Feeding the beast within. This week: Mike Zito, Sunfish, TWRP, Luna 13, The Black Market Trust, Green Buddha, Narek Arutyunian & Steven Beck, Mean Streets, Electric Feels anniversary soirée and more. Please be aware: Thanks to the Omicron variant, COVID cases are spiking in Arizona, with more breakthrough cases in people who are vaccinated or who have had the virus before. Be cautious in indoor spaces, mask up and get vaccinated or a booster shot.
Mark your calendars…
Thursday, Jan. 6
Their hometown rag (Salt Lake City Weekly) opined, “It is unclear what the hell kind of band they think they are…Clearly they do ‘Whatever’ they want. Somehow, it works.” Generating quite a buzz since exploding onto SLC’s indie rock scene. As with any fresh catch, Sunfish are best caught live. At House of Bards. With Noah Martin and Tonight’s Sunshine…
Friday, Jan. 7
The Lucinate crew: Kill Phil, Chris Tiano, Split_The_Adam, Kool Arrow, and The Captain drop the needle on vinyl grooves to keep the party lit. EDM Night: Birthday Bash edition. At Encore. Commemorating six years on the nightclub scene. Cheers…
End the workweek with Eugene Boronow Trio performing original music with a mellow vibe. At Hotel McCoy…
Saturday, Jan. 8
The Black Market Trust Intermixes the sounds of legendary American crooners (à la Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra) with the fiery energy of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt to land upon a sound that sits just as comfortably beside a gypsy campfire or stageside at a slick metropolitan nightclub. These five virtuosic, globetrotting musicians have banded together to capitalize on a rich musical parentage, adding their own intricate vocal harmonies and a dash of Rat Pack-style comedic flair to their onstage antics. The Black Market Trust perform timeless works from the great American songbook and their latest album, Land of the Sea and Sun (2020). At Hotel Congress (plaza)...
“Altar bound, hypnotized, sweet freedom whispered in my ear.” Offering a refreshing take on contemporary jam band music, Colorado’s The Runaway Grooms escape not-so-holy matrimony. At House of Bards…
Offering up a blend of twang, blues and roadhouse with a sand-strewn desert twist, Sonoran Roadhouse—featuring guitarist/songwriter Mike Hebert, drummer/singer Bruce Halper and bassist Johnny Zapp—make their stage debut at MotoSonora Brewing Company…
“The Clark Kent of country music,” fiddler extraordinaire Billy Shaw Jr. leads his ace band into hijinks and adventure. At The Maverick…
Fronted by powerhouse vocalist Anna Warr, Giant Blue put forth jazz-rock and blues propelled by a monster horn and rhythm section. At Monterey Court…
Hometown heroine Linda Ronstadt had this to say: “Liz and Pete. Lovely, fresh harmonies and a secret cache of original songs.“ When combined, their voices blossom to tug firmly on the heartstrings. Liz & Pete explore material old and new. At Hotel McCoy…
Van Hagar? Not for these guys. Mean Streets is a tribute to David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. At Encore…
KXCI 91.3 FM’s favorite crew of crate-digging EDM/electronic DJs—Alex Kinney, Chris Miranda, Shelby Athouguia and Toby Roberts—celebrate a milestone. Exploring cutting-edge sounds from the underground every Friday night on the airwaves. Electric Feel: 12th Anniversary Party. At 191 Toole. Proceeds to benefit KXCI education fund…
Experience the heartbeat of the Earth through taiko. The ancient art of Japanese drumming (taiko) has existed for more than 2,000 years; using the rhythm produced by this barrel-shaped drum to co-exist in the universe through the synergy of our human heartbeats. Pursuing a peaceful world, Japanese folk artist Ken Koshio transcends borders through the healing power of ancient sounds and music. A Taiko Drumming Performance. At Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson…
Sunday, Jan. 9
