UPDATE: Too late for you to get the free tickets, but go see the guy anyhow, ok?

James Bay, a London singer-songwriter that will appeal to fans of classic singer-songwriters, but also to fans of Glen Hansard and David Gray, is playing Club Congress tonight with ZZ Ward. Last minute, obviously, but we have a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky winner. Just head to our Free Stuff page and enter. You'll need to hurry, since we're drawing a name at 11:15 am.

Learn more about James Bay at www.jamesbaymusic.com or follow him at ww.facebook.com/jamesbaymusic and twitter.com/JamesBayMusic. His debut EP, The Dark of the Morning, is available now via iTunes.

Chief Keef, the 18-year-old rapper out of Chicago who is known for producing something that resembles hip-hop at times, bailed on his show in Tucson last week in an impressive fashion — you see, he no-showed his concert not once, but twice. Because, you know, 18-year-old millionaires famous for songs such as "Hate Bein' Sober" are great at keeping to their schedules.

First, his postponed show on Wednesday was due to an alleged death in the family, which seems reasonable enough.

I mean, it would be reasonable if it were true. The fact that he straight-up no-showed his Friday show might lead someone to reasonably wonder how many grandparents this guy has, and whether or not one "dies" every few weeks. Granted, he sure didn't seem too upset, given he was in San Diego for his Sept. 5 show and in L.A. for his Sept. 7 show at Rock the Bells.

In Los Angeles Cali Turn Up!
— AlmightySo (@ChiefKeef) September 6, 2013

The Rialto Theatre, which would have played host for both shows, and Phenomenon Concerts, who worked to put the show together, were understandably a bit unhappy:

We know it's music season when two shows on the same night give the same people an anguished choice. We're going to figure you opted for Kid Cudi at AVA on Thursday and the Chicha Dust CD realease party on Saturday, because you would have missed Chicha Dust opening for Café Tacvba. Personally, we can't get enough Chicha Dust. So as a public service, we bring you what you missed via C. Elliiott's Rockin' photography.

While inferior to Big Boi's first single from the Outkast double album Speakerboxx/The Love Below, the grown and sexy "I Like the Way You Move," Andre 3000's "Hey Ya!", celebrating its tenth birthday today, will seemingly live on forever as the perfect somewhat funky song for white people to play at their weddings, getting people out on the floor, clapping along and chanting "all right, all right, all right, all right, all right," dutifully shaking like a Polaroid picture long after anyone remembers what a Polaroid picture actually is. Lend us some sugar, DJ, we are your neighbors.

Sometimes we get caught up in our backyard, so happenings in other parts of the state tend to slip by, but this is almost unforgivable. Completely missed the concert line-up announcement for the Arizona State Fair. Forget about Megadeth, Trace Adkins or Snoop Lion — make way in your schedules and hearts for Alabama Shakes.

I've been lamenting for months now — why, why hasn't Alabama Shakes played in Tucson. The Rialto seems like the perfect church for Brittany Howard and her boys. But no ... no ... damn Maricopa County and the State Fair, Thursday, Oct. 24.

Well, damn ... well alright ...

Back in the olden days of 2011, I wondered on The Range whether Los Angeles-based metal/mariachi joke band Metalachi's gimmick is amusing or not and never really came up with an answer. It's definitely a clever idea and I do enjoy hearing the music of Dio in nearly any context, but I can't quite figure out if the joke would be funny over the course of an hour long show.

On Thursday, September 19, I suppose I can find out since Metalachi will be performing (for free!) at Casino Del Sol's Paradiso Lounge. Something I did not know, however: According to the press release I received, the band doesn't just stick to the metal covers they also perform "traditional mariachi standards from the likes of Vicente Fernandez and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan." THE MORE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE.

Fashionable cool people of Tucson! Friday night, Playground's rooftop is scheduled to taken over by the Playboi Party, the first in a series of quarterly open-air dance parties with "celebrity DJs, live Go-Go dancing and prominent Drag Queens." Based on the event's website, I feel like my distinct-lack-of-ripped-abs might be somewhat out of place at Playboi, but if you've been looking for a more fashionably chic take on gay nightlife, the party starts at 10 pm with Phoenix's Austin Head and Tucson's Bob Felix DJing and $4 Fireball and Ultimat Vodka drink specials. Cover is $5 before 11, $7 after.

Just because we haven't had a reason to bring up Juggalos doesn't mean we shouldn't share an Insane Clown Posse video on this fine Tucson day, especially when it's about magic and miracle and music ... an intellectual musical journey.

Get outside, Tucson: "There's nothing but miracles outside your door."

The first time I heard Sleigh Bells I told my wife they sounded like Andrew WK composing music for a cheerleading competition (that was before I'd seen the cover of their debut album, a retro-ish photo of cheerleaders), a description that doesn't always hold up, but does sort of get to what you can usually expect from the band. Their music is blaring, loud and built on deconstructed hard rock riffs and beats seemingly lifted either from 90's era DMX tracks or Florida speed metal records. Anyhow, the first song from their forthcoming third album sounds exactly like what I expect from Sleigh Bells and in a weird way, that's oddly comforting.

When Hotel Congress launched the first HoCo Fest over Labor Day Weekend in 2005, the celebration featured popular Tucson bands and musicians who had been part of the Old Pueblo's bubbling-under scene 20 years earlier, at a time when Arizona bands like The Meat Puppets, The Gin Blossoms, Green on Red, The Sidewinders (now Sand Rubies) and Gentlemen After Dark were signed to national labels, and Tucson could 'a been a contender for the notoriety that went, ultimately, to Seattle. The event was a homecoming not only for musicians of the era, but for fans, promoters, writers, groupies and everyone who was a part of the scene in the day, many of whom traveled to Tucson from all around the country for the occasion..