Mark your calendars…
Thursday, Dec. 8
Buckcherry arrived on the scene during the drab days of the post-grunge era. They developed a following pushing a decidedly old school hard rock aesthetic. Since then, frontman Josh Todd has been the only constant. At an AA meeting after a DUI arrest in Orange County, Todd had a moment of clarity. “I knew this was the last stop. I was heading to jail, institutions or death,” Todd said, pensively. “I had been doing crystal meth and drinking for three days straight. At one point my hands were paralyzed. It scared the shit out of me.” Now, 28 years sober, Todd stated, “Staying sober isn’t the hard part. The hard part is managing your mind. The mind of an addict is the problem.” Keeping the torch of ’80s Sunset Strip sleaze burning brightly, Buckcherry play the Rialto Theatre. Moon Fever and Fading Point kick things off…
Ready to set the world ablaze, rising country singer Tyler Braden knows a thing or two about fire. Braden moonlighted as a firefighter in Nashville while getting his career off the ground. In 2020 he introduced himself to the world with a rendition of Needtobreathe’s 2014 hit “Brother,” offering the song as a tribute to first responders fighting on the front lines during the pandemic. Braden is at The Maverick: King of Clubs. Tucson’s Billy Shaw Jr. Band opens…
In a continuing series, Pete Swan presents a new jazz-fusion quartet. Featuring keyboardist Richard Katz, saxophonist Gary Love, bassist Evan Arredondo and Swan behind the trap kit, they return in an encore performance at The Century Room…
Since 2020, while studying jazz performance at the UA, Karly Villocino has served as the guitarist for the UA Experimental Ensemble and UA Concert Jazz Band. With this performance acting as their senior recital, the Karly Villocino Quintet — saxophonist Victor Gutierrez, guitarist Ricardo Garcia, bassist Colin McIlrath, and drummer Rylande Dodge — lead the descent into the dead of the Late Night at The Century Room… Delivered in a snarling, at times screamed, male/female call and response vocal style — that, somehow, melds into harmony — Shehehe’s frenzied, autobiographical songs rail about everyday life, the things that drive them crazy, and the things they love. Guitarist Noelle Shuck describes their latest effort, 2020’s “Pet Songs,” as “the culmination of years of chemistry and evolution of our makeup and sound. It’s pretty much one big barn burner.” From Athens, Georgia — uncompromised, unabashed, uninhibited, female-fronted punk rockers — Shehehe make landing at the House of Bards for an all-ages bonanza…
Friday, Dec. 9
Integrating its love for British pop songcraft with crunching power chords, Cheap Trick — whose name came about at a Slade concert, where bassist Tom Petersson commented that the band used “every cheap trick in the book” — provided the necessary links between ’60s pop and ’70s punk and metal. They stand as an American institution — with three original members still in the fold, frontman Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, and Petersson — revered around the globe since the band’s inception in 1974. And they are still going strong. In 2021 the Rockford, Illinois, quartet released “In Another World,” its 20th studio album. Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick are at the Desert Diamond Casino…
Known for the quality of his live and recorded musical performances, Grammy and Emmy award winner Harry Connick Jr. — having charted seven top 20 albums and 10 No. 1 jazz albums, more than any other artist in U.S. jazz chart history — is one of the bestselling musical artists and composers working today. Connick’s 1993 album “When My Heart Finds Christmas” — his bestselling record to date — has become the soundtrack to Christmas for a legion of fans. As 2022 draws to a close, Connick Jr. and his band return to The Old Pueblo for A Holiday Celebration — with a program packed with Christmas classics and original compositions — at Centennial Hall…
During the mid-1980s — as torn leather jackets, face piercings, liberty spikes and mohawks began to proliferate — Tucson speed punks Useless Pieces of Shit (UPS), fronted by Larvae E. Kudish (aka Lenny Mental), ran riot and were as ubiquitous as the graffiti that they spray painted about town. A motley crew of locals — The Besmirchers, Freezing Hands, Napalm Strike, Standard Deviance and The Allstar Mormons — circle the wagons to toast Mental. Punk’s Not Dead Yet: Lenny Mental’s Birthday Bash pops off at 191 Toole…