Rising from the darkest quarters of the subterranean Los Angeles scene (during the 2010s), Luna 13 welds together abrasive synths, concussive drums, grinding metallic guitars and bass pumped through massive amplification (that far exceeds normal decibel levels) to create a disorienting cacophony that summons unseen forces and compels bodies to move. Initiating a new covenant between black metal, bass-heavy electronica and industrial antagonism, they have created a new genre that’s delivered with a dominant theatrical bent begrimed with occult imagery (studded black masks, pentagrams, and devil goat horns). Keyboardist Doc Luna asserts: “We’re one of the darkest bass projects on the planet.” The duo’s debut The Hollywood Ripper (2015) with references to infamous females who met untimely deaths—Emily Rose, Marilyn Monroe, and Elisa Lam (whose body was found in the rooftop cistern of a downtown L.A. hotel)—further stoked a fascination with dark lore. “An artist has to create. It’s spiritual therapy that is a necessity. Dark art is the most fulfilling aspect of [the band’s] life,” says vocalist Lilith Bathory. Seeking to spread their devilish delights, Luna 13 feed “The Beast Within.” At House of Bards…
The Washington Post says Narek Arutyunian is an artist who “reaches passionate depths with seemingly effortless technical prowess and beguiling sensitivity.” Clarinetist Narek Arutyunian and pianist Steven Beck perform a program that features works by Leonard Bernstein, Carl Maria von Weber, Johannes Brahms and Paul Schönfeld. At Leo Rich Theater…
From 1975’s groundbreaking self-titled album (also known as The White Album) to 2003’s Say You Will, Mirage carefully reproduces the look and sound of one of the most beloved bands of all time: Fleetwood Mac. At The Gaslight Music Hall (Oro Valley)…
Formed in 2004, core members Charles Pitts and Jeff Daniels set out to form a band that would “stand the test of time and enable them to grow as songwriters and performers.” Black Cat Bones serve up modern blues. Congress Cookout. At Hotel Congress (plaza)…
Tuesday, Jan. 11
Must be seen to be believed. With the release of their debut EP Sex is a Machine that Likes to Dance (2007) these “Hogtown” transplants, with tongue-in-cheek humor, were Poised To Dominate. Costumed with a sci-fi twist (their faces and real names remain unknown), while possessing Over The Top musical chops, these intergalactic disco-fied-electronic funksters interpret “the sound of the future as imagined in the 1980s.” TWRP (formerly known as Tupper Ware Remix Party) produce a furious heat in their funky-as-all-hell “Fusion Reactor.” At 191 Toole…
Witchy, ’60s inspired dream poppers Hannah Yeun Band, icy synth-wave duo Glacier.wav, and the indescribable Ex-Cowboy pass the baton. At Hotel Congress (plaza)…
With its off-beat rhythms and tight vocal harmonies, this tradition-based string band music developed in the Appalachian Mountains during the 1940s. It’s a Bluegrass Jamboree with Canyon Currents and Cadillac Mountain. At The Gaslight Music Hall (Oro Valley)…
Wednesday, Jan. 12
In harmony with the cover art to Resurrection (2021)—an expressionist painting by Seoul-based artist, Yool Kim—Mike Zito’s latest album captures the feeling of soul and light (and ultimately rebirth) at the end of a long struggle. “I am excited for people to hear [these] songs, stories, and sonic waves of electric guitar that convey darkness before the dawn,” enthuses a now sober Zito. “I am once again excited about love and life and music.” St. Louis blues-rock guitarist Mike Zito shakes off the Quarantine Blues. At 191 Toole…
Traveling long and far to finally arrive on Earth, Golden Boots, Anchorbaby, Los Chicks and Kulululu perform sublime feats of interpretive skill. At Hotel Congress (plaza)…
Honing his particular brand of high-octane Americana and outlaw country in the rough and tumble honky-tonks of California, Mark Insley & the Broken Angels—guitarist Damon Barnaby, bassist Duane Hollis, and drummer Ernie Mendoza—perform songs from his latest album Ten Cent Redemption (2020). At Monterey Court…
Thursday, Jan. 13
From the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Green Buddha’s signature “No Coast” reggae sound has been described as “a green salad of the freshest ingredients from Colorado, Southern California and New Orleans.” An olio of funky reggae, rock and soul, dub and ska, with a ladleful of piquant Creole flavor. Green Buddha play tracks from Small Town (2018), their debut album. At Chicago Bar. With an opening set by singer-songwriter Randy Vega…
Joe Novelli & the Cloud Walls—Gabe Sullivan on drums and bassist Geoff Hidalgo—perform swampy, blues influenced, slide guitar-driven Americana and rock ’n’ roll. Live & Free. At Tap & Bottle (downtown)…
Backed by bassist Thøger Lund, drummer Casey Hadland, and Ben Nisbet on guitar, plus special guest Stephen Dorocke (Handsome Family) on lap steel, Parisian guitarist magnifiqué Naïm Amor presents a concert featuring original material from his forthcoming album. At Hotel Congress (plaza)…
Until next week, XOXO…
