In preparation for the main event, this year's HOCO Fest soft pedals into the fray with a Warm Up featuring the psychedelically soulful, middle-of-the-road croon of Omar Apollo. "So Good." Bolstered by the radical badassery of local artist collective Ojalá Systems, whose mission is to bring hip-hop and Latino art and culture to the wider creative world. Chingon. At Hotel Congress. The fest runs through Sunday, Sept 1. See hocofest.com for all the details... Taking Back Tomorrow, from Buffalo, New York, hip-hop artist Chuckie Campbell and his six-piece horn section, The Black Den, bring the Beats and Brass Tour blasting into Sky Bar... The Lookout Tucson Jazz Concert Series continues. Vocalist Diane Van Deurzen and pianist Lisa Otey perform jazz, sultry blues and boogie woogie. In the Lookout Bar and Grille at the Westward Look Resort... Gearing up to present their latest album, Back To The Garden, to audiences across the pond, the illustrious Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios play the Tap + Bottle-Downtown...
Friday, Aug. 30
Neoperreo is a mashup of reggaetón and digital culture. Chilean singer, "La Reina del Neoperreo," Tomasa Del Real rose up from the L.A. underground—where she slogged away as a tattoo artist—to the vanguard of reggaetón's freakiest offshoot. Perreo is a sexually uninhibited dance that challenged the sensibilities of Puerto Rican status quo, where it originated, during the '90s. Female-led reggaetón is moving the genre forward. For Del Real this is natural and "parallel to our generation, who is more accepting." Feel the heat when El Tambó presents Tomasa del Real, Ms Nina, San Cha, Mexican Jihad y un chingo mas. At Hotel Congress... Death metalists Gatecreeper descend into "Sweltering Madness" at 191 Toole. With Candy, Show Me The Body and others... Club '90s L.A. presents Get Low: Throwback Hip Hop Night. DJs spin 1990s and '00s hits. At the Rialto Theatre... "And as the Waters Go." Downtuned guitars generate squalls of feedback that set off a sonic cascade. Montreal's BIG|BRAVE share the stage with ambient experimentalists Trees Speak. At Owls Club... Humphouse spins at Cobra Arcade... Bay Area post-hardcore trio, Holy Fawn are four creatures making "loud, heavy, pretty noises." They will just do that at Wooden Tooth Records. Flanked by Super Unison and Lychee... From Illinois, this singer-songwriter tweeted that he "is making indie rock history by being the first artist to eat a whole catering tray of impossible meatballs backstage." Ryley Walker is at Che's Lounge with Wild Pink and Pearl Charles... During the 1920s, Claire Higgins ran the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center. An austere woman, the mere mention of "Mother Higgins" instilled fear in would-be juvenile delinquents. Billy Sedlmayr & The Mother Higgins Children's Band keep the legend alive at Exo Bar. With folk singer Melaena Cadiz... Following the arrest of 12 people after a noise demo outside of Pima County Jail on Aug. 14—noise demonstrations are held outside of detention facilities to protest the isolation experienced by prisoners with a display of festive joy and caring towards those held captive on the inside. Perish, BYOM, Hallow, It Might Not Change and Igloo Martian gather to perform a benefit show. At Blacklidge Community Collective... The polished neo-soul fusion of Street Blues Family along with the R&B/Europop of Seanloui promise to make you swoon. At R Bar... At once sophisticated, yet whimsical, if not quirky. Two-Door Hatchback perform in the tasting room at Sand-Reckoner... Pushing Buttons: A Monthly Producer Getdown create beautiful noise at Thunder Canyon Brewstillery... Fiendishly rad indie rock 'n' rollers The Exbats smack their bubblegum and crank out The Monkees-inspired pop goodness. At Saint Charles Tavern... Mexican-American singer-songwriter/actor Pepe Aguilar croons at AVA Amphitheater...
Saturday, Aug. 31
Akin to a shaman-led ayahuasca ceremony—through a surreal desert landscape where grinding cumbia rhythms melt like a Willy Wonka chocolate bar into darkwave synth patches propelled by a wicked "Mexican Thin Lizzy" twin-lead guitar attack—XIXA preside over the ritual at Hotel Congress. With Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, Maggot Heart, Las Chollas Peligrosas y más... With roots in witch house and early 2010s rap culture, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal shapeshift sound. While former metalhead turned rapper Dana Dentata will "Make It Bounce" at 191 Toole... They are Original Hot. Yes, freewheeling retro hell riders Taco Sauce add a sprinkle of glitter to Rockstar Wrestling Aliance's Día De Las Luchas. At The Rialto Theater...
Featuring DJs, live music, freestyle b-girl/b-boy breakdance battles and more, Southwest Shogun Jam slams at Thunder Canyon Brewstillery. Runt and Roch host... "Do You Really Want Me?" Dogbreth deliver huggable power-pop with a youthful tinge of self-doubt. All-ages mayhem. At Wooden Tooth Records. With L.A. (by way of Tucson) riot grrrl inspired punk rockers Foxx Bodies and others... From Vancouver, BC, minimalviolence offer a full-throttle ride through a raw techno landscape. With Brazilian avant-garde/experimentalists DEAFKIDS and more. At Owls Club... In a 2016 project, Cumbia Corridos, Tucson cumbiancheros Vox Urbana explored the plight of the immigrant; Their hopes and heartbreaks too often encountered on a journey through the unforgiving Sonoran Desert. They perform at The Boxyard... Over the years, man about town Clif Taylor (aka Chick Cashman) has worn many hats (that of filmmaker, musician, designer) as well as his signature Texas cowboy hat and is a beloved fixture in the Tucson music scene. Cashman adds with excessive modesty, "I started playing guitar at age 11 and have not gotten any better." Cashman performs at Che's Lounge with the legendary Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps/Nick Cave), The ExBats and Anchor Baby... "I'm the most unprofessional DJ...I just youtube and mp3 songs up there on stage on the spot," L.A. producer Nedarb tweeted. He spins along with FoxWedding and Positive Satan at Cobra Arcade... When this DJ "isn't robbing banks with baseball bats, he's rocking late night discotheques with soul songs for the Armageddon." Zackey Force Funk, Phatsoul and Alias smash at Thunder Canyon Brewstillery... Take a plunge: Black Renaissance: Immersion is a night of mixed media performances at R Bar... Little Cloud, Origami Ghosts and Human Ottoman form a trifecta for the win. At Sky Bar... Singer-songwriter Amy Rude and Mamma Coal unite for an evening of folk songs, country and storytelling. At Exo Bar...
