Abraham Laguna recently tweeted, "Sex is cool. But have you ever put on a brand new pair of jeans?" DJ/EDM producer Ookay chases rainbows when the 30 Days 'Til Dusk Pre-Party pops off at the Rialto Theatre. Phoenix musician/producer Ekonovah blasts bass/house beforehand... A fundraiser for People's Defense Initiative takes place at Club Congress. The indie/emo/punk and glorious whatever of The Trees, Rough Draft, Alien Jacket, Sad Reptilian and Them & I will spill forth from the stage... Referencing '80s mistress of dream pop Julee Cruise (best known for collaborations with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti on Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks), singer-songwriter Hannah Yeun excavates the same noir to emerge with a sound that is witchy and somber, with a '60s vibe all her own. At Tap + Bottle-Downtown... Drawing from a repertoire of acoustic originals and covers, Mark Insley with guitarist Damon Barnaby are Americana's Most Wanted. At Iron John's Brewing Company-Congress... Taking you Deeper into the vaults of EDM, DJs Atom Energy and LunarFluxx tap into a motherlode of house. At Bar Passé... Drawing primarily from flamenco's distinct rasgueados and rhythmic patterns, Lookout Tucson Jazz Concert Series sees guitarist Nathaniel Burnside Duo performing Latin jazz with Arabic undertones. In the Lookout Bar & Grille at Westward Look Resort... The upbeat polkas and waltzes of Oktoberfest are what's on tap. The Oro Valley Concert Series features The Bouncing Czechs. At the Oro Valley Marketplace... Led by an award-winning fiddler, the Billy Shaw Jr. Band performs Southwestern country rock for Boots & Balls Thursday [use your imagination]. At The Maverick King of Clubs... Trouble in the Wind has been labeled as folk, Americana, surf rock, alternative, country, but this Southern California quartet simply call themselves "rock and roll." At Monterey Court...
Friday, Oct. 11
One of country music's biggest DIY success stories, neo-traditional singer Aaron Watson dons his Red Bandana (Big Label, 2019). At the Rialto Theatre. Singer Stephanie Quayle—who Rolling Stone Country hailed as a "Top 10 Artist You Need to Know"—opens the show... Celebrating 25 years of metallic-tinged mayhem, "Looking Down the Barrel of Today," these veteran metalcorists truly "Live For This." Hatebreed enter The Concrete Confessional at EncoreTucson... Brasshouse? Huh. Forged in the depths of NYC's dank subway system—powered by saxophone, trumpet, synthesizer and samples all backed by wicked street beats—Too Many Zooz is accessible, yet, unlike anything you've ever heard. At 191 Toole. Thumpasaurus adds a deep wallop to the night's affairs... Tucson Meet Yourself 2019: A three day celebration of cultural diversity, heritage and gastronomy features live performances by conjunto Pedro y Los Liricos, traditional Apache violinist Anthony Belvado, roots reggae artist General Tchefary, Japanese drumming ensemble Odaiko Sonora, Yellow Bird Indian dancers, Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo, Norteño with Las Trillizas Y Dulce, cultural critic/food writer Gustavo Arellano y mucho más. At Jácome Plaza-Downtown. See TucsonMeetYourself.org for details... "I feel right at home in either." Born in Texas, with roots in Chihuahua, Mexico, this Mexican-American Norteño/Tejano singer/accordionist's sound spans borders. Yes, it's a life of "Honky Tonks & Cantinas" for Michael Salgado. At Club 4th Avenue... Filling the existential void with melody, groove and that intangible something, The Unday and Heroes Reunion reunite at the Surly Wench Pub... Giving soul to the universe, wings to the mind, Still Life Telescope, Saint Augustine and Peppermint Hippo peer through the donut hole. At Irene's Holy Donuts... Featuring flatpicking champion Peter McLaughlin, multi-instrumentalist Alvin Blaine and Lex Browning (Poco and The Decemberists), Canyon Currents make their debut on the stage at Monterey Court for an evening of bluegrass and traditional music. North Carolina based duo Flatbridge open the show... Black Renaissance presents Cash Lansky, Teré Fowler-Chapman and Shekinah. This year's TENWEST Impact Festival kicks off on the Hotel Congress plaza... Followed by the return of Super Gay Party Machine. DJ Shorty, Manny B, Häus of Kunt, Bianca Difonsi and Na-il Ali Emmert preside over this LGBTQA dance extravaganza. At Hotel Congress...
