Thursday, Oct. 6
Led by vocalist/guitar hero Lzzy Hale — named shredder of the year at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, in 2016—Halestorm has an aggressive-yet-hook-heavy sound that’s has become a fixture on American rock radio. In 2013, they took home a Grammy Award for best hard rock/metal performance, to add to their bragging rights. The Pennsylvania metal quartet began writing its latest album pre-pandemic, but continued throughout lockdown. As the light grew visible at the end of a long tunnel, Halestorm resurfaced with “Back from the Dead.” “The story of me carving myself out of that abyss,” Hale said. Halestorm fall back “Into the Wild Life” at The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall. Special guests The Warning and New Years Day lend support…
Inspired by the synth-laden film score to “Drive,” the future members of The Midnight — vocalist Tyler Lyle and producer Tim McEwan — met while attending a writing workshop in North Hollywood. The synthwave duo’s 2016 LP “Endless Summer,” proved to be their breakthrough. It spent several weeks on Bandcamp’s bestseller list and landed at No. 17 on the Billboard dance/electronic chart. Now, touring in support of “Heroes,” its 2022 release, The Midnight passes through the “Golden Gate” at the Rialto Theatre…
After cementing their place in Austin’s roots rock scene, Micky & The Motorcars bring “Long Time Comin’” — an album of plainspoken alternative-country grit laid smooth by the Braun brothers’ signature harmonies — to The Maverick. With local support by Scotty Freel & the Flying Diamonds…
While most musicians use their talents to entertain. It is rare to find an artist who purposefully utilizes their platform for the greater good. Lauren Monroe, a globally recognized advocate for mental health awareness, does just that. Americana singer/songwriter and healer Monroe — along with her husband, Rick Allen of Def Leppard — impart “Messages from Aphrodite,” her latest release, at 191 Toole…
The 18th annual Tucson Film & Music Festival — showcasing music-related films with a special nod to films and filmmakers with a connection to the desert southwest — takes place Oct. 6 to Oct. 9 at The Screening Room. See tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com for full details…
“Now Girls Rule.” From Guadalajara, indie rocker Elis Paprika & The Black Pilgrims and Tucson’s own female-fronted pop-punks Diluvio join forces on the plaza stage for a bilingual/bicultural evening at Hotel Congress…
Celebrating the release of “Boilermaker,” their debut album on vinyl — as if reason to drink was ever necessary — Barnaby and the Butcher perform their signature blend of roots rock and Southwestern Americana at Tap & Bottle Downtown…
From Copenhagen, Danish, punk rockers Iceage and American drone-metal experimentalists, from Olympia, Earth are in league, fortified by conviction — “where every note and every strike on the drum kit carries the weight of the world” — at Club Congress…
Shining a light on turntablists from deep in Tucson’s underground, digital artist/musician Dmoticon presents Cyber Sonica: A cyberpunk rave at The Rock…
Friday, Oct. 7
Growing up in Buckhead, Atlanta, vocalist Emily Kempf’s early interest was in visual art. She never imagined being in a band. Since bursting onto the Chicago music scene in 2016, DEHD — with a spareness of sound, idiosyncratic vocals and use of counter-melody — soon became a refreshing addition with their variant strain. Believers that love is everyday magic, DIY trash-poppers DEHD return with “Blue Sky,” their 2022 LP, to the Rialto Theatre. Exum opens…
Sentient, introspective and forward-thinking, New York via El Paso, René Kladzyk — also known by her nom de guerre, Ziemba — is a performance artist, musician, perfumer, writer and cultural geographer. Her work has been featured in Vogue, The FADER and i-D Magazine. Ever pushing boundaries, in support of “Unsubtle Magic,” her latest LP, Ziemba makes an appearance at R Bar…
