Echo Magazine - Arizona LGBTQ Lifestyle - Oct 2019: The Arts Issue by OUTvoices Phoenix (former Echo Magazine)

INSIDE:

Meet hoop dancer and ﬁne artist Sky Duncan

PLUS:

one •n• ten joins the First Fridays lineup

THE ARTS ISSUE

Compelling art exhibitions, intriguing theater shows, and sizzling concerts are just part of the fall season’s creative magic LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT | Vol. 31, #1 | Issue 721 | October 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

Upcoming Concerts Che Apalache October 6 EmiSunshine October 10 Matthew Whitaker October 22 Delta Rae October 23 SFJAZZ Collective October 24 BoDeans October 26 Portland Cello Project November 14 And many more!

DAMIEN ESCOBAR Fri., October 11 | 7:30 p.m. $55.50–$75.50 His musical career spans over a decade, and his inspiring journey of making it big, losing it all, fighting to rebuild, and getting a second chance at success is as much a part of his brand identity as being among the top violinists in the world.

“Damien is a master of his craft. He mixes genres like jazz, classical and hip-hop effortlessly. His covers are made his own.” —Volume Magazine

2019 Concert Series sponsored by

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INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

The Alwun House, courtesy of the venue.

Issue 721 | Vol. 31, #1 | October 2019

NEWS 8 Editor’s Note 12 News Briefs 14 Datebook

COMMUNITY 56 58 62 64 66 68 70 72

Without Reservations At the Box Ofﬁce Opening Nights Recordings Between the Covers Talking Bodies Not That You Asked History

The Alwun House: Transforming a neighborhood Next year, this historic venue turns 50. Ashley Naftule talked to Dana Johnson and Kim Moody about the space’s history and what’s in store.

OUT & ABOUT 16 PHX Arts Collab Fall Mixer 18 Phoenix Pride Artist Reception 36 Shaneland Arts Grand Opening 42 Dragalicious with Shuga Cain 46 Hustle Tea Dance 78 Bearracuda 80 Gay Softball World Series Send Off Party

Season round-up From art exhibitions to theater and music shows, Michelle Talsma Everson shines a spotlight on cultural activities happening this fall.

Local org fosters creativity.

ON THE COVER Sky Duncan. Courtesy of Sky Duncan.

INSIDE:

Meet hoop dancer and ﬁne artist Sky Duncan

PLUS:

one •n• ten joins the First Fridays lineup

one • n • ten joins in on the Phoenix First Fridays fun THE ARTS ISSUE

OCTOBER 2019

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Head to this support center for LGBTQ youth and young adults on Phoenix First Fridays to see youth-created artwork. Echo’s Tom Reardon chatted with program associate Rebecca Semik about their participation in the monthly artwalk.

By Jeff Kronenfeld

The cosmic world of Sky Duncan Culture Trip: Meet Ryan Hill — MOCA Tucson’s new deputy director

A trip to Tucson should include a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art. Get to know Hill, from his history in visual arts to what inspires his vision.

This artist’s colorful paintings are as engaging as his hoop dancing performances. Jeff Kronenfeld talked to Duncan about his art, growing up in a creative family, and the indigenous LGBTQ community.

Devon Battilega as the Eight of Cups, in the series TAROT by Brandon McGill

Artistic evolution: James Angel

The Phoenix-based artist explores both time and emotion in his paintings. Jenna Duncan talked to Angel about his art career and recent projects.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Brandon McGill: Beyond the body The expert body painter has been busy. Ashley Naftule chatted with McGill about some recent endeavors, including his part in designing an escape room.

Thunderbird Lounge adds spice to the Melrose District This recent addition to the Melrose ‘hood offers fun, style, and a massive patio that has us aching for lower digits on the thermostat. Find out how it came to be. echomag.com/thunderbird-melrose-2019

By Charles Barth.

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE By Amy Young

elcome to October; it’s a packed month. First off, readers, Echo is officially 30! A look around our well-worn office really drives that point home — the shelves are packed and stacked chronologically with previous issues that hold the stories of the people who have built this community. One example is Alwun House. A feature in this issue by Ashley Naftule examines the history of this multi-arts venue in the Garfield neighborhood of downtown Phoenix. Kim Moody and Dana Johnson talked about this past and what the future holds for this unique space. If the walls there could talk, that’s one spot that could rival the aforementioned Echo office for some intriguing tales! The Arts Issue features continue with a great round-up of fall season events by Michelle Talsma Everson, including theater and dance performances, as well as art exhibitions. Don’t let anyone tell you there’s nothing to do in Phoenix. one •n• ten, the support organization for LGBTQ youth and young adults, has joined the Phoenix First Fridays art walk, showing artwork created by program participants. Tom Reardon talked to Rebecca Semik to get all the details about that, as well as how you can be of help. James Angel was an original member of Three Car Pile Up, the downtown arts collective (along with Randy Slack and David Dauncey) that became

