Wizards, muggles and fantastic beasts, rejoice! Harry and the Potters are returning to the Library for their 2019 Summer Tour!

Saturday, August 3, 2019 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Flowing Wells Library, 1730 W. Wetmore Rd.

This event is free, but space is limited to the first 200 people who arrive.

What would happen if Harry Potter quit the quidditch team, stole a time turner and started a punk rock band with himself from an earlier point in the time-space continuum? The answer is Harry and the Potters!

Costumes are encouraged.

Last month on June 15 was the 49th Annual Tucson Juneteenth Festival. Juneteenth is the celebration of the abolishment of slavery on June 19, 1865. Moving from the Dunbar Center to the Tucson Convention Center, the festival was a day filled with food, music, vendors and more. Check out some of the highlights here!

Gird your loins. Post-rock instrumentalists Carbon Canyon share their penchant for "Black Magic and Pornography" at 191 Toole. They share the bill with the culturally appropriated "Groovysmo" of Ricky Shimo's Anchorbaby—inhabitants of the borderland where multinational entities—McDonald's and Coca-Cola—coexist with horchata and carne asada sold from a carreta in perfectly pitched harmony.  As an added bonus Wooden Tooth DJs spin. Details here.

"Fairies wear boots and you gotta believe me." From the portal of Hell, otherwise known as Los Angeles, Black Sabbitch are at Club Congress. Details here.

Led by two-time Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist Chip Dabney, The AmoSphere dabble in every genre imaginable at Chicago Bar. Details here.

"Born a fucking suspect/To a corrupted system." Metalcorists Without Crows "Resist" at Ward6 with Remain and Sustain and Slow Descent. Details here.

Violent by Nature, Tucson thrash metalists, have been inciting mosh pit frenzy since 1986. Atrophy unleash the mania at Encore. St. Madness, Dedwin and Mechanics of the Mind add layers of chaos.

Showcasing some of the Old Pueblo's top and up-and-coming turntablists, Funk Yo House Fridays goes off at Irene's Holy Donuts. Details here.

This installment of Nitecall sees Phoenix's experimental/electronic/noise sculptress Lana Del Rabies join DJ Mijito to drop death bombs of genre-bending darkwave, electronica, industrial and techno at R Bar. Details here.

A perfect pairing for date night: Naim's A Jazz Trio is at Exo Roast Co. Details here.

In a previous life, before moving to Tucson, this rockabilly raconteur co-opted his surname during his stint with Boston's Foul Mouthed Elves. Guitar chugging away, his stories tell of a hardscrabble life while the wallop of his kick drum sets an energetic pace. Al Foul plays Westbound. Details here.

Saturday, July 27
OK. Now visualize Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese rockin' "the absolute fuck out" while covering Black Sabbath tunes. Right? Bear witness to this bizarre spectacle when Mac Sabbath roll The American Cheese Tour into 191 Toole. Adding to the appreciably high drama are Phoenix metalists Okilly Dokilly (who are dedicated to The Simpsons' Ned Flanders) and Playboy Manbaby, credited by Rolling Stone for "bringing sexy back to the genre of polka."

A sweaty summer just got a bit hotter. Humphouse's Disco Doll will be in the house spinning classic disco at Club Congress.

Darkness visible. Black metallists Ashbringer, Nullingroots, Cursed Ruins, Nullus and Severe Earth play an all-ages show at Ward6.

TPD officers and local punk rockers face off in The Great Punk'n Donuts Pig Out of 2019. As if that weren't enough, The Sindicate, Drizzle, The Cubes, Garrett William Moore and D[Form] are slated to perform all at Spark Project Collective. Donations will benefit Pathways Education Center, a nonprofit for children with learning differences and autism.

"Just for the Record," Hank Topless performs "Happy Time Blues" at The Bambi.

Adding something, uum, septic into the mix, Gutter Town shares the stage with Pretty Ugly, Texas T. Trash, Lost in the Sauce and Cactus Mike and The Pricks at Thunder Canyon Brewstillery.

DJ Stubbie keeps the myth alive during The Fineline Revisited at the Surly Wench Pub.

