Tucson's Hank Topless has a pair of newly released albums, plus Electric Witch, Woodenstock, Kristin Hersh, live listings and more! It's your local music roundup at TucsonSentinel.com Read more»

Gene Ruley, stalwart of Tucson's music scene for decades, died overnight. Here's a glance back at some of his work, courtesy of this 2010 profile. Read more»

Hank Topless sings "hard country blues" with a touch of Merle, a snarl of Jerry Lee, a dash of Leon Russell and a little bit of punk rock give-no-fucks abandon. Meanwhile, Tucson seems to be "singing the blues" this week, with several live blues-tinged gigs coming up, and some good, solid Old Pueblo psych and indie rock news. It's your weekend music update! Read more»

Here's today's earworm: While the East Coast is prepped for a hazardous major snowstorm, Tucson's seeing another sunny winter day. It might not be received favorably, but we're tempted to taunt friends and family dealing with the cold with this Al Perry country cover of a Tucson punk classic: "We Got Cactus." Read more»

While Tucson's music landscape is as rich, vast and rife with possibility as the city itself, fans of local acts — the best of which stand up to any act in any locale you care to name — have seen coverage of it shrinking at an alarming rate recently. With this new column, TucsonSentinel.com is your solid source for serious coverage of our weird and wonderful homegrown monster of a music scene. Read more»

The consistent thread through Amy Mendoza's musical detours and travails is a sense of unfettered style and restless honesty, which was palpable as she told me about her latest project in a recent interview. Her proper debut record, "Suicide on the AM Dial," will be released Saturday at a show at The Flycatcher. Read more»

Anyone who follows the local music scene knows all too well the tribulations of poet-author-singer-songwriter Billy Sedlmayr’s life. We know of the wasted years and poor choices. One could easily become bitter and hardened after enduring such trials as drug addiction and incarceration, but not Sedlmayr. He still has much to give. Read more»

Butch Hancock songs have the timeless qualities of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie: honest, direct, imaginative, astonishingly simple, yet profoundly deep. He may not be well known among the general public, but Hancock is recognized by his peers as one of our finest singer-songwriters. He will perform at Club Congress on Thursday. Read more»

Country music superstar George Jones, who was best known for his hit classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today," died Friday. He was 81. Read more»

When Hayes Carll plays Club Congress next week, it will be a more formal affair than his last appearance, even by the t-shirt and jeans standard of both his brand of music and that historic music venue. Carll's website describes him as "wildly literate, utterly slackerly, impossibly romantic." He admits that his music is "outside the box for mainstream country." Read more»

Former Byrd and Flying Burrito Brother Chris Hillman, the featured headliner at the 2010 Tucson Folk Festival, will bring the Desert Rose Band in its acoustic quartet version to the Fox Theatre on Saturday. Read more»

In the seminal '60s rock band the Byrds, McGuinn broadened the range of pop music, and later, country music as well. Now he’s also making sure our folk music heritage is preserved. Read more»

“There’s nothing better than writing a song with somebody. They’ll make you go someplace or think something that you wouldn’t have on your own,” claims Kim Richey, an Americana musician who re-defines herself with each new album. Read more»

Arizona is a little tricky to figure out. OK, for many in America, that's stating the obvious, like saying the Grand Canyon is "grand" or that it's located somewhere in southern Nevada. Read more»

There is a definite air of civic engagement in the programming offerings of clubs and arts organizations this week, as well as a commitment to the unique cultural hybrid that is Tucson. If the 24-hour news cycle portrayal of your community has made you despair of late, the perfect remedy is a visit to some of these choice weekend events. Boycott your television and embrace some local culture. Read more»