active in the ‘90s. He recently moved out of Arizona for a bit and has since returned. His work and career have evolved in interesting ways — Jenna Duncan got the scoop on that. Sky Duncan is part of an extremely creative family of artists and champion hoop dancers, himself included. Jeff Kronenfeld talked to him about his artwork and arts education, as well as the indigenous LGBTQ community and how events like the Gathering of Queer Nations helped his personal growth. How about a trip to Tucson? We’ve got a good reason: Ryan Hill is now the Museum of Contemporary Art’s deputy director and he’s bringing a wealth of experience to the space. We recently featured Hill’s husband, rocker Kid Congo Powers. Hear about what brought the two to the desert and what gets him inspired. October is LGBTQ History Month. The site lgbthistorymonth.com is a great place to see how some folks are celebrating. October 11 is National Coming Out Day, which was founded in 1988 by activists and personal growth advocates Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary. Thanks always to groundbreakers who relentlessly pursue and champion human rights. Amy Young is the managing editor of Echo Magazine. A longtime journalist, her work has appeared in numerous publications, regional to international. Please contact her at editor@echomag.com.

LGBTQ NEWS, VIEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: Bill Orovan ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Bill Gemmill EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR: Amy Young CONTRIBUTORS: Joey Amato Kimberly Blaker Grace Bolyard Edward Castro Jenna Duncan Buddy Early Michelle Talsma Everson Melissa Fossum Mark C. Horn Tamara Juarez Justin Keane Jason Kron Jeff Kronenfeld

Laura Latzko Logan Lowrey-Rasmussen Tuesday Mahrle Judy McGuire Ashley Naftule David-Elijah Nahmod Tia Norris Tom Reardon Seth Reines Mikey Rox Terri Schlichenmeyer Colby Tortorici

INTERNS Grace Lieberman Brianna Moore ART DEPARTMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: nightfuse.com. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING: Ashlee James ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Gregg Edelman NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863

ECHO READERSHIP: 50,000 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $29/year ACE PUBLISHING, INC. MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 16630

MEMBER:

Echo Magazine is published by ACE Publishing, Inc. Echo is a registered trademark of ACE Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Written permission must be obtained in advance for partial or complete reproduction of any advertising material contained therein. Opinions expressed therein are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. ACE Publishing, Inc. does not assume responsibility for claims by its advertisers or advice columnists. Publication of a name, photograph of an individual or organization in articles, advertisements or listings is not to be construed as an indication of the sexual orientation, unless such orientation is specifically stated. Manuscripts or other materials submitted remain the property of ACE Publishing, Inc. 8

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NEWS BRIEFS

The Human Rights Campaign applauds House judiciary advancing gun violence prevention measures On September 11, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, applauded the House Judiciary Committee for advancing three commonsense gun reform bills aimed at preventing the epidemic of mass gun violence in the United States. “It is imperative that Congress and the White House finally take action to prevent this senseless, ongoing epidemic of gun violence,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “The vast majority of the American people support meaningful steps to stop these preventable tragedies, including an assurance that no person in this country can purchase a firearm without clearing a background check. The House and Senate must work together to pass these commonsense bills, and Donald Trump must sign them into law. If they fail to do so, we must elect leaders who will get the job done and protect our communities from violence.” The bills advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee for consideration by the full House are: • H.R.1186 — The Keep Americans Safe Act would ban high capacity ammunition magazines, which enable 12

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assault weapons to be particularly lethal. • H.R.1236 — The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019 would provide incentives for states to adopt laws in order to prevent those deemed a risk to themselves or others from accessing firearms. • H.R. 2708 — The Disarm Hate Act would prohibit those convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes from obtaining firearms. HRC has also given strong public support for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which passed the U.S. House with a bipartisan majority in February but remains languishing in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to bring it to the floor for a vote. A poll released this week found that 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks, including on private and gun show sales. In 2016, after a gunman killed 49 people - most of them LGBTQ and Latinx - in Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, HRC’s Board of Directors adopted a resolution that addresses both the epidemic of hate that has fueled anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault and discrimination as well as commonsense gun violence prevention policies that would help keep

the LGBTQ community safe. Gun violence has led to the murder of at least 18 trans people in 2019, the majority of them Black women. HRC backs commonsense gun violence prevention policy measures and policies aimed at addressing the epidemic of hate that has fueled anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault, and discrimination. For decades, LGBTQ people have been a target for bias-motivated violence, and easy access to deadly weapons has compounded this threat. Commonsense gun violence prevention measures endorsed by HRC include banning access to assault-style rifles, expanding background checks and limiting the ability for suspected terrorists and those with a history of domestic abuse to access guns. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, more than 36,000 gun deaths happen every year. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community. news

