8 p.m.: Flash Molasses (Prescott)
9 p.m.: Crosscut Saw
10 p.m.: Jerry "Hot Rod" DeMink Band (San Diego)
11 p.m.: Steve McLaughlin (Atlanta)
Midnight: 8 Minutes to Burn with Brass Pandemonium
Things get rolling on this outdoor stage at 8 p.m. with Prescott's Flash Molasses, a jam band that combines funk, jazz, blues and rock into a very danceable stew. At 9 p.m., prepare yourself for a dose of Texas blues courtesy of Crosscut Saw, featuring the father-and-son guitar team of Clark and Jeff Engelbert. From San Diego, the Jerry "Hot Rod" DeMink Band adds a bit of blues and hillbilly gospel to its rockabilly foundation. They're on at 10 p.m., just before Atlanta's Steve McLaughlin, a former UA place-kicker whose roots rock sounds a bit like a collaboration between Social Distortion and Cracker, at 11 p.m. At midnight, the funky-ass jam-band 8 Minutes to Burn, abetted by Brass Pandemonium, will have you dancing into the morning.
8 p.m.: Quieres Mas
9 p.m.: Suerte
10 p.m.: Relente
11 p.m.: iMas
Midnight: iMas
Take a look at the name of this stage, and you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Quieres Mas gets the party started at 8 p.m., followed at 9 p.m. by Suerte, who specialize in a classic big-band Tejano sound with horns. At 10 p.m., Tucson veterans Relente bring their brand of Latin rock (with the occasional Johnny Cash cover thrown in for good measure) to the stage, and in both the 11 p.m. and midnight slots, iMas closes out the night with a mix of Tejano, country, oldies and a bit of funk.
8 p.m.: Vine St.
9:15 p.m.: Shaun Harris
10:30 p.m.: The Project
11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.: Chali 2na
Known for its eclectic schedule of acts, this historic downtown theater tonight transforms itself into a hip-hop mecca, starting at 8 p.m. with Vine St., which features rapping over a bed of traditional funky pop. At 9:15 p.m., the Tucson Area Music Awards-winning emcee Shaun Harris takes over the stage, followed at 10:30 p.m. by The Project, which features a pair of rappers flowing over a band that's a throwback to the Motown soul of the early '70s. At 11:30, strap yourselves in for a set by underground rapping legend Chali 2na, a founding member of both Ozomatli and the Jurassic 5.
8 p.m.: Bad Tourist
9 p.m.: Funky Bonz
10 p.m.: The Wyatts
11 p.m.: The Jits
Midnight: Nevershine
The Rialto will also feature an outdoor stage tonight, with a rather diverse lineup. Mixing blues, jazz, country and pop elements—along with a ukulele-playing singer—Bad Tourist gets the night up and running at 8 p.m., followed at 9 p.m. by veteran funk band Funky Bonz, which features some of the same members as Bad Tourist. The Wyatts, a polished band of country-rockers, hit the stage at 10 p.m. At 11 p.m., The Jits mix everything from country rock to hard rock to rap—all in a tidy little package. And at midnight, get treated to a rare live performance from alt-rockers Nevershine.
9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.:
A night of new circus, acrobatics, hooping and stilt-dance featuring:
• Flam Chen: high energy axe stilt-dance
• Orbital Evolution: Tucson's modern hoop troupe
• Flight School Acrobatics: theatrical acro-yoga
• Mamaxe: pan-African inspired dance company
They don't call this outdoor stage—located off of Broadway Boulevard in between Fifth and Sixth avenues—the Cabaret Stage for nothin'. Tucson is rich with circus-inspired performance acts, and this is where you want to be to catch some of its best and brightest in one convenient spot.
8 p.m.: A Son y Sol
9 p.m.: Dream Sick
10 p.m.: Ladylike (Phoenix)
11 p.m.: Elmo Kirkwood (Phoenix)
Midnight: American Android
The lineup on the outdoor stage at this downtown institution is as eclectic as they come, and it begins at 8 p.m. with A Son y Sol, whose unique sound is a fusion of the members' Peruvian, Mexican, jazz and classical backgrounds. Dream Sick, a fresh, young psychedelic rock band that seems equally influenced by MGMT and Tucson's own Golden Boots, is on at 9 p.m.; next up is a pair of Phoenix acts: the whimsical sing-along pop of Ladylike at 10 p.m., and Elmo Kirkwood, who just happens to be the son of Meat Puppet Curt Kirkwood, at 11 p.m. If you like your political rock hard and heavy, you won't want to miss American Android at midnight.
