Weekend entertainment forecast

Friday Feb.27

Mike Doughty with Christina Courtin at Club Congress

Many listeners lost track of poet/singer Mike Doughty long before his band Soul Coughing announced its official split in 2000. Soul Coughing's infectious "Super Bon Bon" and "Circles," received lots of attention and radio play in the post-grunge 90s alternative arena. But band or no, Mike Doughty soldiers on, ever fresh and experimental. His post-Soul Coughing efforts include guest vocals on a trance single, writing for the New York Press, and a string of solo acoustic records, including 2009's "Sad Man, Happy Man" (ATO). Doughty's opener, recent Juilliard graduate Christina Courtin, writes quirky pop songs that provide a refreshing, intelligent antidote to the likes of Ingrid Michaelson. Get to the club early; the show starts at 7:00.

Evan Dando with Brian Lopez at Plush

Long known as that cute blond frontman of The Lemonheads who allegedly took indie starlet songstress Juliana Hatfield's virginity, Evan Dando returns to Tucson Friday to play songs from his solo efforts, as well as some Lemonheads classics ("My Drug Buddy", anyone?). The most recent Lemonheads album, 2009's "Varshons," (The End) is quite a strange collection of covers, including Dando's renditions of everyone from country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons to folk legend Tim Hardin to the late grossout punk performance artist, GG Allin. The record recalls the jangling, straight-ahead 90s Lemonheads sound, for which listeners may find they are already nostalgic. Opening for Dando is local songwriter Brian Lopez (also of Mostly Bears), whose "Pray for Rain" is perhaps the best single song to come out of Tucson in recent years.

Break-up poems at Antigone

New York writer and editor Jerry Williams received his MFA from the University of Arizona in 1998. Since then, he has published two volumes of poetry, is working on a memoir, and, on Valentine's Day, published an anthology he edited of breakup and divorce poetry called "It's Not You, It's Me" on The Overlook Press. To celebrate the book's publication, Williams will be hosting a reading at Antigone Books at 7 pm, featuring local contributors Alison Hawthorne Deming, Steve Orlen, and Richard Shelton. Caustic and hilarious, Williams is sure to entertain on his brief visit back to his old stomping grounds, and all three of the prosodic elder statesmen reading at the event are notably entertaining and thoughtful readers.

Saturday Feb.28

5 Bands for 5 Bucks at The Rialto Theatre

The Rialto's sound guru, Bruce Momich, has assembled a slate of local bands to play Saturday that are not to be missed. This all-ages show features the best of the local fringe music scene, Pork Torta, Golden Boots, Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout, Cadillac Steakhouse and Lenguas Largas. Not only are these bands playing for a buck a pop, the show is all-ages. This will be an excellent opportunity to see these bands rock the big venues they all might end up on before too long.

Faster Pussycat at DV8

Don't freak out. This isn't "Lost," and you haven't been magnetically flung back to 1988. Faster Pussycat, fresh from a world tour, is bringing 80s glam-inspired sleaze rock back to Tucson on Saturday night. Not surprisingly, their website contains no recent photographs, but you can investigate in person how the last few decades have treated these Hollywood denizens. The band recently hit the road to support their recent live record, "Front Row for the Donkey Show" (Full Effect Records). This quintet can be counted on to bring heavy distortion, heavier eyeliner, and a healthy dose of their old hits.

Young Dubliners with The Dusty Buskers at Plush

Irish rockers the Young Dubliners play Saturday at Plush. While their name might put too fine a point on their Celtic roots, given their propensity to rock out like a proper rock & roll bar band, there is always an element of the traditional Gaelic ballad in the spirit of their songs, if not in their arrangements. Their 2009 record "Saints & Sinners"(429 records) is comfortable in that middle ground, as distorted electric guitars are punctuated by pennywhistle. Ironically, the genuine article Irish ballad is more likely to be performed by folksy local openers The Dusty Buskers, whose rough, acoustic rollicking will serve as perfect counterpoint to the Dubliners' electrified, driving sound.

27-6 at Candelabra Gallery

To celebrate 6 months of the Candelabra Gallery, the photographers of Maxed Art's 27, an online experiment in which many photographers approach the same subject matter, will open on Saturday. An interesting proposition, certainly, and the show's list of contributors, including  Maxed Art members Rachelle Diaz, Alex G!, Christian Ramirez, Steven Soloway, Alex Von Bergen (Tucson, AZ) Molly McClintock (Brooklyn), Alex Nelson (New York City), Jenny Dupont (San Francisco), Lindsey DiRuscio (SF), is impressive. There is an opening reception for the photos from 6-9, and the gallery will also be open for viewing Sunday from 12-5.