• C. Elliott
• Brian Lopez at Plush Jan. 18

Modestly populated for opener Maria del Pilar, the Plush music room filled with fans as Lopez took the stage. He brought a crowd with him onstage, too, for fully fleshed out renderings of new material and some songs we last heard solo-gypsy style at the Casa Maria Thanksgiving benefit at Club Congress.

We'll probably remind you of this fact several times before the March 20 show, but the amazing Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are coming to the Rialto Theatre for a must see concert.

If you haven't been won over by the group yet, a profile of frontwoman Sharon Jones on eMusic today by the stellar writer Amanda Petrusich will probably do the trick:

This month, Jones and her band, the Dap-Kings, released their fifth LP, Give the People What They Want, a tough, careening collection of soul songs huffed into existence by the barely-5-foot-tall Jones and her caucus of expert backers. Since her 2002 debut, Jones has stacked up accolades and validations: collaborations with Lou Reed (their duet of “Sweet Jane” — in which that desolate jam becomes hopeful, nearly exuberant — still makes me giddy), a stint opening for Prince, performances at endless festivals and on late-night chat shows, an appearance atop a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every time I’ve seen her perform, whether at a festival or in a concert hall, she’s been decked out in a short, sparkly dress and tiny heels, her shoulder-length box braids whipping every which way, her hips swinging. Jones has one of the most dutiful, nearly subservient relationships to an audience I’ve ever witnessed: She approaches each show as a kind of grand public service. Like: “Here, let me help you with your evening.”

• Photo stolen from Clay Dudash.
• Clay Dudash in a deleted scene from "Lord of The Cries."

Looking for new local music before it's cool so you can be "over it" before your friends even find out it exists?

Clay Dudash debut his first EP Keep You Company on Bandcamp today.

I first heard Dudash perform at Topaz, then 91.3 KXCI and at the SUPER RAD AWESOME STUFF show at Plush. Don't be surprised if you see and hear more of this 21 year old squirrely, singer song/song writer.

Listen to the full album right here on The Range (after the break):

• Photo by C. Elliott
• Mopey Brit legend Morrissey returned to Tucson to play for his adoring fans on May 23rd, 2012.

It's been three years since we seen a new album from Morrissey, but that's about to change in 2014. The Telegraph reported that the former Smiths lead singer signed a two-album record deal with Capitol Records. Morrisey will start recording his unnamed album in France on Feb. 1.

It will be produced by Joe Chiccarelli (the White Stripes, Beck, the Strokes), and recorded with his touring band, Boz Boorer (guitar), Jesse Tobias (guitar), Solomon Walker (bass), Matthew Walker (drums), and Gustavo Manzur (keyboards).

• Photo courtesy of The Young Dubliners.
• The Young Dubliners

We are giving away more tickets!

The Young Dubliners and The San Patricios are performing Friday, Jan. 17, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Click here to preview Young Dubliners' sound and energy. Email me at hbarajas@tucsonweekly to win tickets to experience all the traditional Irish magic.

Southern California singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff and local trio Copper & Congress are performing Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Rialto, 318 E. Congress St. Bonoff has collaborated with a ton of talented individuals including Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Linda Ronstadt, but you already knew that. So, we are giving away free tickets to first five people that email me at [email protected]. Please type "Karla Bonoff Tickets" in the subject line so I know you're not spam or a robot. The winners will have to go down to the box office with a photo identification card to claim your tickets.

Thanks Coachella for giving recently reunited indie-folk-pop weirdos Neutral Milk Hotel an excuse to come to Tucson. Sure, we had frontman Jeff Mangum here in April last year, but this time, we get the entire group on April 18 at the Rialto. Tickets, which will certainly sell out so don't complain that no one told you when you're trying to buy them the week of the show, go on sale this Friday.

No word yet on whether a Joshua Levine dunk tank will be set up on the Rialto patio.

October cover subject R Dub has put together a yearly celebration of baby making music for 14 years celebrating his Slow Jams Live radio show (heard here on Hot 98.3), generally featuring a mix of modern R&B acts and 90's nostalgic performers, and honestly, last year's edition (starring Miguel, Ginuwine, Bell Biv Devoe and others) was one of my more enjoyable nights out last year.

This time, the show moves to Centennial Hall from the TCC Arena (which should be interesting considering Centennial's general no-standing policy) with John Legend headlining on Friday, February 21. Also on the bill, Next (of "Too Close" fame) and Mario, with more acts to be added.

Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon.

• C. Elliott
• Johnny Lang at the Rialto Theater, Jan. 8, 2014

At age 13, blues prodigy Jonny Lang had a voice like a swampy blues cat. Fans wondered just whose soul this North Dakota tunesmith had inherited; his guitar solos were burning as much as his vocals were Smokin', the title of his 1995 debut CD.

• C. Elliott
• Johnny Lang at the Rialto Theater, Jan. 8, 2014

Neko Case might not have left Tucson on the best terms in 2009, but she's riding the wave of another critically adored album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You (released in September of last year and up for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Album category) and returning to town as part of the Coachella influx.

Tickets for the April 12 show, with The Dodos and Dylan Pratt opening, are $28 (general admission) or $36 (reserved balcony) and go on sale Friday. They won't be available for long, I suspect.