Tucson may have its foul stenches, its bums and incessant horrible traffic, but each semester, it has at least one redeeming quality: Club Crawl.
The Fall Club Crawl, held downtown Saturday night, is the largest local music festival Tucson has to offer. The majority of the bands are connected with Tucson, however a few out-of-town bands will grace some of the eight stages.
Ian Philabaum, guitarist of local band Chango Malo, considers Club Crawl a great way to attract a varied audience.
"It's awesome. Entry is one cost and you get to wander throughout the night and pick your path. It attracts people from all over town and parts of the local music scene," Philabaum said.
However, he does find one downfall to the 21-and-over concert.
"The only way to make it better would be if it was all ages," Philabaum said.
Chango Malo, a band with funk and Latin rhythms, will play at midnight on the KFMA outdoor stage.
Adrienne Lake, Hotel Congress booking agent, believes there is something unique about Club Crawl.
"The turnout and interest is on par with a larger city and a larger market. It is exceptional for the size of the town to showcase such a diversity of bands," Lake said.
Hotel Congress will have both an indoor and outdoor stage with performances starting at 8 p.m. Hotel Congress's stages will feature bands that are regulars there, both local and out of state.
One of the new features is the addition of the Caliente 102.1 Latin stage, but after more than 10 years of practice, Joey Unger, Sunday Afternoon guitarist, says the organizers have perfected the art of Club Crawl.
"It's down to a science," Unger said.
However, every year he is still shocked at the volume of bands scheduled to play.
"Somehow they get 100 bands and it's just amazing to me. It shows that the music scene could be so much more than it is," Unger said.
He also says that local bands can benefit a lot from Club Crawl, because they are given so much exposure.
Sunday Afternoon, a Dave Matthews style band, will headline the Main Stage playing at midnight.
The eight stages offer a variety of music styles. They include the Main Stage, KLPX Stage, Americana Blues Stage, Caliente/Latin Stage, KFMA Stage, Hotel Congress Stage (inside and outside), Vaudeville and The Hut, 7 Black Cats, Sharks, Red Room at the Grill, The Monkey Box. Enoteca and Samiengo Place will host one band each.
A few opening bands will begin at 7 p.m., but most will start at 8 p.m.
The first 2,000 people to buy a wristband will receive a complimentary "Club Crawl Vol. 1" CD, featuring music from local artists.
Wristbands are $8 in advance at CD City and $10 at the door. CD City is located at 2890 N. Campbell Ave. The festival will span Congress Street, which will be blocked off.
Bands to look for include Sunday Afternoon, Camp Courageous, The Jons, Gliss, Chango Malo, Great American Tragedy and Kennedy.