A handful of Tucson country singer-songwriters will share the Maverick Country Night Club stage on Wednesday, March 1, for the Arizona Originals songwriter showcase.
It’s not a contest. No one will be judged or crowned a winner.
Instead, it’s a unique opportunity for these artists to show off the music that drives their souls.
“We’ve got some really talented folks in town ... that are amazing that nobody’s heard of,” said Maverick owner Jay Zucker. “It’s just kind of fun bringing everybody together.”
Wednesday’s event, which starts at 8 p.m., is the fourth showcase for Arizona Originals, the brainchild of Tucson county music social media darling Jessica Northey. She hosted the first event as part of a small gathering late last year and brought the event to the Maverick last month.
Northey, a regular to Nashville, said one of her favorite Music City experiences is the songwriter nights, where artists play their music and tell stories behind the songwriting.
“When you hear an artist emote and sing their story, it’s quite the magical and inspiring experience,” she said.
And Tucson country artists have stories to tell, including tales of the wild and wide open Sonoran Desert of Tucson, as told by songwriter Andrew Daniel Cates, one of those unsung artists Zucker mentioned. Cates on his website (andrewdanielcates.com) describes himself as “a true desert boy. Born and raised in the heart of the Sonoran Desert ... I love to fish and write a genuine country song. Anything about what it means to be a stand up American and a country boy. In this case, a desert country boy.”
Cates is on Wednesday’s lineup with NASH Next national finalist Billy Shaw Jr., Jason Curtis, Caiden Brewer, Andrew Cooper, Monica Mendez, Charles Lolmaugh, Jim Howell, Mark Edward Miller and John Hawk. Each artist will perform original tunes and share their stories with the audience.
“There just really is no venue for local singer-songwriters to be able to share with the community their art,” Zucker said. “It’s just kind of fun bringing everybody together. What I thought was amazing was we actually had all of them on the stage at the same time. It was like a round robin; the others would start jamming with them and by the end of the song they had backup vocals, harmonies. It’s so different to have that kind of experience.”
This is the second time the Maverick has hosted an Arizona Originals event, and Zucker admits the first one was initially met with skepticism. But as soon as the songwriters got going, “folks that were there were just blown away.”
Wednesday’s showcase starts at 8 p.m. at the Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road. Admission is $5 at the door.
