Noche de Penca. Penca executive chef David Solorzano is paying homage to “The Porfiriato” (the time when Porfirio Díaz ruled as Mexico’s president) with a specialty dinner of dishes from Central Mexico. The evening includes creamy bisque made with both langostino and lobster; handcut bistro tender seasoned with fermented mustard seed; roasted quail on farro grains and a dessert of chocolate mousse. The dinner also has an optional beverage pairing menu including Alburejo Oloroso sherry, Rompope Casero and Weingut Malat ‘Brut Rose’ wine. 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. 50 E. Broadway. $80, beverage pairings are an extra $40. For reservations visit pencarestaurante.com or call (520) 203-7681.

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day at 1912 Brewing. Now that’s a holiday we can all get behind! 1912 Brewing Co. is celebrating the wonderful world of chocolate with some blind tastings paired with their craft beers. Some of the chocolate-covered foods could be fruits, vegetables or even candy. Fuse those chocolate treats with 1912’s dark beers, like their Mescalero Stout, for a rich combo worthy of a totally legitimate holiday. 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. 2045 N. Forbes Blvd.

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker. There are lots of options for seeing The Nutcracker this holiday season, but this one is performed by dancers from the Moscow Ballet—only fitting, when you consider the show debuted in Russia in 1892. The troupe tours the U.S. annually, but the children’s parts are danced by local youth. So this is pretty much a perfect chance to feel both like a world, sophisticated character in a Russian novel and like the type of person who supports local arts. 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, and Tuesday, Dec. 17. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. $34 to $142.

Evils of the Night. For their Mondo Mondays series, the Loft Cinema is screening this obscure, gratuitous ’80s sex-sci-fi about alien vampires in search of youthful blood! From the filmmakers of Eaten Alive—oh you haven’t heard of that silly/gory mess either? Regardless, Evils of the Night is a whole lot of sleaziness and entertainment mixed together and described as “Insanely stupid but never dull.” 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $4.

Giving a whole new meaning to punch line

“I feel like, as opposed to LA, everyone in Arizona can actually defend me in a fight,” says comedian Jamie Kilstein. He likes it here. That’s a lucky thing because five months ago he moved here on a whim. “I have actually grown more (here) artistically than in my life in L.A. and New York,” he says.

Not that those great comedy cities treated him badly. He debuted on Conan. He’s been on MSNBC's Up with Chris Hayes, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Showtime, The Joe Rogan Experience and BBC America. He launched two podcasts, and he earned a national reputation for smart, edgy political comedy, joking about arcana that actually matters. He’s lately joking about other facts of life, but all the high-speed punches arise from the same energy.

Kilstein performs with fellow cult favorite Ian Harris and Albuquerque up and comer Ron Swallow at 8 p.m. Sunday, December 15 at 191 Toole.

Kilstein and Harris became friends in Los Angeles. “We kind of clicked because we both have political material. Oddly enough, we also train and coach Mixed Martial Arts.

“I think people who fight oftentimes don’t have much of an ego because we get our ass kicked a lot,” he says. “So, the idea of splitting a bill was more exciting to us. I just want to make art with people I like.”

Ian Harris started both fighting and doing impressions at age 6, inspired by the movie, Rocky. “As a kid I’d watch all the boxing matches,” Harris says, “and I would do all the play by plays and the interviews after the fight for my parents. I would be Muhammed Ali being interviewed by Howard Cosell.”
He says his whole family were really funny, so it’s not surprising that he would find jokes everywhere, even in taboo subjects. “I can’t avoid it. Even on accident I talk about religion or politics. Those are the things that interest me. Bur I personally steer away from (drug humor). I don’t do a lot of alcohol or relationships.” Nor do either he or Kilstein do jokes about martial arts.

“I think a lot of my stuff comes from a very nerdy kind of scientific background,” Harris says. “Like ‘Look at these weird beliefs. Conspiracy theories, religion, and why do we believe in these things when the evidence so clearly is the other way.”

Of the show, he says, “It’s going to be nerdy and edgy. I think it’s going to be really fun.” Tickets are $12 and $15 via Rialtotheatre.com. Doors open at 7.

