Soundbites

CRAWLS FOR ALL

Although there's a huge section in the middle of the paper you're holding with all the information you could ever want (you online readers can head to tammies.com and clubcrawl.net, where you can sign up for text-message alerts), I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention this year's Fall Club Crawl™, which takes place all over downtown and Fourth Avenue on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 11.

You know the drill by now: Somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 musical acts, both local and national, will perform on about 25 stages, both indoors and outdoors; a single wristband gains you entry into all.

If you don't already have a wristband, you still have time to get one in advance and save a couple of bucks. You can pick them up through Friday for $8 at all Bookmans locations and Hippie Gypsy. They'll also be available at all participating venues for $10 on Saturday.

And if you've never been to a Club Crawl™, expect to witness downtown Tucson as you've never seen it: vibrant and loaded with sights, sounds and yes, people. Whether you're checking out your favorite local bands, catching up on new ones or just wondering what the hell that giant marching band from Chicago is all about, the Crawl truly has something for everyone.

That said, even with 80 acts performing, not every musical genre can be properly represented, and one area where Club Crawl™ has traditionally fallen a tad short is in the realm of electronic music. To that end, a bunch of intrepid electronic fans and promoters have put together the first-ever electronic music festival: Dub Crawl makes its debut the night before Club Crawl™, at four downtown venues, on Friday, Oct. 10.

The Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., will be the home of the techno stage, which will feature headliner Frankie Bones along with Substation, Mike Traylor, DJ Powder and Thomas Brinson, aka DJ Tarzan, who will be performing his first-ever house set.

Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., hosts the house stage with house producer/DJ/vocalist Colette headlining, as well as sets from Barry Weaver, L Dojah and Tucson's Tranceducer.

The outdoor stage at Hotel Congress will feature jungle, dub and breaks, with Toronto's Freaky Flow, Phoenix's Louder, Tucson's Corbin Dooley (one of the event's promoters) and Mental Experimental.

Sports on Congress, 254 E. Congress St., is ground zero for drum 'n' bass with performers Kid Kryptic, Killah Ranks, Whiteboi, DJ Sync and DJ Erratik.

And finally, the new Centro Lounge, at 20 N. Stone Ave., will make Dub Crawl its grand opening by hosting a lineup of local DJs including Matt McCoy, John Haze, DJ Hart and Sonario.

The event runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., and one wristband, which you can pick up at any participating venue, gets you in to all the action. Presale wristbands are $12; on the day of the event, they'll be $15 before 9:30 p.m., or $20 after. For more information, head to one of these Web sites: rialtotheatre.com, hotelcongress.com, centrolounge.com or hellaphat.com.

See you at one or both Crawls, and as Mom used to say, "Have fun, and be careful." Those taxis are there for a reason, y'know.


THE GREAT COVER-UP IS ON ITS WAY

Another local music institution is fast approaching: This year's Great Cover-Up is slated for Thursday, Dec. 11, through Saturday, Dec. 13. I'll speak for the rest of the organizers by saying that we are, as usual, hoping to make this year the bestest one yet (you betcha!), but in order to do so, we need the help of a whole lotta local bands--so we are currently accepting submissions to participate.

Just in case you have no idea what in the hell I'm talking about, here's a brief explanation: Local bands that normally perform original material gather to perform a 20-minute set of songs by another band or artist. Simple enough, right? Because all proceeds from the door are donated to charity--specifically, for the second consecutive year, to the Tucson Artists and Musicians Health Alliance--no one will be financially compensated for their efforts. Your participation will, however, enrich your soul, and it'll be about the most fun you'll ever have donating your time to charity.

If you've kept up with the Cover-Up, you may know that last year was what we're pretty sure was the 10th anniversary edition. To celebrate, we wiped the slate clean of bands previously covered (there is a rule in place that states that a band that's already been covered is off limits). So this year, there is an off-limits list, but it's rather small; none of these bands can be covered: Aerosmith, Lily Allen, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Cat Power, The Clash, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Danzig, Dead Kennedys, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Green Day, Guided by Voices, Hot Water Music, Chris Isaak, Journey, Judas Priest, Madness, Men at Work, New York Dolls, Edith Piaf, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Timberlake, T. Rex, Ween, The Who, ZZ Top--and, as usual, The Beatles.

If you're interested in participating, send an e-mail with the following information: your band name, what type of music you normally play, your top three picks for bands you'd like to cover, and a contact name and phone number and/or e-mail address. Additionally, if you have a scheduling conflict with any of the three nights (legit ones only, please), let us know as far in advance as possible, as this sucker is a scheduling nightmare. The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24. Until then, we'll be waiting patiently at our inbox.


SHORT TAKES

There's an awful lot more going on this week.

Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St., will host an all-ages, outdoor triple-bill extravaganza headlined by new wave revivalists We Are Scientists at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 14. Also on the bill are Montreal's The Stills and locals The Static Session. $15; 622-8848.

Hayes Carll, a young, literate Texan singer-songwriter who sounds a bit like a cross between Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett, will appear at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., on Tuesday, Oct. 14, in support of his latest album, the critically acclaimed Trouble in Mind (Lost Highway, 2008). Austin's The Dedringers open at 9 p.m. $10 advance, $12 day of show; 798-1298.

Weekly contributor Linda Ray's favorite new discovery, Barcelona, Spain's Cuchillo, arrive at the outdoor patio at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Monday, Oct. 13. Expect some gorgeous, pastoral, slightly psychedelic folk-pop. Naim Amor opens at 7 p.m. Free; 622-8848.

There are a bunch of great shows at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., this week as part of the Tucson Film and Music Festival (see this week's feature article), but this one's worth mentioning again: Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, David Vandervelde (recommended for fans of T. Rex and Fleetwood Mac), The Sibleys, and Judgement Day, at 8:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10. $9 advance, $10 day of show; 798-1298.

One-man jam band Keller Williams returns to town next Thursday, Oct. 16, in support of his recent two-CD/DVD live collection, called, appropriately enough, Live (SCI Fidelity, 2008). Things at this all-ages show get rolling at 8 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. $22 in advance, $24 day of show; 740-1000.

Former Concrete Blonde frontwoman Johnette Napolitano (as far as we know, no relation to Janet) heads to Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., for a 7 p.m. set next Thursday, Oct. 16. $17; 622-8848.

The dazzlingly talented Austin singer-songwriter Bob Schneider is also at Club Congress this week. In addition to playing some old favorites, he'll be previewing songs from his upcoming ninth album. This show is at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15. $15; 622-8848.

A pair of Arizona acts we haven't heard from in far too long are coming out of hibernation (in Arizona, summer is hibernation season) for local appearances--at two different shows on the same night.

Former Topless Opry frontman Hank Topless writes in to say: "After paying my debt to society in a couple of Arizona penitentiaries, I've made it back to Tucson, and will be playing the Red Room at Grill, Friday, Oct. 10, at 11 p.m. ... purveying my brand of lonesome honkytonk countryblues loungemusic." Welcome back, Hank. Grill is located at 100 E. Congress St. Free; 623-7621.

And Phoenix psychobilly-surf-punk combo Grave Danger, who we haven't heard from in almost two years, will headline a shindig at The Hut, 305 N. Fourth Ave., also on Friday, Oct. 10. This one gets rolling at 9:30 p.m. with sets from Wolf Man and the Nards and Al Foul. $5; 623-3200.