Mark your calendars…
Thursday, Dec. 15
Tracing the evolution of doo-wop from the classic sound of four or five guys singing harmonies on a street corner in the 1940s to the biggest hits by vocal groups on the radio today, The Doo Wop Project: Holiday Show comes to pass at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Local psychedelic experimentalists Matarraz express “Space Aged Soul” at Club Congress. Special guests New Misphoria and Bush League open…
Singer-songwriter Joe Peña’s confessional songs bear enough heart to prompt St. Peter to give this sinner a pass. He performs his signature twangy, bluesy dark Americana and rock at Tap & Bottle Downtown…
Virginia Cannon presents Thursday Night Live: A weekly singer-songwriter showcase. The latest installment highlights the talent of the Kiko Jácome Trio, Malcolm June, Sunny Gable, Renay Burger, Aaron Burger, Little Cat and Firekid (of Tonight’s Sunshine) at the Monterey Court…
Friday, Dec. 16
“To believe in mariachi means having a passion for life itself,” said Jóse Hernàndez, a fifth-generation Mariachi musician. He leads the world-renowned Mariachi Sol De México through a holiday program that has become an Old Pueblo tradition. Merry-Achi Christmas unfolds at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Known as “the godfather of hardtrap,” SayMyName is an influential figure in EDM. Having roots in the greater Los Angeles area, SayMyName came up in a musical family. After graduating from Chapman University, he took a job at Guitar Center. He spent his spare time in the studio experimenting, eventually fusing together trap and hardstyle to arrive at his signature sound. SayMyName gets “Loco” at Gentle Ben’s…
Emerging in the early ’90s, pianist and composer Ethan Iverson — whose style touches upon sophisticated classical, post-bop, and indie rock — released a handful of solo albums, before co-founding The Bad Plus with bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King. In 2022, he made his Blue Note debut with “Every Note Is True.” On the first of two nights, the Ethan Iverson Trio perform at The Century Room…
Like the aroma of a mouthwatering seafood gumbo wafting through the air, The Muffulettas fill the Monterey Court with their funky, brass-laden New Orleans sound…
Saturday, Dec. 17
Celebrate the holidays with a multicultural, uniquely Tucson event. On the first of two dates, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra: Happy Holidays ¡Feliz Navidad! — features performances by the Tucson Girls Chorus, the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School and Compañía de Danza Folklórica Arizona — comes to life at The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall… Madball originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The New York City beatdown hardcore punks have endured numerous lineup changes in the ensuing years. Co-produced by Tim Armstrong of Rancid, “For the Cause” is Madball’s most recent album, released in 2018. As to their longevity, Madball said, “We don’t know how to do anything else at this point. We raise our families to the best of our ability. We do Madball to the best of our ability. So far so good, and we don’t feel that we’ve reached our full potential in either of those areas yet.” Madball “Set It Off” at The Rock. Special guests The World open…
Local Love presents Festivus — featuring performances by Something Like Appropriate, Then When, Armando Moreno & The Revival, Diluvio, Nocturnal Theory, Los Streetlight Curb Players, and Orchadia — at the Rialto Theatre… Bring in the holidays with proper roots reggae, dub, and dancehall. ZeeCeeKeely and friends — Herb N’ Life, Chris Bowen Vibes, In Certain Truth and Class Acts — spread irie vibes for The Holidaze Bash at Hotel Congress Plaza…
“Tucson post-country weirdos,” Hank Topless & The Dead Horsemen play their signature brand of hardscrabble honky-tonk/hard country-blues — with special guest Katie Mae — on the patio at Che’s Lounge…
Sunday, Dec. 18
On Christmas in 1914, along the Western Front — a 400-mile stretch of land weaving through France and Belgium — approximately 100,000 British and German troops, acting with great courage, vanquishing fear, put down their guns. Out of the silence, came a song. A German soldier stepped into the no man’s land between frontlines to sing “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”). The British responded with a carol. Thus began a previously inconceivable night of camaraderie, music, peace. The heroes of this remarkable story are the lowest of the ranks: the young, the hungry, the cold, and the optimistic. From the Twin Cities, Theater Latté Da presents All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
In a holiday fundraising event for Planned Parenthood and Southern Arizona’s American Heart Association, The eighth annual Arroyo Café: Old Pueblo Holiday Radio Show — featuring Dave Fitzsimmons & The Arroyo Cafe Players, Rob Resetar & Sheryl Anne Mckinley, The Cadillacs and Grandsons of The Pioneers — hits the airwaves, metaphorically, from the Rialto Theatre…
In a special presentation and performance event Grammy Award-winning author and jazz historian Ashley Kahn — focusing on John Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece, “A Love Supreme” — discusses John and Alice Coltrane’s impact on the art form and the timeless message of spiritual jazz. The presentation will be followed by a Coltrane inspired performance by saxophonist Brice Winston & Outward Bound at The Century Room…
Award-winning folk singer-songwriter, guitarist/ukuleleist Wally Lawder & Acoustic Sky present their eighth annual Holiday Show — with special guests Steff Kayser, Don Armstrong, and the Prime Time Dancers — at the Monterey Court…
Southern Arizona Blues and Heritage Foundation present Southbound Pilot. Fronted by vocalist Vasanta Weiss, they are next to host the Congress Cookout. Strains of swampy, jazz-inflected blues rock shall intertwine in the air with the toothsome on the plaza at Hotel Congress…
Enshrouded in mystery, pianist Chris Peña presents The Peña Project at Pastiche Modern Eatery…
Monday, Dec. 19
Club Whutever finds DJs Bonus and PC Party chasing the ever-fickle muse at Club Congress…
Tuesday, Dec. 20
Mixing Jimmy Carr’s gruff blues vocals with the sounds of gypsy jazz, Americana, klezmer, classical — and elements lifted straight from the repertoire of a high school marching band from Anytown, USA — the byproduct lies somewhere in the middle between Gogol Bordello and Slavic Soul Party. Renowned for their improvisational dexterity, Jimmy Carr & The Awkward Moments Big Band present The Merry December Show — featuring violinists Jenna Christina and Samantha Bounkeua, trumpeter Tony Rosano, Johnny O’Halloran on guitar and singing saw, drummer Javier Garcia, Carr on piano and accordion, plus bunnies, dancers and puppets — at The Century Room…
Sisters helping sisters. In a special holiday event benefitting Sister José Women’s Center, musician, force of nature performer, and bandleader Connie Brannock presents A Connie Christmas at Club Congress…
Wednesday, Dec. 21
Since pummeling their way onto the scene with 1994’s seminal album “Burn My Eyes,” new wave of American heavy metallists Machine Head have established themselves in the metal world as a bulldozer that crushes all in its path. Machine Head present their 2022 release, “Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn” — “a dystopian tale of existential torment and horrifying violence that tells the tumultuous tale of two troubled protagonists whose lives entwine, with deeply unpleasant consequences” — at The Rock…
Tucson native, bassist Rene Camacho, relocated to LA in 1996 after earning a degree in jazz studies and composition from the UA. Since then, he has amassed an impressive resumé, having toured or recorded with numerous artists of note, including work with Celia Cruz, Sergio Mendes, Ry Cooder, Angelique Kidjo, Linda Ronstadt, Rickie Lee Jones, Juan Gabriel, Poncho Sanchez, WAR and many others. In a very special concert event Camacho joins Latin powerhouse Zona Libre through a fiery mezcla of salsa, merengue and bachata at The Century Room…
Until next week, XOXO…