Throughout the 1960s and ’70s TV specials by Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, and The Osmonds were a distinctive feature of the holidays. In The Christmas Mood: A Holiday Music Spectacular — starring Katherine Byrnes, Brian Levario, Chach Snook and Crystal Stark — brings timeless treasures and holiday remembrances to bear at the Fox Tucson Theatre…
Raised in the teeming metropolis of Mexico City, Jessica Audiffred has pushed a future-forward style of EDM that has propelled her rise to prominence. Dubbed “one of the hardest players in the game,” Audiffred brings The Ryoko Tour to Gentle Ben’s. Special guests Blank Face, Wrld Cyphr, Demise and ADM provide support…
Continuing to reach far beyond their folk roots, acclaimed singer-songwriter Sophia Rankin & The Sound share the stage with Remi Goode — a trained classical guitarist and choral singer turned alternative folk/pop singer-songwriter — at Club Congress…
LA punk/rockabilly power trio The Rocketz, Tucson rockabilly/psychobilly band with Native American roots The Reztones and Mesa punkabilly band The Devillains form a triumvirate at the Surly Wench Pub…
Tucson-via-Los Angeles drummer Tim Rachbach & Night Dreamer pay tribute to the music of saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter at The Century Room…
A night with Armando Moreno & The Revival charges the night air with their signature country-tinged rock ’n’ roll at Sky Bar…
El Tambó celebrates the rich cultural diversity of the borderlands on the dance floor outdoors on the Hotel Congress Plaza while DJ Hump House keeps the Friday night vibe lit indoors at Club Congress…
Saturday, Dec. 10
“Nobody puts the Feliz in Navidad quite as jubilantly as The Mavericks.” Featuring selections from their 2018 holiday album “Hey! Merry Christmas!” — from the rollicking opening track “Christmas Time Is Coming ’Round Again” to the sultry blues of “Santa Wants to Take You for a Ride” — alongside hits from their acclaimed 30-year career, The Mavericks’ Very Merry Christmas Tour redefines what the sounds of Christmas can be at the Fox Tucson Theatre. Special guest JD McPherson opens this sold-out holiday event…
The Jons — vocalist Jon Villa, drummer James Peters, bassist Javier Gamez, guitarist Charlie Rodriguez, keyboardist Paul Jenkins and trumpeter Michael Carbajal — present the second A Very Jons Christmas at the Rialto Theatre. Along with special guests Drew Cooper, Natalie Merrill, Sophia Rankin and Jim Dalton, surely the spirit of Christmas will be kidnapped and held for ransom…
Spending much of the past few years on the road — rocketing from playing backyards and bars to massive festival stages — “Renaissance artist” Alejandro Aranda (aka Scarypoolparty) has seemingly thrived in chaos. Featuring 12 songs with Emmy and Tony Award-winning composer Rob Mathes’ orchestral arrangements, singer, musician and “American Idol” alum Alejandro Aranda presents his sophomore release “The Act of Forgiveness” at 191 Toole. Haiden opens…
Modeled after the longest-running broadcast variety show in the United States, the Tucson Opry: Holiday Edition — featuring performances by Laurie Lewis, Jon Graboff, Mariachi Las Aguilitas de Davis, poet Logan Phillips y mas — unfolds at Hotel Congress Plaza. Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin host…
Funky Bonz and Barnaby & The Butcher form an alliance at Monterey Court…
Resident DJ Posi plays the latest club bangers indoors at Club Congress while DJs Bex & Halsero detonate sonic bombs, keeping the dance floor radiating heat outdoors on the Hotel Congress plaza…
Reggae rock powerhouse The Resinators present “Vacation,” the San Diego-based trio’s latest EP, at The Rock. Special guests Desert Fish and the Riddims share the stage…
Sunday, Dec. 11
