XOXO

Mark your calendars

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Courtesy photo
Mark Insley

Thursday, July 25

Americana's Most Wanted Fugitive, Mark Insley, and a cadre of gunslingers hold Iron John's Brewing Company–Congress for ransom (if only for a couple of hours) during his Thursday night residency... Their latest record, Crisis Actor (Get Loud Recordings, 2019), is wrought out of self deprecation and societal condemnation. Singer Charlotte McCaslin says: "I didn't see the ascendancy of fascism as anything new here. My freshest feelings of disgust were toward anyone who could point their finger in one direction and walk away with a smirk on their face." Falling somewhere between an angelic Gun Club and a demented Roy Orbison, Roselit Bone transfix at Exo Roast Co. Ex-Cowboy retell sentimental tales of heartache, loss and a murder or two... Tucson darlings Sam Bounkeua & Dante Rosano delight on the patio at Agustin Kitchen... Pianist and composer Larry Redhouse leads a world-class ensemble whose repertoire incorporates straight-ahead jazz, Latin, funk and reggae. The Larry Redhouse Trio play the Lookout

Bar and Grille at Westward Look Resort... Guitarist Gabriel Naim Amor showcases his eclectic virtuosity at Tap + Bottle–Downtown... You just never know what they'll pull out of the crates. Wooden Tooth Records DJ Night happens at Che's Lounge... In 1977, these Chicago prog rockers hit the jackpot with "Come Sail Away," an epic power ballad that ends in rock 'n' roll bombast. "It's what Zeppelin perfected with 'Stairway To Heaven,'" erstwhile singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung was quoted as saying. "Start slow and finish big." After six previous lukewarm albums, this song was a huge turning point. "It shot us off into outer space." July marks the 42nd anniversary of The Grand Illusion (A&M Records), the album that changed this band's trajectory. Styx is at the Tucson Music Hall... The Rock 'n' Roll Beer Bash features sets by Dirty Magic Mike, Ted Riviera's Gunrunners and Technical Difficulties. At Thunder Canyon Brewstillery... From Las Vegas, Hemlock unleash the heavy metal thunder at House of Bards. With ScarEater... DJs Atom Energy and Lunar Fluxx lay a foundation of deep house. At Bar Passé...

Friday, July 26

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The AmoSphere

Gird your loins. Post-rock instrumentalists Carbon Canyon share their penchant for"Black Magic and Pornography." At 191 Toole. They share the bill with the culturally appropriated "Groovysmo" of Ricky Shimo's Anchorbaby—inhabitants of the borderland where multinational entities—McDonald's and Coca-Cola—coexist with horchata and carne asada sold from a carreta in perfectly pitched harmony. Added bonus: Wooden Tooth DJs spin... "Fairies wear boots and you gotta believe me." From the portal of Hell, otherwise known as Los Angeles, Black Sabbitch are at Club Congress... Led by two-time Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist Chip Dabney, The AmoSphere dabble in every genre imaginable. At Chicago Bar... "Born a fucking suspect/To a corrupted system." Metalcorists Without Crows "Resist" at Ward6. With Remain and Sustain and Slow Descent... Violent by Nature, these Tucson thrash metalists have been inciting mosh pit frenzy since 1986. Atrophy unleash the mania at Encore. St. Madness, Dedwin and Mechanics of the Mind add layers of chaos... Showcasing some of the Old Pueblo's top and up-and-coming turntablists, Funk Yo House Fridays goes off at Irene's Holy Donuts... This installment of Nitecall sees Phoenix's experimental/electronic/noise sculptress Lana Del Rabies join DJ Mijito to drop death bombs of genre-bending darkwave, electronica, industrial and techno. At R Bar... A perfect pairing for date night. Naim's A Jazz Trio is at Exo Roast Co... In a previous life, before moving to Tucson, this rockabilly raconteur co-opted his surname during his stint with Boston's Foul Mouthed Elves. Guitar chugging away, his stories tell of a hardscrabble life while the wallop of his kick drum sets an energetic pace. Al Foul plays Westbound...

Saturday, July 27

OK. Now visualize Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese rockin' "the absolute fuck out" while covering Black Sabbath tunes. Right? Bear witness to this bizarre spectacle when Mac Sabbath roll The American Cheese Tour into 191 Toole. Adding to the appreciably high drama: Phoenix metalists Okilly Dokilly (who are dedicated to The Simpsons' Ned Flanders) and Playboy Manbaby, credited by Rolling Stone for "bringing sexy back to the genre of polka"... A sweaty summer just got a bit hotter. Humphouse's Disco Doll will be in the house spinning classic disco. At Club Congress... Darkness visible. Black metallists Ashbringer, Nullingroots, Cursed Ruins, Nullus and Severe Earth play an all-ages show at Ward6... TPD officers and local punk rockers face off in The Great Punk'n Donuts Pig Out of 2019. As if that weren't enough, The Sindicate, Drizzle, The Cubes, Garrett William Moore and D[Form] are slated to perform. At Spark Project Collective. Donations to benefit Pathways Education Center, a non-profit for children with learning differences and autism... "Just for the Record," Hank Topless performs "Happy Time Blues" at The Bambi... Adding something, uum, septic into the mix, Gutter Town shares the stage with Pretty Ugly, Texas T. Trash dba Lost in the Sauce and Cactus Mike and The Pricks. At Thunder Canyon Brewstillery... DJ Stubbie keeps the myth alive. The Fineline Revisited at the Surly Wench Pub... Since 2005, these multiple Best of Tucson winners for Best Cover Band channel new wave classics, pop and power ballads from what could be your favorite decade. 80s & Gentlemen rock on the rooftop at Playground... No Introduction" necessary, L.A.'s Dr. Fresch and Blossom drop bass and ghetto house when Goldrush Expeditions makes a stop at Gentle Ben's. With local support from H.R. Guerin, Bagels & Lox and Jamaste... Released in late April 2016, this Miami rapper's debut album Underground Underdog shot like a bullet up the charts to reach #2 on iTunes Top Hip-Hop Albums to sit right behind Drake. Not too shabby. Firing off "1000 Rounds," Pouya spits straight '90s hip-hop and Memphis fire when he brings The Liquid Sunshine Tour to Encore. Flanked by Ramirez and Boobie Lootaveli... Performing original compositions and adaptations rooted in various pan-African styles: African folk, Afro-pop, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The Key Ingredients of African Soul mesmerize and make bodies involuntarily sway at Monterey Court... "His songs move like the wind/He is the lone coyote howling in the desert/He has no secrets/He knows where the water is/You have to listen carefully/Maybe get down on your knees/And put your ear to the ground." –John Densmore, The Doors. Singer/songwriter John Coinman accompanied by bassist Blair Forward are at Exo Roast Co...