Founded in 1969 in the state of Michoacán by three brothers, Heraclio, Jesús and Francisco García. From the late-1990s to 2006, every one of their original releases landed in the upper echelons of the Billboard Latin albums charts — establishing Los Huracanes del Norte as one of the most influential norteño groups. The 50th Anniversary Tour brings Los Huracanes del Norte to the Desert Diamond Casino. Special guests Banda La Prendida join in the celebration…
Celebrating local impresario Jeb Schoonover’s 60th birthday. The 20th anniversary of The Honkytonk Hacienda — a rollicking honkytonk, blues, soul and swing shindig — features performances by Dave Gonzalez (The Paladins and Hacienda Brothers), Mike Hebert (Forbidden Pigs) and Heather Hardy. In addition, Gabriel Sullivan’s Honky Tonk All-Stars — featuring Mark Insley and Clay Koweek — will rip through a Gram Parsons-inspired opening set of American cosmic music. Schoonover enthused, “It’s going to be one heck of a party,” on the plaza at Hotel Congress…
Westbound presents Birds and Arrows as they celebrate the release of their new album “Electric Bones.” Bear witness as they transform from a lovelorn folk duo into hard hitting rock ‘n’ roll badasses on the stage at MSA Annex. Special guests Soda Sun open…
What began as a party, by two enterprising friends, in a tiny Echo Park dive bar has blown up into a phenomenon. “We made a Facebook event, and all of a sudden, 500 people showed up,” co-founder T.J. Petracca recalled. It soon expanded exponentially to recurring events thrown by like-minded hipsters in over 30 cities and festivals nationwide. Emo Nite pops off at 191 Toole…
Storied desert rocker, Rich Hopkins and The Luminarios fête the CD release of “Exiled on Mabel St.,” their latest LP, at Monterey Court. Special guest troubadour Oscar Fuentes opens…
Known for his warm timbre and stratospheric range. One of the world’s leading countertenors — winner of the 2021 Sarah Vaughan vocal competition — Chicago vocalist G. Thomas Allen and his 4TET perform two sets of soul-infused contemporary stylizing and straight-ahead classic jazz at The Century Room…
The end looms near. Arizona death metal/grindcore outfit Languish celebrate the release of “Feeding the Flames Of Annihilation,” their new album, at Club Congress. Neyquam and Mastadonna share in the revelry…
Singer and songwriter Little Cat presents her “original sad girl twangy songs along with a funky new set of covers” at St. Charles Tavern…
Spinning records for music lovers, the Late Night Lounge finds vinyl DJ Carl Hanni manning the decks at The Century Room…
Founded in 1974 by folklorist “Big Jim” Griffith and his wife Loma, The 49th annual Tucson Meet Yourself: A Folklife Festival celebrates the authentic cultural foods and living traditional arts — from traditional Balkan music to Yaqui ceremonial deer dancers — of Arizona-Sonora’s folk and ethnic communities. Tucson Meet Yourself runs Oct. 7 +to Oct. 9 at Jácome Plaza. See tucsonmeetyourself.org/schedule for full details…
Saturday, Oct. 8
James McMurtry grew up in “a little bitty ranch house crammed with 10,000 books.” He was weaned on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. At age 7 his novelist father, Larry McMurtry, gave him his first guitar. “My mother taught me three chords and the rest I just stole as I went along.” Fast forward to 2005, his song “We Can’t Make It Here” — which criticizes George W. Bush, the Iraq War and Walmart — was praised by Rolling Stone’s Robert Christgau as “the best song of the 2000s.” Its lyrics cut like incisors and still resonate. “Will I work for food, will I die for oil / Will kill for power and to us the spoils / The billionaires get to pay less tax / The working poor get to fall through the cracks / Let ‘em eat shit.” Americana singer-songwriter James McMurtry speaks truth to power on the Hotel Congress plaza. Jonny Burke opens…
Tucson power trio Insound performs material from “Take Away” — its 2021 album of innovative progressive rock — at 191 Toole. San Francisco electronica enthusiast DJ Flow spins…
In a brave and ambitious tribute to classic ’80s alternative rock and new wave — the passion project of veteran Tucson musician Daniel Thomas who has curated a setlist consisting of deeper album cuts — Overdramatic make their performance debut at R Bar. DJ Future Syndicate spins…