Since 2005, these multiple Best of Tucson winners for Best Cover Band channel new wave classics, pop and power ballads from what could be your favorite decade. 80s & Gentlemen rock on the rooftop at Playground.

No Introduction necessary, L.A.'s Dr. Fresch and Blossom drop bass and ghetto house when Goldrush Expeditions makes a stop at Gentle Ben's with local support from H.R. Guerin, Bagels & Lox and Jamaste.

Released in late April 2016, this Miami rapper's debut album Underground Underdog shot like a bullet up the charts to reach number 2 on iTunes Top Hip-Hop Albums to sit right behind Drake. Not too shabby. Firing off "1000 Rounds," Pouya spits straight '90s hip-hop and Memphis fire when he brings The Liquid Sunshine Tour to Encore. He's flanked by Ramirez and Boobie Lootaveli.

Performing original compositions and adaptations rooted in various pan-African styles including African folk, Afro-pop, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The Key Ingredients of African Soul mesmerize and make bodies involuntarily sway at Monterey Court.

"His songs move like the wind/He is the lone coyote howling in the desert/He has no secrets/He knows where the water is/You have to listen carefully/Maybe get down on your knees/And put your ear to the ground." –John Densmore, The Doors. Singer/songwriter  John Coinman is accompanied by bassist Blair Forward are at Exo Roast Co.

Sunday, July 28

Formed in Illinois 1967, this self-described "rock and roll band with horns"— is readily capable of cranking out the kind of ballads that become prom themes or accompany wedding vows—provided toothsome nosh for the MTV Generation to nibble upon during their zenith. In a career spanning five decades—having amassed 47 gold and platinum records worldwide—this powerhouse has not missed a year of touring since its inception. Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famers Chicago is at Tucson Music Hall.

Ethereal dreamscaper Anna Mall and experimental new waver Lady Uranium perform at Blacklidge Community Collective with Tucson's Jaime J. Soto and Caldon Glover.

They traveled the great expanses playing swing and West Coast blues. Now, The Kings of Pleasure reunite to jump, jive and wail once again at the Hideout Saloon–East.

Small wonder. This Americana singer-songwriter grew up in "a little bitty ranch house crammed with 10,000 books" and was weaned on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. At age 7, his novelist father, Larry McMurtry, gave him his first guitar.

"My mother taught me three chords and the rest I just stole as I went along."

Fast forward to 2005, when his song "We Can't Make It Here"—which criticizes George W. Bush, the Iraq War and Wal-Mart—was praised by Rolling Stone's Robert Christgau as "the best song of the 2000s." Its lyrics cut like incisors. "Will I work for food, will I die for oil/Will kill for power and to us the spoils/The billionaires get to pay less tax/The working poor get to fall through the cracks/...Let 'em eat shit."
James McMurtry is at Club Congress with the sly, whiskey-soaked country of Bonnie Whitmore.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is on the lookout for roughly $50,000 worth of paintings stolen from a northside home earlier this month.

On Wednesday, July 10 just after 6:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary call in the 6900 block of North Chula Vista Reserve Place, near the intersection of West Ina and North Oracle Roads, and were told the house was broken into earlier that day.

Among the possessions taken were three paintings by then-9-year-old Kieron Williamson. The three pieces, “City Temple,” Kelling Cottages” and "Thurne Mill,” were estimated to be worth approximately $50,000 by the owner.

Williamson, 16, is a watercolor artist from England whose paintings have sold for thousands of dollars. In 2010, a Williamson exhibition sold roughly £150,000 ($187,000) worth of paintings in under an hour.

PCSD Burglary Unit detectives have taken over the investigation, and are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect in this case. Anyone with information is asked to call 911. Anonymous tips with the potential for a reward can be submitted by text, phone or by going to 88-CRIME.org.

From the outset, they set their sails for deeper seas, not knowing exactly where they would land. On Hail Mary (Geronimo West, 2019) producer Mark Neeham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons) sought to capture these Austinites’ high-energy, folksy, roots rockin’ country live act—with outstanding four-part harmonies—unadulterated in the studio.