8:30 p.m.: Signals
9:30 p.m.: The Gallery
10:30 p.m.: Blind Divine
11 p.m. to 2 a.m.: DJ Matt McCoy
The roster of acts performing on the Club Congress stage is just as eclectic as the one on Congress' outdoor stage, starting at 8:30 p.m. with young, melodic hard-rockers Signals. At 9:30 p.m., the extremely talented The Gallery manage to mix hardcore, the agitprop stylings of Rage Against the Machine and, yes, elements of Southern rock into their potent sound. Featuring world-renowned visual artist Daniel Martin Diaz (who designed and created the stage on which he'll be playing) and his wife, singer Paula Catherine Valencia, Blind Divine is a dreamy, ambient shoegaze band with elements of trip-hop and a penchant for the theatrical. They'll perform at 10:30 p.m. From 11 p.m. onward, DJ Matt McCoy spins the tunes for his weekly Bang! Bang! dance night.
8 p.m.: 115 Down
9 p.m.: Delta Junktion
10 p.m.: Los Nawdy Dawgs
11 p.m.: Mad Styles
Midnight: Chucky Chingon
The downtown home for all types of Latin music, Sharks starts the night off at 8 p.m. with 115 Down, who play everything from folk-pop to reggae. Delta Junktion brings its live hip-hop flavor to the stage at 9 p.m., followed at 10 p.m. by Nogales transplants Los Nawdy Dawgs, who describe their music as "south of the border pulp fiction Latin blues rock." At 11 p.m., it's more hip hop, courtesy of Mad Styles, and at midnight, in keeping with Club Crawl® tradition, DJ Chucky Chingon takes over the wheels of steel until closing time.
9 p.m.: Anti-God Rape Squad
10 p.m.: Discos
11 p.m.: Vox Urbana
Midnight: Shark Pants
1 a.m.: Flagrante Delicto
Once known as one of the only downtown watering holes that didn't feature live music, the tavern has been featuring some killer shows lately. That tradition continues tonight starting at 9 p.m. with Anti-God Rape Squad. At 10 p.m., it's the fantastic but difficult-to-describe Discos, who should appeal to fans of everyone from Modest Mouse to Brian Eno to Yo la Tengo. Vox Urbana, who perform "garage cumbia"—a potent mix of cumbia and punk rock—are on at 11 p.m., followed by an increasingly rare performance by one of Tucson's best damn punk bands, Shark Pants, which features Lenguas Largas frontman Isaac Reyes, at midnight. At 1 a.m., Flagrante Delicto, who sound something like what Frank Zappa might be playing at the circus in hell (yes, that's a compliment) cap off the night.
9 p.m.: Torn Hammer (Bullhead City)
10 p.m.: Methra
11 p.m.: Cave Dweller (Phoenix)
Midnight: TOAD (Tempe)
1 a.m.: Hell Follows
Most of the bookings at Vaudeville lately have been of either the hip-hop or punk/metal variety, and tonight, its lineup of acts represents the latter. Bullhead City's Torn Hammer prove that melodic screamo is not an oxymoron at 9 p.m., followed at 10 p.m. by Methra, who sound a bit like Black Sabbath if Ozzy were a growler. Phoenix's Cave Dweller—whose music is described by the Vaudeville folks as "a potent blend of harmonies, technicality and gruff vocals"—is up next, at 11 p.m. At midnight, all hail TOAD, a six-piece metal band from Phoenix featuring distorted organ, snarling vocals and killer guitar riffs aplenty. Tucson metal act Hell Follows, whose sinister-sounding vocalist has obviously studied the Mike Patton playbook, closes the night out at 1 a.m.
8 p.m.: Film Program 1
8:30 p.m.: Billy Sedlmayr
9:30 p.m.: Loren Dircks
10:30 p.m.: Film Program 2
11 p.m.: Fish Karma
Midnight: Al Perry
Perhaps the best listening room of all the Crawl venues, The Screening Room features a lineup starting with a film program at 8 p.m., followed at 8:30 p.m. by the rough-and-sensitive songs of Billy Sedlmayr, who's crawled through the fire and come out on the other side to sing about it. At 9:30 p.m. Loren Dircks, frontman for country-metal band Gila Bend, performs a rare solo set, followed at 10:30 by more films. Alternative Tentacles recording artist Fish Karma, he of the sharp-witted social satire, hits the stage at 11 p.m., and Al Perry, Republican presidential primary candidate and the unofficial mayor of Tucson, does what he does best at midnight.
