Infusion Release at 1912 Brewing. Infusions are back, baby. 1912 Brewing Co. is designating every Wednesday as their special infusion day. You get to try yourself a sweet, sour or hoppy infusion. 1912 says they love doing new, wacky infusions, so you really never know what you’re going to get, but it’ll be delicious local beer. 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 6. 2045 N. Forbes Blvd. Details here.

Things To Do at the U Tour. If you’ve read the whole Tucson Weekly and still haven’t found any arts, events or attractions in this town that interest you, maybe this tour hosted by the UA Visitor Center will give you the deeper knowledge you need. Check out some of the living laboratories, world-class fine art institutions and other hidden treasures campus has to offer in this tour that’s ideal for non-student visitors. (Maybe you have family coming to town that just missed the gem show? Or an old scientist pal who loves seeing other labs?) 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 6. UA Visitor Center, 811 N. Euclid Ave. Free, but reservations required. Details here.

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music Festival. With five days’ worth of music, this festival will have something for all instrumental music lovers. Day one features, just for example, both Philip Glass and Shostakovich. Day two’s got Beethoven and Mozart. Day three features Bacewicz and Arensky. Day four has Kevin Puts and Taneyev. And day five will be serving up Brahms and Mendelssohn. And that’s just some of the music you’ll hear! There’s so much more to enjoy at this festival, so attend one day, some of the days or all five to soak up some songs. 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 3. 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, Wednesday, March 6, and Friday, March 8. 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10. Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. $30 adults, $10 students. Details here.

The Cat Video Fest 2019. Whereas the dog thinks, “These humans feed and house me, they must be god,” the cat thinks, “These humans feed and house me, I must be god.” For those who don’t mind the haughtiness, the Loft Cinema is screening “a fun, frisky and furry celebration of online cat videos.” Perfect for cat fanatics or those hoping to become one. A portion of ticket sales from these screenings will benefit the Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter and the HOPE Animal Shelter. 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 6. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $10. Details here.

The Bellrays. The punk and soul in the Bellrays’ music work like a chemical reaction: two independent and proficient pieces on their own which explode on contact, creating something wholly different, powerful and volatile. Their instrumentals feature the wailing guitars and driving drums found in a garage rock band, but frontwoman Lisa Kekaula’s dark, soulful vocals color the band into a breed all its own. A look at Kekaula’s favorite albums tells The Bellrays’ story: classic rock acts with even more classic blues influence. Catch The Bellrays at 191 Toole with The Atom Age. 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 6. $12-$15. 191 E. Toole Ave. 21+. Details here. Details here.

Events compiled by Briannon Wilfong, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.

Day One: Tucson Hip Hop Festival 2019 features a zine workshop and open mic with Ojala Systems at La Pilita. Details here.

If music is food for the soul, then this band is a Thanksgiving feast. Pioneering the sound best summed up as “maximum rock ‘n’ soul,” The Bellrays administer a mighty dose of Black Lightning at 191 Toole. Oakland garage punks The Atom Age opens the show. Details here.

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Courtesy of The Sea of Glass

Rumor has it, tickets for Trippie Redd’s Life’s A Trip Tour at the Rialto Theatre have sold out. Details here.

Full of joy and energy, these siblings are three-time Canadian fiddle and stepdance champions. From the Ottawa Valley, The Fitzgeralds rollick into the Sea of Glass Center for the Arts. Details here.

Occasionally melancholy, often lively and always sweet, Two-Door Hatchback delight at Exo Roast Co. Details here.

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Courtesy of Hotel Congress

The Al Foul Trio deliver a raucous time at Owls Club. Details here.

Often called the “Tom Waits of Mariachi,” singer Carlos Medina sets out on a five-state tour with his latest record El Cantador. “It’s straight-up mariachi,” says Medina. But outside of his musical influences, there’s nothing “traditional” about this bootstrapping DIY musician’s career path. At Club Congress. With Street Blues Family. Details here.
This “genial guitar genius” and singer has been credited with re-popularizing jazz. The John Pizzarelli Trio “reinvigorate the Great American Songbook.” at the Fox Theatre. Details here.

In case you haven’t adjusted your radio presets in a while, Tucson has a “new” Old School & R&B radio station. 

Late in February, Bustos Media, the new owners of KTGV 106.3 FM The Groove announced the re-launch of the radio station. This new addition brings the number of Bustos Media owned and operated stations to twenty-three across the nation.

