Mark your calendars…
Thursday, Nov. 3
During a walk through Bombay Beach — a near-ghost town located on the edge of an ecological disaster, the eastern shore of the Salton Sea —Hawthorne Heights frontman JT Woodruff found inspiration for “Dandelions,” the latest single from the Ohio emo band’s 2021 album “The Rain Just Follows Me.” Woodruff reflected, “I was walking through the most desperate and desolate place. It is a perfect example of how we are quite literally ruining the world we live in, for our own amusement.” Bombay Beach was once a popular getaway for beachgoers and Golden Age of Hollywood celebrities until the 1980s when overfertilization, chemical runoff and draining destroyed the ecosystem. “Now (it stands as) a cautionary tale of paradise being turned to dust.” Woodruff concluded, “We can’t help but feel like insignificant dandelion pods blowing in the breeze.” The Pitch Black Forever Tour brings Hawthorne Heights and Armor For Sleep — along with special guests Action/Adventure — to 191 Toole…
Spinning his biggest hits all night long. Noche de Verano Sin Ti: A dance party for fans of Bad Bunny pops off on the Hotel Congress plaza…
The Eugene Boronow Duo performs bossa nova and melodious original compositions at R Bar…
Friday, Nov. 4
Honoring death and celebrating life, The 33rd Annual All Souls Procession once again floods the streets of Downtown Tucson. From its humble beginnings in 1990 — with a ceremonial performance piece created by local artist Susan Johnson, memorializing the passing of her father — the annual event, by incorporating diverse cultural rituals and traditions, has grown to become a significant public ceremony, one synonymous with Tucson. Dance of The Dead: Night One kicks off the All Souls Procession weekend with a performance by “The world’s best party band.” Summer band camp meets traveling circus, MarchFourth is far from a typical marching band. Along with Arts Caravan and Kulululu, they perform at the MSA Annex. See allsoulsprocession.org for full details…
Known for his pioneering Chicago house, acid jazz and downtempo work, Mark Farina has received props from URB, Muzik and BPM magazines and is widely recognized as one of the world’s top DJs. His 2016 album, “Mushroom Jazz Eight,” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s dance/electronic chart. After three decades spent globe-trotting, Farina shows no signs of slowing down. “I look at my job as a modern-day traveling minstrel bringing new music to as many places as I can and exposing audiences to obscure records that otherwise might go hidden.” In a special Gem & Jam Festival pre-party event, EDM trailblazer Mark Farina drops a cannonade of electronic beats at 191 Toole…
After a decade of stimulating the ears of bassheads worldwide, performing as SPL, Los Angeles-based producer Sam Pool realized that to evolve musically he had to keep pushing sonic boundaries. With a new name and dubstep sound — built around elements of blippy 8-bit sounds, arpeggios and ’80s synths — Champagne Drip extends the palette at Gentle Ben’s. Sippy opens…
Viva Performing Arts presents Viva Dia de los Muertos: A Glow in the dark dance and musical spectacular. Ballet Folklorico Arizona and Ballet Folklorico San Juan remember, honor and celebrate our antecedents in this one-of-a-kind luminescent event at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Describing himself as an emotional songwriter, Adelitas Way’s frontman Rick DeJesus often imagines living vicariously through other people. On their latest single, “Ghost,” DeJesus advocates for a take-charge approach. “‘Ghost’ is an empowering song to get out of whatever toxic relationship you are in. If it’s a bad relationship, friendship or job, don’t accept anything less than what you deserve.” Las Vegas hard rockers Adelitas Way — with support from Taking Dawn — are at The Rock…
From Flint, Michigan, country outlaw singer Whitey Morgan sings it straight, with no chaser. His working-class psalm “What Am I Supposed To Do” — dedicated to generations of Michigan auto workers — serves to help the downtrodden drink their sorrows away. Aiming to leave the world a tiny bit better place, Whitey Morgan performs at EncoreTucson…
United in common cause, Brace Yourself, Pyrotechnica, Hell Doubt, Funeral Witchery and Head Hunt fire off an ear-splitting night of heavy metal thunder. Metal Fest XXI is at the Rialto Theatre… From “the Land of the Long White Cloud,” New Zealand rockers The Chills celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Soft Bomb” — a conceptual work considered by many to be the band’s finest hour — at Club Congress. Unwed Sailor and Golden Boots add appreciably to the soiree…
Performing its unique brand of acoustic prairie soul — from the Canadian Shield, to the beaches of the Caribbean, to the desert of Tucson, where they finally established roots — Roth D’Lux entertains in the early evening on the Hotel Congress plaza…
