Singer-songwriter takes us behind bars
Austin Counts opens “Pima County Jail” with a bluesy harmonica that lies beneath his smoky vocals as he recounts a trip to the county lockup.
“It’s so damn lonesome / in solitary,” he wails and the harmonica pipes in with a lamenting wail of its own.
The song is the cornerstone of his debut EP, a four-song disc that he will release on Friday, Feb. 26, during a free show on the patio of Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Tom Walbank, who plays regular gigs with Counts at Flycatcher, and Chris Hall will also be featured.
Counts, a one-time Tucson documentary filmmaker and journalist who also owns 4th Avenue Delicatessen, 425 N. Fourth Ave., writes from experience. In his early 20s, Counts was no stranger to the jail, including a stint for driving under the influence that landed him in solitary confinement.
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Friday’s concert begins at 6 p.m. and it’s an all-ages show.
Also on Friday, the San Francisco bluegrass band Front Country plays inside the club with Laura and the Killed Men opening. It starts at 7 p.m. and admission is $5.
Perfect weekend
for Tracy Lawrence
Here are three reasons why country singer Tracy Lawrence is the perfect choice to headline the 2016 Tucson rodeo concert on Saturday, Feb. 27:
- All about the twang:
- Lawrence has a soulful baritone that oozes Southern comfort on ballads like “Paint Me A Birmingham,” “Texas Tornadoes” and “I See It Now,” then cranks into modest rebel mode on his more uptempo hits: “If the Good Die Young,” “Renegades, Rebels and Rogues,” “If the World Had a Front Porch.”
- All about the hat:
- In the 25 years that he’s been on the national stage, the Texas native has never performed without a cowboy hat. Not that that locks in your country bonafides, but it does broadcast what the audience will hear: fiddles, steel guitar and songs that stick close to the storyline of ordinary people living pretty ordinary lives.
- All about the ride:
- Tucson has been a regular stop for Lawrence since he started out in the early 1990s. We get him every couple of years and each time he puts on an energetic, memorable show that’s well worth the ticket price.
And speaking of that, tickets for Saturday’s show at Desert Diamond Casino’s Diamond Entertainment Center, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road, are $20 to $35 through startickets.com The show starts at 8 p.m. Details: ddcaz.com
Zepparella pilots its own kind of Zeppelin
The all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Zepparella brings the band’s famous hits to the Rialto Theatre stage on Friday, Feb. 26.
So what does an all-female Zeppelin tribute band sound like? Wow!
Don’t expect them to sound like Zeppelin. Instead, expect to see four talented musicians build on the framework of Led Zeppelin’s amazing catalog and add impressive improvisation that adds layers of intensity and a fresh twist.
Tucson’s own Sugar Stains — a mix of veteran rockers and fresh faces that the Rialto describes as a “raunchy guitar rock band, powered by aggressive female vox, pounding bass riffs, driving drum beats,” opens the show. Sugar Stains comprises Berenice Lomeli, Amy Mendoza, Velvet Hammer and Serena Rose.
Friday’s concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance at ticketfly.com or $17 day of show. Details: rialtotheatre.com
Also this week at the Rialto:
- Indie reggae rocker Matisyahu brings his “An Evening with Matisyahu: Live at Stubbs 3: Part 2” to Tucson at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. Tickets for the all-ages show are $30 in advance, $39 day of show.
- The Rialto is hosting R&B singer Miguel in concert at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $40 to $100 through ticketmaster.com
- Former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter brings his “All American Tour” to town at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1. $30 in advance, $35 at the door.
Satriani, Keb’ Mo’ heading to the Fox
Fox Tucson Theatre is hosting a pair of guitar geniuses in concerts next week.
- First up is Joe Satriani on Wednesday, March 2. Known for his devilishly dynamic skills, Satriani — regarded as the world’s most commercially successful solo guitarist — brings “From Surfing to Shockwave,” his concert celebrating his 30-years-and-counting career. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $32 to $175.
- Bluesman Keb’ Mo’ leans more rootsy than rocky. He comes here with his 12th studio album, “BluesAmericana,” which landed atop Soundscan’s Blues Album Chart for several weeks. He hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3. Tickets are $22 to $67.
Tickets are available at the Fox Box Office, 17 W. Congress St., or online at foxtucsontheatre.ticketforce.com