So, what’s new? Well, The Groove has expanded their playlist, added a special feature they are calling Commercial Free Mondays and incorporated “live DJs” into the morning, midday and evening mix. And, in the digital age of corporate radio, instead of automatons, this is novel.

Now, let’s meet the crew.

Krystal Pino takes hold of the wheel during the harried morning commute. Pino is a leading radio and television personality in the Southwest. She is also is an experienced stand-up comedian. “Her commentary on the world around her will start the audience’s day off with a laugh.”

Big Ed Alexander eases into the midday slot. A longtime Tucson radio veteran, Alexander, who graduated from Rincon High School, can boast of holding a Golden Mic Award. “He loves hanging with his listeners and exploring all the great places that make Southern Arizona a wonderfully unique place to live.”

DJ SuperSnake holds down afternoons and the drive home. In addition, Snake will be the new program director for Bustos Media. Snake explained, “From Hotel Congress to the UofA, to my friends at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, I want The Groove to be a force for listeners to have fun and hear great music.”

There you have it.

The guys and gals at The Groove are celebrating the occasion with a launch party. The fête takes place Friday, March 8 at Desert Diamond Casino in the Monsoon Nightclub. See 1063thegroove.com for details.

This is your chance to see and dance with some of the classiest male entertainers from Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and more!

These chiseled, hard-bodied entertainers have been seen in movies, on VH1, E-Entertainment, MTV, Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Abercrombie & Fitch Ads, Reality TV Shows and HBO, and they are coming to The Oracle!

Enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the ultimate girls' night out!


This event is for women only. Ticket winners must be 21 years old. 

The United States officially incarcerates more people than any other nation on earth.

Incarceration cost U.S. taxpayers more than $80 billion in 2016. Some states such as New York and Washington spend between $50,000 and $60,000 a year for each prisoner.

What does that cost buy?
What purposes does imprisonment serve?
What purpose should it serve?
Who should be imprisoned? For what? Why?
Who should operate prisons in the United States–government or for-profit corporations?

Pima County Public Library is inviting the community to explore these questions and share ideas at an upcoming FRANK Talk facilitated by Dr. T.J. Davis, Arizona Sate University, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

The event will take place Saturday, March 9 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library. The event is free to attend and open to all. No advance registration required. 

For dog-lovers, dog-likers and all things dog-related, the first annual Woofstock dog festival and "adopt-a-thon" takes place at the Reid Park Bandshell amphitheater this Sunday, March 10.

The event features low-cost vaccinations and microchipping, adoptions, food trucks, costume contests (both for dogs and humans) and a whole lineup of doggy demonstrations and performances throughout the day.

Hosted by the Tucson Dog Magazine, Woofstock is also gathering pet supplies for Cody's Friends animal charity, so feel free to bring dog or cat food, toys, leashes, beds, bowls or anything else you might think pets could use.

Come out for a day of peace, love and adoptions.

Woofstock takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 10. At The Bandshell at Reid Park. Free entry.

For more information, visit thetucsondog.com/woofstocktucson

Find more Claytoonz here.

How to Grow a Healthy Vegetable Garden. Yes, going out to eat is always a good time. But so is growing your own food right out of the ground! Vegetable growing in Tucson can be different (and difficult), but Southwest Victory Gardens at the Flowing Wells Library is here to help you out. This class teaches the basics of choosing and selecting seeds and seedlings, the unique seasons of the Sonoran Desert, and how to plant a garden for maximum production. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. 1730 W. Wetmore Road. Details here.

Taco Techno Tuesday. Batch Cafe & Bar is combining everyone’s favorites: delicious tacos by Ruben Soto and tasty beats by DJ Hart & friends. You get to fill your mouth and ears at the same time! The only issue is figuring out how to eat a taco while raving. 7 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday, March 5. 118 E. Congress St. Details here.

Mardi Gras Roundup. Fat Tuesday is coming! And plenty of local restaurants and breweries are seizing the day (or the whole week) to get in on the action. Here’s a list of some of the happenings: Dillinger Brewing Company is celebrating early with a release of their Hurricane Gose infusion and playing big band jazz. 5 p.m. Friday, March 1. 3895 N. Oracle Road. Kingfisher Grill is letting “The Good Times Roll” with live New Orleans music and festive dishes like gumbo, red beans and rice, and jambalaya. The Old Pueblo Jazz Band kicks off the celebration. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. 2564 E. Grant Road. Brodie’s Tavern is celebrating for five days straight with their Mardi Gras Party. Yes, the masks and beads are to be expected, but they’ll also be serving up specialty drinks like daiquiris, bloody Marys and hurricanes. Noon to 2 a.m. Friday, March 1, to Tuesday, March 5. 2449 N. Stone Ave. Details here.