Since 2013, Tucson’s Latino dance party sin fronteras, El Tambó, has celebrated the cultural and musical remezcla that takes place naturally in the borderlands. DJ Humblelianess and the Sonido Tambó crew bang the drum all night on the plaza at Hotel Congress…
Tipping a hat to the six-stringed paragons of the hard bop era — Kenny Burrell, Grant Green and Wes Montgomery — whose swinging rhythms and bluesy grooves made it the most popular style in the 1950s and 1960s. The Ed Delucia Quartet — comprised of pianist Angelo Versace, bassist Scott Black, drummer Arthur Vint and Delucia on guitar — pay homage to the storied guitarists of Blue Note Records at The Century Room…
Saturday, Nov. 5
Dance of The Dead: Night Two features vocalist Shylah Ray — a First Nations Algonquin ceremonialist — and Ricky Abud presiding over an ancestral liberation ceremony. The evening culminates with a concert by world beat maestro Poranguí, sonically guiding the audience through waves of ecstatic movement and blissful stillness at the MSA Annex…
Mixing Jamaican reggae with traditional African melodies and instruments — the djembe, kora and mandingo guitar — sung in five languages, General Tchefary presents his unique hybrid sound. Special guests Jaliya — a world contemporary music duo, exploring and incorporating African sounds and rhythms — add appreciably to the evening at the Monterey Court…
Brutally mashing together the more extreme elements of hardcore punk and metal, after a four-year hiatus Gat-Rot — along with American Standards, Bloodtrails and Mastodonna — like a chorus of voices joining together to drown out lies, presage the “Dark Days Ahead” at Club Congress…
Thanks in part to a unique fusion of Latin music with hip-hop, Phoenix’s NB Ridaz achieved modest success in the late ’90s. After parting ways in 2006 — founding member MC Magic leaving the fold to resume a solo career — according to the group’s social media, they are “back in full effect and better than ever,” this time with Zig Zag and Dos carrying on. The NB Ridaz bring old school rhythms and rhymes to EncoreTucson…
Following a thread that is woven throughout her eight-album discography, singer-songwriter/jazz mystic Katie Haverly explores the meaning of purpose through her cocktail of folk and jazz-tinged pop. Joining Haverly, alternative rockers the Holy Faint — featuring members of Birds & Arrows and Ryanhood — make their debut performance. Immediately following, DJs Bex & Halsero soundtrack this night of spectacle and variegated hues and timbres, from behind the turntables, on the plaza at Hotel Congress…
Widely regarded as one the top Selena tribute artists in North America, singer Karla Perez performs Selena The Show at Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon & BBQ…
The Jacob Acosta Duo performs Sonoran Desert-inspired folk music on the patio at MotoSonora Brewing Company…
Latin powerhouse Zona Libre set loose their intoxicating brass and percussion-fueled mix of salsa and Latin jazz to waft into the Late Night air at The Century Room…
Sunday, Nov. 6
Immediately following the All Souls Procession grand finale, Dance of The Dead Concert: Night Three finds Latin fusionists Santa Pachita — along with the Casa De Los Muertos DJ Crew manning the turntables — presiding over the official All Souls Procession after party at the MSA Annex…
Since their formation in Greenwich Village in 2007, Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter — friends since preschool — continue to embody the spirit of the times. Since Phantogram’s debut release, 2010’s “Eyelid Movies,” their signature blend of hard-hitting beats, clipped guitars and jagged-edged minimalist electronic ephemera laid the groundwork for the gothic, often whispered sound, of mainstream pop today. Billie Eilish covering Phantogram’s “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” stands as testament. Masters of tension — when their quietest moments are often the loudest of all — Phantogram seems to thrive in a state of discomfort. On “In A Spiral” — from “Ceremony,” the electronic duo’s latest album — Barthel sings, “I’m a meme on a feed in a spiral / Imitate, elevate making heads roll,” delivering relevant social commentary on the zeitgeist of the early 2020’s. Phantogram — with special guests GLU — mirrors the angst and disconnect of the world today at the Rialto Theatre…
Arizona Friends of Chamber Music presents violinist Ioana Cristina Goicea and pianist Chih-Yi Chen performing a program featuring works by Ravel, Enescu, Bartók, Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns, at the Leo Rich Theater…
Progressive, technical death metal collective, Alluvial — with local support from Wyrmhaven, Friends In Hell, Headhunt and Ingrate Souls — lay siege to The Rock…
