Local Latin jazz vets Azucar will kick off this year's 9th annual edition of Alfresco! Fridays, the free concert series in the Arts Festival Plaza.
Friday's opening is the first of 23 weeks of the series, the same number of shows as last year's expanded version, but spread over a longer period of time. The series opens April 1 and ends Sept. 30, a little more than two weeks longer than last year.
You may recall last year's series opened six weeks earlier than normal to accommodate the throngs of bowlers and their buddies and families during the USBC Women's Championship at the convention center. It was a success, with about 30,000 people attending the free concerts.
This year's series will feature some well-known local bands, including Radio La Chusma and Frontera Bugalu, but unlike last year no bands will perform more than once.
Here's a rundown:
April 1: Azucar (Latin jazz)
April 8: Sangre Gitana (flamenco)
April 15: Austin Jimmy Murphy and the Blues Alliance
April 22: Frontera Bugalu (new cumbia)
April 29: La Explosion (cumbia)
May 13: La Imperial Sonora (tropical/cumbia)
May 20: PT & The Cruisers (classic rock/pop)
May 27: Altarmotive (alt rock)
June 3: Brown Betty (classic rock)
June 10: New Breed Jazz Alliance
June 17: Asi Band (Tejano)
June 24: Radio La Chusma (border reggae)
July 08: King Octopus (bilingual rock)
July 15: Locomotion (pop/Latin variety)
July 22: Border City Band (Motown/Latin)
July 29: Dusty Low (border country)
Aug. 19: Sobredosis del Sabor (salsa)
Aug. 26: Red City Blue (alt rock)
Sept. 2: Chicago Inspiration (Chicago tribute)
Sept. 9: Mariachi Raices de America
Sept. 16: Captain Radio (classic rock)
Sept. 23: Aztec Zodiac (Latin funk)
Sept. 30: Fungi Mungle (disco/funk)
The series will skip certain weeks to accommodate other events, including the May 6-7 Champagne Festival (Mat Kearney and Parachute will headline), which moves from Grace Gardens to the Arts Festival Plaza this year, the July 1-2 KLAQ Downtown Streetfest (Hinder and Bachman and Turner will headline) and the Aug. 4-14 Plaza Classic Film Festival, which will have outdoor concerts on those weekends.
Shows run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Food and beverages, including beer, will be available on the premises.
Go to alfrescofridays.com for more info.
In other local talent news:
• Dan Lambert and Laura Tate Goldman's tribute to the music of Carole King has sold out.
It's a dinner show on March 31 at the Magic Pan, where the guitarist frequently performs.
Lambert hasn't worked with vocalists in years, but says he decided to do so after meeting Goldman a few months ago.
"We worked up a bunch of songs, then added the rest of the band so this gig will be the debut of that band, plus the first gig of us doing this material," says Dan, who'll be backed by Sleepercar bassist Greg Gonzalez and Lambert's Double Drum Trio (percussionists Ricardo Amaya and Erik Hickerson).
"This looks like it will be the first of many gigs either accompanying Laura at bigger performances, or having her as part of the band at some of our jobs," Lambert says. "She's fun to play with and man can she sing."
Lambert, who recently released the instrumental "Double Drum Trio" CD, recorded at Sonic Ranch, is thinking about doing more special shows at the Pan in the future, though he's not sure what the next concept will be.
"It needs to be different every time — different material, change the band around, different ways to keep it fresh and interesting," he says, adding he'd like to do some small theater shows, too.
• Ballroom dancers from Shundo Dance Studio will foxtrot, quickstep and more to the music of action, classic, romantic, dramatic, children's and sci-fi films for its "Gotta Dance — Hollywood!" concert at 7 p.m. April 2 at the Chamizal National Memorial Theater.
Tickets are $12 for children, military and seniors, $15 for adults, on sale at the studio, 532.2043.
• Speaking of Azucar, the band will headline a tribute to Eydie Gorme and Trio Los Panchos, who recorded a series of best-selling albums with her in the '60s.
The dinner concert will be at 7 p.m. May 7 at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.
Tickets are $30, including dinner, on sale at All That Music & Video, or by calling 594.9900. For tables of eight, call 471.0849.
Tickets will be on sale through May 4.
• Jazz pianists Billy Townes and Ruben Gutierrez will due their dual pianos thing at 9 p.m. April 1 at the Surf Club. They'll be joined by bassist Jim Foster and drummer Demetrius Williams.
• Local rock icon Rod Crosby will be honored at "Let the Good Times Roll," the 10th annual Concierto de las Americas at 2 p.m. April 15 at the Chamizal National Memorial Theater.
Crosby, who leads the '60s rock band the Intruders, will be acknowledged for his contributions to local rock music over the past 50 years.
• PT & the Cruisers, who play Alfresco on May 20, will play a dinner show at 7 p.m. April 16 at the new La Hacienda Mexican Grill, 9515 Gateway West. Dinner's at 7, with shows at 8 and 9 p.m.
Tickets are $25, including meal. Call 626.5298 for reservations.
• To hype the April 8 Rogue Warrior Championship Cage Fight at the Coliseum, promoter Ramiro "Ram" Guzman is staging a concert at 6 p.m. April 6 at Fort Bliss' Freedom Crossing mall. Local band Bash, Austin's Reagan Browne and local rapper Paul Novoa will perform.
Guzman, who promoters the Tejano Legends concerts, also has booked local fave Little Joe Hernandez to sing the national anthem at the battle on April 8.
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