Drawing from traditional jazz, swing and the American songbook, Tucson Jazz Institute hosts JAZZ JAMbalaya. At Sheraton Tucson Hotel...

Friday, Nov. 29

Always wanted to sing in a group? Come kick the tires at this open participation event—turning the audience into a choir. The science shows the therapeutic benefits (neurotransmitters spark the right temporal lobe to life releasing endorphins that make us healthier and happier) and when we sing together this effect is amplified. Choir! Choir! Choir! At the Rialto Theatre...

A descendent of the Tarahumara people, this award-winning artist recognized the connection between hip-hop and indigenous culture. Artson headlines Red Friday: A Traveling Music and Art Festival for Tribal Nations. Featuring Odin Rock, Communal, Dream Team, Tonight's Sunshine, Saint Jamain and Luxy Vinyl. At 191 Toole...

Escape materialism and capitalism and dance for Black Friday. Mexican emo/queer synth popper Flor de Nopal joins DJ Mijito at R Bar...

Is This Thing On? An emo, post-hardcore, punk night rages forth. This installment sees Signals, Taking Back Harambe, Tucson Is The Reason and Annie Jump Cannon take to the stage in the flesh. At Club Congress...

Dreamy, surfy sounds commingle in harmony with Southwestern gothic soul music. Nelene Deguzman (of The Rifle) and Just Najima are at Saint Charles Tavern...

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...

Resident DJs W3$T Friday and Elektra Tek host some of the Old Pueblo's top and up-and-coming turntablists. Funk Yo House Fridays goes off at Irene's Holy Donuts...

A night of many rich flavors. Grungy fuzz and indie rockers Feverfew and The Electric Blankets are paired with hip-hoppers Jivin' Scientists and turntablist/beatmaker Halsero. It all goes down at Thunder Canyon Brewstillery...

Saturday, Nov. 30

Not feeling the spirit? Celebrate the anti-Christmas. Festivus—a term coined by Frank Costanza (on TV comedy Seinfeld) stands as a secular backlash to the commercialization of the Yuletide—features Gutter Town, Black Cat Bones, Desert Fish, Nocturnal Theory, Sworn Apart and AJ's Rockabilly Ruckus. At the Rialto Theatre...

Street cred? In addition to releasing three full-length albums under his own name, this L.A. alt-rocker has contributed to recordings by Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, King Tuff and others. Mikal Cronin is at 191 Toole...

"The King of Strings," celebrated blues/rock guitarist Carvin Jones returns to The Rock...

Three generations collide on the dancefloor, The Fineline Revisited: DJ Stubbie keeps the infamy alive. At the Surly Wench Pub...

Rock 'n' roll, loud AF, straight up. Reuniting to toast 20 years of noise making. Dirtnap are at EncoreTucson...

Performing on tiny keyboards, musical instruments and non-instruments both variegated and amusing—Thøger Lund, Dimitri Manos and Jeff Grubic—SRS (Spontaneous Response Squadron) explore ambient improvisation at Exo Bar...

Performing original compositions and adaptations rooted in various pan-African nastyles: African Folk, Afro-pop, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The Key Ingredients of African Soul will perform what Doc Twang says, "...will be our last show for a while." At Monterey Court...

Natalie Pohanic & The Sunset's honey sweet indie-folk songs shine brightly at the end of the day. In the courtyard at Mercado San Agustin...

Let's Get Hyphy finds DJ Jahmar and a mysterious special guest spin Bay Area hip-hop. At Mr. Head's Art Gallery & Bar...

Revealing themselves prismatically in a "Daffodil Daydream" Texan alt-rockers Deliah Blue along with Tucson's In Lessons, Heroes Reunion and Manguera lay siege to the Sky Bar...

Award-winning indie-folk duo Ryanhood perform in a free event at the Fox Theatre...

Giving soul to the universe, wings to the mind, Still Life Telescope and Max Parallax skew the great divide. At Saint Charles Tavern...

The intrepid Tucson Symphony Orchestra presents E.T. the Extra-terrestrial In Concert. At Tucson Convention Center...

Sunday, Dec. 1

Celebrate World AIDS Day with a party on the patio. Ras Jahge, Lexi Kay Moncada, Veronica Chase, Tucson High Folklorico and Dust Dance Collective are set to perform in this family-friendly event. Free HIV testing is available. At Hotel Congress...

Inspired by ancient Egyptian and near-Eastern mysticism as well as the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, death metallists Nile bring A Vile Caustic Attack Tour to EncoreTucson...

"We're here to tell a story, about fame, decadence, triumph and tragedy." Mercury: A Celebration of Freddie Mercury's Life and Music is at the Fox Theatre...