DATEBOOK October 5

September 24

Debbie Harry has long been the frontperson of the rock band Blondie. This Rock and Roll Hall of Famer visits with her new memoir FACE IT. Band co-founder Chris Stein and artist and director Rob Roth join her on stage. Zia Records hosts this live conversation and visual presentation. Tickets are $40 to $45. Start time is 7 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre, 200 W. Adams St., in Phoenix. changinghands.com

There’s a lot happening at this installment of The Queer Agenda. For starters, you get to watch season three of Dragula. The night also features a performance by, and VIP meet-and-greet with, Morgan McMichaels, who you may know from the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. General admission costs you $25. $35 for the VIP experience. The fun kicks in at 7 p.m. at Stacy’s @ Melrose, 4343 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. stacysatmelrose.com

October 11

With Halloween just around the corner it’s the perfect time for the 2019 Witches Ball Fundraiser for Rebel & Devine. The 12th annual shindig, hosted by the Grand Canyon Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, promises a “monsterly” good time. Barbra Seville is your host for this party that includes rafﬂes and a costume contest. The festive night beneﬁts Rebel & Divine, a church specially designed for at-risk youth and young adults. 9 p.m. is when the fun begins at The Rock, 4129 N. Seventh Ave., in Phoenix. azsisters.org

October 10

September 25

Isn’t it time to add some culture to your life and also meet some new people? Come Get Kinky with the Ambassadors is an opportunity to see The Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of Kinky Boots and network with the Ambassadors — a social and networking group for young professionals interested in theater and the arts. Did we mention there are drink specials? $29 with the “KINKYDEAL” coupon code gets you into this soiree that starts at 6 p.m. at The Phoenix Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Road. phoenixtheatre.com

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At the premiere of the documentary, Out in Arizona you’ll screen the movie that chronicles the journey of six LGBTQ+ Arizonans, including a two-spirit member of the Hualapai Nation, a transgender parent, and an intersex veteran. The night also includes a pre-show reception with food and drink and a Q&A session with the ﬁlmmaker and documentary subjects. It’s free to attend but follow the link to register for your complimentary ticket. The event starts at 7 p.m. at Harkins Theater, Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway. eventbrite.com/o/equality-arizona-7912395758

October 10

Mark your calendar for our annual fundraising gala, the Arts Awards! Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Phoenix Center for the Arts proudly present the Eighth Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. These awards serve to identify outstanding leaders in nine areas: Culinary Arts, Dance, Creative Writing, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Young Artist (age 12-17), DIY/Maker, and Innovative Arts Organization. Admission is $75 for this yearly event that takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Phoenix Center for the Arts, 1202 N. Third St. phoenixcenterforthearts.org

October 11-13

The annual Desperado LGBTQ Film Festival is hosted by a student group at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) and features three days of short and feature ﬁlms that highlight the experiences of the LGBTQ community. The three-day event also includes a reception and artist talks. Showtimes vary. Visit the site for times and ticket information. The PVCC Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18401 North 32nd St., in Phoenix. desperadoﬁlmfestival.com

Mark Our Calendars

To have your event considered for Echo’s print and online calendars, submit your event details to echomag.com/ community-calendar *All submissions are subject to Echo’s discretion.

PHX Art Collaboration Fall Mixer 2019

Aug. 21 at The Phoenix Theatre Company, Phoenix Photos by Melissa Fossum.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 16

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Out & About

OCTOBER 3 – 20

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WINNER OF

OBIE OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE DRAMA DESK AWARDS

Di rec ted by

Marco Ramirez

Michael John Garc’es

“A stylized, blazingly theatrical triumph that keeps audience members on the edge of their seats.”

Lauren Gunderson Directed by Casey Stangl

– Miami Herald

“Original and graceful. THE ROYALE packs a punch!” – The New York Times

11 / 1 4 / 1 9 - 1 2 / 1 / 1 9

10 / 3 /19 - 10 / 2 0 /19

Athol Fugard

Directed by

Kent Gash

Book by

Joe Masteroff John Kander Fred Ebb Music by

Lyrics by

Directed by

M a r c o Ra mir e z

D i re c te yd b

s e c r ’ a G n h o J l e a M ic h

Sara Bruner 2 / 13 / 2 0 - 3 / 1/ 2 0

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the Legend of

GEORGIA McBRIDE

Matthew Lopez

Directed by

Wendy MacLeod

Directed by

Sean Daniels

Meredith McDonough

4 / 2 / 2 0 - 4 /19 / 2 0

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The Royale is not really about life in the ring. Set in 1910, deep in the midst of Jim Crow, it explores one man’s struggle while reflecting a much broader one. It is a deeply theatrical and emotionally moving piece loosely based on the life of the first African American, heavyweight boxing champion, the life of the outsider in American culture.