Among Mavis Staples’ numerous distinctions, she is a Blues and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and a civil rights icon. Hailed as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” she marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and sang in Barack Obama’s White House. “I’m the messenger. That’s my job. And I can’t just give up while the struggle is still alive. We’ve got more work to do.” Staples’ 2022 release “Carry Me Home” — a collaborative album with legendary musician Levon Helm, recorded at his studio in 2011, shortly before his death — is a clarion call to justice, brotherhood, equality and love. The mighty Mavis Staples brings her commanding voice to the Fox Tucson Theatre. Special guest Kam Franklin of The Suffers opens the show…
The title track to Queensryche’s 1990 album “Empire” warns of an unstoppable, dystopian future, rife with violence, in which drug trafficking leads to societal collapse. Fueled by the chart-topping success of hit single “Silent Lucidity,” “Empire” stands as Queensryche’s greatest commercial success, garnering the “thinking man’s progressive metal band” critical acclaim. In 2012, after being fired by his Queensryche bandmates, vocalist Geoff Tate unsuccessfully sued the band to prevent them from using the name. While the judge ruled against him, she also ruled that Tate could legally use the name as well. Operatic vocalist Geoff Tate brings theatricality and a four-octave range for 2022’s Big Rock Show at the Rialto Theatre. Mark Daly opens…
Boasting Arizona Blues Hall of Famer Mike Blommer on guitar and force of nature “Hurricane” Carla Brownlee on saxophone, this Sunday’s installment of the Congress Cookout finds Tucson blues institution Bad News Blues stoking the fire on the Hotel Congress Plaza…
A musical wunderkind, equally adept at performing on both brass and woodwinds, composer and multi-instrumentalist Max Goldschmid hosts the Jazz Jam Session at The Century Room…
Monday, Dec. 12
Chasing the ever-fickle muse, DJs Bonus and PC Party return with Club Whutever at Club Congress…
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Sublime’s Rome Ramirez and Dirty Heads’ Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell invite everyone to escape under a “Cannabis Tree,” in a place where the sand meets the sea. The Rome & Duddy project was born in 2008 with the release of “Lay Me Down,” a collaboration with Dirty Heads featuring Rome. The single peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s alternative rock chart; the first song from an independent label to reach the No. 1 spot. Now, at a time when the world may need it the most, the Winter Moon Tour brings Rome & Duddy’s stony, feel-good vibes to the Rialto Theatre. Channing Wilson opens…
In early 2022, as a complement to his critically acclaimed album, Chuck Prophet — an adopted son in the hearts of Tucsonans as an erstwhile member of first-wave desert rockers Green on Red — released “The Land That Time Forgot Revisited,” a four-song live EP recorded at the Make Out Room in San Francisco with his band, the Mission Express, and a string quartet (dubbed the Makeout Room Quartet). “I know a little bit about how to craft a studio LP,” Prophet said. “But recording live with a string quartet on a linoleum floor on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in an empty barroom in San Francisco’s Mission District is something altogether different.” Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express continue to explore the tension between romance and cynicism with a novelist’s pen on the Hotel Congress Plaza. The venerable Joe Peña opens…
Wednesday, Dec. 14
Bay Area guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Yvette Young grew up playing piano and violin. She would eventually take elements of both instruments — incorporating different approaches from classical music and math rock — in the process developing a fluid two-handed technique on guitar. After uploading videos of herself performing online, Young began to amass a following. In 2014, she released her debut EP, “Acoustics.” A trio coalesced later that year. Covet brings “Technicolor,” its 2020 release, to life at 191 Toole…
Following in the tradition of Louis Armstrong, Sydney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton and other early jazz innovators that came out of New Orleans and Chicago in the early 20th century, the Mysterious Babies perform at The Century Room…
Until next week, XOXO…