Sunday, Sept. 1
Their mission statement: "Not a band. Not DJs. We throw parties for the music we love." The infamous Emo Nite L.A. hits the Rialto Theatre for the very first time... With roots in Arizona, this off-kilter L.A. hip hop trio's first two albums, Live From the Dentist Office and Floss, were literally recorded after hours in their producer's grandfather's dental office. The lyrics to "Oh Shit!!!" demonstrate their sense of comedy. Injury Reserve are at 191 Toole. With Fat Tony, Psypiritual & Sadgalnina and Yung Davon... Lo-fi folkster Bill Callahan's voice conveys solitude. His words hold the power of shared human experience. And on his lo-fi recordings he whispers his presumptions into your ear. Callahan shares the plaza stage with Howe Gelb, Jake Xerxes Fussell, June West and Casey Golden. At Hotel Congress... With its origins deeply rooted in the Gypsy culture of Spain, this traditional art form presents the interactions between song, dance and guitar, executed on a percussive wooden platform. Tablao Flamenco perform at Exo Roast Co... Mashing-up Latino/Indigenous/Caribbean/African beats, from Brooklyn, NY, DJ Bembona's work aims to empower and bridge the gap between POC communities and beyond. Sonido Tambó add their distinct flavor to this cultural remezcla. Poolside at Hotel McCoy... Canadian indie rockers The Courtneys' infectious brand of sunny Flying Nun-influenced pop songs, like worms, burrow into your ear canals. At Wooden Tooth Records. Backed by Hotline TNT, Toner and Stripes... Roy the Cat presents Loveland—the wonderful and expansive country collective stewarded by the inimitable David Bryan—at Che's Lounge... Death Bells are Standing at the Edge of the World. Well, perhaps metaphorically. But along with Cold Showers, Marbled Eye, Lié and Droll they are bringing HOCO Fest 2019 to an equally morose and raucous close. Djentrification spins, firing off the final salvos. At Club Congress...
Monday, Sept. 2
Wanna jam? Tucson Eclectic Jazz Jam kicks off at Solar Culture. Trumpeter Glen Gross, saxophonist Malik Alkabir, bassist Michael Grigsby and pianist Gehrig Burnett comprise the core band...
Tuesday, Sept. 3
Who is Night Train Clemons? That's right. Google it. With 23 acclaimed albums and five Grammy wins, this venerable blues guitarist has been bridging the gap between blues, soul and R&B for the past four decades. The Robert Cray Band holds court. At the Rialto Theatre. Tucson (by way of the UK) harpist/guitarist Tom Walbank adds appreciably to the evening... Golden Era of American surf punk veteran Agent Orange disperses deadly toxins at 191 Toole... Progressive piano jazz trio What's the Big Idea perform as part of Plaza Live! Tuesday Night Concert Series. At St. Philip's Plaza... From Mexico, DJ Polo Acosta bangs techno. At Batch Cafe & Bar...
Wednesday, Sept. 4
After having sold over 12 million albums worldwide, and received two Grammy nominations, chart-topping Christian rockers Skillet are feeling Victorious. They team up with Sevendust for a ticker-tape parade. In a swirling flurry, The Victorious War Tour marches gallantly into the Rialto Theatre... "Hello World." From the midlands of Ireland, by blending traditional Irish music with bluegrass and Americana, this award-winning quartet find themselves on the forefront of a new genre: I-Grass. JigJam perform with noted virtuosity and spirited energy at The Sea of Glass–Center for The Arts...
Thursday, Sept. 5
In July 2018, after snorting rails of cocaine that were "left in my room," chugging "a friend's" THC-infused lean and chasing it all with tequila at a nearby bar, this emo-rapper—after going outside for a smoke—felt an "explosion" detonate inside his chest. He woke up in a hospital bed. A nurse informed that he suffered a heart attack. "My whole left side was numb." Sinner Lil' Tracy does "Awful Things" at 191 Toole... Traditional bluegrass? Not quite. The band describe their sound as "their own version, mixing the acoustic stomp of a stringband with the rule-breaking spirit of rock & roll." Musical mavericks Greensky Bluegrass go against the grain. At the Rialto Theatre. Blues rocker Andy Frasco opens... With seven albums to their credit, Naked Prey formed in '82 by former The Pedestrians and ex-Green on Red drummer Van Christian. Catch this storied multi-instrumentalist as he mines for nuggets from the past and presents new material at Tap + Bottle-Downtown...
Shout Out
Recorded during a rehearsal session at the Big Song Music House in Oxford, OH, in Sept 2017, folksters The Ronstadt Brothers celebrate the release of The Oxford EP. On Tuesday, Sept 3, at Club Congress...
Until next week, XOXO...