Sunday, July 28

Formed in Illinois, 1967, this self-described "rock and roll band with horns"—readily capable of cranking out the kind of ballads that become prom themes or accompany wedding vows—provided toothsome nosh for the MTV Generation to nibble upon during their zenith. In a career spanning five decades—having amassed 47 gold and platinum records worldwide—this powerhouse has not missed a year of touring since its inception. Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famers Chicago is at Tucson Music Hall... Ethereal dreamscaper Anna Mall and experimental new waver Lady Uranium perform at Blacklidge Community Collective. With Tucson's Jaime J. Soto and Caldon Glover...They traveled the great expanses playing swing and West Coast blues.

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The Kings of Pleasure

Now, The Kings of Pleasure reunite to jump, jive and wail once again at the Hideout Saloon–East... Small wonder. This Americana singer-songwriter grew up in "a little bitty ranch house crammed with 10,000 books" and 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, when his song "We Can't Make It Here"—which criticizes George W. Bush, the Iraq War and Wal-Mart—was praised by Rolling Stone's Robert Christgau as "the best song of the 2000s." Its lyrics cut like incisors. "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." James McMurtry is at Club Congress. With the sly, whiskey-soaked country of Bonnie Whitmore...

Monday, July 29

Yawn...

Tuesday, July 30

Hailing from the Lower 9th Ward—that still bears the indelible cicatrices of Katrina's fury—this trumpeter/vocalist and his ace band are the definition of New Orleans. Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs are ready to "Sleep All Day, Party All Night." At 191 Toole. Tucson's debonaire Street Blues Family get the festivities underway... From Grenoble, France, electronic duo Lovataraxx bring their intoxicating darkwave/coldwave minimalist sound to Blacklidge Community Collective. Locals Lav Andula, Glacier.WAV and Sally Roundhouse add warm and light...

Wednesday, July 31

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Courtesy of Mark Squires
Matisyahu

Spiritual in mindset, in spite of that, Tribal Seeds add a twist of "The Devil's Music" to roots reggae. Sharing the bill with "A King Without a Crown," Jewish hip-hopper/beatboxer/reggae rocker Matisyahu. At the Rialto Theatre... From The Land of Enchantment, this singer-songwriter spent his youth hitchhiking—collecting alms busking with his banjo and saw—finding tranquility in beautiful places. After such life affirming experiences, DH Scott now avows, "My Heart Is On The Road." At Exo Roast Co. With Robert Quijano and Sun Riah...

Thursday, Aug 1

With flair and passion, this duo consists of vocalist Theresa Levy and pianist/guitarist Mike Levy. Nossa Bossa Nova performs authentic Brazilian music in the Lookout Bar & Grille at the Westward Look Resort... Furthering the cause, The Eugene Boronow Trio spreads bossa nova's heart-warming sound. At Tap + Bottle–Downtown...

Shout Out

On Friday, July 26, akin to the double-headed serpent in ancient Mesoamerican lore, House of Bards hosts a dual EP release show. Local metalists Like A Villain drop The Dirt Beneath Our Feet Could Be Our Grave, their debut EP. Order 66 will also be on hand to unveil their latest offering to humankind, Rotten Peace. They are flanked by Stands With Fists and Sigils Of Summoning... Alt-metallists Pyrotechnica celebrate the release of their sophomore album, Through the Looking Glass, on Sunday, July 28, at Encore. With A Liar Like You... Melding sample based electronics in with soulful lyricism, Dominic Rischard is Nocturnal Theory. On Wednesday, July 31, he celebrates the release of Sunset Collapse at Club Congress. Asian Fred and MoonTrax add to the festivities...

On The Horizon

In 1972, he was christened Auguste Arthur Bondy in New Roads, Louisiana, a sleepy backwater, population 4,831 (2010 census). As a schoolboy he took up the trumpet, later switching to guitar. During the '90s, he fronted a noisy post-grunge band, Verbena. In 2003, after the band dissolved, he found a piece of himself that had been missing and began recording American Hearts (Fat Possum Records), a transmutation towards a minimal folk sound. Despite a few modern conventions—the sparing use of a synth or drum machine—the sorrow at the heart of his music is timeless. "The Coal Hits the Fire" on Friday, August 2, When the Devil's Loose. Alt-folk singer A.A. Bondy renders "Images of Love" at Club Congress...

Until next week, XOXO...