• To Hell with the devil, but to heaven with their teased and Aquanetted hair.

Sure, the headliner for the Desert Rocks Septemberfest at AVA is technically Extreme, playing their best-selling 1990 album Pornograffitti (you know, the one with "More Than Words" on it?) in its entirety, plus the rest of their hits:

And it's cool that Sebastian Bach (who will always hold a special place in my heart for his reoccurring role as Gil on Gilmore Girls) is on the bill and I can generally ignore that Great White are involved in any manner, but hey, let's talk about the fact that Stryper are playing.

It's not like Stryper hasn't played Tucson before (I saw a particularly memorable appearance by the band at Sahuaro High School a million years ago; they threw Bibles from the stage), but hey, they've got a newish album out (2013's No More Hell to Pay), it's the original lineup, and well, this heathen town could use some sanctified rock and roll (that part is a joke before you start your angry comment).

The only question, and I suspect I will be disappointed by the answer, will the band be wearing the bumble-bee style outfits that made them famous? I'll follow-up with the band's management and post the answer when/if I find out.

Tickets for the September 27 extravaganza of rock are on sale now and range from $35 to $95.

On last night's Late NIght with David Letterman, Neko Case, performing with the New Pornographers, paid tribute to the late songwriter Cyril Barrett, who made Tucson home for the last eight years. Editor Dan Gibson notes Barrett's passing in this week's Soundbites, mentioning that memorial is planned for the performer who recently passed away.

The memorial is 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, on the Che's Lounge patio with performances by Gabe Sullivan, Naim Amor, Howe Gelb and many more. Part of the goal of the memorial is to raise money to create a compilation of Barrett's music and to benefit his family.

The New Pornographers, which may or may not include Ms. Case at the time (she has something like a part-time gig with the band at times), are scheduled to perform at the Rialto on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Tickets are on sale now.

• Northfoto / Shutterstock.com

In this week's Soundbites, I mentioned tonight's Michael Jackson vs. Prince show at the Flycatcher:

The Flycatcher is having an "official grand opening party" on Friday, Aug. 29 (a little late, but sure, OK) and for the occasion Dan Hernandez and the Keep Tucson Party posse are revisiting their Prince vs. Michael Jackson musical showdown, with a bunch of local musicians assembling Voltron-style to recreate the hits of these pop/R&B icons. Plus, the Facebook event page promises door prizes and drink specials, so for $5, you can enjoy a somewhat one-of-a-kind event, get some cheap drinks and possibly win something. A win/win, I say. The show kicks off at 9 p.m., with a costume contest at midnight. More info at facebook.com/events/1490586751181757.

To get psyched for today's show, why not spend the afternoon listening to recent mixtapes celebrating the Gloved One and the Purple One's extensive catalog. DJ Jaycee's Love Like the KING mix focuses mostly on Michael Jackson's hits, but does so in a really clever listenable way; while Dave Wrangler's Purple Life turns up a few Prince songs that I had forgotten about, but immediately added to my iPhone.

The burly, bearded men of Tucson's Psygoat are performing this weekend, Saturday, Aug. 30 at the District. The show with headliner Rikk Agnew Band (Yes, Andrew of Adolescents, DI, and Christian Death fame) and DeSade is suppose to start at 10, but bet those Psygoats bring their self-described "fun-core, psychedelic dirt rock," on around midnight.

Earplugs and attitude recommended.

In a way, Ty Segall has the life Marc always wanted. Still in his mid-20s, Ty already has eight solo albums, as well as others with various bands, and rubs shoulders with rock legends while making music with his long-time friends. That probably explains why Marc is so excited to get a modern rock lesson from Ty, covering pyschedelia, noise rock, no wave and modern punk. Ty also explains his DIY approach to creating albums, which is not unfamiliar to a podcaster like Marc.

I said ages ago that I thought the Future Islands show would be a quick sell-out, which turned out to be wrong, since there are apparently a few tickets left for tonight's show at 191 Toole (complete with new temporary bar for the 21 and over set), but hey, here's a GIF of frontman Samuel Herring's most famous dance move (from the Willamette Week, by Leo Zarosinski)

Tickets are (as of writing this) still on sale via Ticketfly. In case you missed it, check out Joshua Levine's feature on the band from this week's issue.

1. ART OFFICIAL CAGE
2. CLOUDS
3. BREAKDOWN
4. THE GOLD STANDARD
5. U KNOW Prince
6. BREAKFAST CAN WAIT
7. THIS COULD BE US
8. WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
9. affirmation I & II
10. WAY BACK HOME
11. FUNKNROLL
12. TIME
13. affirmation III

Yes, it's still August, so planning ahead for an event in December takes a level of mental focus I'm personally not capable of, but the lineup for the second annual "Celebration of the Lives, Loves and Music of Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl" is starting to form and it already looks like a can't miss occasion.

Set for Saturday, December 6, this year, the event (which raised $4000 last year for the Lupus Foundation of Southern Arizona) will be held at both Cafe Passe (from 6 to 9 pm, with the more singer-songwritery acts) and at the Flycatcher (from 8:30 p.m. to close, for the bands and such), with tickets set for $7 for admission to one venue or a $10 wristband to get into both. Already Jimmy Eat World's Jim Adkins is on board, as well as fellow Phoenix acts Dry River Yacht Club and Lonna Beth Kelly, joining Tucson acts Carlos Arzate, Sorry About the Garden, Keli and the Big Dream, Sweet Ghosts and a bunch more. It's all for a great cause and a wonderful opportunity to remember two people who gave a lot of themselves to audiences all over the state.

More info on the shows available on Facebook, including updates on the lineup and a silent auction.

• Matt McCoy
• The DPC entrance wall, circa 1994.

Demolition will begin today on three Arizona Department of Transportation-owned warehouses on Stone and 6th St. which are better known to the community as the former homes of the Downtown Performance Center (DPC) and the Mat Bevel Institute, as the removal of these beloved iconic properties represents the final phase of the twenty-year RTA Downtown Links Corridor project.

In a memo to the Mayor and City Council from Tucson Transportation Director Daryl Cole, as of March of this year TDOT notified the City of the pending demolition of three ADOT-owned warehouses once environmental remediation was complete and had been documented as part of the DLC project. The ADOT properties listed are at 530 N. Stone Ave, 510 N. Stone Ave, and 140 W. 6th St. The demolition is expected to be completed in three weeks.

• Matt McCoy
• The DPC corner wall, circa 1994

The 530 N. Stone Ave building is particularly held near and dear to members of the music and art community, as it was used during the lengthy DLC delays as a home to the DPC and Mat Bevel Institute. During its heyday, the DPC was a hotbed of activity that fostered Tucson's disenfranchised youth. It celebrating a burgeoning local counterculture and featured countless local musicians and hosted then-obscure touring punk acts such as Green Day, Bad Religion and The Offspring, as well as regional Arizona bands like Malignus Youth.