PCC Music Presents the Chorale & College Singers. Get ready to hear some beautiful music! Our local community college is putting on this concert full of classical and 20th-century repertoire, including Pie Jesu, from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, Mozart’s “Vesperae solennes de Confessore” and Susan LaBarr’s arrangement of “Hold Fast to Dreams.” The select mixed-voice a capella choir will be performing numbers by Samuel Barber, Francis Poulenc and Renaissance composer Michael East. Supporting local students who are making art and following their dreams? We can’t think of a better way to spend a Tuesday evening. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. PCC Center for the Arts at West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road. $5 to $6. Details here. 

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music Festival. With five days’ worth of music, this festival will have something for all instrumental music lovers. Day one features, just for example, both Philip Glass and Shostakovich. Day two’s got Beethoven and Mozart. Day three features Bacewicz and Arensky. Day four has Kevin Puts and Taneyev. And day five will be serving up Brahms and Mendelssohn. And that’s just some of the music you’ll hear! 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, Wednesday, March 6, and Friday, March 8. 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10. Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. $30 adults, $10 students. Details here.

Mardi Gras at Hotel Congress. Ah yes, Mardi Gras. If you’re Catholic or like to use Lent as an opportunity to go without something or develop a good habit, then it’s your last night to engage in total debauchery. If you don’t do lent, then it’s still a great excuse to engage in total debauchery. Food and drink specials, capoeira dancers, tarot card readings and face paintings will abound. Try three different varieties of Abita beer, or order a Hurricane or Sazerac just like in NOLA. Plus, grab a slice of the largest King Cake in all of Arizona, then take a photo of yourself eating it in the photo booth. Starts at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Free before 6 p.m. and $3 after (Happy Hour is from 4 to 6 p.m.) Details here.

Airplane. For their Tuesday Night Classics series, Harkins Theatres is showing the best damn airplane-based-screwball-comedy-featuring-Leslie-Nielsen movie of all time. So full of one-liners and memorable gags, it’d be impossible to fully describe the cultural impact this movie made. So let’s just say this: The first two days of the film’s box office gross covered its entire production budget. That’s a winning movie, right there. 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. 5455 S. Calle Santa Cruz. Details here.

Water Matters More: Water Issues in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains. This local short film tells the story of the Sonoita Creek watershed and the damage a mining company might cause on the landscape and its nearby communities. This free screening at the Loft Cinema is hosted by Tucson Audubon Society and Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Free screening but RSVP required. Details here.


Events compiled by Briannon Wilfong, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.

The big-hearted songs on this Philadelphia singer-songwriter’s seventh full-length release, Bottle It In, is a vessel teeming with sentiment. “It’s like that moment on the airplane,” Kurt Vile says, “when you’re on your way somewhere and you have that burst of panic. When you’re terrified of dying. That’s when you want people to know you love them.” Kurt Vile and The Violators at the Rialto Theatre. Canadian alt-country rockers The Sadies open up the show. Details here.

Riot Grrrl resurgence? Fea and Taco Sauce commit ferocious acts of hook-filled hardcore with a lovely social conscience at the Surly Wench Pub. Details here.

Recreating the sound and flamboyance of Queen, Gary Mullen—winner of Britain’s “Stars In Their Eyes”—channels Freddie Mercury. (Queen guitarist Brian May says he bears “more than a likeness.”) One Night of Queen at the Fox Theatre. Details here.


And, Fat Tuesday would not be complete without a bonafide Carnival celebration New Orleans style. River Road Ramblers, Mike Herbert Prison Band, Tiny House of Funk, The Brian Dean Trio, Mighty Joel Ford and Michael P. Muffulettas, Bad News Blues Band and In tha Zone work all the kinks out before the divine spirit of Ash Wednesday soberly kisses the early morning air. At The Parish. Details here.

The University of Arizona baseball team hosts a three-game home series this weekend against College of Charleston, and you can watch the action for free!

CoC, who enter the weekend set with a 9-3 record, have won series against a ranked University of Connecticut squad, while also beating former national champion Coastal Carolina, 8-5.

First pitch for the first two games against Charleston is at 6 p.m., with the final contest starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Arizona is coming off a series against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with the Wildcats winning two out of three over the Panthers.

Contest winners must come to the Tucson Local Media office located at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Road to pick up their tickets.