Fountain Hills residents have the rare opportunity Friday, Dec. 20, to catch the final show of a world tour by local music duo Next to Celia. The band plays from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at Grapeables.

Next to Celia played Oct. 29 in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

“We gigged in Mexico, and now we’re playing in America. To us, that counts as a world tour,” said Next to Celia cofounder Todd Elwood, a longtime Fountain Hills resident.

Elwood founded the band with Brady Munn of Glendale in 2015. Elwood plays ukulele, Munn plays guitar and they both handle vocals.

How the pair ended up playing a gig in Los Cabos, Mexico, is a circuitous tale going back to 1993 when Elwood and his wife, Mia, honeymooned in the area. They became enamored by Los Cabos and years later decided to buy a timeshare there. Now they visit every year, calling it their “annual honeymoon.”

As regular visitors to Los Cabos, Elwood said he and his wife have met and befriended several residents there. Along the way they became friends with Saul Lopez, owner of a cigar store and bar called Cubano Shoppe and its adjoining restaurant, El Patio Steakhouse. The steakhouse is an open-air restaurant just steps away from the Jose Antonio Mijares Plaza and features room for live entertainment.

While making plans for the 2019 “annual honeymoon,” Elwood contacted Lopez, asking whether he’d be up for an American to strum ukulele and sing. Naturally, his friend agreed.

Elwood floated the idea of expanding it to a Next to Celia gig and when Munn jumped aboard, the wheels were in motion for the band’s first-ever world tour.

“Brady flew down the afternoon of the show, then flew back to America the next day. He was on the ground in Cabo for 24 hours. That’s dedication!” Elwood said.

The international gig didn’t quite go off without a hitch, though. Elwood and Munn weren’t able to travel with microphone stands, and Lopez didn’t have any, either. That led to driving around Los Cabos in search of a music store. When that effort failed, they ended up rigging together makeshift stands with two colorful brooms and a roll of duct tape from the local WalMart.

“Hey, that’s showbiz,” Elwood said.

Munn and Elwood will be joined this Friday by percussionist Andy Korwin, and with it being days from Christmas, the night will include plenty of sing-along holiday songs.

For information about Friday’s show, call Grapeables at 480-816-5959.