Thursday, Aug. 25
From its glitchy self-titled debut to its latest studio album, Los Angeles noise rock/industrial outfit HEALTH has assimilated a deep anxiety about the future into its oeuvre. Squaring up to the illusory nature of contemporary life, in a society where delusion has become normalized, on “DISCO4 :: PARTII” — a collaborative album featuring Nine Inch Nails, Poppy, Lamb of God, The Body and others — the trio has documented just how frightening it feels to be alive in 2022. “Even when we first started, we always thought we were making music for a post-Skynet landscape,” said frontman Jack Duzsik, referencing “The Terminator.” “It feels like technology, but technology that’s breaking down.” Influenced by world events and the idea of being alone, Duzsik added, “It was a very dark time and it’s stitched into the psyche and the DNA of the music.” The Purgatory DLC Tour brings HEALTH — with dark-pop phantom Kontravoid — to 191 Toole…
Utilizing electronics as instruments, creating loops to build layer-upon-layer of sound, singer-songwriter Jillian Bessett explores new sonic landscapes at R Bar…
Talented multi-instrumentalist Mariah McCammond is pulling double duty performing Scandinavian, Celtic folk and avant-garde compositions in two of her musical projects in one evening. Hatpin Duo with violinist Deanna Cross and Thistle and Bear with multi-instrumentalist Anton Shekerdzhiev “get folky and maybe a bit magical” at Tap + Bottle Downtown…
Born and raised in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico — the oldest inhabited village in America — Puebloan rock ‘n’ roller Mozart Gabriel has a penchant for punk and fashion. He grew up without running water or electricity. Gabriel’s soaring vocal ability was recognized while singing traditional songs at ceremonial events. Gabriel presents “Eager Within the Fire,” his debut album, at Thunder Canyon Brewery…
Akin to a “Harlem Nocturne,” trombonist Rob Boone and harpist Christine Vivona Boone diffuse the night air with mellifluous jazz at Pastiche Modern Eatery…
Acting in similar ways to the binding molecules that the band is named after, these Tucson music scene veterans — Nick Augustine, Karl Hoffmann, Gary Mackender and Neil McCallion — attribute their unique sound to the contributions from principal songwriters McCallion and Mackender combining sequences. “It’s the Texas Tornados meeting up with Nick Lowe and John Hiatt for a drink in a funky bar in Nogales,” Mackender said. The Morpholinos are at Monterey Court…
Friday, Aug. 26
Calling all “Rail Breakers,” EDM DJ/producer Riot Ten dips into town with his banging new single “Own the Night.” The Hype or Die Tour also features special guest Jiqui at Gentle Ben’s…
Meltt is a mind-bending indie-psych band from Vancouver, British Columbia, whose blissful sonic washes — laden with undulant synthesizer lines and ethereal vocals — paint impressionistic dreamscapes capable of transporting the listener to spaces they have only previously dreamt of. Meltt unveil its latest single “It Could Grow Anywhere” at Club Congress. Night Weather opens…
Promulgating chaos and unease wherever they may roam, Los Angeles heavy metalists Worldwide Panic roll out “I Tried,” their latest single, at Encore. Special guests Sworn Apart and Friends in Hell add to the deviance…
The Cole Trains’ Shane Britt and PJ Bidwell of Pelican Museum supply the musical party favors for The Jackrabbit Lounge’s one-year anniversary celebration…
During the mid 1980s, jangle popsters River Roses were on the vanguard. Propelled by frontman Chris Holiman’s songcraft and wholehearted vocal stylings, The Rose’s fan base grew exponentially. They flirted coyly with major labels; in the process becoming darlings of the then burgeoning Desert Rock scene. They packed local venues: Nino’s and a new joint, Club Congress. Comparable to a perennial flower, the mighty River Roses bloom once again on the patio at Crooked Tooth Brewing…
Performing in the shadow of artist-builder Lee Koplin’s towering Tiki head sculpture, Tucson funk/soul institution Funky Bonz “party down just like James Brown” at The Hut…
Poised to take over the world, on the heels of “Spin,” a head-spinning volley into the alt-rock multiverse, singer-songwriter and Ford model Noah Martin pairs with New Misphoria as they attempt “to signal aliens with the musical stylings of (their) sonic waves” at St. Charles Tavern…
Resident DJ HumpHouse leads generation cool with an old school twist at Club Congress…
Since 2013, El Tambó has been celebrating the cultural remezcla that naturally takes place en las fronteras. DJ Humblelianess presides over Tucson’s hottest Latin dance party…
Ever reaching skyward, The Amosphere — led by two-time Grammy nominee, AmoChip Dabney — travels through an exhilarating new world of global dance music at Chicago Bar…
In 1974, jazz singer Elis Regina melded her sultry voice with the music of renowned composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, the “George Gershwin of Brazil.” The result: “Elis & Tom,” a legendary collaboration heralded as one of the greatest Brazilian albums of all time. With flair, passion and authenticity, Nossa Bossa Nova — a husband and wife duo consisting of vocalist Theresa Levy and pianist/guitarist Mike Levy — present Beyond Bossa Nova: A Salute to Brazilian Superstar Elis Regina at The Century Room…