Happy Thanksgiving! Folk harp and viola delicately commingle to arrive at a mysterious landing. Mariah McCammond and Deanna Cross are The Hatpin Duo. They will pay a lovely instrumental set at Agustin Kitchen...

Disco. Techno. House. The Optimist Club, Tucson's longest running club night, welcomes H.R. Guerin and Lance Fairchild—co-founders of Project Atlas—as the newest resident DJs. At Club Congress...

Arizona's Most Wanted finds outlaws Mark Insley and Damon Barnaby adding a rock 'n' roll twist to a tall stein of alt-country. At Iron John's Brewing Company-Congress...

DJs Atom Energy and Lunarfluxx continue to tap into a rich motherlode of house music, deep from the underground. Like a stick of dynamite, Deeper explodes at Bar Passé...

"I Like It." At 25, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio's ascent from supermarket bagger into who Rolling Stone calls "The Four-Billion-Stream Man" has been nothing short of meteoric. Bad Bunny leads the Latin trap explosion. At the Tucson Convention Center...

Wrought of Caliche, local R&B/neo-soul/"Pisces poppers" Mesquite are preparing to travel south—along with devilish Mexican garage punks Los Diabólicos and Phoenix's DJentrification—to perform at the Posadelic Festival in Hermosillo. They are circling the wagons at Club Congress for a send-off...

Singer-songwriter Joe Peña and guitarist/pedal steelist Joe Novelli make storm clouds swell. At Tap + Bottle-Downtown...

Bass 'n' drum/electronica duo Basic Biology are hosting a music video watch party to premiere three new vids for songs off Melting Patterns, the result of a recent collaboration with Flam Chen. At Solar Culture Gallery...

Billed as "a reunion of sorts," In Photo Exhibit, the photographic work of Katie Rogers, Michelle Testa and Jarrod Mingus mashes up with the rock/punk/noise, indescribable fury, and, uuh, odor of Free Machines, Carbon Copy and Shit Knife. At 191 Toole...

Gary Mackender, Karl Hoffmann and Billy Yates, otherwise known as The Carnivaleros Trio, add a few secret herbs and spices (use your imagination, will ya?) into a savory stockpot of zydeco, polka y Tex-Mex and bring it to a roiling boil. At Public Brewhouse...

Musician/comedian Steven Yanez Romo hosts, what is rumored to be an "extreme" experience, "the best in town" and "buttloads of fun." Karaoke with Romo. At Thunder Canyon Brewstillery...

The Great Cover Up recently announced their 2019 lineup, featuring 26 Tucson-based bands performing over the course of three nights at 191 Toole and Club Congress. While it’s always a secret which local bands are covering which international acts, we do know each list:

The artists being covered: The Pixies, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sex Pistols, Neil Young, The Doors, CCR, Janis Joplin, Daniel Johnston, Guns & Roses, The Clash, Lana Del Rey and many more.

The local artists performing: Taco Sauce, Miss Olivia & The Interlopers, Little Cloud, The Bennu, Eric Schaffer & The Other Troublemakers, Nick Prevenas, Mr. Manager and more.

For those not in the know, The Great Cover Up is a local music festival where local bands cover big-name acts. For years, The Great Cover Up has grown into a Tucson staple, and now some participating bands even dress up in costumes and include stage props along with their cover music. And even better, all proceeds from the event will be donated to a designated nonprofit. (This year’s beneficiary is 91.3 FM KXCI.)

The Great Cover Up 2019 runs from Thursday, Dec. 12 to Saturday, Dec. 14. Doors open at 6 p.m. each night, music starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 for one night, $12 for two, $15 for all three.

Dec. 12 @ 191 Toole / Dec. 13 @ Club Congress / Dec. 14 @ 191 Toole.

“We’re here in Manchester and just got news that Years to Burn (Sub Pop, 2019) has received two Grammy nominations,” Calexico proudly announced via Facebook, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, after having received the fortuitous news.  

“Thank you to all at The Recording Academy and everyone who has supported this collaboration. Thanks also to Sub Pop Records, City Slang, [record producer] Matt Ross-Spang and everyone involved in the making of this record.”

Calexico are in the running for two awards for their collaboration with Iron & Wine: Best Americana Album for Years To Burn and Best American Roots Performance for “Father Mountain.”

Quite a distinction. Calexico, along with Iron & Wine, are shining bright in the “Midnight Sun.”

The 2020 Grammy's will be presented on Sunday, Jan. 26. CBS will broadcast the ceremony live.

Friday, Nov. 22

"Sweet Jesus of Nazareth!" New Orleans rapper and Queen of Bounce—an up-tempo, bass heavy music designed to make "yo' ass shake"—Big Freedia, ​with​ ​her​ ​legendary​ ​Shake​ ​Team,​ ​bring​ ​bounce ​dance ​moves​ ​like​ ​"the​ ​twerk," "the wiggle," "the​ ​bend​ ​ova'" and ​the​ "hands​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground" to the Rialto Theatre. South Korean boy group Boyfriend hit the stage first...