Perennial flowers, the River Roses play selections from their 1989 release “Each and All.” Jangle-pop classics like “Forever Seventeen” and “Phoenix 99” will come flying at you like a swarm of bees at St. Charles Tavern…
Spinning new wave, electronic, gothic and industrial, DJ Stubbie lights a black clove-scented candle in honor of the Fineline — a Tucson nightclub of yesteryear that lives on in revered infamy — at the Surly Wench Pub…
Australian musician Ben Waples found the inspiration for his persona while watching an Italian accordionist perform at a nursing home. Utilizing vintage synths and drum machines, Donny Benét disperses his signature ’80s post-disco sound at Club Congress…
Blues harpist Paul Green leads the descent into the dead of the Late Night at The Century Room…
Sunday, Oct. 9
“I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.” Although the gray hair “don’t mean a thing,” country superstar Clint Black still has neon in his veins. In continuation of a career spanning nearly 40 years — one peppered with more than 30 singles on the Billboard country charts, 22 of which landed at No. 1 — Black released his 23rd album during the height of the pandemic and time of social turmoil. “America’s aspirations are great. Its future is always uncertain.” Black reflected. “But if history tells us anything, we will get through this, and we will be more united than ever before.” Black is “Killing Time” at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Known for intermixing spiritual themes and motifs from traditional Jewish music with his beatboxing hip-hop and reggae rock, Matthew Paul Miller — aka Matisyahu — is said to be a “gift of God,” according to the etymology of his biblical Hebrew name. On Matisyahu’s self-titled new album, his most autobiographical work to date, the New York native tells stories that aim to enlighten, uplift and expand the listener’s sense of possibility. “A King Without a Crown,” Matisyahu holds court at the Rialto Theatre. Cydeways opens…
In recognition of Pride Month, Kalae Nouveau, Erotica Powers, Greg Stickroth, The Stravenue Sisters, Shira Maas, Reverb and pianist Khris Dodge perform as part of Downtown Tucson’s premiere LGBTQA+ jazz cocktail party. Fruit Cocktail Lounge: Pride Edition takes place at The Century Room…
Trumpeter John Black hosts the Jazz Jam Session at The Century Room…
Boasting Arizona Blues Hall of Famer Mike Blommer on guitar and “Hurricane” Carla Brownlee on saxophone, Sunday’s installment of the Congress Cookout sees Tucson blues institution Bad News Blues Band stoking a devilish fire on the Hotel Congress plaza…
KCMT 92.1 FM La Caliente radio celebrates the station’s 20th anniversary with a bashment — featuring performances by La Arrolladora, Laberinto, Los Tramposos, Ruben Rendon Y Su Explosion y mas — at AVA Amphitheater… Prog rock duo Zombi take their name from the Italian title of George Romero’s horror film classic “Dawn of the Dead.” But, bassist/synthesist Steve Moore and drummer Anthony Paterra’s zealotry doesn’t stop there. They are obsessed with Goblin — the Italian prog rockers who scored several Dario Argento and Romero films — to the extent that Zombi have been described as a Goblin worship band. Zombi leads a tour through the “Black Forest” at Club Congress…
Monday, Oct. 10
In 2018, Texas-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and one-man band Sloan Struble — operating under the name Dayglow — created an indie buzz when “Fuzzybrain,” his home-recorded, self-released debut went viral. His gushing and hook-laden indie pop earned him a spot at Austin City Limits Music Festival and a label reissue of “Fuzzybrain.” Inspired by the nostalgia of 1970s and ’80s pop music, the 23-year-old continues to embrace the DIY aesthetic on “Harmony House,” his latest release. The People in Motion Tour brings Dayglow to the Rialto Theatre. Ritt Momney opens…
Tuesday, Oct. 11