Mega Lineup at Casa Marana

Dave Margolis presents a blockbuster lineup at the December 12 edition of his free semi-monthly Casa de Comedy Show at Casa Marana. Featured are Andrea Salazar, Nick Chant, Dominic DiTolla, Ashley Anna Tappan, Stephanie Lyonga, Monte Benjamin Roxy Merrari and Charles Ludwig. Most have headlined bigger shows in Tucson. Hear Margolis co-hosting the weekly Is This On comedy radio show at 9 p.m. Wednesdays at xerocraft.org/listen.php .

Applause for the Paws!

Sarah Kennedy headlines at The O to benefit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona at 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13. A 6:30 cocktail hour features an adoption event to make the day a lucky one for some shelter pets.

Kennedy started performing comedy in 2009 a few blocks from her Albuquerque home. After producing many shows, and sweeping her hometown papers’ Best Comedian awards, she left for the bright lights of NYC.

There, she appeared on the Today Show and MTV, wrote for The Advocate and Reductress and was a finalist in a national, NBC Stand-Up for Diversity competition.

Now back in Albuquerque she’s been a welcome guest on Tucson stages. Also performing are a hometown favorite drag queen, Miss Nature, and Autumn Horvat, creator and host of Comedians Who Aren’t Men. Eli Turner hosts. Tickets are $10 via support.hssaz.org/event/applause-for-paws/e255190.

Free Centenary Retro Game Show!

The longest-running live show in Tucson just keeps growing as its lascivious send-ups of mid-century TV game shows pack trendy Club Congress month after month.

The ensemble’s 100th show, and 8th-year anniversary, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14, welcomes back six popular “celebrity guests” from shows gone by to play an anniversary round of The Mismatch Game. The towering and authoritative host Chatty Kathee presides with her sassy executive assistant Swish Marley.

To celebrate, the show is free with a donation to Toys for Tots. Seating is first come, first served, and there will be no splash zone.

The Pirates Who (almost) Stole Christmas

Kids from the audience help improvise the storyline of Elves Gone Bad: A Pirate’s Christmas at 1 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, through December 22. Reservations are $5 at unscrewedtheater.org/events/

The story is that Santa and the missus have retired to Tucson, leaving the North Pole elves unemployed. What with the melting Polar Ice Cap, apparently, an evil pirate captain sails to Santa’s workshop to recruit the elves as pirates. Pirates, of course, steal presents instead of giving them. Mayhem ensues, and only audience members can put things back right, somehow.

We think all the elves and reindeer should move to Tucson, form a union and put Jeff Bezos out of business. How about you?

Lots More Comedy

Friday, Dec. 13: Standup with Keith Carey featuring Matt Holt at 8 and 10:30 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe ($12.50 and $17.50). Improv with Beefeaters and Improv 501 Showcase at 7:30 p.m. and The Soapbox at 9 p.m. at TIM Comedy Theatre (TIM)($5). Improv Blox student showcase at 6 p.m., Family-friendly improv with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) at 7:30 p.m. and Freeform Friday at 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater ($5 and $8). Burlesque with The Manly Manlesque Show: Silent Night, Deadly Night at 10 p.m., Surly Wench Pub ($10 to $20)

Saturday, Dec. 14: Kids improv, F.O.M.P. (Friends of Make Pretends) at 2 p.m. at TIM Comedy Theatre ($5) Standup with Keith Carey featuring Matt Holt at 7 and 9:30 p.m., at Laffs Comedy Caffe ($12.50 and $17.50). Improv with the Ugly Sweater Show and Harold Omega at 7:30 p.m., and The Family of Things and The Dating Scene at 9 p.m. at TIM ($5). Family-friendly Elves Gone Bad: A Pirate’s Christmas at 1 p.m., Unscrewed Family Hour at 6 p.m., and NBOJU: Uncensored at 9 p.m., Unscrewed Theater ($5 and $8).

