GIVE BACK, ENJOY MUSIC

With Thanksgiving upon us during this especially trying year,
perhaps it’s time to help those who are less fortunate. Two benefit
shows this week make that fun and easy to do so.

Since 2002, local guitarist, singer, songwriter, label owner and
volunteer Rich Hopkins has held a benefit show for the Casa Maria soup
kitchen the day before Thanksgiving, and this year is no different.
From a previous column, here’s the lowdown:

“For (roughly) 25 years, the local soup kitchen, located at 401 E.
26th St., has provided free meals to the poor and homeless from 8 a.m.
to noon, 365 days a year. In addition to doling out massive amounts of
soup, juice and coffee to those in need of a hot meal, Casa Maria also
hands out bulging sacks of groceries for families and roughly 500
brown-bag lunches for individuals every day. No one in need is ever
turned away, and remarkably, Casa Maria receives no funding from any
government agency; every penny comes from private donations.

“(Several) years ago, local musician and San Jacinto Records owner
Rich Hopkins decided to make a video for the song ‘Tender Mercies’ by
his band, the Luminarios (he’s also guitarist for the Sand Rubies). The
song is about the ongoing plight of the homeless community, and when
Hopkins asked around to find a location to shoot, all paths led to Casa
Maria and (founder Brian) Flagg, whom Hopkins quickly befriended. The
video was eventually shown at every stop on the Luminarios’ subsequent
European tour, and Hopkins raised funds for Casa Maria from those
stages.

“Additionally, Hopkins began donating his time to working at the
soup kitchen about once a week; he’s released a pair of compilation
albums to raise money for Casa Maria; and he began staging the annual
benefit concerts.”

The lineup of acts scheduled for this year’s benefit, in order of
appearance, is: Luminarios (8:30 p.m.), Cathy Rivers (9:15 p.m.), Kevin Pakulis (10 p.m.), Sand Rubies (10:45
p.m.) and Triple Double Band (11:30 p.m.). In an e-mail sent to
the Soundbites desk, Hopkins notes that many of the performers will
also be silently protesting the war in Afghanistan by fasting on the
day of the event.

For the first time, Rich Hopkins’ annual Casa Maria Thanksgiving
Benefit will take place at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on
Wednesday, Nov. 25. Admission is a suggested $5 donation, and
canned-food donations are highly encouraged as well. For more
information, call 798-1298.

Rather unusually, there’s only one show going down at the Rialto
Theatre this week, but it’s a worthwhile one—a Benefit for
the Tucson Alliance for Autism. From the Rialto’s Web site, here’s
a bit of information:

“The Tucson Alliance for Autism (TAFA) (comprises) two
not-for-profit charitable organizations, the Autism Society of
America-Pima County Chapter (ASA-PCC) and the Tucson Autism Community
Center (TACC), and an academic institution, the University of Arizona
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS). … During
the past several years, each group has independently been setting the
stage to build and maintain an Autism center in Tucson. In May 2005,
these groups merged to focus their collective energies into meeting the
needs of the local autism community.”

The bands scheduled to perform are Shady Lane, The
Opposables, 8 Minutes to Burn, I Promise You Revenge and I Bet It Was a Massacre.

The Benefit for the Tucson Alliance for Autism begins at 5 p.m.,
Saturday, Nov. 21. Admission to the all-ages show is a suggested
donation of $11. The Rialto Theatre is located at 318 E. Congress St.,
and you can ring ’em up at 740-1000.

ONE WEEK, THREE NEW CDS

Three local bands are releasing new CDs this week, and celebrating
with the requisite release parties.

The hilariously named The El Camino Royales—just one of
the 672 local acts including multi-instrumentalist/jack-of-all-trades
Michael P. Nordberg—features Andrew See on upright bass and
vocals, and The Mighty Joel Ford on drums and vocals. The group’s
self-released debut album, Ladies and Gentlemen …, was
recorded and produced by Nathan Sabatino at his Loveland Studio, with
the exception of four tracks, which were recorded by Jeremy Michael
Cashman. Over its 11 brief tunes (only two songs surpass the
three-minute mark), the album showcases the trio’s high-octane brand of
good-time surf and rockabilly—with a bit of country and blues
thrown in—and splits its time between tunes with vocals and
instrumentals. It’s an awful lot of fun and goes a long way toward
capturing the energy the band brings to its live shows.