8 p.m.: Danger Kats
9 p.m.: Despondency Denied
10 p.m.: Heart Attack Shack
11 p.m.: Broken Romeo
Midnight: Scorned Embrace
This perennial UA hangout tonight presents a series of hyphenate-rock acts, starting at 8 p.m. with the Chili Peppers-influenced funk-rock of the Danger Kats. The blues-rock sounds of Despondency Denied take over the stage at 9 p.m., just before the funk-, blues- and reggae-imbued rock of Heart Attack Shack at 10 p.m. The 11 p.m. slot brings '80s-influenced, melodic hard-rockers Broken Romeo to the stage, and at midnight, the pummeling metal of Scorned Embrace rocks you into the wee hours.
8:30 p.m.: Rex Arsenal Band
9:30 p.m.: The Foleys
10:30 p.m.: Spartacus
11:30 p.m.: Sugar Stains
Things at The Hut's outdoor stage (just look for the giant tiki head) get rolling at 8:30 p.m. with the Rex Arsenal Band, who sound like Thin Lizzy one minute, and an indie version of Pink Floyd the next. At 9:30 p.m., it's The Foleys, who trade in guitar-heavy songs with pop hooks, just prior to a reggae-rock set by Spartacus at 10:30 p.m. The all-female Sugar Stains dish out a set of short, sharp pop-punk tunes at 11:30 p.m. to close out the night.
8 p.m.: Roll Acosta
9 p.m.: Blazing Edisons
10 p.m.: Cosmic Slop
11 p.m.: Neiphi
Midnight: Gaza Strip
The indoor stage at The Hut tonight is all over the map—in the best possible way. Get a dose of earnest acoustic folk-pop at 8 p.m. courtesy of Roll Acosta, just before a set of good-time, rollicking blues-rock from Blazing Edisons at 9 p.m. Climb aboard the mothership at 10 p.m. with the funky-ass sounds of Cosmic Slop, Tucson's answer to P-Funk. Switch gears at 11 p.m. for the hook-filled pop-punk of Neiphi, followed at midnight by the catchy neo-grunge rock (with a sense of humor) of Gaza Strip.
8:30 p.m.: John Gimmler
9:30 p.m.: SuchaMC
10:30 p.m.: Black Jackalope Ensemble
11:30 p.m.: Early Black
12:30 a.m.: Leather Clutch
It's yet another eclectic lineup tonight at this astronomy-themed bar that runs on 100 percent solar energy, starting at 8:30 p.m. with John Gimmler, just before the inventive, winning nerd-rap of SuchaMC at 9:30 p.m. Tucson can't claim to have many fusion jazz bands, but with the recent formation of Black Jackalope Ensemble, we can claim at least one damn good one. They're on at 10:30 p.m., just prior to a set of dark gothic shoegaze by Early Black at 11:30 p.m. The co-ed electro-hop duo Leather Clutch gets you bouncing at 12:30 a.m.
9 p.m.: DJ Bonus
10 p.m.: The Bitchells
11 p.m.: DJ Table Manners
Midnight: DJ Nature
The rooftop at this recently opened playground-themed nightclub will be jumping all night with sets by a trio of DJs and one band. DJ Bonus mans the decks at 9 p.m., with the tasteful pop of The Bitchells following at 10 p.m. At 11 p.m., DJ Table Manners takes the wheels (of steel, that is), and at midnight, he hands them off to DJ Nature.
9 p.m.: Whisk
10 p.m.: People From the Sun
11 p.m.: Jivin Scientists
Midnight: Big Meridox
We couldn't be happier to have Mr. Head's, the Fourth Avenue combination art gallery and bar, participate in its first-ever Crawl tonight, and it's got a mighty fine lineup of local hip-hop acts on board for the event, starting at 9 p.m. with Whisk. Former TAMMIES winners in the Best Hip-Hop category, People From the Sun match hardcore rhymes with a positive vibe. They're on at 10 p.m., just before Jivin Scientists' brand of dark and honest rap takes over at 11 p.m. At midnight, prepare yourselves for Big Meridox's 520-proud, rough-hewn flow.