During the mid 1980s, David Slutes, Rich Hopkins and compadres became known as one of the progenitors of the desert rock sound. Today, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of Witch Doctor (Mammoth/RCA Records, 1989), The Sidewinders' hooky songs, like Mexican jumping cactus, will attach themselves to your skin. At Club Congress. Birds and Arrows open the show with aplomb...

In 2018, after a 10-day tour of Mexico City venues, this San Diego-based electro-pop act recorded their self-titled debut EP with Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila before relocating to Mexico City. Viri Dimayuga—cemetery counselor by day, singer/guitarist by night—believes Mexicans, in general, are more open to electronica. "They grew up with it. And, they like to dance more." Sisster—with local support from female-fronted pop punkers en Español Diluvio—are at The Boxyard...

Combining the raw power and sinewy tension of rock 'n' roll with the poetic artistry and expressive movement of dance, Tucson Libertine League's Burlesque Battle of the Bands pits hellfire rockers Sugar Stains against the blue-eyed soul/rock of Miss Olivia and the Interlopers. This is sure to be a monumental clash, the type found in classic dystopian fiction that serves to quash the underpinnings of a repressed society questing for freedom. At 191 Toole...

It's Nitecall's First Anniversary. To celebrate resident DJ Mijito goes deep into the Depeche Mode catalog pulling out rarities, B-sides, remixes and all the classics. At R Bar...

Her passion for music was spurred at 19 when she began her love affair with the guitar. Tucson via Hermosillo, indie-pop songstress Belinda Esquer performs at Hotel McCoy...

Obstinately crafting acoustic music for the sophisticated urban hillbilly, The Determined Luddites will be joined by alumni Gary Mackender on the squeezebox. At Crooked Tooth Brewing Co...

Susan Artemis tickles the keys at The Dusty Monk Pub...

Led by Parisian guitarist, now Tucson fav, Naim Amor's A Jazz Trio sets the tone at Exo Bar...

Playing bossa novas, ballads and blues, The Jed Paradies Trio swing at The Coronet...

Live large. Smile broadly. Big Grin unspool their homegrown brand of Southwest indie folk at Sand-Reckoner...

BTP & Friends along with Dirty Magic Mike offer up a menu of indie rock and desert folk. At Saint Charles Tavern...

From London, these vintage-tinted rockers with a literary bent, aim for their songs to have the depth and variety of book characters. The Dead Writers perform at Thunder Canyon Brewstillery. Flanked by Silent Movie Actress and Something Like Appropriate...

Led by spitfire vocalist/violaist Deanna Cross, The Unday bring their genre-defying sound to the Surly Wench Pub. Gladhammer and Whiskey Knuckles pound furiously in support...

DJ Jahmar International hosts '90s Juggalo Jam. With live performances by Gilgamesh, ILL V and a surprise guest. At Irene's Holy Donuts...

Leading the youth-driven alternative corrido movement, T3r are at Club 4th Ave...

Saturday, Nov. 23

Pushing the lexicon of mariachi music into nuevas fronteras. Challenging boundaries that the male-dominated orthodoxy may see as nothing short of heresy. Their reputation as NYC's first and only all­female mariachi precedes them. With flowers strewn through their hair, or perhaps, garlands of victory, Latin Grammy winners Flor de Toloache will perform at the Fox Theatre. Violin-wielding child prodigies The Villalobos Brothers add appreciably to the evening...

After 30 years of writing, recording and life on the road, Rolling Stone recently wrote that this musical couple, Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler, show "no signs of fatigue, whose moment has finally arrived." If only in your mind, the "post-nuclear, pseudo-alternative, folk-tinged art-pop," of Cincinnati's Over The Rhine will have you eating "Blood Oranges In The Snow." At 191 Toole...

Drum 'n' bass, bounce, trance, house spin round for Smakksgiving. Wolfie, Skip Glitch, Cuddle Muffin, PhotoniX, Kool Arrow and Smakk drop a needle in a groove. At Irene's Holy Donuts...

Rising up from the underground, West Coast rave scene veteran—and resident DJ presiding over legendary full moon desert gatherings—Brad Moontribe will take you on a techno dance journey. With OVRLP (DJ Hart b2b Nic). At Solar Culture Gallery...

Natty & The Sunset entertain with the sweetest of indie-folk songs. In the courtyard at La Cocina Restaurant & Cantina...

Singer-songwriter Leila Lopez, accompanied by bassist Brian Green, perform at Sand-Reckoner...

