Concert update: Morrissey, TSOL, Newton, Carrington and more

Been a long time since I blogged and rolled, to crib from Messrs. Led Zeppelin. Holidays, family and an excessive workload'll do that.

But it's a new year — happy new year to you — and time to pass on some new (and overlooked) concert and show info:

• Chill out Morrissey fans. We now have a ticket price and on-sale date for Moz's return to the Borderland fans that love him so. Tickets for the April 14 "Tour of Refusal" show at the Chavez Theatre are $35. They go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 24 at the Plaza Theatre box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 544.8444. The tour's in support of the new "Years of Refusal" album, due next month.

• Punk fans have been S.O.L. waiting for their heroes, T.S.O.L., to come around. But fear not, the O.G. punks from O.C. bring their 30th anniversary tour (and yes, this is the official original band, not the one that copped the name) to the new, improved Club 101 at 7 p.m. Jan. 26. Black and Third Edge open. The Sounds of Liberty, formed in Long Beach in 1979, will be promoting a new album, "Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads," recorded the week before Christmas. It will be available as a free download later this month on Hurley.com. Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 day of show, on sale at the club, All That Music & Video and ticketbully.com.

• The God of Vegas comes to the Inn of the Mountain Gods when Wayne Newton performs "Danke Schoen" and more at 7 p.m. April 3 at the Mescalero casino. Tickets go on sale Jan. 6, though as of late Monday night I was not able to get the complete list of prices. Tickets start at $25, but typically top out over $100.

 

The Inn's also booked country comedian Rodney Carrington on May 14 at 7. Tickets for that show start at $25 and also go on sale Jan. 6.

Tickets for both shows are 21-and-older; tickets will be available at the box, Ticketmasters, ticketmaster.com and 888.252.0478.

• Get out the polyester and platforms, baby, the era of Richard Nixon, disco and Vietnam is coming back to the UTEP campus. UTEP Dinner Theatre's latest musical revue, "8-Track: The Sounds of the '70s" for 15 performances Wednesdays through Sundays, Feb. 6-22 in the UTEP Union. Tickets are $12-$38, depending on if you're a child, student, faculty/staff member or an adult, on sale now at the UTEP Ticket Center, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 544.8444.

• I realize this is hardly a rock concert, but for any of you out there who have kids, you know that a "Sesame Street Live" show is sometimes a child's first encounter with a big stage production. Guess what the message is of the new touring show, "Elmo's Green Thumb," coming to the Chavez for one show at 7 p.m. April 9. Tickets are $10.50 and $27, on sale at 10 a.m. March 2 at the Plaza box, Ticketmasters, ticketmaster.com and 544.8444.

• A trio of shows this week you might not have heard about: Elvis Presley would have been 74 on Thursday, Jan. 8. Elvis impersonator Bud Sanders pays tribute to him with a show at 8 p.m. that day at the Surf Club, 2224 E. Yandell, 532.7774 ... Tucson's Santa Cruz River Band (which includes Michael Ronstadt, Linda's bro) performs its mixture of folk, country and Mexican music at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Sunset Grocery, 700 Mundy, 592.5122 or 575.541.1992 ... Canadian Pavlo, who specializes in guitar interpretations of various Mediterranean musics, performs at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Chavez Theatre. He'll precede that with a free master class at 4 p.m. 549.5031, 852.4523, showtimeelpaso.com.