7 to 9:30 p.m.: Wayback Machine
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.: DJ Herm
Boasting an outdoor courtyard abetted by a cantina bar, La Cocina emanates great vibes, no matter what's going on there. Tonight, the restaurant/venue will split the night in two, in a manner of speaking. From 7 to 9:30 p.m., the Wayback Machine will perform a tasty gumbo of flavors including blues, country, boogie-rock, bluegrass, reggae and whatever else is lying around the kitchen, both covers and originals. Then, at 10 p.m., La Cocina's weekly Dance! Dance! Dance! night, featuring DJ Herm—who will play just about anything as long as it keeps your ass moving—takes over until closing time.
9 p.m.: Brian and the Throwing Knives
10 p.m.: Blaylock the Destroyer
Midnight: Paul Wright Chamber Pot Trio
This delightfully eclectic downtown café tonight joins the Club Crawl® fray with performances by blues band Brian and the Throwing Knives at 9 p.m., three-piece metal act Blaylock the Destroyer at 10 p.m., and classical music from Paul Wright Chamber Pot Trio at midnight.
7 p.m.: Matthew Cordes
8 p.m.: Hans Hutchison
Enjoy a meal, a coffee concoction, a beer or a glass of wine at this Fourth Avenue café as you soak in the country-folk stylings of Passe mainstay Matthew Cordes at 7 p.m., and singer-songwriter Hans Hutchison, who pulls influences from flamenco, blues, jazz, mariachi and classical into his original sound, at 8 p.m.
8 p.m. to 1 a.m.: The Benjamins
At this downtown café and tavern, it's all about The Benjamins, who play classic-rock covers tonight from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
7:30 to 10 p.m.: Jeff Lewis and Friends
Jeff Lewis, onetime president of the Tucson Jazz Society's board of directors, performs with friends at this downtown mainstay tonight from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.: Misael Barraza with dancers Macarena Giraldez and Esther Sánchez-Gomez
This downtown Spanish restaurant transforms into a flamenco club from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight with music by guitarist Misael Barraza and dancing from Macarena Giraldez and Esther Sánchez-Gomez.
9 to 11 p.m.: Belly Dance Tucson
The longstanding Fourth Avenue eatery tonight features the seductive art of belly-dancing, courtesy of Belly Dance Tucson, from 9 to 11 p.m.
8 to 10 p.m.: Planet Jam
Grab a quick slice of 'za at this pizza joint while taking in the gypsy-reggae sounds of Planet Jam from 8 to 10 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.: The Bennu
The perfect place to fuel up on coffee and sugary treats, the Chocolate Iguana will tonight feature the funky dance grooves of jam-band The Bennu from 7 to 9 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.: Los Foileros
This outdoor park, next to Bison Witches on Fourth Avenue, features a performance from Afro-Latin ensemble Los Foileros tonight from 7 to 9 p.m.
7 to 9 p.m.: Logan Greene and Big Flat Boys
This plaza at the corner of Stevens and Fourth avenues will feature the gifted literary-minded singer-songwriter Logan Greene and his backing band of the day, the Big Flat Boys, performing from 7 to 9 p.m.
5:30 to 9 p.m.: Noodles Factorie
This downtown Neapolitan Italian restaurant and wine bar features live music tonight from 5:30 until 9 p.m., courtesy of Noodles Factorie.
6 to 7:30 p.m.: Dream Sick
Before taking the outdoor stage at Hotel Congress later in the night, Dream Sick, a fresh young psychedelic rock band that seems equally influenced by MGMT and Tucson's own Golden Boots, will perform from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at this authentic Fourth Avenue Mexican eatery.
8 p.m. to 1 a.m.: Hip Hop show featuring Cash Lansky, Merlo, James-O, Zona Kid, Young Tre, Groom Lake Doom and Big Meridox
Short for "The Underestimated City," TUC Shop (at 115 E. Broadway Blvd.) marks its first-ever Club Crawl® tonight with a killer hip-hop show from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., featuring performances by Cash Lansky, Merlo, James-O, Zona Kid, Young Tre, Groom Lake Doom and Big Meridox.