“If I’m going to be singing something every night,” said Shane Smith, the band’s main songwriter, “I like to sing with an honest conviction.”
Shane Smith & The Saints are at The Rock tonight at 7 p.m. Drew Cooper offers up a cure for “Hangovers and Heartaches” during the opening slot.More details here.

In a rare pairing, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music presents, Bin Hu on acoustic Spanish guitar and guzhengist Jing Xia performing a diverse program where East meets West. It features compositions by Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz, Chenyu Huang and Wang Zhou at Holsclaw Hall at 7 p.m. Details here.

Their resumes are off-the-charts: Carmine Appice’s includes work with Vanilla Fudge, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Ozborne and others. Vinny Appice pounded pagan skins for Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, Rick Derringer and John Lennon to name a few. Two of the world’s most iconic drummers, The Appice Brothers battle to the finish at Encore tonight at 7 p.m. Details here.

It's an all-ages event sure to surfeit the senses. Striving to provide safe community shows, Tucson Pyrate Punx presents Potbelly, Bleach Party USA, Sucker for the Sour and Whiskey Drunk at the Spark Project Collective.

“When you don’t pick up the phone I make up what you said.”
Bellows is the imaginative bedroom recording project of NYC songwriter/producer Oliver Kalb at Club Congress. He plays with ambient experimentalist Gabrielle Smith aka Gabby’s World and Friend PR.

Outer Spaces is the indie rock project of Baltimore songwriter Cara Beth Satalino. Their latest, Gazing Globe, was written during a tumultuous period where Satalino grappled with anxiety and self-doubt. Like a gazing globe—for centuries believed to ward off evil and bring good luck—it may never provide a clear mirror image. If you gaze into its murky reflection long enough you might glimpse at your true self. They play with Radiator Hospital, Jess Matsen and Rough Draft at Wooden Tooth Records.

Local Garage rock/surf-punk rockers Taco Sauce just returned to their Old Pueblo home after a mini tour in the southwest. Ambur Wilkerson had the chance to ask them about the tour and upcoming projects.

Check out Taco Sauce tonight at Club Congress.

1. How's the tour going?

Isabella: So, a few weekends ago we went on the first leg of our mini tour in Las Cruces and El Paso and it was dope! We brought our friend Jenn and she pretty much acted as our photographer and tour manager and the four of us had a ton of fun.

Gabi: Yeah those first few tour dates gave us an idea of how people would react to us outside of Tucson and it was all very positive.

Maya: Loved the food and scenery. Had my first margarita at La Posts in Las Cruces.

2. Where have you been so far on the tour and where are you guys headed?

Gabi: We went to Las Cruces New Mexico (my hometown) and El Paso then we have a few Tucson dates, Phoenix on July 19 and Albuquerque on July 20.

3. What's been your favorite place to perform so far during the tour?

Gabi: We only did two so far since it's a mini tour but Little Toad in Las Cruces and Monarch in El Paso were both very hospitable with a pretty solid crowd who were happy to see us.

4. What's it's been like to go on tour with Seanloui and Maya from YUM?

Isabella: Seanloui is only on the Owls Club date but we play shows with him all the time because he's my best friend and we're very supportive of each other. Maya is a great travel companion. She's very levelheaded and brings a lot of calm to the group.

Gabi: Maya is pretty much our rock already. She's so in tune with us on stage and in day to day life. And she's hilarious and badass so it's an honor.

5. How do you want audience members to feel after attending one of the shows?

Isabella: Energized, like they can fuck shit up and take on the world and catcallers and say fuck you to anyone you want to say fuck you to.

Maya: I want them to be in awe and to have had a good time but I don't want them to walk away feeling nothing. As long as it evokes a reaction I'm happy.

Gabi: Yeah I just want to get a reaction. I'd be just as thrilled to see people wanna fight me after hearing my lyrics, especially because a lot of our music targets misogynists and racists, but mainly I'm so excited to see how our music just gets people pumped and makes women feel empowered and validated.