A band whose sound walks a tightrope between roots and alternative rock, the only constant since the release of The Wallflowers self-titled debut album in 1992 has been co-founding member Jakob Dylan. After a nine-year hiatus from the recording studio and a departure into filmmaking — serving as executive producer for “Echo in the Canyon,” a 2018 documentary examining the birth of the Laurel Canyon music scene — Dylan entered the studio with producer and multi-instrumentalist Butch Walker and a handful of session players to record a batch of songs. The result: “Exit Wounds.” Dylan reflected, “So yeah, Exit Wounds is a transition. Even the good experiences that you’ve had in your life, there’s going to be some kind of heartache that probably comes along with it.” On “Move the River — a song featuring country singer Shelby Lynne — Dylan sings, “The sky’s the color of an ashtray / Full of Van Gogh’s yellow clouds.” Dylan reflects, “Yeah. I’m sure it conjures up an image. But you can’t look at it too close. If you look at it too close, it disappears like a puff of smoke.” No longer content to remain on the sidelines, The Wallflowers play the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Named after a line actor Ben Kingsley delivered in “Sexy Beast,” childhood friends guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich began playing together as The Front Bottoms in 2007. Sella worked at a grocery store and Uychich worked in landscaping, at the time. Offering a slightly surreal perspective on the world as they experience it, in late 2010, the band filmed a music video for the song “Maps,” after being contacted by an anonymous filmmaker through social media, gaining significant exposure. Months later they signed with Bar/None Records. “Back on Top,” indie rock/folk-punks The Front Bottoms return with “In Sickness & In Flames,” their fifth studio album, at the Rialto Theatre. The Joy Formidable and Mobley lend support…
Rising around the grunge movement — evolving from a garage band à la The Replacements to incorporate R&B and soul influences into their sound — The Afghan Whigs have been cited by numerous artists, spanning genres, as being of significant influence. After releasing six studio albums, citing their geographic disparity and family obligations, The Afghan Whigs called it quits via press release in 2001. Co-founding member Greg Dulli frequently claimed in subsequent interviews that the band would never get back together. Call it kismet, if you will, the group reunited in 2012. Now, back on the road in support of their ninth studio album, “How Do You Burn?” Cincinnati alt-rockers The Afghan Whigs make a stop at 191 Toole. Pink Mountain Tops open… Slide guitarist and singer Bennie plays blues, ragtime and compositions all their own at Club Congress. Yippee and Disco Girl open the show…
Wednesday, Oct. 12
Drawing from trip-hop, jazz, world and EDM — incorporating smooth breakbeat loops, samples, synthesized and organic sounds — Simon Green finds inspiration in both nature and UK club culture to help shape his tranquil downtempo electronica. From his debut album “Animal Magic” to his latest work, 2022’s “Fragments,” Green aka Bonobo — a stage name that is a reference to a pygmy chimpanzee species — has become a key figure in the downtempo electronica scene. “The difference between this album (“Fragments”) and the previous albums came from me trying not to hang onto old techniques or old ideas. That’s the main thing. Seeking whatever exciting thing is out there to chase.” Los Angeles-based electronic music producer Bonobo brings the Fragments Live Tour to the Rialto Theatre…
Since taking first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in 2008, the Apollon Musagète Quartet has captivated the European musical scene. Launching into their 75th season, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music present Apollon Musagète Quartet with critically acclaimed pianist Garrick Ohlsson — with a program featuring works by Bach, Penderecki and Shostakovich — as part of the AFCM’s evening series at the Leo Rich Theater…
Esteemed pianist Elliot Jones returns to town to once again host Piano Bar — a mélange of jazz standards, musical theater and opera pieces — at The Century Room…
Local luminaries Howe Gelb, Thøger Lund and Gabriel Sullivan perform a short set before the screening of director Geoff Marslett’s “Quantum Cowboys” — a film soundtracked by John Doe, Neko Case, XIXA and Gelb — at The Loft Cinema…
Until next week, XOXO…
