XOXO

Mark your calendars

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Deadfeather: Thursday, Sept. 12 @Sky Bar.
Thursday, Sept. 12

A conjurer who manifests at times as a penitent. And at others a sinner, unrepentant. Although this veteran singer-songwriter's sacrament may not be altar wine, his lyrics are confessional. Joe Peña takes a seat in the confession booth. At Club Congress... Like Aves filling their four-chambered hearts with joy, soaring where the clouds of emotion no longer obscure the clear sight of the soul, Birds and Arrows shoot bolts of deliverance (and a righteous dose of unabashed rock 'n' roll). At Tap + Bottle-Downtown... "Met You at That Show." Chicago psych-rockers Dead Feathers are at Sky Bar. Along with Aughties retro rockers Secret Nudist Friends and the always fiery Taco Sauce at Skybar... Baptized in the setting of a John Mellencamp song, this brotherhood of Heartland rockers distill their Southern and Midwestern roots through the filter of '80s FM radio. The Artisanals "Pound the Rock" at Club Congress. With musical camaleón and curandero Carlos Arzate... The September Edition of Resonance Monthly features, from L.A., rising electronic duo Hi I'm Ghost. They are taking the EDM scene by storm with their unique (somewhat quirky) take on bass music. Feel the quake at Gentle Ben's... Playing bossa novas, ballads and blues The Jed Paradies Trio swing at The Coronet...

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Jenny and the Mexicats: Friday, Sept. 13 @ Rialto Theatre.

Friday, Sept. 13

Their full-flavored sound is a mezcla of rockabilly, cumbia, jazz and Gypsy. This multicultural cookery got its start 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" in town. 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"... It would be easy to make comparisons. What singer-songwriter Leila Lopez does is all her own. Reckless and blind, hammering nails, she is courageous. At Crooked Tooth Brewing Co... A black cat crossing your path may serve as an omen. Superstition: A Friday The 13th Burlesque Show entices and beguiles at 191 Toole... "Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes," Moontrax, Yip Deceiver, Future Scars and Jillian Bessett cram a diversity of musicality onto the Club Congress stage... Live large. Smile broadly. Big Grin unspool their homegrown brand of Southwest indie folk at Sand-Reckoner... Released on International Women's Day, "Dueña de Mi" [Owner of Me] is a fierce anthem affirming a woman's right to govern her own body. La Misa Negra [The Black Mass] create a funky mix of Afro-Latin/cumbia. They join the weekly Friday night El Tambó dance party on the plaza at Hotel Congress. Residents Sonido Tambó spin sides... Taking a decidedly minimalistic approach, Prelude stands in opposition to the large-scale studio production of Brian Lopez's previous albums: Static Noise and Ultra. Using only a nylon string guitar, micro-synth, upright piano and one condenser microphone, he allowed himself no more than two takes at each track. Filled with glitches and sonic abstractions, like the movement of fluttering butterfly wings that a camera shutter cannot quite capture, the effect is disquieting. The timbre in Lopez's voice is like that of a child reciting prayers before bed to an unseen god to "take his blessed soul." Nightmare or a lullaby? One is never quite sure. If you are hoping to attend the vinyl re-release of Brian Lopez's Prelude you still may be in luck. Although tonight's Exo Bar show is sold-out, an encore performance at the same venue has been added for Sunday, Sept 15...

Saturday, Sept. 14

"I Remember Now." In 1988, the release of landmark concept album Operation: Mindcrime garnered this "thinking man's progressive metal band" critical acclaim and comparisons to epic works: Pink Floyd's The Wall and Tommy by The Who. Led by Queensrÿche's operatic vocalist, Geoff Tate's Operation: Mindcrime expose conspiracy theories at the Rialto Theatre. Flanked by Irish rock singer Mark Daly and Tribulance... Twenty years in the waiting, Southern rock legends The Outlaws perform their latest album It's About Pride at 191 Toole. The psycho country skirmish that is Hank Topless gets this hoedown underway... Eva Sierra and Isaac Kirkman launch The Reading Series: A new open mic platform. Esteemed poet Teré Fowler-Chapman will read as part of this inaugural event. At La Pilita. DJQ mans the tables... Hard rockers Her Name Echoes, Pyrotechnica and Echoes spark into flames. At Club Congress...

La Cerca's latest is dark and loud. Decidedly, Night Bloom is less of a pop record than Sunrise For Everyone (2014). This album revels in the guitar. Andrew Gardner explains the new sound: "The pop elements have been exchanged for louder guitars. We wanted the guitars to express as much emotion as the vocals." And, to that end they have succeeded. At Exo Bar... They're back. Those bass-driven purveyors of psychedelic/post-punk/folk rock/cabaret, Breaking Glass, will raise a dust. At Saint Charles Tavern... The Jacob Acosta Band, Big Grin and Brian Berggoetz Band cover a wide spectrum at Skybar... Recording 28 Days in the Valley was anything but "Flawless." After being lambasted by producer Linda Perry for showing up wasted to a recording session, vocalist Dorothy Martin received a wake-up call. "You know, the main message of this album is to not live in fear; It's to transform everything in your life to be on the frequency of love, which is so powerful and all healing." Dorothy are at The Rock with blue-haired rock 'n' rolla with a show-stopping voice, Diamante...

