Soundbites

BLED DRY

The Bled, one of the most nationally popular and prolific touring bands to come out of Tucson within the last couple of decades, has announced it is breaking up.

In recent years, the band has undergone some changes. The post-hard-core group's fourth and latest album, 2010's Heat Fetish, represented a shift: After two albums on Vagrant, Heat Fetish appeared on Rise Records; and the lineup on that album featured only two original members of the band: singer James Muñoz and guitarist Jeremy Ray Talley.

On Aug. 11, the band released the following statement: "After 10 years of making music together, we have decided it's time to move on to new things. We are in the process of booking our final tour and will post dates for that as soon as it's confirmed. We want to thank Rise Records, Paradigm Talent Agency, the companies who endorsed us, tour mates, promoters, anyone who worked for us, and most of all, those of you who supported us. Whether you were a fan or just sat through one of our sets to see the next band, we can't thank you guys enough. We have met some amazing people all over the world, and that has been the best part of being in this band. That being said, we hope to see you all in November for one last run. Much love, The Bled."

We're sorry to see them go.


FRIENDS AT BENEFITS

And now, it's time for this week's benefit-show roundup.

Two years ago, when the nation was in the throes of celebrating the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, community radio station KXCI FM 91.3 got in on the action by inviting a number of local bands to perform music originally performed at the festival. The show, held at the Rialto Theatre, also served as a fundraiser for the radio station.

It was a big enough success, and so much fun for all, that last year, KXCI continued the celebration by repeating the formula with a twist: All participating acts had to choose an album released in 1970 and perform songs from it.

This year's fundraiser, then, should be easy enough to figure out: Local acts will gather to perform songs from an album released in 1971. And this might just be the most enticing lineup for one of these fundraisers yet. Here's what attendees can look forward to (in order of appearance): Amy Rude (performing songs from Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors), A Son y Sol (John Lennon's Imagine), Diane Van Deurzen and Lisa Otey (Carole King's Tapestry), Five Way Street (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's 4 Way Street), Gila Bend (The Carpenters' Carpenters), The Modeens (The Who's Who's Next), Tom Walbank (John Hooker and Canned Heat's Hooker and Heat), Silverfox (David Bowie's Hunky Dory), the Kevin Pakulis Band (the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers) and Atom Heart Mother (Pink Floyd's Meddle).

KXCI Celebrates 1971 starts at 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 for general admission, or $15 for reserved balcony seats. Children 12 and younger receive free admission with an adult. Proceeds benefit KXCI. For more information, call 740-1000, or head to rialtotheatre.com or kxci.org. You can also read more about the show in our City Week section.

Stacy Fortson is a writer and photographer for local music magazine BSceneLive, whose latest print issue was published earlier this month. Prior to that, however, Fortson was at a show taking photographs right in front of the stage. Unbeknownst to her, a mosh pit broke out behind her, and in the melee, Fortson broke her leg in several places. The injury required surgery, and a bunch of metal was installed in her leg. I can tell you from experience that such procedures are not cheap.

To help with her medical expenses, a slew of local bands will amass at The Hut on Sunday to perform a benefit show for Fortson. Performers include Race You There, Despondency Denied, Bradley Sconzert, Savage Zoo, Chad West and the Groove, the Jeff Carlson Band, Ben Michaels and Chris Prado.

We Heart Stacy: A Rock 'n' Roll Benefit Concert begins at 3 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 21, at The Hut, 305 N. Fourth Ave. Admission is a suggested donation of $5. For more information, call 623-3200.


LISA AND HER BUDDIES

We've already mentioned Lisa Otey, but we'd be remiss if we didn't clue you in about her upcoming Lisa Otey and Friends Series of concerts, in which the sassy jazz/blues singer and pianist is paired with a guest performer for a show on a Monday night, starting this coming week.

Here's the schedule: Monday, Aug. 22, A Night of Gershwin featuring Gay Otey (Lisa's mom) on piano; Monday, Aug. 29, Dante and Marco Rosano's Rosano Bros. Virtual Quartet; Monday, Sept. 19, Hot Jazz and Sultry Blues with vocalist Diane Van Deurzen; Monday, Sept. 26, singer/songwriter/saxophonist Hurricane Carla Brownlee; Monday, Oct. 3, Jazz, Broadway and Cabaret featuring Liz McMahon.

All shows in the series begin at 7 p.m. and take place at the Z Mansion, 288 N. Church Ave. Tickets for each show are $15, available by calling 370-5912 or heading to lisaotey.com. Use the same info for further details.


SHORT TAKES

After a brief hiatus, the folks at Powhaus Productions return this week with "Tulle: A Tribute to Alexander McQueen," a red-carpet fashion event celebrating the life and work of the titular British fashion designer, who took his own life in February 2010.

A press release for the event promises "endless entertainment," surprise performances and "the permissive environment that enables you to wear and do things that rarely if ever happen elsewhere—all within a high fashion celebrity setting." Live music will be supplied by Leather Clutch, El Hanko Dinero, Diana Gen, Treasure MammaL and DJs Matt Elliott and Raw B.

"Tulle" begins at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 19, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Tickets are $10 in advance, or $15 on the day of the show. There are also VIP packages available in advance only. For further details, head to plushtucson.com or powhausproductions.com, or call 798-1298. You can also learn more by checking out TQ&A on Page 30.

Bounce is a hip-hop subgenre that emerged from New Orleans in the late '80s/early '90s, and next week, the Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia—a ginormous drag queen who is one of bounce music's most visible practitioners—will return to Club Congress to perform at Optimist Club. People are still talking about her last performance there, so don't miss out this time around.

Optimist Club featuring Big Freedia kicks off at 9 p.m., next Thursday, Aug. 25, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Admission is $3, or free with your Opti Club card. For more 411, head to hotelcongress.com, or call 622-8848.

After performing at the Benefit Concert for the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding at the TCC Arena in March, Nils Lofgren returns to town this week to headline a show at the Fox Tucson Theatre. While he's perhaps best-known as a sideman to Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, Lofgren is a prolific solo performer as well.

Nils Lofgren performs at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St., at 7:30 p.m., next Thursday, Aug. 25. Tickets are $18 to $38, and are available at the venue box office, online at foxtucsontheatre.org, or by calling 547-3040.

Jim Ward, founding member of At the Drive-In and frontman for Sparta and Sleepercar, recently released the two-disc set Quiet in the Valley, On the Shores the End Begins and The Electric Six (not to be confused by the band of the same name). The first disc compiles all of the songs from Ward's trilogy of acoustic EPs, which were out of print until now, while the second disc features electric versions of six of the EPs' songs.

Jim Ward begins a tour of the U.S. with a show at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Friday, Aug. 19. Doors open at 8 p.m., and The Lusitania and Tugboat open. Admission is $10. For more info, call 622-8848, or visit hotelcongress.com.


ON THE BANDWAGON

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at the Diamond Center at Desert Diamond Casino next Thursday, Aug. 25; Bright Archer and Amy Rude at Plush on Wednesday, Aug. 24; Greyhound Soul and Saint Maybe at the Red Room at Grill on Friday, Aug. 19; Some of Them Are Old, Useless Keys and Sleep Driver at Club Congress on Wednesday, Aug. 24; Whole Lotta Zep re-creating Led Zeppelin's only Tucson appearance, in 1972, at Club Congress on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Be sure to check our listings for more great shows this week.