Backed by some of Tucson's finest, Emilie Marchand sings jazz standards, '60s soul and vintage country. In the courtyard at Mercado San Agustin...

"Like, Oh my god." "Gag me with a spoon." Relive the nostalgia—or hell, Gen Zers experience it for the first time—of director Martha Coolidge's Valley Girl. DJ NoirTech chaperones the '80s dance party. At the Surly Wench Pub...

Sunday, Nov. 24

Post-modern American songster Peter Dalton Ronstadt & The Co. and old time country crooner Freddy Parish share the stage. At Monterey Court...

The Last Sunday Revival finds country bluesman Christopher T. Stevens waxing and wailing at Tap + Bottle-Downtown...

In the mood for a Guatemalan cacao, mugwort and CBD-infused lucid meditation weaving through hypnotic soundscapes? RootFlute connects with ancient Mayan wisdom. At Solar Culture Gallery...

Four historic organizations—Arizona Public Media, Hotel Congress, The Rialto Theatre and Tucson Symphony Orchestra—celebrate milestone anniversaries with a soirée that includes live performances, art, historical lectures and tours and, oh yeah, birthday cake. Yay! Century of Tucson Party unfolds at Hotel Congress...

As part of the centenary the Rialto Theatre will transform for the day into El Cine Plaza (as it was once known during its time as a Spanish language movie house in 1970s) and screen Al Son Del Mambo, Cantiflas' Por Mis Pistolas and other silver screen classics from yesteryear. As well as a musical performance by Sergio Mendoza. Mucho caliente...

It's guaranteed to get funky when Mik & The Funky Brunch serve it up at La Cocina Restaurant & Cantina...

This installment of Resonance Monthly features a beaming incandescent light in the dark side of dance music. Underground soundsmith Madeaux slams his forward-leaning bass house at Gentle Ben's. Watch him "Burn." Local beatmakers Alex Anders, Jamaste, Xochique B2B ZSM and Housekneckt represent...

Fusing elements of guitar-driven folk-rock, Native American flute and troubadour balladry with propulsive world percussion, timeless yet unconventional, The Sun Dog Twins (Leon Little Bird & Will Clipman) will guide initiates into the Circle of Dreams. At Solar Culture Gallery...

With a voice that ranges from softly melodic to impassioned caterwauling, at the peppy age of 14, this songwriter/author founded art-punk band Throwing Muses with her step-sister Tanya Donelly back in 1981. In continuum, as a solo artist her prolific output is an assemblage of jagged emotional edges tempered by plain-spoken folk. "The songs keep on writing themselves, and I really love them. It's as close as I get to a religion." In a special solo acoustic performance, Kristin Hersh is at 191 Toole. Singer-songwriter Fred Abong—former bassist for Belly and Throwing Muses—opens performing his new ep, Pulsing...

Spindly and resilient like an armless saguaro cactus, desert survivor Al Perry and axeman Loren Dircks, backed by drummer Joel Ford, pick material from a setlist of originals and obscure covers. At Tap + Bottle-Downtown...

Six performers taking turns round robin. Virginia Cannon presents Thursday Night Live. This week sees Arizona songwriters Lauren Lawson, Toby Slade, Chris Sahlin, Hoge Day, Hannah Eblin and Andrea Lithgow take to the stage along with Whitherward, a touring indie-folk duo from Nashville. At Monterey Court...

Playing original jazz, bossa novas and experimental French esoterica, Dark Maps—Jeff Grubic, Sean Rogers and Dmitri Manos—create a unique atmosphere on the patio at Agustin Kitchen...

Anything goes at The Libertine's Lounge on Thursdays. Scratchy Records: DJ Carl Hanni spins vintage, exotica and novelty...

Imagine "Sweet Child O' Mine" mariachi style? If heavy metal had a pleasurably sordid affair with mariachi music lots of tequila would surely be involved. It's conceivable that this band of Los Angeles dissenters rose from unconsecrated graves. Like Barrio Viejo's own El Tiradito, where legend holds that Juan Oliveras, a young sheepherder, rests not-so-peacefully after being murdered by his father-in-law, who caught him in flagrante delicto with his enraptured mother-in-law. Metalachi are at 191 Toole. The heavy-as-hell surf music of Shark in the Water gets the party started...

Carefully balancing passion with composure, John Goraj established himself as a singer-songwriter with folk leanings before fronting a rising indie rock band. Soda Sun are at Club Congress...

Poets Sherman Bitsui and Sharon Vap read at Exo Bar...

All three members of this prestigious ensemble are winners of the Naumburg Foundation Prize. Arizona Friends of Chamber Music presents the Naumberg Trio. The evening's program features works by Beethoven. Carter, Schubert and Shostakovich. At Leo Rich Theater...