Having forged a hybrid sound, pulling together elements of hip-hop and metal, local “street” metalists Like A Villain take things to new heights with the “Art of Escalation,” their latest single, at Thunder Canyon Brewery. Flanked by Johnny Arson and Versus the Fall…
Spinning vinyl for music lovers, long-time Downtown DJ Carl Hanni — filling his sets with a mix heavy on funky 1960s and ’70s jazz, cocktail lounge, bossa nova, Ethio-jazz and classics — sets a groovy vibe for Late Night Lounge at The Century Room…
Saturday, Aug. 27
From 2016’s “Reverie” — her first solo recording while attending the Fred Fox School of Music — to 2021’s “Too Close to the Riptide,” singer/songwriter Sophia Rankin continues to reach far beyond her folk roots. Sophia Rankin & The Sound joined by indie/psych/dream poppers Los Velvets forge ahead at 191 Toole…
Exploring the struggle of not being comfortable in your own skin, jazz vocalist Liz Cracchiolo presents “If Only I Were Taller”— this one-woman cabaret premiered in February to a sold-out crowd at New York City’s Duplex — to The Century Room…
Bringing songs to life since she was a toddler, serenading lizards and honey bees in her childhood backyard, singer-songwriter Natalie Pohanic displays her decades-long dedication to her artistry at MotoSonora Brewing Company…
The trumpet-driven sound of the Glendon Gross Quartet will have you swinging into the Late Night at The Century Room…
Offering a sumptuous taste of traditional mariachi music and folklorico dance from across Mexico, Los Changuitos Feos, Mariachi Tapatio de Tucson and Compañía de Danza Folklorica Arizona display their mastery and majesty at The Gaslight Music Hall… Like the aroma of a mouth-watering seafood gumbo wafting through the air, The Muffulettas fill the Hotel Congress plaza with their funky vocal-based New Orleans sound…
Tucson reggae elder statesmen Neon Prophet hold court at Chicago Bar… Bela Lugosi is not dead. Fineline Revisited is a monthly tribute to the Fineline; a Tucson nightclub of yesteryear that lives on in infamy. DJ Stubbie spins new wave, electronic, gothic, alt and industrial at the Surly Wench Pub…
Resident DJ Posi curates the soundtrack for Saturday night at Club Congress…
Joined by trumpeter Tony Frank and double-bassist Jeff Sandberg, Phoenix via Detroit, piano man Dave Henning makes the 88 keys roar at Pastiche Modern Eatery…
Sunday, Aug. 28
Riding the crest of the burgeoning country rock movement, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band emerged from Long Beach, California, in 1966. The band’s successes include a cover version of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles;” 1972’s “Will the Circle be Unbroken,” a critically acclaimed album of collaborations with traditional country artists Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, Merle Travis and Jimmy Martin; and 1989’s follow-up “Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two,” which won two Grammys and was named Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with a reinvigorated line-up to present “Dirt Does Dylan,” a compilation of Bob Dylan covers, at the Rialto Theater…
On a quest to engage, energize and empower audiences with rousing stadium-size anthems — including the quadruple-platinum “Honey, I’m Good,” and platinum-selling single “Keep Your Head Up” — troubadour Andy Grammer brings The Art of Joy Tour to the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation presents Heather Hardy & the Dusty City Blues Band, the next in a series of blues-based acts to provide the flame for the latest installment of the Congress Cookout. Along with her ace band, this accomplished fiddler and soul/blues singer will leave you “Sittin’ and Wonderin’ Why” on the plaza at Hotel Congress…
Marked by their tight harmonies, strumming guitars, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics, in the course of a few short years Texas native Lance Kotara and Colorado cowgirl LeAnna Kaufman already have an award under their belt, winning new artist of the year at the 2019 iHeartRadio Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards. Covering over 12,000 miles and 26 states, the Backyard Pop-Up Tour brings Lance & Lea to the Hotel McCoy…
Monday, Aug. 29
Nada.
Tuesday, Aug. 30
Playing a mixture of chilled out music and high energy tunes, The Lucky Devils Band showcase its formidable talents on the plaza at Hotel Congress…
Wednesday, Aug. 31
On the forefront of the dark folk movement, Tour from the Crypt sees Murder By Death and Amigo The Devil — whose themes, often sung in hushed tones, exhibit a preoccupation with desolation, depression and death — conjoined in unholy alliance at Rialto Theater…
Hailing from the Emerald Isle, this amalgamation of sound is what results when virtuosic Irish folk musicians jump across the murky pond to run riot through a verdant field of bluegrass, with their junk trunks down. A musical powerhouse, JigJam lead the first wave of attack in the new Irish invasion of Americana at The Sea of Glass Center for the Arts…
Until next week, XOXO…
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2022.
