FOR YOUR READING AND VIEWING PLEASURE
Usually in this space, I explain that there's so much great music stuff happening around town that it simply won't fit in our print pages, and I implore you to check out our listings section for a more-complete picture. And that's true again this week.
But we've taken a mighty big step toward remedying that situation.
Last week, we launched We Got Cactus, the Tucson Weekly's dedicated music blog, to give more coverage to local happenings, as well as national ones, and lots of other music-related stuff. Thanks to Weekly web guy David Mendez, editor Jimmy Boegle, our stable of music writers (especially Eric Swedlund) and lots of others (look for entries soon by Al Perry, The Modeens' Jamie Laboz and others), we hope to be able to cover more musical bases than ever before.
Check it all out at tucsonweekly.com/blogs/WeGotCactus.
FOR YOUR READING AND LISTENING PLEASURE
If you've read our City Week section, you already know about the Tucson Film and Music Festival, the annual film festival that focuses on films that are either about music or have some relation to the Southwest.
Each year—this is the eighth—filmmaker Michael Toubassi (High and Dry) brings to town a slew of carefully selected documentaries, short films, narratives and music videos, many of which have won awards at previous festivals. As anyone who has attended knows, he consistently puts together a fantastic program.
The problem is, not enough people have attended. If you'd like this treasure of a festival to continue in Tucson, do yourself and the rest of us a favor, and take in one of the many films this weekend that would otherwise never be shown here. (Past years have featured live music in conjunction with the films being shown; alas, that doesn't seem to be the case as much this year.)
There are certainly plenty of promising-looking movies, including documentaries on Andrew Bird, Bad Brains, TV on the Radio, and Johnny Cash's troubled manager—and those are just the documentaries, not to mention screenings of music videos by local bands, narratives and short films.
Events take place at several different spots around town, including Century El Con 20, the Loft Cinema, La Cocina and Cinema La Placita, 110 S. Church Ave., which is where the festival kicks off at 7:30 p.m., tonight, Thursday, Oct. 11, with a screening of Give Me the Banjo, a documentary about the titular instrument narrated by Steve Martin.
TFMF events run through Sunday, Oct. 14. A full schedule and complete information are available at tucsonfilmandmusicfestival.com.
FOR YOUR LISTENING AND DO-GOODER PLEASURE
A trio of killer and worthwhile fundraisers are happening this week, if'n you feel like doing some good while taking in some great music.
First up, tonight, Thursday, Oct. 11, is the annual Silent Auction to Benefit All Souls Procession at Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. Fourth Ave. Dozens of local artists including Jeff Smith, Valerie Galloway, Patricia Katchur, Mykl Wells, Mel Dominguez, Bottle Rocket and Krishna Bright have donated works to the cause (Many Mouths One Stomach, which produces the yearly procession), and bidding takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. After that, attendees will be treated to a show featuring Tucson's spookiest band, The Mission Creeps, and a performance by the ladies of Black Cherry Burlesque. Admission is free. For more information, head to surlywenchpub.com, or call 882-0009.
It's been a while since we've heard any new music from Black Sun Ensemble, the local psychedelic rock band led by the troubled-genius guitarist Bolt of Apollo (aka Jesus Acedo). Acedo surfaced a little more than a year ago to put together a benefit show for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona called Kitty Meow, Puppy Chow: Rescue Mission, which included performances by several local bands as well as a poetry reading by Acedo. (According to Acedo, the benefit raised just upwards of $1,000.)
Acedo is reviving the benefit, which takes place this week at The Hut, but the best part of all is this: Black Sun Ensemble will be performing.
The group, which has performed on and off, and in different configurations, since the 1980s, hasn't performed live in more than five years. Additionally, the current lineup—Acedo, Eric Johnson, Joe E. Furno, Scott Kerr and Fonda Insley—has recorded a new album, Across the Sea of Id: The Way to Eden. Welcome back!
But Black Sun isn't the only band performing, of course. Here's a full schedule for the event on Friday, Oct. 12: La Cerca (8 p.m.), Ricky Gelb (9 p.m.), Al Perry (9:30 p.m.), Black Sun Ensemble (10 p.m.), The Swigs (11 p.m.) and The Dead Chiefs (midnight).