6. What are some upcoming projects you're working on?

Gabi: We're in the studio with Ty Engle working on some new singles currently and also writing new songs, a few of which we're playing at tges6e upcoming shows. I'm also trying to finish scoring the short movie La Motochorra for one of my best friends so I'm very excited/exhausted right now.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting a monster drawing rally Friday, July 26 from 6-9 p.m. 50 local artists will gather to live draw their own monster. So what is a monster? Does it have fangs? Is it faceless? Each artist's interpretation will be available for purchase for $50 each, all proceeds benefiting MOCA Tucson.
It's a great opportunity to see the creative process in action, connect with local artists, and support the Tucson art scene.

There will be an open cash bar, food trucks, and DJ Nathan Lovelady will be playing fresh beats.

When: Friday, July 26, 6-9 p.m.
Where: MOCA Tucson
265 S Church Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
Cost: $5 admission

Hearts pounding—having just sprinted the half-mile from the neighborhood 7-Eleven back to a rented band house, near 22nd Street and Alvernon Way—they arrive in a panic, rooster manes disheveled after a routine beer run gone awry. Brian Smith, then frontman for Gentlemen Afterdark, explains, “We got hassled for how we looked, of course. This pair of rednecks in a small pickup truck chased us home, hell-bent to cave our skulls in.”


The saga continues: “When we got there, Winston [Watson], the smallest kid in the band, pulled out this authentic looking BB gun pistol and ran out the door screaming bloody murder. Out on the street he took this hilarious cop stance with legs apart and pointed the toy gun, his elbows straight, at those rednecks in the pickup. They freaked and ducked and skidded the hell out of there.”

This and so many incidents similar served as inspiration for “Open the Door." A song recorded 36 years ago—now enjoying an uncanny resurgence after finding placement on the season premiere of Netflix’s Stranger Things, starring Winona Ryder and David Harbour. And this season is red-hot. The third installment of the nostalgic horror series is the new Netflix four-day streaming champion; 40.7 million households watched over the long Fourth of July weekend.

Truth being stranger than fiction. Who would’ve ever imagined?

Gentlemen Afterdark—this arresting combination of New York Dolls glam/punk, ‘80s New Romanticism and the trash and grit scrapped from the sidewalks—were led by singer Brian, his brother Barry Smith on keyboards and violin, guitarist Robin Johnson, bassist Fred Cross and Winston Watson behind the drum kit.

Dancing on the crumbling precipice of fame, in 1984 they were vaunted by People magazine as “Stars of the Future.” The piece included a quote by rock legend Alice Cooper, a mentor who had taken the Gents under his wing.

“They reminded me of when I was young.” Cooper quipped, “I told them to have my daughter back by 7:30 p.m.”

In spite of such accolades Gentlemen Afterdark struggled to safely traverse the intersection where art and commerce converged.

Produced by Cooper and Dick Wagner, “Open the Door,” written by Robin and Brian, is from their 1983 EP. Originally self-released on vinyl, recorded at Vintage Recorders (Phoenix) in sessions which Barry Smith describes as being tense:

“[We were] young and hungry—pop music was exploding in all directions: Rap, post-punk, new wave. New sounds and energy were badly needed. But tension came from musical culture clashes. They wanted us to go with a safe sound of much of the pop music back then.”

Low on self-confidence, a shaky-voiced Brian found himself facing his musical idol through the studio glass, toiling to lay down the vocal track.

A now-sober Brian says, “My voice sounded so constricted here. I was so fucking terrified because, well, that was Alice Cooper. And Dick Wagner, who played guitar with Lou Reed. Those guys wrote 'Only Women Bleed' together. But my band was amazing, they were so young and gifted."


But what does this triumph mean to you now? “It’s very cool,” Barry says. “It comes at a perfect time...Gives a certain spiritual boost to my confidence.” Kid brother Brian says, “It is hard to get my head around the idea of that terrified voice now soundtracking a Winona Ryder scene in an episode of one of the most popular TV shows on earth. But I am really grateful for the song placement. There is something about this song, this sound of kids trying to find a sound. That struggle sounds pretty damn interesting now."