Sadly, the We Got Cactus music-blogging empire is not flush with the sort of cash that would allow us to purchase official Hootie and the Blowfish soccer jerseys for our entire readership, but it's the thought that counts, right? While we're busy trying to negotiate a significant bulk discount with the Blowfish braintrust, feel free to peruse the other wonderful gift options on the site, including a Hootie holiday stocking, which includes two t-shirts and surprises!

Truth be told, I generally don't dig today's indie rock that much. If there aren't loud guitars or drum beats that threaten to change my heart's rhythm, I'm generally not into it.

Now, here's another truth: "The Deep" is an awesome song, and in an effort to find out where they're going to be playing next, I've just liked Roll Acosta's Facebook page. (No, seriously, they can tell you who likes their page. You'll see "David Mendez." Facebook is not a game, people.)

Watch that video. Dig their sound. Be disappointed if you (like me) did not see them at the Great Cover-Up. We'll go to the next show together. It'll be fun.

One of my favorite holiday season traditions each year is the Sonic Solstice radio show broadcast by KXCI FM 91.3.

Now in its 11th year, the program — which airs tonight, Monday, Dec. 17, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. — combines live, in-studio performances of holiday classics and original songs as performed by an always-stellar lineup of local acts, with recorded highlights from past years' shows and amusing DJ banter filling out the time between the live stuff.

Supplying that banter this year will be hosts Cathy Rivers (The Home Stretch), Matt Milner (Locals Only), Bob Girth (The Hub), and Laura Adams (The Music Mix); and the list of scheduled live performers looks a li'l something like this:

Hip Don't Dance
Jacob Acosta (of Race You There and Roll Acosta)
Al Foul
Boreas
Gabrielle Pietrangelo (of Silver Thread Trio)
Keli Carpenter and Taylor Bungard (of The Tryst)
Carlos Arzate and the Kind Souls
Kaia Chesney
The Great Collision (Ryan Green of Ryanhood and Paul Jenkins of ...music video?)
Hans Hutchison
Golden Boots

Pretty sweet, right?

It's the sort of "event radio" that just doesn't happen very much anymore. So, for one night, turn off the TV, put down the video game controllers, and suck back some eggnog with friends and/or family with your radio tuned to 91.3 FM (or stream it at kxci.org). If you're not in the holiday spirit at the end of those four hours, well, you're on your own this year.

I've got to admit something: Kendrick Lamar's much-beloved new album "good kid, m.A.A.d City" wasn't the revelation I had heard it would be would be upon my first listen. It was good, sure, but I didn't freak out about it like I was lead to believe I would—there are skits after most every track, and Lamar tends to lean upon accents and repeated phrases in a way reminiscent to Eminem's worst album, Relapse. That's a shame, considering that his verses are often incredible, showing a lyrical mastery that few today can match. The album is growing on me, but tends to distract just as often as it impresses.

Which is why I'm glad that Lamar made a guest appearance on the new single from Dido (most famous for her collaboration with Eminem on "Stan" more than a decade ago), entitled "Let Us Move On."

This, to me, is what Lamar's album should have been, coming from someone who was unfamiliar with him prior to hearing "good kid, m.A.A.d City": he brings fire and passion to his verse without being concerned about holding the weight of the song's chorus; the backing vocals by Dido, combined with the song's already hip-hop friendly beat, make this a great listen. Check it out below.

Attention all daytime rockers: Because Tucsonans start shivering when it dips down to 60 degrees, and OK, because it might rain, thereby destroying all the equipment donated by our generous sponsors, all of the Great Cover-Up events this afternoon have been moved from the Hotel Congress patio to the Rialto Theatre.

I know, it's no big deal since they're across the street from one another. I'm just trying to save you a few steps and an egg or two on your face.

Admission to both today's and tonight's events is open to all ages. The daytime is FREE, and tonight will set you back an $8 donation to SAAMHA (Southern Arizona Artists and Musicians Healthcare Alliance).

Here's the schedule for the remainder of the event:

Saturday, December 15, (daytime) at Hotel Congress' outdoor patio the Rialto Theatre.

12:30p Evan Dando/Lemonheads
1:00 Robert Johnson
1:30 Supertramp
2:00 The Doors
2:30 '80s One-Hit Wonders
3:00 Cake
3:30 James Brown
4:00 Tom Waits

COVERED BY THE FOLLOWING LOCAL BANDS (in no particular order):
Kyle Brondson, Roman Barten-Sherman, Smallvox, Jumper, The Tangelos, Jeremy Michael Cashman, Roll Acosta, Sinphonics

Saturday, December 15, (evening) at Rialto Theatre

6:00p Joe Walsh
6:30 Quiet Riot
7:00 Flogging Molly
7:30 Leonard Cohen
8:00 Stevie Wonder
8:30 Dixie Chicks
9:00 The Kinks
9:30 Violent Femmes
10:00 The Smiths
10:30 LCD Soundsystem
11:00 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
11:30 Outkast
12:00a Paul Simon
12:30 Red Hot Chili Peppers

COVERED BY THE FOLLOWING LOCAL BANDS (in no particular order):
Wolf Larsen, The Gallery, ...music video?, Skinkfinger, Awkward Moments , David Clark Band, Hank Topless, Holy Rolling Empire, LeeAnne Savage, The Gunrunners, Electric Blankets, The Distortionists, The Tryst, Some Of Them Are Old

Just a friendly reminder that the awesomeness that is The Great Cover-Up begins tonight at Plush.

You know all about it by this point, right? If not, read up here.

We've been posting a video (almost) every day this week of one of the acts getting covered at this year's event playing a cover song, and today is no exception.

Today's clip features The Pretenders — who are being covered on Friday night at Club Congress — playing a song originally recorded by The Kinks — who will be covered on Saturday night at the Rialto Theatre.

Enjoy!

More info and a complete, up-to-date schedule after the jump.

Seriously, if you care about contemporary music at all, you should probably pick up the second Big Boi solo album (well, third, if you count his half of Speakerboxx/Love Below) Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, which hit stores and digital outlets yesterday. There's always some debate about which member of Outkast was the real genius in the group, with most people (read: nerds) who spend time thinking about these things usually siding with Andre 3000, just because he plays to our auteur expectations, dressing strangely, etc.

While Andre is unquestionably an exceptionally talented human being (who should really consider putting an album out again someday), the either/or characterization isn't fair to Big Boi. While he sounds more like we generally think rappers sound like, influenced by 70's funk and rapping about sex (A LOT), he's pushes the envelope just as much as Andre, plus he actually puts out albums, which is nice.

Vicious Lies... is a weird and fascinating record (Big Boi apparently reads a lot of music blogs or something, with guest spots from hipster-approved acts like Phantogram, Little Dragon and Wavves), but it's also just a lot of fun to listen to.

Tucson Rock Alliance is going to have one lucky band play at the "Tucson's Best" Showcase at the Rialto Theatre January 27th, 2013. This is a good opportunity to see some smaller local bands play at this great venue. To vote, just like the photo of the band you would like to see. There are about a dozen bands that submitted photos.

The photo gallery can be seen here.

More information on the event can be found here.

The Rialto announced today that Josh Ritter, super-critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter, is returning to Tucson (as far as I can tell, he hasn't played here since 2007 at Plush?) on March 16. Tickets are $20 in advance, but that includes a digital copy of Ritter's new album The Beast In Its Tracks upon its release on March 5. What a bargain!

Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 14.