Free Open Mics

Sunday, Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m., The O, and 8 p.m., Chuckleheads in Bisbee.
Monday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m., Comedy at the Wench, The Surly Wench Pub.
Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6:45 p.m., Neighborhood Comedy, The Music Box Lounge.
Wednesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m., The Screening Room and 8:30 p.m., The Mint.
Thursday, Dec.19, 8 p.m., Laffs Comedy Caffe and 8:30 p.m., Rockabilly Grill.

Since their formation in 2000, these NYC punk darlings, by touring near constantly, have developed a rabid cult-like following, becoming the voice for outcasts and the hopeful, alike. Bayside truck the Interrobang Club Tour 2019 to 191 Toole. Capstan and Love Like Fiction commence the high-arousal ritual...

This Tucson folk gem's compositions have been sung worldwide. Not many can lay claim to that distinction. Accompanied by Gary Mackender, Matt Rolland, Michael Markowitz and Slim Rost, Don Armstrong & The Whiskeypalians exude, and perhaps tip one back, at the Monterey Court...

Grammy-nominated pianist/composer David Benoit brings the joy and memories of a Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown to the Leo Rich Theater...

Texas rock 'n' roller Koe Wetzel tracks in the red dirt. At The Rock. Tucson's Drew Cooper kicks things off...

Jesus Christ Superstar: A Holiday Sing-along—to a fully restored print of Universal pictures 1973 film classic—manifests at the Fox Theatre...

The Thunder & Lightning Over Arizona Air Show is returning to Tucson in 2021, hosted by the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The air show, featuring the famous United States Air Force Thunderbirds, will take place April 24 and 25, 2021. The Thunderbirds most recently flew in Tucson at a March 2019 demonstration at D-M, drawing more than 150,000 spectators.

The Thunderbirds fly six F-16 Fighting Flacons in formations as close as 18 inches of separation. Additional performers at the air show will be announced next year.

Admission to Thunder & Lightning Over Arizona is free, though there are several premium seating areas. Tickets to those areas, including the exclusive “Thunderbolt Club,” will be available for purchase beginning March 2020.

For more information, click here.

"Hi there! My name is Karla and I'm a sweet 4 year old girl with a gentle nature and loving personality. I was transferred to HSSA from another shelter, so my history is a bit of a mystery, but I'm just focusing on my bright future with YOU!" Come meet Karla at HSSA Main Campus at 635 W. Roger Rd or give our adoptions counselors a call for more information at (520) 327-6088 ext 173.

Saturday, Dec. 7

Known for his Chicago house, acid jazz and downtempo work, he's received props from URB, Muzik and BPM magazines and been recognized as one of the world's best DJs. Mark Farina's 2016 album, Mushroom Jazz Eight, hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top dance/electronic chart. Watch this early house music pioneer cut at 191 Toole...

Conceived by cartoonist and professional insultant David "Fitz" Fitzsimmons, The Arroyo Café Holiday Radio Show is a variety show set in a fictional cafe. Join Mark Russell, "America's Greatest Musical Satirist," Crystal Stark, Bobby Rich, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, The Arroyo Players and Triple Threat, as seen on America's Got Talent, for a live taping y más. Proceeds to benefit Casa Alitas, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, HIAS and AZPM. At The Rialto Theater...

Celebrating a decade of collaboration, songwriters Carlos Arzate and Ryan Alfred present a collection of original material, new sketches and select covers. With special guest Adam Bruce. At El Crisol (formerly Exo Bar)...

Veteran singer-songwriter Joe Peña and guitarist/lap steel player Joe Novelli (Orkesta Mendoza, The Cloud Walls) join forces to form a lush musical palette. At The Dusty Monk Pub...

It's a birthday bash! With 10 candles on the cake. Garage rock duo Acorn Bcorn—sisters Marina and Leann—suss out "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" At Owls Club. Rounding out a rad night of DIY duos, Feverfew and Vasectomy bring fun party favors along for your enjoyment...

With songs about "Stripper Poles" and "Cherry Pop Tarts," Funky Bonz have been "Making It Funky" since 1993. They share the stage with the amalgam of barrio flavors that is Los Streetlight Curb Players. It goes down at Sky Bar...

