Though it's not quite as impressive (or unlikely) as the recent story of Peter Frampton's long-missing-but-now-returned guitar, the story of how Tucsonian Brian Lopez reconnected with his favorite guitar is still a pretty cool one. "I received the guitar as a gift from a family friend. It meant a lot to me and my family," he says of the Les Paul that was stolen at a gig in December.
"Long story short, the guitar really meant a lot to me. It didn't matter to me how much it was worth, even though it is a finally manufactured guitar. It was really distraught about the whole theft. Recently my cousin saw an ad on Craigslist, advertising a similar guitar. They bought it at a swap meet, and I turned out it was my guitar. I had the serial number. So now it's back safe at home."
And was it any worse for the wear?
"It looked like my guitar case had been stolen by a 7-year-old girl," he laughs. "Somebody drew all these pink and purple stars and dumbass drawings on my Gibson case. Other than that, nothing is wrong. I just had to scratch those off immediately."
Fans will have a chance to hear the guitar, and songs from Lopez's forthcoming album, Ultra, due on March 6, tonight at Crescent Ballroom. Should be a good show -- such a good one that we're selecting it as one of the five shows you should see this weekend. Listen to Lopez and peek at more must-see suggestions after the break.
Friday, January 20:
Brian Lopez is scheduled to perform at The Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix.
Moody Mesa rockers The Riveras release their debut album Some People Like Poetry at Yucca Tap Room in Tempe with Doctor Bones, The Haymarket Squares, Former Friends of Young Americans, and Jim Bachamnn.
Saturday, January 21:
Tempe-based grunge-punks Oh God No bring flannel-draped guitars to The Big Fish Pub in Tempe.
Old school activist punk's Total Chaos rock the stage at The Red Owl.
Sunday, January 22:
Hang the DJ: Yé-Yé Girls French Pop at Rogue Bar
