Mark your calendars...
Tonight, Thursday, Dec 7: Backed by a cast of veteran musicians, Amy Mendoza and Strange Vacation dish out straight up rock 'n' roll at Tap + Bottle... While next door, three young songwriters—Jess Matsen, Floating Limbs (aka Ryan Chavira) and June West—emote in the listening room at Exo Roast Co...
Friday, Dec 8: In a rare Tucson performance, Sister Solace, led by Gabrielle Pietrangelo, will perform inspired folk pop at historic Scottish Rite Cathedral... Meanwhile, lovers of Cumbia, Norteño y Ranchera should dust off pointed toe boots because Pedro y Los Líricos are set to ignite Exo Roast Co., en fuego... Oi, death metalheads! The Rock will fall under siege when L.A.'s The Faceless storm into town, with Inanimate Existence...
Saturday, Dec 9: Mixing a reverence to tradition with a punk attitude sufficient to have propelled the band to No. 6 on Rolling Stone's Best Latin Album of 2016 list for !Vamos A Guarachar! (Glitterbeat Records), Orkesta Mendoza return home to Club Congress, with Brian Lopez... And, in a feted career that can boast over 40 No. 1 hits, the legendary Ronnie Milsap brings his bluesy country sound to The Fox Theatre... An evening of surrealist cowboy kitsch awaits when Golden BooTs and Phoenix's Gene Tripp ride into Owls Club. Giddy-up...
Sunday, Dec 10: He's talking about "the good times and drinkin' down the bad." Texas country music sensation Casey Donahew trucks his "double-wide dreams" to 191 Toole, 191 Toole Ave....
Tuesday, Dec 12: Releasing his debut album, Youngest of da Camp (Camplife), at the age of 17, Lil Boosie was poised for success. In 2008, his career hit a snag; The po po found drugs and a handgun in Boosie's car. The rapper served five years in a Louisiana penitentiary. After his release in 2014, Lil Boosie officially changed his name to Boosie Badazz. With a new single, "God Wants Me To Ball," and album BooPac (Atlantic/Trill) set to drop later this month, Badazz will bring the noise to The Rialto Theater...
Wednesday, Dec 13: Drawing inspiration from Gillian Welch and Nickel Creek, indie folk duo Tina & Her Pony—comprised of a classically trained cellist and tenor ukelelist/guitarist—are touring in support of Champion (self released). They will make a pitstop at Bar Passe...
Billed as "The most ridiculously awesome charity event ever..." Don't you dare miss The Great Cover-Up. "Where local bands cover famous bands for a good cause." Indeed. This year's event will take place at three venues over the course of three nights: Thursday, Dec 14 at The Flycatcher, Friday, Dec 15 at Club Congress and Saturday, Dec 16 at 191 TOOLE. All proceeds will benefit Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Reproductive freedom + rock 'n' roll. What better combination? I can think of none...
Hot Wax...
In November, Trees Speak, an experimental rock band led by acclaimed visual artist Daniel Martin Diaz, released their debut double album Trees Speak (Cinedelic Records), incorporating elements of avant garde, electronic, neo-psychedelic with improvisation being the sole tenet. Recorded over a five-day period by Gabriel Sullivan at Dust & Stone Studio, the album takes the listener on a trance-like journey through mutable landscapes reminiscent of krautrock-era Can and the straight fire and mesmeric pulse found on Miles Davis' 1970 classic Bitches Brew...
Cleopatra Hill (Hidden Hand), Crystal Radio's latest release, is a paean to the mysticism of the West. Darkly ambient, the music willfully accedes to the pained beauty of Amelia Poe's voice; A spider weaving silken web that ensnares its prey. "My inspiration for the lyrics was catharsis," says Poe. Like apparitions that appear in fevered dreams, challenging our grasp on reality, before fading to black...
On the Horizon...
Entrenched in the borderlands, Calexico bring forth their genre-crossing sound to 191 Toole on Tuesday, Dec 19, though you better already have tickets because the show is SOLD OUT... Tuesday, Dec 26, sees Howe Gelb's Giant Sand performing Beyond the Valley of Rain in its entirety at Club Congress... Finally, Friday, Dec 29, acoustic showcase The Wooden Ball celebrates its 25th Anniversary at Club Congress...
Until next week, XOXO...
