Alisha Peru Band perform at the Great Cover Up on Dec. 17. photo: Sandra Shaw-Johnson
The U.S. Congress "supercommittee" could learn a thing or two about collaborative efforts. Locally, the Great Cover Up fundraiser has its own supercommittee, which is actually producing results.
Granted, they don’t have to deal with trillions of dollars, but they have had to brainstorm on how best to bring together a three-day, three-venue event (Dec. 15-17) with over 60 bands for the 14th annual Great Cover Up.
Their task is a bit more inspired, and definitely less stressful. But still, the logistics of honoring the responses of local bands who are freely giving their time to cover a group/musician of their choosing, all in support of local charity Tucson Artists and Musicians Health Care Alliance (TAMHA), is something to be lauded.
The Great Cover Up team includes: Tucson Weekly’s Music Editor Stephen Seigel (who inspired the whole event 14 years ago), Rialto Theatre’s Entertainment Booker Curtis McCrary, Rialto’s Marketing/Designer man Ryan Trayte, Dan Hernandez and David Slutes from Hotel Congress, Plush’s Kris Kerry and the event’s band coordinator, Mel Mason.
This year, the benefit adds a daytime schedule on Saturday, Dec. 17 – with groups performing at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., and Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. – starting at 12:30 p.m.
“We had a record number of bands request to be a part of the event,” Mason said, “and we decided to find a solution to such a positive problem.”
“It allows us to add fifty percent more bands,” Slutes said, who is also a board member of TAMHA. “Having 60 plus bands be a part of this is just incredible.”
It is cool to see music scene newbies on the schedule, such as 16-year-old Alisha Peru. Peru, a high school junior with incredible vocal chops (not to mention her acumen on piano/keys), was a top six finalist in the 2010 and 2011 Arizona Daily Star’s Battle of the Bands. Her talent has garnered a spot on Rialto’s stage during the day on Dec. 17. She’s joined by guitarist David Anderson, bassist Cody Cowe and drummer Steven Mazon. Hear her original tunes at AlishaPeru.com.
The event also hosts great mainstays. Al Perry, who played the first Great Cover Up in 1998 and most of them since the inaugural event, said he participates because: “I always like to play any benefit. It’s giving back to the community and all that. The thing about the Cover Up is you need to do something that’s a stretch. If I were to just perform George Jones songs it would not be nearly as fun.” The man who used to be in punk bands, and is now known for country, covered Jay-Z one year. He will surprise audiences again this go-round.
Jim Vancza, musician and co-owner of Che’s Lounge, who is performing with Spacefish, said Spacefish has played the event for about 11 years and remembers the early days when bands “took it way too serious. I think we were one of the first bands in costume. I really love this gig; it’s fun to see what everyone else is doing. It has been fun to see people embrace dressing up and having fun with it.”
Some bands will be tongue-in-cheek, others more straight-up, but the whole goal is to garner funds for TAMHA, which has been the beneficiary since 2007. Its mission is to support uninsured artists by providing information about local healthcare and preventative care resources and by offering an emergency relief program to its members. Membership costs $5.
TAMHA board member and Tucson Pima Arts Council’s Community Cultural Development Manager Leia Maahs said the benefit has raised approximately $6,000 each year for TAMHA from 2007 to 2010.
The organization has awarded four recipients at total of $4,000 though its emergency relief program. “It’s been really neat to see the variety of awards,” Slutes said. “It shows how people can use us. We want them to use us.”
TAMHA’s volunteer board has also been working with a variety of associates in the healthcare field and, “moving forward, we will be bringing on more and more partners,” Slutes elucidated.
This month, The Medicine Shoppe, 305 S. Euclid Avenue #111, comes on board to offer discounted prescriptions to TAMHA members. Visit TAMHA’s site, TucsonArtists.org, for its other resources.
The Great Cover Up kicks off at Plush, 340 E. 6th St., on Dec. 15 with doors opening at 7 p.m. See the schedule below and visit TucsonWeekly.com for other details. Tickets are $8 for one day, $12 for 2 and $15 for all three days!
The Great Cover Up Schedule
(current as of December 2)
Plush, Thu 15
7:45pm: Pavement
8:15pm: The Everly Brothers
8:45pm: John Lennon
9:15pm: Steely Dan
9:45pm: David Bowie
10:15pm: Weezer
10:45pm: Os Mutantes
11:15pm: Motley Crue
11:45pm: XTC
12:15am: Heaven at 27
12:45am: Bauhaus
Congress, Fri 16
7pm: Jethro Tull
7:30pm: King Crimson
8pm: Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven
8:30pm: Eric Clapton
9pm: Joe Satriani
9:30pm: Gin Blossoms
10pm: The Arcade Fire
10:30pm: The Zombies
11pm: TV Theme Songs
11:30pm: Aerosmith
12am: The Clash
12:30am: Bill Withers
1am: Mariah Carey
1:30am: Van Morrison
Congress, Sat 17
12:30pm: Wings
1pm: TBA
1:30pm: Pearl Jam
2pm: Cyndi Lauper
2:30pm: Radiohead
3pm: Joan Jett
3:30pm: The Cramps
4pm: Brain Damage Orchestra
4:30pm: Bob Marley
5pm: TBA
Rialto, Sat 17
12:30pm: Mississippi Fred McDowell
1pm: Grand Funk Railroad
1:30pm: Paul Simon
2pm: Evanescence
2:30pm: Little Richard
3pm: Son House
3:30pm: Ryan Adams
4pm: L7
4:30pm: Madonna
5pm: Tom Petty
Rialto, Sat 17
7pm: ABBA
7:30pm: Nirvana
8pm: Squeeze
8:30pm: Alice in Chains
9pm: Bukowski
9:30pm: Traveling Wilburys
10pm: Wilco
10:30pm: A Perfect Circle
11pm: ELO
11:30pm: The Beach Boys%
12am: Earth, Wind, and Fire
12:30am: New Orleans Funeral Procession
1am: Cheap Trick
1:30am: Black Eyed Peas
Bands Performing: 8 Minutes To Burn, Affirming the Consequent, Al Perry,' Alisha Peru, American Android, Bikeage, Boreas, Cameron Hood, Christopher Stevens, Crosscut Saw, DJPJ, Doctor Dinosaur, Early Black, Emergency Broadcast System, Faster Than Light, Ferrodyne, Fish Karma, Flagrante Delicto, Funky Bonz, Gabe Sullivan, Gaza Strip, Genevieve & The LPs, Jeremy Michael Cashman, Jumper, Katie Haverly, Krista Khrome’s Feed, Leila Lopez, Logan Greene & The Players, Monster Pussy, Muddy Bug, Peaks, Planet Jam, Roman Barten-Sherman, Run-On Sunshine, Ryan Green, Seashell Radio/Modeens, Sergio Mendoza, Shaun Harris, Shrimp Chaperone, Smallvox, Some Of Them Are Old, Spacefish, Still Life Telescope, Sugar Stains, The Awkward Moments, The David Clark Band, The Distortionists, The Good Little Thieves, The Gunrunners, The Jons, The Lovely Days, The Monitors, The Swigs, The Tryst, The Wayback Machine, The Wyatts, WORM, Young Mothers
