Toxic Ranch News Today

Vinyl stores around Tucson are gearing up for Record Store Day on April 20. Retailers like Wooden Tooth Records and Desert Island Records have special...

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Thursday 17 BORDER LINES. Divisions of geography, politics, identity and gender continue their rapid reshuffling as we barrel towards the millennium. Today, novelist and poet Demetria Martinez hosts Women, Identity and Borders, a showcase of satirical and humorous short films by women offering a poignant look at where were headed. Included are "The Orientation Express," a funny animated piece by Frances Leeming, which uses cu...

With COVID cases continuing their three-month decline, vaccines flowing and artists with a year of material ready to perform, the coming months are shaping up to be great times to attend live music in Tucson. Of course, many local venues are not quite ready to host indoor concerts. Those with patios are utilizing their outdoor spaces, and even indoor-only venues are finding unique ways to get music to the masses—or prep audiences for when the time is right. The Fox Theatre is collaboratin...

Advertisement: "The Memphis song is just like full-on extreme, excessive party mode, yet its all in reference to recollecting life before the character was arrested and forced to do hard labor on a chain gang," Burns said. "Its just great hearing the difference between those versions and its great to see a bunch of locals get together and show their love and support for Al." As two of Tucsons most internationally known musicians, Burns and Foul have crossed paths numerous times since th...

As folk singer David Huckfelt neared completion on his second solo album in March 2020, the years chaos was hardly hinted at—but change had already greeted him in the form of his newborn son. As if he needed additional inspiration (Huckfelt already had an extensive catalog with his folk rock band The Pines, and had previously served as Artist-In-Residence at Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior), the year would lead to his new album Room Enough, Time Enough being his most spirited ...

The debut release from Tucson electronic duo Glacier.WAV is equally paradoxical and practical. Written in the desert, but featuring icy imagery and cool synths, the self-titled album fuses environmental concepts and personal anxiety: climate change, government failure, pandemic isolation and romantic deficiency. It’s a singular album, looking both forward and back, but capturing that dizziness of the modern era. Even the natural imagery is formed from synthetic tones. Composed by Frank ...

On their debut album, Homecoming, the Keith Robinson Band aimed to create a record that was true to Southern Arizona—but avoided sounding "local." In many ways they succeeded. While never straying far from a folk/rock template, much of the albums singularity can be attributed to frontman Keith Robinsons lyrics jumping between genre conventions and more abstract themes—and hell, even a mellotron made its way in between the acoustic guitars and desert imagery. The album opens with "Lost In Sp...