From Nogales, AZ, these genre-crossing Tucson favs are comprised of six childhood friends who grew up wanting to rock. The Jons' Holiday Extra-vaganza pops off at Club Congress. With special guests, guitarist Jim Dalton (Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers) and Paul Jenkins (...music video?, The Pangs)...

Holding the low end down with a tuba, imaginative rockers Deschtuco return to the scene. At Saint Charles Tavern...

Blues vocalist/violinist Heather Hardy and her all-star band perform at Monterey Court...

Looking for that perfect blend of country and rock 'n' roll? Rockabilly rebels the Al Foul Trio "keep the motor running." In the courtyard at Mercado San Agustin...

Sunday, Dec. 8

Hailing from the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, these veteran hip-hoppers meld EDM-tinged beats with their signature fast-rapping style on their latest release. New Waves (eOne Music, 2017), Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's tenth studio album, marks a new direction. They "Creep" into The Rialto Theatre. Mike Jones and Sloan Bone (of Mo' Bone) kickoff this Winter Jam...

With its origins deeply rooted in the Gypsy culture of Spain, this traditional art form presents the interactions between song, dance and guitar, executed atop a percussive platform. Tablao Flamenco perform at El Crisol...

Performing funk and experimental hip-hop, Juliana Warkentin and Mik Garrison are Kaddywumpus. At Public Brewhouse...

Fusing together Detroit, Chicago and Delta blues, "Smooth" Johnny Rawls paints the night with shades of cobalt. At Monterey Court...

A Tucson treasure, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra—with pianist Sean Chen—perform a program spotlighting Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Antonio Estévez's Mediodía en el Llano and Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2. José Luis Gomez is at the podium...

Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny, drummer Pete Swan and vocalist Holly Pyle perform America's only true original art form. At Brother John's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ...

Kim Wilson is perhaps best known for his 30-year tenure as the leader of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Not one to rest on his laurels, this acclaimed blues singer/harmonicist's hard-driving chops have appeared on albums by Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, James Cotton and others, surely earning him a place in music history. The Southern Arizona Blues & Heritage Foundation and KXCI present Kim Wilson's Blues All-Stars. They roll triumphantly into the historic El Casino Ballroom with The New Speedway Stompers—featuring Billy Wildman on harmonica—in tow...

Originating in the Mexican state of Veracruz, this regional folk music fuses indigenous, Spanish and African elements dating back to Spanish colonial times. Comprised of intergenerational students, Son Jarocho Collective keep the tradition alive. At El Crisol (formerly Exo Bar)...

Welcome the joy of the holidays into your heart with roots, dub and reggae that adds a unique pinch. Winter Reggae Fest features ZeeCeeKeely, Dub Society, DJ Jamar and Jahlos and The Rebels. At the Rialto Theatre...

Guitar-driven desert rock super collides into the intergalactic. La Cerca and Silver Cloud Express mashup in The Boxyard...

Denver-based musical traveler Curtis T performs an inspired set of originals and nostalgic covers ranging from the '50s to the present day. At Sand-Reckoner...

The ukulele-driven, gypsy-inspired, whimsical indie-pop of Little Cloud create a microcosm of bitter-sweetness inside a glass of wine. At Monterey Court...

Hosted by DJ Nic, Beatz & Sweetz finds Sonario, DJ Hart and Lunafluxx spinning a baker's dozen of fresh house music. At Batch Cafe & Bar...

1950s holiday inspired Burlesque anyone? Dashers, Dancers, Prancers & Vixens titillate. At the Surly Wench Pub...

Snowed In: Reveille Men's Chorus create the verisimilitude of a white christmas in the desert. At the Tucson Convention Center...

The Kinda Cool Quintet play jazz at The Dusty Monk Pub...

"Party God," DJ Jahmar leads the congregation of revelers towards Valhalla. In the downstairs lounge at No Anchovies...

From The ATL, DIY indie rockers Omni's latest effort Networker (Sub Pop, 2019) takes a candid snapshot of the "digital you" aspect of life in the internet age. With Ricky Shimo's Anchor Baby and Jade Helm at Club Congress...

With the scent of "Burnt Almonds" wafting through the crisp air, shoegazers Mute Swan return to Owls Club, "Just Like Weeds." Joseph Valentino aka Neglect lays down velvety layers of ambient electronica, up first...