Sunday, Sept. 15

Unlike their previous albums, Summer of Sorcery (2019) swears off political discourse. "I wanted to get away from those things," Steven Van Zandt explains. "The politics seemed necessary in the '80s...but now it's too obvious. It's attacking us 24/7 and people need a break from it." Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul spread sunshine and love at the Rialto Theatre... Out on The Empty Sea Tour, Berliner Laura Carbone brings her distinct brand of noisy "dreamadelica" to the American heartland. At Club Congress. Local newcomers jrown are up at bat first...

Monday, Sept. 16

As chronicled in erstwhile vocalist Henry Rollins' tour diary Get in the Van, back in the day these SoCal hardcore punks were blacklisted by the LAPD and several Hollywood rock clubs because of the sheer destructiveness of their fans, making their shows the stuff of legend. Led by guitarist Greg Ginn, the only continuous member since the band's formation in 1976, pioneers in the underground DIY movement Black Flag are at the Rialto Theatre. Damn Right cast the first stone... "Shawty." Former American Idol alumna, soul/R&B singer/actress Kiana Ledé gets "Heavy" at 191 Toole. With "Pretty Misses In The Trap," Summerella and SadGalNina...

Tuesday, Sept. 17

His early pioneering work with eastmountainsouth—blending ancient folklore and modern technology—caught the attention of Robbie Robertson, who signed them to DreamWorks before a major label shakeup precipitated the duo's demise. Now, this folk-pop singer-songwriter's sixth solo effort, A Face Like Mine, continues to introspectively mine of the middle ground between hope and heartache. Peter Bradley Adams performs at Club Congress... "Is It Any Wonder?" It started as a side project between a handful of Indiana University music students. "Did I expect to do this shit once I got out of college? Hell no," says vocalist Durand Jones, laughing. "But this is what God is telling me to do. Move and groove. So I'm gonna stay in my lane."

Durand Jones & The Indications capture the dreaminess and naiveté of '70s soul. At 191 Toole. With the mysterious psych-pop of Rudy De Anda... Drawing compositions from his extensive catalog that spans four decades as well as those of Piazzolla and The Beatles, guitarist Al Di Meola bridges the past, present and future. At the Rialto Theatre... A rousing night of post-modern Americana is promised when P.D. Ronstadt & the Company perform as part of Plaza Live! Tuesday Night Concert Series. At St. Philip's Plaza...

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Phantogram: Wednesday, Sept. 18 @ Rialto Theatre.

Wednesday, Sept. 18

Last year when this electronic rock duo was in town, vocalist Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter took the audience through the hills and valleys of love—from the euphoria of "Fall In Love" to the dispirited realization that "You Don't Get Me High Anymore." At song's end, Barthel said coyly, "We've all got a little bit of hoe in us." Indeed. Phantogram play the Rialto Theatre... With the "scruffy-sounding" bedroom pop-rock of Hana Vu... This downtown lo-watt FM station is on a mission to shine a spotlight on the creative spirit while giving maximum airtime to Tucson music. The Logan Greene Whatever, Feverfew and Sad Reptilian provide the sonic accelerant to fuel the KMKR 99.9 FM Radio Benefit. At Club Congress... Propelled by three accordions and synthesizers, cumbia sonidera rhythms have become as emblematic of Mexico as tacos and tequila, yet this musical style originated in Colombia, before crossing borders. Los Ángeles Azules bring their 35 years of performance experience to Centennial Hall...

Thursday, Sept. 19

"If you ain't first, you're last," a wise man once said. And those words may best summarize this fire-breathing truth-tellers' life. His robust baritone has earned this Texas troubadour the nickname, "Big Velvet," as evidenced on tracks like "Holy Ghost Fire" and "Cocaine Country Dancing." Paul Cauthen preaches at 191 Toole. Pop rock singer Anna Rose sets the tone...

On The Horizon

On Saturday, Sept 21, blues bashers Daddy Long Legs will huff and puff and blow the house down. At 191 Toole... And finally, following Bob Marley's untimely passing in 1981, bassist/founder Aston "Familyman" Barrett vowed to hold the band together and to keep Marley alive through music. Reggae legends The Wailers will do just that performing their classic album Survival on its 40th anniversary. On Sunday, Sept 22. At the Rialto Theatre... 

Until next week, XOXO...