XOXO

Mark your calendars

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From the gritty roar of Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds and Hot Snakes to the sublime ascendancy of a true virtuoso, Itzhak Perlman, this week has it all. Read on...

Mark your calendars...

Thursday, Feb. 27

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Three Dog Night

Still traveling on the road to "Shambala," founding member Danny Hutton brings a message of unity as captured in chart toppers "Black And White," "The Family of Man" and "Joy to the World," from the early 1970s when Three Dog Night dominated the airwaves. At Fox Theatre... Brian Tristan's (aka Kid Congo Powers) résumé includes stints as guitarist for The Gun Club, the Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Much like the title to their fourth album, La Araña Es La Vida, Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds summon the Mexican muse of The Great Spider Goddess of Teotihuacan—protectress of the underworld who benevolently sprouts hallucinogenic morning glories—to rock the shop. At Wooden Tooth Records. Flanked by Chick Cashman and Miracle Mile... From humble beginnings in Fort Worth, propelled by hits like "Novocaine" and "Oh My Dear Lord," The Unlikely Candidates now find themselves living the dream as major label indie rockers. At 191 Toole... A night of punky pop and emo goodness awaits. The Rare Occasions with special guests Stripes, Carnival and The Sinks explode in a rainbow of sugary flavor. At Club Congress... As a youth, in Cananea, Sonora, Salvador Duran's discontent with the socio-economic and political circumstances found a vent-hole in art. "I sing my paintings and I paint my music," he told Arizona Public Media. With a guitar in hand, a harmonica around his neck and stomping box under foot, Duran sings out. At R Bar... Puerto Rican tech house DJ/producer Jason Xmoon joins resident DJs Lunarfluxx and Atom Energy to take you Deeper into the realm of underground EDM. At Passé... A star in the award-winning Country Superstars Tribute Show at Bally's Las Vegas, impersonator Corrie Sachs pays tribute to Reba McEntire. In the Paradiso Lounge at Casino Del Sol... The Nocturnal Noise Concert Series continues with Pocket Sand and The Distortionists. At Thunder Canyon Brewstillery... They are "raw and colorful, bathed in electro-sensual alien lullabies and drunken sailor beats." Loki Moon experiment with songs. At Cafe a la C'Art...

Friday, Feb. 28

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Birds and Arrows

On a track from Jericho Sirens, vocalist Rick Froberg proclaimed, "I need a doctor/It's getting worse." And it may be so. Guitarist John Reis seems similarly afflicted. "I totally understand people's desire to be controlled and humiliated by my guitar. What they want is for me to use it as a branding iron." Single-handedly responsible for some of the most turbulent music of any generation, post-hardcorists Hot Snakes rip and tear. At Club Congress. Lenguas Largas and Kills Birds are up first... Puerto Rican singer Ile rose to fame as part of Calle 13. Now on her own, she has dropped her second solo album, Almadura, which is both an ode to her homeland and a plea for political action. She cries out at 191 Toole... One hundred kilometers above the Earth's surface where the atmosphere ends and outer space begins lies an invisible frontier. Silver Cloud Express, Birds and Arrows and Weekend Lovers will transport you beyond The Karman Line. At Sky Bar... Colliding sampling technology and Latin music together, from Corpus Christi, this producer/DJ/nu-cumbia pioneer translates the border experience into new barrio anthems. El Dusty joins the El Tambó crew on the Hotel Congress Plaza... Performing the impassioned songs that assured Roy Orbison a place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll, The Lonely pay homage. At Fox Theatre... DJ/producer Noizu came onto the EDM scene with "Lasers" blazing. He comes from Los Angeles to bang house at Gentle Ben's. With sets by Low AudiO, McWhite and Enri... This episode of Nitecall finds DJ Mijito spotlighting the music of Björk. At R Bar... The February installment of Culture Drum 'n' Bass finds Deadkids, BLACK 1 and David Pierog joining resident DJs Clay Steele, Wildcat and A.P. At The Underground... The Eugene Boronow Trio play bossa, melodic originals and more. At La Cocina... Spotlighting violinists Lauren Roth and Michelle Abraham Kantor, conductor José Luis Gomez leads the Tucson Symphony Orchestra through Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Eroica and Mozart's Concertone for Two Violins and Orchestra. At Catalina Foothills High School... Named after a poisonous herbaceous plant, these New Englanders were one of the first all-female bands to land a major label deal with RCA was back in 1974. Country Music Hall of Fame inductees The Deadly Nightshade reunite. At Tap + Bottle Downtown...

