Barring Double Zero and Scrappy's, most of the clubs in town will showcase every other type of musical genre, from alt-country and pop to jazz, rock and cover bands, but not hard rock.
If you find yourself among the people who lament the lack of places to get your rock on, you are in luck. Stepping up to fill in the gap is local indie label Rude Maneuvers.
Dedicated to assisting hardcore rock artists and bands with the business side of music, Rude Maneuvers is going to bat for local acts that don't have the chance to play out that often by putting on the Hardcore Halloween Party and Costume Contest this Saturday at the Rialto Theatre.
"Because many venues in town aren't able to invest much into local music and because Tucson's radio stations aren't always given the freedom to promote local music, there is little or no chance that a hardcore band from Tucson can get noticed by a major label," explained Rude Maneuvers co-founder Aaron Kirk.
"A&R reps and promoters look for bands that get good radio play, pull large crowds and play large shows. Rude Maneuvers decided to put on this show to give some of the local bands an opportunity to add these extremely important items to their résumés as well as helping them increase their fan base, which will benefit them when playing other venues."
What is promising to be an intense music fest also has an altruistic bent. All the proceeds from the $7 cover will go directly to the non-profit organization Youth On Their Own.
Started in 1986 by Amphitheater counselor Ann Young, YOTO helps homeless students by providing them with money, assistance in finding housing, medical insurance, food and other necessities.
YOTO is an organization that is near and dear to Rude Maneuvers; Kirk has friends who directly benefited from the organization's assistance.
"In 1991, my roommate's little brother, who was in 11th grade at Amphi, was kicked out of his house," Kirk recalled. "He and his best friend had spent nearly a month hanging out by day and living in an apartment complex laundry and exercise room by night. They came to stay with us, but we couldn't even support ourselves. They got hooked up with YOTO and got their own apartment, complete with food. These kids were in worse shape than I can explain to you. There is no way they would have stayed in school if YOTO had not stepped in. In fact, they had started to break into cars and homes to get money to eat and live until YOTO helped them out."
Kirk said that Rude Maneuvers was "created to help the community come together in music, and that's what this show is all about."
