Southern Arizona radio station KXCI has long supported The Paladins, and the rockabilly-blues band is reuniting to give back.
The Tucson-born act will headline the nonprofit’s 13th annual House Rockin’ Blues Revue “friend-raiser” on Friday, Aug. 7, at El Casino Ballroom.
“KXCI has really made Tucson a really cool town,” said Dave Gonzalez, The Paladins’ singer-guitarist.
“People I know from the road, all over the world, talk about Austin, Texas, and they talk about Tucson — more than New York, LA or Nashville. They really love Tucson’s Southwest vibe. It’s just such a cool place.”
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The Paladins, he added, rarely play live because of expenses, among other things. However, “we take certain special gigs occasionally. It’s going to be great getting back to El Casino.”
The House Rockin’ Blues Revue tickets start at $25 and are available at Bookmans, kxci.org or at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the Xcelerators featuring Ken Saydak, a “gritty sophisticated blues band,” will open at 7:30 p.m. Southern‑style food from The Parish will be available for purchase.
“We’re really excited that they were available because they’re this heritage band that we’ve played throughout the history of KXCI,” said Duncan Hudson, KXCI’s music director, of The Paladins.
“Marty Kool, who does the Blues Review on KXCI and has for over 50 years, is really excited about the Xcelerators because he thinks they’re one of the top Tucson blues bands now. Marty will host the benefit concert.”
Founded by Gonzalez and stand-up bass player Thomas Yearsley, The Paladins recorded nine full-length studio albums and three live albums. After signing with 4AD, the act last performed in Tucson at El Casino Ballroom in 2018. The musicians now live in Austin, San Diego, and Phoenix. This time around, Arizona Blues Hall of Fame saxophonist Alex Flores will join them. Longtime drummer Brian Fahey will join.
“They don’t tour as often now. I played their [1996] ‘Million Mile Club’ live album. They had already done a million miles on the road in North America.”
The band stopped playing around the COVID-19 pandemic, when Gonzalez semi-retired, but slowly reformed after receiving several offers.
“We’re lucky,” Gonzalez said. “We get a lot of offers all the time from all over the world — even though we haven’t had a new record out for five years or something. We were never huge hit makers. I joke around that we were intentionally unknown.”
The Xcelerators is an accomplished five-piece band featuring keyboardist and Chicago transplant Ken Saydak, who has recorded and toured with Otis Rush, Koko Taylor and Johnny Winter, among others. He has appeared on more than 65 recordings, including five Grammy-nominated releases and solo works on Delmark and Evidence Records.
“They’re Chicago blues musicians who have been playing for decades across the country,” Hudson said. “They recently started playing out. We’re really excited to have them opening. They’ll be stepping on the gas right away.”
For Hudson, the storied El Casino Ballroom at 437 E. 26th St. was the perfect location.
“El Casino Ballroom has Southern Arizona’s largest dance floor and has lots of history going back to the ’50s,” Hudson said. “KXCI has a history of doing concerts with El Casino Ballroom, which is another nonprofit in our community.”
The fundraiser carries a deep urgency as the station recently lost its longstanding federal grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The move is a blow that removed roughly 12% of its annual budget, according to Hudson.
KXCI operates 24 hours a day with the help of around 100 volunteers and 70 DJs each week — most of them unpaid.
“Community support is really super special,” Hudson said. “We’re part of the community and we’re reaching out to folks throughout Southern Arizona and across the globe at kxci.org [to help]. This is a chance for people to come together — in person — and have a great night of music.”