Celebrate the release of Ladies and Gentlemen … when The El
Camino Royales perform at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Friday, Nov.
20. Their set will be sandwiched by those of headliners The
Mission Creeps and openers Sunny Italy, who get things
rolling at 9:30 p.m. Admission is five bucks, and you can call 798-1298
for more info.

The following night, also at Plush, another local trio drops The
Deuce. No potty humor here: That’s the name of The Hounds‘
new EP, their follow-up to last year’s debut album, Bonafied.
The EP features new tracks that spotlight the soulful hip-hop, blues
and beach-reggae grooves we’ve come to expect from Yogi and the boys,
and will be available for one night only. Everyone who attends the
release show will get a free copy.

The Hounds celebrate the release of The Deuce on Saturday,
Nov. 21, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Openers Tom Walbank and the
Ambassadors and The Grand Royale start the night off at 9:30
p.m. Admission is $5, and that number, again, is 798-1298.

Just five months after forming, local quartet Rescue Lights will release its debut CD, Vol. 1. As demonstrated by a few
tracks supplied to us for preview, the group’s brand of tasteful
pop-rock would sound right at home on KWMT FM 92.9, aka The
Mountain.

They’ll be at Cutters Point Coffee, 6435 N. Thornydale Road,
at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 20. The $10 cover charge includes a copy
of the CD, a coffee drink and a pastry or dessert. For more info, head
to rescuelightsmusic.com.

MIX-AND-MATCH DIVA

Lauded local jazz-blues diva Lisa Otey began a series of
concerts last week that pairs her with a different performer for each
show: Otey will perform a set, as will each guest performer; then the
two will perform together.

Here’s the schedule of remaining shows, along with Otey’s comments:
Monday, Nov. 23: Regina “The Queen” Willis (“one of our
Desert Divas, this is her debut on her own”); Tuesday, Nov. 24:
Damaris Drewry (“writes beautiful spiritual songs and helps
people discover their true path”); Monday, Nov. 30: Grams and
Krieger (“blues duo known around the world for their humor and
sizzling vocals, guitar and bass”); Tuesday, Dec. 1: Ada Redd
Austin (“local jazz legend”); Tuesday, Dec. 15: holiday
concert with Diane Van Deurzen and Walter Belcher (“Diane
is … known for her beautiful ballads and sexual innuendo; Walter has
an amazing five-octave range and returns to Tucson for this special
performance”).

All shows in the series take place at the Z Mansion, 288 N.
Church Ave., and begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 per show, or $50 for
any three, and may be purchased in advance at lisaotey.com. For further details, call
370-5912.

ON THE BANDWAGON

John Prine at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Saturday,
Nov. 21; B.B. King at UA Centennial Hall on
Friday, Nov. 20; Darryl Worley and Gary Bonnett at
Old Tucson Studios on Saturday, Nov. 21; Jeremih at DV8 Nightclub tonight, Thursday, Nov. 19; the
Arizona R&B Revival Tour featuring Tori Sparks,
the Kate Becker Project and the Sugar Thieves at Club
Congress on Sunday, Nov. 22; Authority Zero,
Skitn and Rasta Sauce at The Hut tonight,
Thursday, Nov. 19; Days of the New at The Rock on
Saturday, Nov. 21; Sleepy Cheeks at Plush tonight,
Thursday, Nov. 19; Peace of Mind Orchestra at the Red
Room at Grill on Saturday, Nov. 21; Jamie Anderson at
the FOP “Lodge on Dodge” on Friday, Nov. 20; Snake
Mountain, Sabertooth Snatch and Shark Pants at
Vaudeville tonight, Thursday, Nov. 19.

This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2009.