Weathered by life's detours and disappointments, inspired by musical storytellers Kris Kristofferson and Bruce Springsteen, this country singer uses his voice to paint vivid portraits. Gone are the days of playing for "Beer Money," Kip Moore gives us a "Reason To Believe." At the Fox Theatre. Nashvillian singer Devin Dawson opens...

Slamming punk and gangsta rap together, "G-punkers" Hed PE lay siege to EncoreTucson. Flanked by homeboys, metallists Stands With Fists and shredders Within A Dream...

This 20-something DJ/producer exploded onto the EDM scene with his unique mix of dubstep, hardtrap and electro. From El Paso, Riot Ten brings the Hype or Die 2019 Tour to Gentle Ben's. Jessica Audiffred and Sharps provide backing...

This installment of Opti Club: Thanks For Nothing sees Los Discos join resident DJs H.R. Guerin and Lance Fairchild behind the decks. At Club Congress. With guests Chris Miranda and Alex Anders...

His love affair with the violin began at age 12 after hearing a cassette by French-Italian violin great Stéphane Grappelli. After studying classically at UC-Santa Barbara he spent time touring throughout Europe before arriving in Tucson. Violinist Nick Coventry showcases his unique swinging style of Gypsy jazz in the Lookout Lounge at the Westward Look Resort & Spa...

Yo, hip-hoppers, Top Nax, Yung Davon, Kinko Valentino and Raycoalfaxx will prowl the Club Congress stage, spitting rhymes...

A taste of Spain in downtown Tucson. Alternating weekly, throughout the month of December singer-songwriters Amanda Rochelle and Natalie Pohanic shall serenade for Tapas & Tonics. In the lounge at the AC Hotel Tucson...

Hard country with the Hank Topless Band can be found at Tap + Bottle-Downtown...

Doing the wango tango one last time before the festive piñata—chockful of adult party favors—drops at your backyard party ushering in 2020. Sucker for the Sour, Hussie and Associations rage unapologetically. At Sky Bar...

At the forefront of the swing revival, Rock This Town, the one and only Brian Setzer Orchestra tribute, faithfully renders big band swing and classic Rock 'n' Roll of the 1950s. In the Paradiso Lounge at Casino del Sol...

Very Good #4

Director Rian Johnson, maker of the divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but also maker of the brilliant Looper, takes a crack at the whodunnit genre and comes up mostly aces.

Daniel Craig stars as private investigator Benoit Blanc, mysteriously hired by somebody in a rich family after the strange, supposed suicide death of their patriarch, mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer still going strong). There’s something fishy about his death, and his personal nurse Marta (the awesome Ana de Armas) knows something the rest of the family doesn’t know.

What transpires is a solid mystery with a fun set of characters featuring a stellar cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield and Chris Evans. Everybody has a blast, as does the audience, as Johnson takes the genre and twists it into an entertaining pretzel. Craig is especially good in a role that allows him to show his comic side, with Shannon and Johnson also impressive as a couple of paranoiacs. Above all, it gives the talented Armas a chance to really shine.

"Holler Out Loud!" Raised in a Pentecostal church choir, the soul-shocked, garage-rock rumble—best enjoyed with the volume cranked loud—of this fast-rising, 20-something blues belter Nikki Hill can be heard and felt at 191 Toole...

Gryffin brings his latest, Gravity, to the Rialto Theatre. Here's what Dan Griffith (aka Gryffin) has to say about the new album. "Since I began the Gryffin project, I've wanted to create uplifting emotional dance music and this album is my representation of that over the last two years." The Knocks and Bunt kick things off...

"Fashion Forward." Hailing from Seattle, Washington, this energetic 5-piece is poised and ready for their Blink 182-influenced punk pop to take the country by storm. The Home Team along with Crooked Teeth (SoCal pop punks), Annie Jump Cannon (alt/indie by "dirty skater emo kids") and "So Sick" teen garage punks Stripes. At Club Congress...

Whisky and donuts never tasted better. Mmm. DJ Naekid bangs techno hard. At Batch Cafe & Bar...