Saturday, Feb. 29

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Rialto Theatre

It's the Party of the Century: A Black & White Masked Ball Celebrating 100 years of The Historic Rialto Theatre. Cirque Roots performs live. Future Syndicate spins hits for your dancing pleasure. The eighth annual Rialto Theatre Foundation Fundraising Gala takes place at Rialto Theatre. KXCI's Cathy Rivers hosts... Igor Yuzov grew up in the Soviet Union when xenophobia led rock 'n' roll to be banned. Ever rebellious, the Siberian surf-rock of Igor & The Red Elvises will cause your body to twist 'n' shout involuntarily. At 191 Toole... Formed in Echo Park these sonic contortionists, at once trippy and soulful, blend psych-rock aesthetics with pop sensibilities to create their synth-driven hybridized sound. Astronauts of inner space, James Supercave present M.O.W.O. (Money is the Only Way Out), their latest EP, at Club Congress. With Nightweather and Moontrax... Cantante Salvador Duran and folk harpist Adrian Perez present a select repertoire that captures the true essence of Mexican folk music. At El Crisol... Vocalist/guitarist Cameron Hood—the other half of award-winning alt-folk duo Ryanhood— sings in the courtyard at Mercado San Agustin... Led by Clark Kent-ish, horn-rimmed, fiddler extraordinaire, the Billy Shaw Jr. Band hold down Country Saturday Nights. In the Paradiso Lounge at Casino Del Sol... Celebrate the quadrennial anomaly known as Leap Year Day with alt-rock disorder. Pocket Sand, United Snakes and DataData are at Sky Bar... Spreading the plague the old fashioned way. Tucson Pyrate Punx presents Pigmy Death-Ray, The Cadaver dabba doos, The Distortionists, Sucker for the Sour, Los Diablos Gordos, Gutter Town and more. At Edge Bar... Take a Quantum Leap when DJs Ben Annand (Moontribe) tag teams with Toby Roberts (Electric Feel), spinning deep house to techno. At Solar Culture Gallery... 97.5 The Vibe presents R Dub's Slow Jams Live starring Jon B, Atlantic Starr, Frankie J, J. Holiday and Amanda Perez. At Tucson Music Hall... "The world's greatest" Metallica tribute band, Damage Inc and Tucson's The Jack (AC/DC tribute) join forces to dominate the world. At House of Bards...

Sunday, March 1

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Itzhak Perlman

Enjoying a superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician, the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman holds court at Centennial Hall... Perhaps best known for his early work with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, this Texas guitar legend has been hailed by Guitar Player as a "virtual guitar deity." That's right. Jimmie Vaughan plays Rialto Theatre... Bay Area underground rapper Ramirez trucks the Liquid Sunshine Tour into 191 Toole, itching for "40z and Shorties..." Natty & The Sunset play dreamy folk music. At Public Brewhouse... Named after "Father of Bluegrass Music" Bill Monroe, Monroe Crossing electrify with a blend of traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel. At the Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley... Rhythm & Roots presents violinist Tim Kliphuis and guitarist Jimmy Grant, who are teaming up to celebrate the music of famed Gypsy jazz duo Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. At Club Congress... Arizona Friends of Chamber Music presents Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival 2020. This year's festival features the award-winning Jasper String Quartet. Highlighting works by Ross Edwards, Lera Auerbach, Philip Glass and Beethoven's seldom-heard String Quintet in C Major. The festival runs March 1-8 and includes a plethora of musicians. See arizonachambermusic.org for all details...

Monday, March 2

From Guadalajara, this electronic/experimental duo go "defy categorization." Lorelle Meets The Obsolete push the envelope of sound. At Club Congress. Jrown and La Cerca add appreciably to the lineup... Long time Tucson piano man Lamont Arthur teams with vocalist Krystil Jayde, covering Motown to London's underground soul. LaJayde debut at Elliott's on Congress...

Tuesday, March 3

Capturing the sound and flamboyance of Freddie Mercury—who Brian May says bears "more than a likeness"—One Night of Queen is at the Fox Theatre... UA Presents award-winning musician Ingrid Jensen, who has been hailed as one of the most gifted jazz trumpeters of her generation.. At Crowder Hall... DJs Tell Yo Girl and DJ Tega drop killer techno bangers for Taco Techno Tuesday. At Batch...

Wednesday, March 4

Casa Maria Benefit Show 2020: A tribute to the Music of Linda Ronstadt features performances by Lisa Novak with Rich Hopkins and Luminarios, Miss Olivia and the Interlopers, Katie Haverly, Katherine Byrnes, Birds and Arrows, P.D. Ronstadt, Nancy McCallion and Danny Kreiger. At Club Congress. All proceeds and canned food donations to benefit the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen...

Thursday, March 5

City Morgue, "the Moral Majority's new worst nightmare," have earned their notoriety through excess and militancy. "We want to create a world. If you don't have a world, you don't have a cult," ZillaKami told Revolver. On "Arson," these hard-hitting NYC rappers "just wanna watch the world burn over and over." At 191 Toole...

Shout Out

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Mark Anthony Febbo

Singer-songwriter Mark Anthony Febbo celebrates the release of Dry River Redemption, his latest album, on Saturday, Feb. 29, with a formidable ensemble of local talent backing him up: Oscar Fuentes, Heather Hardy, Alvin Blaine, Thøger Lund, Gary Mackender, Tom Walbank, Damon Barnaby, Bruce Halper and Misti Nowak. At Monterey Court. Billy Sedlmayr and Oscar Fuentes and Friends provide opening sets.

On The Horizon

Robyn Hitchcock brings his wry British nihilism to the Club Congress stage. On Friday, March 6... Soccer moms take heed. On Sunday, March 8, Yacht Rock Revue brings the Hot Dads in Tight Jeans Tour to Rialto Theatre... On Tuesday, March 10, "Bona fide, worldwide guitar hero," Tinsley Ellis is at 191 Toole... And, recently appearing on the cover of British GQ, enigmatic country singer Orville Peck rides high into Rialto Theatre on Tuesday, March 10...

Until next week, XOXO...