The Hut is located at 305 N. Fourth Ave. Cover is a suggested donation of $5, which will be donated to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Additionally, Chicago Music Store has donated a guitar and music lessons to be raffled off. For further details, head to huttucson.com or call 623-3200.
As you likely know, the Tucson Folk Festival, which takes place each spring—the 2013 event will be the 28th annual fest—is one of the largest free festivals of its type in the Southwest, if not the country. But it's certainly not free to produce, which means that the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association (TKMA), which puts on the event each year, raises funds through a series of inventive satellite events all year long. This week brings a mighty cool one.
Folk legend Woody Guthrie, as you've no doubt heard, would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, and the TKMA will pay homage by performing his songs at a benefit at La Cocina this weekend. The current lineup of performers includes Ron Pandy, Chet Gardiner, Ted Warmbrand, Wally Lawder, Eric Hansen, Robyn Landis, Joel Dvoskin, Mike Markowitz, Robert Oser, Bob Wilders, Ernie Votto, Wilbur Welsh, Bob Wilders, Greg Loumeau, Dennis Pepe, Steve Cox and several others.
Tucson Meet Woody! runs from noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 14, at La Cocina, 201 N. Court Ave., as part of the Tucson Meet Yourself festival. Admission to the family-friendly event is a suggested donation of $10 to benefit TKMA. For more information, head to tucsonmeetyourself.org, or call La Cocina at 622-0351.
FOR YOUR SPILLERS-VIEWING PLEASURE
A trio of bands on Burger Records (one of the best damn labels going right now) will be performing a free show at The District Tavern, 260 E. Congress St., starting at 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12: The Tough Shits (read a review of their latest album in this issue), Pop Zeus and, most notably for Tucsonans, The Freezing Hands, a new band fronted by Travis Spillers (The Creamys, The Knockout Pills, Los Federales). The band is lined up to release its debut album on Burger in the coming months; I've heard a rough version of it, and trust me when I say it is fucking awesome—and despite Spillers' CV, it's not just punk rock, but pop, instrumentals and ballads, too (including the touching ode to his wife and son, "Oh, Bird").
Congrats, Mr. Spillers!
ON THE BANDWAGON
Jon Rauhouse on the Hotel Congress patio on Friday, Oct. 12; John Fogerty at AVA at Casino del Sol, next Thursday, Oct. 18; Opti Club Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party with Bob Log III and Big Daddy Log at Club Congress, next Thursday, Oct. 18; Bryan Adams at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 16; Helmet, The Toadies and Ume at the Rialto Theatre, next Thursday, Oct. 18; Gardens and Villa and A House, A Home at Club Congress on Wednesday, Oct. 17; Tony Frank CD-release party at Elliott's on Congress on Monday, Oct. 15; The Jealous Sound and Daytrader at Plush, next Thursday, Oct. 18; Big Business and Skycrawler at Club Congress on Friday, Oct. 12; Busdriver, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle and Mossferatu at Plush on Sunday, Oct. 14; Warm Soda, The Resonars, Secret Highway Secrets and Brittany Katter at La Cocina, next Thursday, Oct. 18; Womb Tomb, Grave Babies, Sleep Like Trees and Boo Boo Kiss at Topaz on Wednesday, Oct. 17; Pete Fine's Beyond Words and Cecile Hortensia at Plush on Saturday, Oct. 13; AWOLnation, Imagine Dragons and Zeale at the Rialto Theatre on Monday, Oct. 15; "Blue, Blues and Boogie Woogie" featuring Joe Bourne, Arthur Migliazza, Doug Davis, Larry Lee Lerma and Tom Walbank at the Westin La Paloma on Friday, Oct. 12; Mako Sica, Peaks, Still Life Telescope and Dream Sick at The HangArt, next Thursday, Oct. 18; Monster Pussy, Kite Sun Kid, Hibris and Hip Don't Dance at Tucson Live Music Space on Saturday, Oct. 13.
There's still plenty of great stuff we didn't get to here, so check our listings.
