In previous years, the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association hosted a fundraiser annually at El Casino Ballroom. This year, they are bringing back the popular live music dance night.
The fundraiser is Sunday, Feb. 16, at El Casino Ballroom.
Proceeds from the event will help the organization to put on the 40th annual Tucson Folk Festival, a free event which runs from April 4 to April 6.
This year, the festival will have over 150 performances from local, regional and national acts from different genres, including bluegrass, blues, jazz, Celtic, Zydeco, mariachi, traditional Tohono O’odham waila and Latin music styles.
Each year, the festival kicks off with the Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition.
The association also holds other smaller fundraisers at different times of the year. These events spotlight different styles of music, including flamenco and Latin music.
Board member Eric Schaffer, who plays with Eric Schaffer and the Other Troublemakers, said the fundraisers allow them to be able to produce the festival and offer it for free.
“It’s a big production. We’re bringing in musicians from all over the country, most of whom are volunteers. The big cost is there’s an immense amount of infrastructure. There are six stages. So, we need staging times six. We need sound systems times six. We have giant tents that we put up so that when people are listening to bands at any one of the six stages, they can sit in the shade. There are hundreds of chairs and picnic and folding tables that we rent,” Schaffer said.
Schaffer said last year, the folk festival had around 18,000 attendees.
Schaffer noted that Tucson is beginning to gain a reputation for its music events, including the folk festival.
“Tucson has a fabulous music scene. It’s certainly better than any other place I’ve lived. I know a lot of people who either have moved here or come into town, and they’re amazed at how much more vibrant the music scene is here than most other places,” Schaffer said.
At the fundraising concert, attendees can enjoy live music while dancing.
Schaffer noted that in 2018 and 2019, the event attracted 300 attendees.
“We have had a lot of people ask about it because it was very popular. People always had a great time, and we would always have brilliant acts,” Schaffer said.
The event will include live music, a 50-50 raffle, and a food truck onsite.
“They can make an evening of it. They can come in at 5 o’clock, get something to eat, have a couple of drinks, and the party starts at 6,” Schaffer said.
Schaffer said they have a core group of supporters who attend all of their events, but they often get new audiences who come out to see featured bands.
He said people often find out about their organization through their fundraisers and go on to attend other events put on by the association, including the folk festival.
“We’re always trying to mix it up some so as to try to attract in a wider group of people. We’ve had a blues night. We had a Latin music night. We do a lot of Americana music. For the last two years in March, we’ve done a Women’s History Month show where we feature some of the top female performers in town,” Schaffer said.
“We’re always trying to make more people aware of the folk festival. As big as it is, and as many people as attend every year, I still find as I perform in different places or go to these fundraisers at different locations, there’s always a tremendous amount of people who just have never heard of it.”
The fundraising concert will showcase past festival headliner Curley Taylor and his band Zydeco Trouble from Louisiana.
The artist grew up in a musical family and started on the drums. While touring with C.J. Chenier’s band, he started to play the accordion.
Taylor released his debut CD “Country Boy” in 2003 and has gone on to put out six more original albums. He released his most recent project “Rise Up” in 2018.
Taylor is known for his bluesy, soulful tone, which combines with his band’s zydeco sound to create high-energy dance music.
The fundraiser will also feature local band the Little House of Funk Blues Edition, which is led by Tucson-based R&B singer, songwriter and percussionist Connie Brannock.
Brannock has played at the folk festival a number of times.
Brannock, who is sometimes called the “Granny Rocker,” has performed most of her life. She toured the Mid-Atlantic with her high school band Luke. In the ‘70s, she played with the Bill Brown Band in Salt Lake City and San Francisco. In Utah, she formed a “hot tamale group” called Connie and the Rhythm Method.
She won the 1986 Stroh’s Superstar Talent Search and was signed to MCA Records.
She took a break from music while serving in the military for 21 years. She was deployed two times to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After retiring at 58 years old, she got back into music. She started dabbling in music again in 2009 and formed Little House of Funk in late 2012.
Little House of Funk has different versions, including the soul/jazz, rock and blues editions.
During the fundraising event, the blues edition will performing mostly Sonoran Soul and “Deep-Fried Blues,” along with some rock music.
The group is made up of around 15 members. They form ensembles of anywhere from three to 10 members.
Brannock has been playing with some of her bandmates for nine to 10 years.
“The musicians all tease me that Little House of Funk is like the mafia. Once you get in, you can never get out. That’s said lovingly. It’s a compliment. There’s a lot of longevity there with the players,” Brannock said.
At the event, they will bring two guitarists, a bass player, a drummer, a saxophone player and a vocalist.
In some ensembles, Brannock sings and plays the cajón, a Peruvian percussion instrument that is box-shaped and played while sitting on it.
“It sounds surprisingly like a small drum kit,” Brannock said.
She started playing the cajón during a gig where their drummer had an emergency. She had no training or prior experience with the instrument.
“I was so bruised and battered because I didn’t know what I was doing….I didn’t know how to sit on the damned thing. I decided I can learn how to play this thing. I love drummers, and we do have drummers, but if it’s a really small space, two or three times a month, I end up playing cajón,” Brannock said.
She writes blues-based music on a ukulele. She suffers from arthritis, and she is able to use her index finger and thumb to play the baritone ukulele.
“You can come up with some cool chords, like suspended fourths, with four notes. I’ve written some nice songs on that little ukulele,” Brannock said.
She writes other styles of songs on the piano. She started out as a kid playing the trombone.
Brannock said for her, it has always been important to create joy through music. She has been able to do this with Little House of Funk.
“That’s what we do. We’re goofy and silly, and we like to improv a lot onstage. It’s about being fearless not flawless,” Brannock said.
TKMA Fundraiser Concert
WHEN: Doors open at 5 p.m., show at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16
WHERE: El Casino Ballroom, 437 E. 26th Street, Tucson
PRICE: $25 for members, $30 for non-members, $40 for reserved table seating
INFO: tucsonfolkfest.org
