Wednesday

Shot In The Dark Café will have your heart hammering after some café au lait before you sing that little organ out at open mic night. Crooning starts at 7 p.m. Find it at 121 E. Broadway Blvd. Call 882-5544 if you get lost.

Feeling depressed (you know what I mean)? Opt for sampling some Saturnalia wine whilst magic tricks are performed to a background of down-tempo exotic music. Join magician Kenny Stewart and disc jockey Carl Hanni for the hullabaloo at 9 p.m. at Club Congress. Hand over the $5 bill for a good time. Find it at 311 E. Congress St. Call 622-8848 for more information.

Why not try something new at Boca — perhaps an exotic taco? Stop in between 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. for a meaty treat surprise. Featured meats in the past include alligator, rattlesnake, oyster and ostrich. Find it at 828 E. Speedway Blvd. If you are worried, call the restaurant at 777-8134 for some bucking up.

Thursday

Rise and shine! Get to Tucson Rodeo Grounds, front and center, 9 a.m., for the 86th annual Tucson Rodeo Parade — you can only experience the Tucson Rodeo Parade in the glorious city of Tucson, after all, and the 86th only happens once. It is $4-$6 for grandstand seating tickets, viewing from the street is free. Find it at Irvington Road and South Sixth Avenue. Call 294-1280 for more information.

Represent! “”Premium Blend,”” choreographed by the UA’s dance department faculty, will be presented from Thursday to Sunday. Call the box office at 621-1162 for tickets. The performance will be in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Prices range from $15-$28.

You won’t get another chance to experience an art exhibit as raw as this. Check out “”Flesh.Bone.Spirit”” at Etherton Gallery, featuring photography by Francois Robert and Joel-Peter Witkin along with art dealer Ron Perry’s Papua New Guinea tribal art collection. Find it at 135 S. Sixth Ave. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. And you don’t have to pay a thing. Call 624-7370 for more information.

Friday

Start the weekend out right with a little culture and peruse 43 paintings by the Tucson art collective known as “”Mass Abstraction.”” Find it at the entrance lobby and Suite 109 of the Pioneer Building at 100 N. Stone Ave. Call 624-0595 if you get lost. Open 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free for your viewing pleasure.

Get in touch with your Big John or Miss Lily side at the Gaslight Theatre to see the musical comedy, “”Gunsmokin’.”” Practice a few yeehaws in the car before heading on in. Find it at 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Call 886-9428 to purchase tickets. Students and military pay $15.95.

St. Patty’s Day is right around the corner and I’m going to bet you’re not in tip-top drinking shape for the holiday. Let the Young Dubliners set the mood with their Irish-rockiness at 9:30 p.m. at Plush while you get to work. The show is $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Find it at 340 E. Sixth St. Call 798-1298 for more information. Must be 21 to partake — sorry.

Saturday

Two-step your way on over to the Desert Diamond Casino Hotel to hear Tracy Lawrence do what he does best. Doors open at 7 p.m. and all you have to pay is $20. Find it at 7350 S. Nogales Highway. Call 342-2935 for more information.

It’s time to replenish your fridge and indulge in a little retail therapy on the side. Head on over to Plaza Palomino Saturday Market between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for some home-grown produce and featured art pieces by Tucson artists. Find it at 2970 N. Swan Road. Call 320-6344 for more information. Roaming is free, the veggies and art are not.

Karaoke at IBT’s from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It is time to pamper your prima donna. Find it (IBT’s — not your prima donna) at 616 N. Fourth Ave. Call 882-3053 for more information.

Sunday

Do Lady Gaga proud and get all glitz and glammed for Oscar Night America at the Fox Tucson Theatre. The Oscars will be shown along with the red carpet arrivals, fashion galore and ritzy things like a silent auction and pick-the-winner contest. Put down $25 to attend or $125 for all out VIP-status. Find it at 17 W. Congress St. Call 547-3040 for more information.

Lounge around at Plush from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and enjoy some free innovative indie jams by Daryl Shawn, man from Oaxaca. Find it at 340 E. Sixth St. Call 798-1298 for more information.

Get out of the house for a little bump and grind. Sunday Night Slow Jams is happening at the Tucson Arena. Break it down to T-Pain, Avant, Keri Hilson, and Ray-J at 6 p.m. Tickets range between $25-150.

Monday

Magical Powers Record Show courtesy of Matt and Dan at 10 p.m. in the Red Room at The Grill. I have no idea what it is, but it is free and magical powers are involved. It seems to be a win-win situation. Find it at 100 E. Congress St. Call 623-7621 if you are curious.

Get the “”Pink Elephant”” blues at the Boondocks (3306 N. First Ave). The Tucson natives behind the Bryan Dean Trio will be kicking out the 12-bar jams from 6 to 8 p.m. The show is free as long as the whiskey’s a-pourin’. For more info call  690-0991.