THE NEW-MUSIC BOOM CONTINUES
Here's hoping you haven't gotten your fill of local CD-release shows, because four more albums drop this week.
The problem? The shows are all on the same night, Saturday, April 11.
First, a reminder about the dual release party for Al Perry's Jack Miller-produced The Three Track Session EP (covered last week) and Cathy Rivers' Gloom Cookie, which takes place at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Rivers kicks off the night's festivities at 9:30 p.m., followed by Perry, then a closing set from Tom Walbank. All this for a mere $5. Questions? Call 798-1298.
At The Hut, 305 N. Fourth Ave., the funkateers of local eight-piece 8 Minutes to Burn will celebrate the release of Giant Master Control Knob somewhere around the 9 p.m. hour. Cover is $5; call 623-3200 for further information.
Meanwhile, local ol'-school punk rockers The Besmirchers will drop a new CD at Vaudeville, 110 E. Congress St. The evening begins at 8:45 p.m. with openers Bricktop, Limbless Torso, F.D.P. and Chainsaw Justice. No cover-charge info could be nailed down at press time, but feel free to ring 'em up at 622-3535.
R.I.P.
A concert in memory of local music supporter Carol Dickson will be held on Sunday, April 12, at Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. The Kevin Pakulis Band will perform from 6 to 9 p.m. along with special guest performers Jo Wilkinson (Grains of Sand), Sean Trachtman (Train Wreck) and Joe Scibilia (The King Bees). Dickson was on the board of directors of the Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation. A suggested donation of $10, which includes a Mexican buffet, will go toward her final expenses—though no one will be turned away. For more information, call 690-0991.
DUB THIS!
Timed to coincide with our own Spring Club Crawl™—which takes over downtown next weekend, on Saturday, April 18 (and while we're mentioning it, advance wristbands are on sale for $8 at both local Zia Records locations; they'll be $10 on the day of the event)—the second installment of Dub Crawl, a single-night electronic music festival, will go down on Friday, April 10, on four stages at two venues: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., and Maynards, 400 N. Toole Ave.
Here's a list of performers, with descriptions provided by Dub Crawl organizers (in ascending order of appearance):
Club Congress, indoors, house stage: Sonario ("Tucson's own latin-electro producer and DJ"), Sonique Des Fleurs ("Phoenix-based producer and dance floor diva"), Minneapolis' Chuck Love ("infuses his live performances with funk, house and soulful jazz").
Hotel Congress, outdoors, drum 'n' bass stage: Tarzan with MC Shaun Harris ("local junglist producer and DJ"), Seattle's KJ Sawka ("groundbreaking live drummer and producer ... ferocious live show"), DJ DB ("one of America's pioneers of drum 'n' bass").
Maynards, indoors, dub stage: MntLe, Toby Roberts and Corbin Dooley ("electro, minimal and dub sounds").
Maynards, outdoors, dance-rock stage: E_Rupt, Dewtron, Eric Meyer, Matt McCoy, Bedlam ("a variety of electronica").
Music begins at 9 p.m. Advance, all-inclusive wristbands are available for $8 at Hotel Congress; they'll be $10 on the day of the event. For more info, call 622-8848, or head to hellaphat.com, blendevents.com or hotelcongress.com.
WOMEN WONDERS
Two female artists highly respected in their respective genres arrive in town this weekend.
Though it's been more than two years since her last local appearance, Lila Downs is no stranger to Tucson audiences. This time around, the Mexican native is touring in support of her Grammy-nominated album Shake Away (Manhattan, 2008), which seeks to draw parallels between the political ugliness in the United States and her Oaxaca birthplace. The pan-cultural, genre-hopping album, a mix of original tunes and a handful of covers—including "Black Magic Woman" and Lucinda Williams' "I Envy the Wind" (in two versions, Spanish and English)—employs a slew of guest performers, including Raul Midón, Anat Cohen and Mercedes Sosa.