From Albuquerque, one of the region’s most musically diverse acts — folding Latin, blues, Tex-Mex and outlaw country into something that they call zydeco-Tejano — Felix y Los Gatos light matches and play with fire on the Hotel Congress plaza for the latest installment of the Congress Cookout…
Monday, Nov. 7
Mashing together punk and comedy, you ask? Yep, it’s true. A sonic amalgamation of pop punk luster and heavy-metal guitar riffage, San Diego’s The Montell Jordans and Tucson’s Hell Doubt share the stage with comedians Mi Vecina Nice, Amie Amelia and Kyle Verville at The Rock…
Tuesday, Nov. 8
Currently residing in Los Angeles, with five cats, a typewriter and coffee machine, Ryan Adams doesn’t limit his artistry to his songwriting. His passion for writing has spilled over into printed works. In 2009, he published “Infinity Blues,” a book of free verse poetry about his journey to self-realization, and “Hello Sunshine,” a collection of poems and short stories. In a prolific career spanning over three decades — one that at times has been marred by disputes, allegations and controversies — Adams is one of the few artists to emerge from the shadowy reaches of the alt-country scene into the brighter light of mainstream success. Hailed as “one of rock’s most talented songwriters” by Spin, seven-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Ryan Adams performs as part of the Listening Room Series at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Pushing forward with a raw and aggressive guitar-driven sound, Judas Priest — along with brothers in arms Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Motorhead — found international success as part of a movement that became known as the New Wave of British heavy metal, during the mid-1970s and early ’80s. After the release of 1980’s “British Steel,” the band’s breakthrough album, Judas Priest went on to sell over 50 million albums, earning the distinction as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Judas Priest bring The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour to the Tucson Arena. Thinking man’s metalists Queensryche open the show…
Wednesday, Nov. 9
Coming of age in a small town in Michigan, Josh Kiszka, lead singer of Greta Van Fleet, describes a bucolic life. “We were outside most of the time, building rafts and taking them down the river.” The 26-year-old added, “There wasn’t a lot of television in the house. I preferred to take a hike.” Together with his sibling bandmates, the young musicians’ detachment from the modern world may help to explain why their musical tastes are not in step with that of their generation. Robert Plant opines, “They are Led Zeppelin I.” The former Led Zeppelin frontman concludes, “But what are you going to do? That’s Okay.” Greta Van Fleet lead the Dreams In Gold Tour — with special guests Durand Jones & The Indications and Crown Lands — to the Tucson Arena…
Originally from Ellicott City, Maryland, raised in a Roman Catholic household — her mother a lingerie store owner, her father worked in textbook publishing — Lindsey Jordan became captivated by the punk scene as a teenager. After attending a Paramore concert, the wide-eyed teen was inspired to form a band. She began booking her own sets at coffee shops and restaurants at 12 years of age. In 2018, the 17-year-old Jordan released her indie label debut “Lush” — as Snail Mail, her indie rock solo project — to generally positive reviews. The contradiction of confidence and vulnerability seemed to resonate with a growing fanbase. Now, on the heels of “Valentine,” her sophomore release, Snail Mail comes up for air at 191 Toole. Special guests Tucson indie rockers Weekend Lovers open the show…
Best Life and Mello Music Group present Quelle Chris. The Death Tour features performances by Cash Lansky, Smashlames, Rey, Producer Trent Taylor, Big Vinci and Cordero Eubanks. This is sure to be a hip-hop/rap banger at Club Congress…
Made in America. After serving time in prison for punching an off-duty police officer, rapper/singer, Adam Calhoun has amassed a sizable YouTube following with over 1.3 million subscribers, where he often expresses his political and social views, including his support for the now legally embroiled former 45th president. The Country Rap Tour brings Adam Calhoun to EncoreTucson…
Formed in Tokyo in 1992, vocalist Yasuko O.’s lyrics reflect a Japanese pop culture that holds strange fascination for many non-Japanese fans, gaining the band a small but loyal fan base among American and European punk rockers. The Re:boot Tour brings Japanese noise rockers Melt-Banana — with special guests Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Deaf Club and Psychic Graveyard — to The Rock. Gird your loins…
Until next week, XOXO…
