Friday, May 24
Multiculturalism in effect: Their rich sound is a mezcla of rockabilly, cumbia, jazz and Gypsy sung, in both English y Español. Their odyssey began when a 20-year-old, trumpet-wielding firebrand of an English singer moved to Spain to form a band with a rockabilly double bassist and the “best flamenco/punk guitarist” that the two of them knew. Clear away any buffelgrass when
Jenny & The Mexicats blaze a trail towards the Rialto Theatre. With slamming Oakland quartet
Bang Data. “It’s enough to drive a motherfucker loco.”
Armed with replica chromed LED helmets and retro costumes,
One More Time: A Tribute to Daft Punk promises to take the uninitiated and well-seasoned time travelers alike on a sojourn through Daft Punk’s Discovery (2001) album. At 191 Toole.
UG Desert Artists presents Live! From the Underground a showcase of Arizona hip hoppers. At Solar Culture.
Blacklidge Community Collective is the site of an all-ages punk/metal event. Featuring the Nintendo grind of
Cybearg, BYOM, Muddle of Pud and The FIST.
The
B-Sides play “the songs you forgot that you loved,” while
Breaking Glass fill in the low end blissfully. At Irene’s Holy Donuts.
Out on the Mutation Tour,
Midnight Tyrannosaurus’s heavy dubstep beats create “Brain Sludge” at Gentle Ben’s.
DJs Ramrod, Sirenz and Cursor trade off behind the decks.
Natty & The Sunset set smiles straight. At Crooked Tooth Brewing.
The
Unday and Shooda Shook It fill the existential void with melody and groove. At the Surly Wench Pub.
Experimental jazz with
Dark Maps happens off-the-cuff at Westbound.
Nitecall: Women of Wave sees DJ Mijito and RedaDax spinning darkwave/post-punk/new wave/synth/coldwave in honor of the women who undulated. At R Bar.
As part of the Friday Night Live Free Concert Series, virtuoso violinist
Beth Daunis, nylon string master
Mark Wilsey and steel string psychobilly slinger
Phil Lipman may provide “the link between the Old Pueblo and galaxies far, far away.”
Reno del Mar fill the evening air with something other. At Main Gate Square.
From Long Beach, the
Laurie Morvan Band add their unique shade of color to Blues Fridays on the plaza at Hotel Congress.
Saturday, May 25
Canadian psychedelic rockers
Black Mountain’s latest,
Destroyer (Dine Alone Records, 2019), named after the single-run 1985 Dodge muscle car of the same name, captures all of the wide-eyed freedom that comes along with scoring one’s first driver’s license, feeling invincible, and being fully in the driver’s seat. At 191 Toole.
Birds & Arrows and La Cerca propel the evening forward.
Shout out to all the juggalos. Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope bring back the “Dark Carnival.” Hide your offspring.
Insane Clown Posse storm the Fury Tour into the Rialto Theatre.
Juking?
DJs Ruff Idyll, C10, LOMMOL, JunMei, Fluites, Wittheums and B3B kick off a night with freak dancing in mind. Phasing: A Night For Dancing in the Dark. At Owls Club. Body condoms optional.
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.
The heavy stoner rock of
Manguera along with
Kryge, Copper Magma and Jaeki will have Irene’s Holy Donuts rockin’ into the dawn.
Backed by some of Tucson’s finest,
Emilie Marchand sings jazz standards, ’60s soul and vintage country. In the courtyard at Mercado San Agustin.
The
Arizona Symphonic Winds serenades in the night air. At Udall Park. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
They topped the charts during the decade best known for Ally McBeal, Dolly the first cloned mammal, My So-Called Life and the public debut of the World Wide Web, The ’90s House Party, featuring
Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, Tone Loc and Coolio, keeps “The Last Great Decade” alive. At the AVA Amphitheater.
A metalcore/deathcore extravaganza unfolds at The Rock. On the bill:
Decayer, With Crows, Serpents Tongue and Endings.
Roman Catholics are not the only denomination razzed about tipping the chalice If you like your folk music straight with no chaser, nationally acclaimed folk singer-songwriter
Don Armstrong & the Whiskeypaliens perform on the plaza at Hotel Congress.
From Chicago, EDM artists
Autograf believe in leaving a mark on the world. At Gentle Ben’s.
Lephan, Corbin, Lance Fairchild and Mental spin.
Texas post-hardore/noise rockers
Exhalants trample the cross underfoot at Ward6.
Miss Olivia and the Interlopers perform in the tasting room at Sand-Reckoner.
Singer-songwriter
Leila Lopez performs at Exo Roast Co.
John Keeney plays an opening set.
Celebrating 22 years of swing mania, Hipster
Daddy-O and the
Handgrenades detonate on the stage at Club Congress. The recently crowned winners of Battle for KFMADay,
The Endless Pursuit, instigate the assault.
Soul Night: Hip hop, blues and soul are on the menu at Sky Bar.
Shekinah, Chakara Blu and Just Najima will shine brightly.
Black Renaissance features performances by
Seanloui, Street Blues Family and Black Caesar. At Hotel McCoy.
Sunday, May 26
One Big Rock Show, a benefit for 99.1 FM Downtown Radio, features performances by
Sugar Stains, Miss Olivia and the Interlopers, Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks, Dos Hombres, Little House of Funk, Quarter Royale, and Irish punks Katie’s Randy Cat. At Saint Charles Tavern. Making an ever increasing number of public appearances,
DJ Satan hosts.
“A wall is a wall.” These gritty Rhode Island punk rockers have received props in Rolling Stone and Spin.
Downtown Boys bringing their caustic political commentary and dynamic musical edge to the Club Congress stage.
Feverfew, mudpuppy and Shitknife lend a (perhaps slightly contaminated) hand.
From Washington,
Long Sought Rest, Mud of Pud, Sauced Up and Sally Roundhouse perform punk, doom and poetry at Blacklidge Community Collective.
Vocal chamber ensemble
Camerata Sonora perform traditional/sacred music from Scotland, England and America. At Sea of Glass-Center for The Arts.
In what is becoming an annual tradition,
Loveland play in honor of Memorial Day. On the patio at Che’s Lounge.
The
Tucson Pops Orchestra performs Music Under the Stars. At Demeester Outdoor Performance Center.
And, closing the Spring Concert Series, “The Sandman”
Howe Gelb refracts the light under the stars. At Hotel Congress.
Birds & Arrows and David Huckfelt share the stage.