical seasons of the year, and you know what that means: We're only going to be able to scratch the surface in this here column, so be sure to check out our listings sections for more options.
Now, where to begin ...?
CONTRIBUTE TO CAUSES
Since everyone loves a benefit, here are two worthwhile ones this week.
You've likely heard by now that Bohemia, the funky boutique opened by Tana Kelch in 2003, has closed its doors. Originally located in the Lost Barrio, and more recently in the spot on Broadway Boulevard previously occupied by Austin's Ice Cream, Bohemia gathered the works of Tucson artists—and pretty much only Tucson artists—under one roof, for simple one-stop shopping for those who valued buying locally. Plus, there was just tons of cool stuff there. Nine years later, Kelch has decided to move on, but, as expected, she's doing it in style.
Bohemia Marches Forth ... The Bon Voyage Party and Benefit will take over La Cocina from 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday, March 4.
From 4 to 7 p.m., works by artists who showed at Bohemia will be on display and for sale. During that same period, raffle tickets for art and other trinkets will be sold for a 9 p.m. drawing.
There will, of course, also be music—lots and lots of local live music, including performances by Combo Westside, the Awkward Moments, Hans Hutchison, The Cordials, Amy Rude and Ryen Eggleston, Vannessa Lundon and Jazz Telephone.
In a press release issued by Bohemia, Kelch writes: "We would love to see you there to say thanks and have a sweet goodbye. We hope that artists and supporters can make connections and continue to spread the love we began nine years ago."
Bohemia Marches Forth runs from 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday, March 4. La Cocina is located at 201 N. Court Ave. Admission is a suggested donation of $5, and raffle tickets will be $2. For more information, call 622-0351, or head to bohemiatucson.com.
The Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association, the entity that puts on the Tucson Folk Festival each spring (this year, it's on May 5 and 6), holds a series of benefits throughout the year in order to keep admission to the Folk Fest free for all. While most of those benefits feature only local acts, this week's show is a bit different.
Headlining the event is Portland, Ore.-based Tony Furtado, master of banjo and acoustic and slide guitar, and man of many genres: Bluegrass, electric and acoustic blues, old-timey, swing jazz, pop and Celtic folk are just some of the styles in which Furtado is proficient. He's set to release Live at Mississippi Studios, a DVD/CD combo pack, any day now on Tucson's Funzalo Records. At this weekend's show, he'll be joined by sideman Luke Price on fiddle and electric guitar.
Opening the show is Heather "Li'l Mama" Hardy, who will be joined by Sabra Faulk and Ed DeLucia for an acoustic set of Hardy originals.
It all goes down from 5 to 9 p.m., Sunday, March 4, at Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Admission is a donation of $10. For more info, call 690-0991, or head to boondockslounge.com.
SHORT TAKES
With a distinctive laid-back style, rapper Drake, onetime star of Degrassi: The Next Generation, launched his musical career six years ago by issuing and appearing on a series of mixtapes that caught the attention of the likes of Kanye, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne—a pretty good trio of dudes to have in your corner when you're launching your rap career.
After a label bidding war, Drake signed to Universal Motown in 2009, releasing an EP, So Far Gone, that culled songs from his mixtape of the same name. It went to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, but was bested by his debut full-length, 2010's Thank Me Later, which featured collaborations with the trio of backers already mentioned, plus The-Dream and Kings of Leon, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. His latest album, Take Care, was released in November.
On his current Club Paradise Tour, which drops into Tucson this week, he'll be joined by up-and-comers Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky, both of whom are currently being hyped as Next Big Things.
The Club Paradise Tour hits the Tucson Convention Center Arena, 260 S. Church Ave., at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 4. Tickets, available through Ticketmaster, run $47 and $77 before massive service fees. For more information, call the box office at 791-4101.
John Hodgman, whose brand of funny manages to be at once droll and goofy, is perhaps best known for his spots on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and his personification of a PC on Apple ads. But he's also an actor (Battlestar Galactica, Flight of the Conchords, Bored to Death), an accomplished author of a trio of humor books, a contributor to NPR's This American Life, and editor of the humor section of The New York Times Sunday Magazine. So, yeah, he's kind of a renaissance man—and a damn funny one at that. He'll bring his current stage show, That Is All: An Evening With John Hodgman (named after his most-recent book), to the stage of the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., for an all-ages show on Saturday, March 3.
How could this event get any better? By adding John Roderick, the frontman for the incredible band The Long Winters, as the opening act, that's how. Roderick will kick things off at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36 for gold circle, $26 for reserved floor seats, and $21 for reserved balcony seats. For further details, call 740-1000, or head to rialtotheatre.com.
For the discerning modern-rock fan looking to get maximum bang for the buck, might I suggest two shows?
First up, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Monday, March 5, Ty Segall collaborator Mikal Cronin headlines a triple-bill with his winning brand of catchy garage-pop. The middle slot is occupied by Bleached, the new jangle-punk outfit from sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, veterans of the post-punk band Mika Miko. And opening is the blooze-punk of another pair of sisters, Marina and Leann Cornelius, aka Acorn Bcorn. The show begins at 9 p.m., and cover is $8. For more info, head to plushtucson.com, or call 798-1298.
Meanwhile, over at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Wednesday, March 7, the Modern Art Tour, featuring four experimental indie-pop acts—former Phoenicians Miniature Tigers, Geographer, The Chain Gang of 1974 and Pretty and Nice—that record for the titular label, will make a stop to show off its collective wares. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $11 in advance, or $13 on the day of the show. Head to hotelcongress.com/club, or call 622-8848 for more information.
ON THE BANDWAGON
Leslie and the Ly's, Pennyhawk and Ramona and the Swimsuits at Club Congress on Friday, March 2; Typhoon and Motopony at Solar Culture Gallery on Tuesday, March 6; O'Brother, Junius, Sleep Driver and Standby Red 5 at Club Congress on Tuesday, March 6; Willie Nelson and Family and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real at the Diamond Center at Desert Diamond Casino on Tuesday, March 6; Sublime with Rome and Everlast at the Rialto Theatre on Sunday, March 4; EMA, Dream Sick and Womb Tomb at Plush on Saturday, March 3; Lagwagon, Cobra Skulls and Nothington at The Rock on Tuesday, March 6; Deadmeat Tour with Steve Aoki and Datsick at the Rialto Theatre next Thursday, March 8; Ivan and Alyosha, Kaia Chesney and Clinton Rice at Plush on Wednesday, March 7; Hack the Planet Tour with Dwntwn, Skeet Skeet, Rony and others at The Hut on Friday, March 2; screening of Live From the Artists Den featuring Amos Lee and Calexico, plus live music by Silver Thread Trio at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Saturday, March 3; Katie Haverly at Plush next Thursday, March 8; Attaloss and more at The Rock next Thursday, March 8; Opti Club with Anoraak at Club Congress next Thursday, March 8; Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular at the Rialto Theatre on Friday, March 2; Black Cherry Burlesque at Surly Wench Pub on Friday, March 2; Patti LuPone at UA Centennial Hall on Sunday, March 4; Dailey and Vincent meet-and-greet at Cracker Barrel on Friday, March 2.
