R.I.P. RIC EVARIAN
We're saddened to report that Ric Evarian, singer for local hardcore band American Deathtrip, passed away on Wednesday, July 24. Evarian, whose band spanned over two decades — the American Deathtrip performed regularly at the Downtown Performance Center — was a towering figure of the Tucson punk scene and will be missed by many.
Two events are planned to celebrate his life and collect donations for a fund set up for his son.
From 6 to 10 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Aug. 1, at The District Tavern, 260 E. Congress St., there will be a Wake for Ric Evarian. According to the event's Facebook page: "No bands ... just friends and family sharing stories and memories of an epic man." The event is also a potluck, and Beyond Bread will be providing sandwiches. Minors will be allowed as long as they are accompanied by a "responsible parent/guardian."
A show to raise funds will be held at the Rialto Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 10. We'll have more on that next week.
We'd like to offer our sincerest condolences to Evarian's family and friends.
"A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT"
Led by AmoChip Dabney and featuring Bryan Dean, Tom Fetter, Clay Brown and James Hunt, the AmoSphere has had a standing gig at Chicago Bar for the last few years. But their show there on Friday, Aug. 2, will be a special one.
Hunt, who has played drums with the band for the last eight years, will be playing his last show on Friday. He's been valiantly fighting inoperable pancreatic cancer, and the day after the show he'll be heading home to Michigan to spend the rest of his time with his family.
From a press release from his bandmates: "James is truly amazing. His greatest joy is playing and he has given us 'his all' these past months. We want to send him home in true Tucson style, surrounded by those that have loved playing with him or listening to him.
"We'll be collecting donations for James and we hope you'll help us send him home with wonderful memories of a very special night. We love you James ... let's have one hell of a party!"
The event runs from 8:30 p.m. "till dey throw us owt!" on Friday, Aug. 2. Chicago Bar is located at 5954 E. Speedway Blvd. The cover charge is $5. For more information, head to chicagobartucson.com or call 748-8169.
THIS WEEK IN BENEFITS
There are a few other worthwhile benefit shows around town this week.
On Saturday, Aug. 3, The Rock will play host to Dream Forever: A Night of Rock to Benefit Homicide Survivors, a fantastic local organization that provides "support, advocacy, and assistance at no charge to families and friends who have lost an innocent loved one to murder." The show begins at 7 p.m. and will feature performances by Am.Are.Is, Look to the Sky, Race to the Bottom, The Endless Endeavor, Deceptively Innocent, and As We Watch Them Fall.
Admission is a suggested minimum donation of $10, and there will be a raffle for prizes to raise additional funds. The Rock is located at 136 N. Park Ave. For more info, go to rocktucson.com or call 629-9211.
The following night, on Sunday, Aug. 4, the Courtyard Stage at Monterey Court, 505 W. Miracle Mile, will be the site of a jazz Benefit for Prescott Hotshots. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will include performances by Guillermo "Bubba" Faz, Rumba Project, Tucson Jazz Institute Combo, Amilcar Guevara and Homero Ceron, and Rafael Moreno's Latin Jazz Group, featuring Rob Resetar (piano), Mike Levy (bass), Danny Brito (percussion), Mark Mech (drums), Eddie Rodriguez (congas), and lead vocalist Rafael Moreno as well as special guest guitarist Dan Griffin.
The event is open to those of all ages, and all donations will go to the families of the 19 fallen firefighters. For further details, head to montereycourtaz.com or call 207-2429.
On Tuesday, Aug. 6, Playground Bar and Lounge, 278 E. Congress St., will host Stayin' Alive: A Benefit for The Loft Cinema's Building for the Future campaign. A handful of Tucson's best DJs – Dewtron, Eric Meyer, Herm, Bonus, and Matt McCoy — will be spinning disco, funk, and soul music from 7 p.m. to midnight, and there will also be raffles and a dance contest. Disco attire is encouraged, and admission is free. A portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to The Loft's expansion campaign. More information is available at playgroundtucson.com or by calling 396-3691.