Saturday, Oct. 12
Out of Tucson, "Boss Talk[in'] (ALPHA)," hip-hop and rap up-and-comer J. Reece spits rhymes at Encore Tucson. With special guest/notorious gangsta rapper X-Raided, who managed to release more than 20 recordings—some were recorded over the telephone and others using a DAT recorder which puzzled prison officials because "inmates are not allowed to have tape recorders"—while serving 26 years of a 31-year sentence for murder... Folk/rock singer-songwriter Cass McCombs is an acclaimed transient storyteller with a penchant for words, music and exploring dreams. At the Rialto Theatre. Sound healer Farmer Dave opens... Attracting more than 15,000 visitors to this lovely tree-shaded park in the center of the high desert. Jarabe Mexicano, FebboFuentes, Zach Farley, Jam Pak Blues 'n' Grass Band, Mr. Boogie Woogie, Incidental Bluegrass, Bayou Seco and others are set to perform at The 31st Annual Patagonia Fall Festival. Runs Oct 12-13. At Patagonia Town Park... Performing on harp and viola, enigmatic netherworld enchantresses, The Hatpin Duo answer The Call of the Faeries when they take over downtown... Guitar chugging away, his stories tell of a hardscrabble life while the wallop of his kick drum sets an energetic pace. Rockabilly raconteur Al Foul is in the courtyard at Mercado San Agustin... It's been a Crazy Road Trip for Eric Schaffer & The Other Troublemakers. They bring that freewheeling madness to La Cocina when they perform acoustic sets of folk, Americana and a smidgen of country... Rhythm & Roots presents the distinct bluegrass stylings of The Sonoran Dogs Big Band. On the plaza at Hotel Congress... Singer-songwriter Joe Peña's distinctive blues songs bear enough heart to prompt St. Peter to give this sinner a pass. He performs as part of Glow! A Nighttime Art Experience at the Triangle L Ranch... Whet your appetite with the aromas and sounds— funk, jazz and blues—of The French Quarter. The Muffulettas dish up at Monterey Court... From Portland, Boygirlboy promise a night of saccharine sweet indie-pop. At Club Congress Flanked by Night Weather and Bogan Via... "His Words, My Music, My Way." Paul Anka Sings Sinatra. At the Desert Diamond Casino... Broadway to the Sunset Strip: An evening of Grammy, Tony and Academy Award winning songs performed by three of Broadway's best vocalists: Susan Egan, Doug LaBrecque and Lisa Vroman. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra dazzles at the Tucson Convention Center. Christopher Confessore is at the podium... "El Muchacho," Roberto Tapia and Conjunto Primavera bring regional Norteña music to the AVA Amphitheater...
Sunday, Oct. 13
Mexican Institute Of Sound, Orkesta Mendoza, Vetusta Morla, Chetes (of Mexrissey), Mesquite and DJ Buttafly round out the lineup for RazaFest. On the plaza at Hotel Congress. With an after-party—featuring cumbias from Tlalpan, Marco Carrión y amigos. And a DJ set by Camilo Lara and Joey Burns—at R Bar. Proceeds to benefit No Mas Muertes... Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern's hit single "Drinkee" is sung in Portuguese. Hawley-Weld clarifies, "It doesn't matter whether or not you can understand Portuguese. The point of "Drinkee" isn't the meaning; The point is the nonsense." EDM artists Sofi Tukker "Swing" into the Rialto Theatre for a lil' sip. With Haiku Hands and LP Giobbi... On "LOUD (Fuck It)," from Graveyard Shift (Roadrunner Records), Chris "Motionless" Cerulli offers up self-help advice with Goth-metal 'tude. "You gotta be loud/You gotta be rude/So the world can hear you/Say 'fuck it'/Make the best of it." Motionless In White brings the Trick 'r Treat Tour to EncoreTucson. With Twiztid, We Came As Romans, and After the Burial... Like "Dust In A Baggie." Imbuing sugarcubes of psychedelia into a traditional art form, virtuoso Billy Strings applies the intensity and fretboard histrionics of heavy metal to bluegrass. At 191 Toole... With a heavy focus on Arizona-based female/femme/non-binary musicians Tucson Benefest: A One Day Music & Art Festival features performances by Taco Sauce, Katie Haverly, Black Medicine, Michelle Sparks, Weekend Lovers, Fairy Bones, Mudpuppy, Just Najima, Moontrax, Little Cloud and more. At The Whistle Stop Depot. Proceeds to benefit Planned Parenthood Arizona. See tucsonbenefest.com for all the details... Singer-songwriter Sutton James brings his "high-country rock 'n' roll" to Che's Lounge... Chaparral Kirtan celebrate the full moon through an offering of devotional music and mantra. At Tucson Yoga... Rufus Wainwright has been hailed as "one of the great male vocalists, composers and songwriters of his generation." The Fox Theatre is the site of Oh Solo Wainwright: An Evening With Rufus. The 21st-century country of Robert Ellis warms the crowd...
