Tucson's The Swim will play Plush Friday night with another quality local act in The Solace Bros. Sandwiched in between those acts is San Francisco's Or, The Whale, a nice Americana act with a full-bodied sound of harmonic vocals and tons of instrumentation with something like seven members contributing.
Or, The Whale sounds like the sleeper on this bill, so do get there early.
Solace Bros. open the show at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are a cheap $5.
- Kevin W. Smith
There seem to be a lot of bands trying to get back to those stoned-out, scratchy harmonies of Beach Boyish imitators from the '60s and early '70s.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti sometimes veers in this direction, but it also blends hints of The Velvet Underground, The Stooges and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd into the soundtrack of a hazy lost day.
People are also reading…
This much should be expected from an artist signed to Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label. Haunted Graffiti plays Plush Monday for $8.
Opening is Brooklyn's excellent Chairlift and our own psych-folk heroes, Golden Boots, beginning at 9:30 p.m.
— Kevin W. Smith
Love his sound or snicker at his name, saxophonist Kenny G will bring his jazzy, instrumental tones to the Desert Diamond Casino on Wednesday.
It's been nearly a year since G last played there. We didn't send a reviewer to that show, but we can imagine it was as smooth as freshly spun silk.
Tickets range from $35 to $55 on ticketmaster.com. The show begins at 7 p.m.
— Kevin W. Smith
Austin's promising The Octopus Project comes to town fresh off a set at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The group blends poppy atmospherics with airy coed vocals similar to Montreal's Stars.
It plays an all-ages show at Club Congress Tuesday with Austin's Diagonals and locals La Cerca. Doors open at 8 p.m. for the all-ages show, and admission is $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show.
— Kevin W. Smith
So far, at least two acts are planning on stopping at Tucson Electric Park on Sunday, Sept. 28, for the annual Fall Ball concert for radio station KFMA (92.1-FM).
Hip-hop group Atmosphere and British metal act Bullet For My Valentine both have the date etched into their tour itineraries.
More info on the event and acts should be coming soon.
— Kevin W. Smith
Caliente has lined up some of the best young Tucson bands to perform at the Labor Day weekend HoCo Festival at Club Congress, Aug. 29-31.
Confirmed bands for the Caliente Stage on Aug. 31:
• RCougar
• Feel Good Revolution
• The Runaway Five
• West
• Young Mothers
The annual Labor Day festival at Hotel and Club Congress began as a way to celebrate the historic venue's 20th anniversary in 2005, and it has just kept going due to overwhelming response.
It was renamed the HoCo Festival in 2007. And this year it's added "Tucson's Green Music Festival" to the title.
In addition to three nights of live music, this year's festivities include a record festival selling vinyl albums, record equipment and music memorabilia; a fashion show and a Green expo. Keep reading for more band lineups and other details.
— Kevin W. Smith