Lila Downs performs at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. Tickets are $20 to $44, available in advance at several UA locations including the venue's box office. For more information or to order tickets, call 621-3341.
After six albums for a few different labels, soulful blues singer Janiva Magness released her latest, What Love Will Do—interpretations of 13 songs penned by artists such as Ike Turner, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye and Annie Lennox—last summer on esteemed Alligator Records.
Magness grew up listening to blues, country and Motown from her parents' record collection in her native Detroit, but by the time she was 16 years old, she had lost both of her parents to suicide. The ensuing years saw her homeless when she wasn't bouncing from foster home to foster home (12 of them in a two-year span), pregnant with a child she would give up for adoption, and restlessly moving from city to city.
One fateful night, she hitchhiked to an Otis Rush show in Minneapolis, and decided to pursue music. In the early-'80s, she moved to Phoenix, where she worked with Sam Cooke's musical director, Bob Tate, and formed Janiva Magness and the Mojomatics, who were named Best Blues Band by the Phoenix New Times. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles and later married musician and songwriter Jeff Turmes, with whom she collaborated on her debut solo album, It Takes One to Know One. She's released an album about every two years since, culminating in her addition to the Alligator roster last year.
Janiva Magness performs at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 11, at Old Town Artisans, 201 N. Court Ave. Advance tickets are available for $18 at Antigone Books, Enchanted Earthworks, Plaza Liquors, online at rhythmandroots.org or by calling 1-800-594-8499. For more info, call 319-9966.
INKED UP AND READY TO GO
Regardless of how jazzed you are about the Tucson Tattoo Expo (which likely corresponds to how much ink you've got on your body), the after party that the Surly Wench Pub is hosting on Saturday, April 11, should be rather enticing—particularly for those who like punk and rockabilly.
Headlining the shindig are San Diegans Deadbolt, who adapt their creepy rockabilly according to what sort of theme they've adopted for any given album (e.g., Tiki Man, Voodoo Trucker, Hobo Babylon). Once frequent visitors to Ye Olde Pueblo, it's been several years since they've played in town, so expect a hero's welcome. Also on the bill: Hellrancho, Killing California and The American Black Lung.
Things get cooking at 10:30 p.m. The Surly Wench is located at 424 N. Fourth Ave. Admission is $5 with a Tattoo Expo wristband, $10 without. Call 882-0009 for further info.
SHORT TAKES
Three years after a tour (which included a fine show at the Rialto) reunited harmony-rich former Jayhawks co-frontmen Mark Olson and Gary Louris, the pair have made it official: They're back for real, with a new album, Ready for the Flood, released earlier this year on New West Records. They'll celebrate the new disc with an early show at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Monday, April 13. Doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is $15; 622-8848.
Propagating a politically informed pastiche of soul, reggae, hip-hop, salsa, and funk, Los Angeles' Ozomatli have been wowing Tucson audiences for a decade with their infectiously energetic live shows. Get a fresh dose when the group hits the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., for an all-ages show on Friday, April 10. Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $23 in advance, $25 on the day of show; 740-1000.
Underground rap doesn't get much better than that of Del the Funky Homosapien, a member of the esteemed Hieroglyphics crew whose 2008 CD, Eleventh Hour, was released on Def Jux. Earlier this week, he dropped a new album, Funk Man, which is available for free download at delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.mu. He'll headline an early, all-ages show at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Easter Sunday, April 12. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; also on the bill are Mike Realm, Bukue One and Serendipity Project. $18; 622-8848.
While some may think of Omaha's 311 as a two-hit holdover from the '90s, the group's fans will be pleased to tell you otherwise. Though the group hasn't released a new album in almost four years, expect them to preview some tracks off their upcoming Uplifter, due out June 2. 311 performs at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., on Wednesday, April 15. Opening the all-ages show at 8 p.m. is The 88. $33 in advance, a dollar more on the day of the show; 740-1000.