Monday, Oct. 14
From NYC, these hardcore legends were one of the first bands to comingle heavy metal with punk, pioneering a new sound. Sheer Terror cast fear into the hearts of unbelievers. At Club Congress. With Thug Riot, Get A Grip, Sex Prisoner and Divine Hammer... "Awfully Apeelin'"—making jiggy music that you can dance to—indie rockers The Happy Fits take a deep breath and Concentrate. At 191 Toole. Buttressed by The Solarists and Stripes... The straight-up, shaken not-stirred, rock 'n' roll of Zero Miles To Empty offers salvation. At Elliott's On Congress... Riding "The Wind of Change" since the early 1980s, English smooth jazzers Acoustic Alchemy have risen to the top of the contemporary jazz scene. At the Rialto Theatre...
Tuesday, Oct. 15
Over the course of releasing seven studio albums and 37 singles, these Canadian alt-rockers have found a winning formula, pumping out fun rock songs about love and heartbreak. Singer Tyler Connolly reflects on the band's success. "Now the fans have all the power." No longer content with social media updates regarding the next tour, Connolly says, "now, they want to see the inside of your house, and know what you're doing in the bathroom." Theory of a Deadman are at the Rialto Theatre. With genre-benders Spirit Animal... Man in a Blue Turban with a Face (Ace Fu Records, 2004) established these avant-garde rockers as being as artistically diverse as a Picasso painting, except with brighter bursts of colors and layers of noise. Man Man create earworms that can't be dislodged. At 191 Toole. First up, two-piece Kentucky fried "queerdos" GRLwood howl and scream... Inspired by the rich neo-soul of Allen Stone and the folk-tinged voice of Ray LaMontagne, as part of the Plaza Live! Concert Series, singer-songwriter Adam Townsend shares all of his fires. At St. Philip's Plaza...
Wednesday, Oct. 16
Observing Dia de los Muertos al Chile, UA Presents multi-Grammy award-winning Mexican singer and cultural ambassador Lila Downs. With appearances by Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company and Mariachi Femenil Flores Mexicanas. At Centennial Hall... This folk pop band is named after their grandfather in their native Oregon. And, like salve applied on a wound, the sincere words and genetically perfected harmonies these sisters—Natalie, Allison and Meegan—administer provide emotional remedy. Joseph wave a "White Flag." At 191 Toole. L.A. indie/folk/rock trio Run River North kick things off... "Get the F*ck out of Here." Bordering on outright swagger—laden with hooks, propulsive guitar riffs, marching drum beats and the bombastic vocal delivery of lead singer Kobra Paige— Kobra and The Lotus' latest album Evolution takes the next step. At EncoreTucson... The rumor mill continues to run riot. "The Sandman" Howe Gelb may show up and tickle the ivories. At The Coronet... From San Francisco, out on the Fancy Acid Tour, "boba-psych" rockers Bear Call are at Sky Bar. La Cerca and Tropical Beach provide local support... Golden Boots Duo + percussionist Tommy Larkins set the tone with relaxing instrumental background music. At The Coronet... Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett performs for the first time ever, what is considered by many "the definitive Genesis album," Selling England By The Pound in its entirety. At the Fox Theatre...
Thursday, Oct 17
"Clap Your Hands." Performing over 300 shows per year, country blues rockers Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band know how to "Raise A Little Hell." At 191 Toole. The Haymarket Squares add appreciably to the hoedown... The October edition of Resonance Monthly showcases the mad dubstep of Basshead by Lit Lords. At Gentle Ben's. Hvrdwood, DJ Mcwhite, Ramrod and Enri lend support... Croatian pop rockers Jinx bring Sextasy, for all to witness, to the Club Congress stage. Carnival, Evergreen and Shutter Vision take part in the bacchanal...
Shout Out
On Saturday, Oct. 12, Chick Magnet founding member Lano is celebrating the release of her third recording Snake Bite, a downtempo dreamgaze EP. Punk pop/new wave darlings Ollie Pop join in the revelry. At Exo Bar...
On The Horizon
On "Room 13," braving the paper-thin walls, and the sin that echoes throughout the hallway in the dead of night, singer-songwriter Jesse Malin—with a little help from Lucinda Williams—"Spent some time in a hotel room/Thinking about love." On Saturday, Oct. 19. At 191 Toole. With former Lonely Astronaut, one-man band, Joseph Arthur...
Until next week, XOXO...