BEHIND THE BOARDS
For the second consecutive year, the Potluck Audio Conference (PotLuckCon), which has bounced back and forth between Tucson and New Orleans since its inception (as Tape Op Conference) in 2002, will be held in Tucson, specifically at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Road, on Friday, Aug. 2, and Saturday, Aug. 3. (A 7 p.m. pre-party tonight, Thursday, Aug. 1, will kick off the event.)
For those unfamiliar with the event, PotLuckCon is, according to its website, "where recording engineers, inventors, and enthusiasts all come together as a community to connect and share ideas. Our panels are a divergent mix of people who have experience in all levels of recording and who willingly share their unique point of view. Throughout the weekend, you will have access to engineers and producers from all over the world and get a chance to personally ask them questions you may have. We also have a top-notch gear expo featuring over 40 booths of familiar and not-so-familiar brands and their designers. You will not only get to demo some of the gear you read about, but also get to meet the minds behind it and find out what drives them to make their particular hardware or software."
In other words, it's a recording tech's wet dream, regardless of whether you own your own studio or tinker around with a 4-track at home.
The panels, product demos, gear expo, and parties that comprise the conference are too numerous to rattle off here (for a full schedule, head to potluckconference.com), but one highlight, says Wavelab Studio's Craig Schumacher, who organizes the conference each year, is a keynote panel on Friday at 7:30 p.m. called "The Economics of Record Making," which will feature Steve Berlin (producer and saxophonist for Los Lobos), Tucker Martine (Grammy-nominated record producer, engineer, drummer and composer who has worked with My Morning Jacket and Modest Mouse among many others), Erin McKeown (musician, writer, and producer), Fred Weaver (producer/engineer, musician, and manager of Japanese band Mono), and J.J. Blair (engineer, producer, and musician who has worked with such artists as Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Rod Stewart, and The Who).
That panel, along with the exhibitors trade show portion of the conference, are open to locals at no charge. Full conference registration is $105 in advance, $115 on-site. An on-site day pass is $65, or $35 with a valid student ID. Head to potluckconference.com to register and check out the impressive entire schedule.
If you've been on the fence about attending, I say, do it. I don't know jack about recording, but I've had a fantastic time each year I've gone. And, kudos to Craig Schumacher for keeping the event in Tucson again this year.
ON THE BANDWAGON
Be sure to check our listings sections because there are tons of great shows we didn't get to this week, including: Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and Alejandro Escovedo at AVA at Casino del Sol on Sunday, Aug. 4; Foals, Drowners, and the Electric Blankets at the Rialto Theatre on Wednesday, Aug. 7; Chris Isaak at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Wednesday, Aug. 7; Madeleine Peyroux at the Rialto Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 3; James McCartney (yes, Paul's son) at Club Congress on Monday, Aug. 5; Rock 'N' Blues Fest featuring Canned Heat, Edgar Winter Band, Ten Years After, Rick Derringer, and Pat Travers at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 4; Soft White Sixties and Whiskey Shivers at Plush on Friday, Aug. 2; Whitesnake and Night Ranger at AVA at Casino del Sol on Tuesday, Aug. 6; Breathe Carolina, The Ready Set, Lights Alive and others at The Rock on Sunday, Aug. 4; KC and the Sunshine Band at the Diamond Center at Desert Diamond Casino on Saturday, Aug. 3; Local Love Tribute Fest featuring Evolution (performing the music of Journey), Top Dead Center (Grateful Dead), Strange Days (The Doors), Heart to Heart (Heart), and the Ramonz (Ramones) at the Rialto Theatre on Friday, Aug. 2; The Pork Torta Video Release Party with Al Foul, Pop Gestapo, Andrew Collberg, Golden Boots and, of course, The Pork Torta at Poblano Hot Sauce Factory on Saturday, Aug. 3.