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2019 Phoenix Pride Artist Reception

Sept. 6 at Exposed Gallery, Phoenix. Photos by Gregg Edelman.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. 18

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The Alwun House is transforming an entire neighborhood, one piece of art at a time By Ashley Naftule. Photos courtesy of Alwun House.

ome things can’t help but live up to their clichés. You’d expect that a city named after a mythical bird that keeps resurrecting itself by bursting into flames would also be in a constant state of reinvention, and Phoenix doesn’t disappoint. Any sense of enduring local history and permanence seems to get paved over and forgotten every few years. Venues close, art galleries open and shutter, visionary artists submit to the siren’s call of Portland or Seattle, developers transform funky neighborhoods into craft bar districts. Sift through the ashes of those flashfires of change and only a handful of local landmarks and organizations endure. Places like the indomitable Alwun House. A bungalow style manor house situated on the corner of 12th and Roosevelt

streets, the Alwun House is an art oasis that has thrived for nearly 50 years in the desert. Once known as the Sedler House (named for its builder and original owner, John Sedler, who erected the house in 1912), the Alwun House has become a big enough fixture in the community for the building to have landed on both the City of Phoenix’s list of registered historical properties and the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office’s Inventory of Historic Properties (making it eligible for National Historic Registration). It’s also, in many respects, the alpha and omega of the downtown arts scene. Started in 1971, the Alwun House has been an active gallery and venue space in the Garfield neighborhood for decades. In a local arts culture where most venues are considered venerable elders if they make it to their 10th anniversary, Alwun House’s nearly five decade long existence is without equal. First to the art party and the last to leave, Alwun House’s Kim Moody and Dana Johnson credit sheer stubbornness as the secret to their success. “Perseverance and stubbornness,” Johnson says, seated with Moody in the house’s backyard. A lush backdrop of koi ponds, trees, and rock formations dot the landscape, creating an environment

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Alwun History jpg caption: Founders laying down a literal foundation (from left to right): Larry Vanderbeek, Tomas Houlon, and Kim Moody.

that’s part Zen garden and part exotica album cover. “For many years we were renting this house at a pretty good rate that we could still barely afford. But we worked hard and now we own this house free and clear.” In addition to dogged persistence, Moody thinks the key to Alwun’s longevity has been its dedication to values. “Vision, purpose, all of the arts in one place. Progressive, always progressive,” Moody drawls. “Like when we did the recall for Evan Meacham.” Central to the art organization’s FEATURE STORY

operating ethos is a belief in fostering and developing community. “We call it the Art Transformative Theory,” Moody says. “That through the power of art you can transform a community.” It’s pretty talk, but one that’s been backed by decades of walk: The Alwun House has been a significant player in the transformation of the Garfield neighborhood, working closely with their neighbors to create a safer community. “This neighborhood was scary to a lot of people, especially the Scottsdale money people,” Johnson says. “Danny Harkins donated to our art park recently, and when he did he said, ‘You know, I used to come down here in the ‘80s and I had to stop because my wife made me after our car got broken into.” Moody and Johnson also own a piece of land that’s north of the Alwun House. For the last few years, they’ve embarked on their most ambitious long-term project yet: developing that land into a green art park for the neighborhood. “It’s a planned unit development,” Moody explains. “That way we could develop it with 47 different uses: artists, displays, food trucks, dancers, yard sales, even movies. We’ve been talking with Danny Harkins about maybe doing outdoor screenings for the neighborhood.” Rezoning land is an extremely arduous, time-consuming process. If Johnson and Moody hadn’t already been such good neighbors to their Garfield peers, it would also have proven to be a nearly impossible undertaking. “With the zoning, we had to be very public about it and tell everyone what it is we’re doing because it’s a public process to zone,” Johnson says. “We had to go through several public hearings, we had to mail out to our residents and neighbors. We got an approval by the neighborhood association. When we went to the village planning committee to change the zoning, everyone spoke up FEATURE STORY

with accolades instead of opposing us. One guy stood up and said he opposed the kind of rezoning we were trying to do but in this case would make an exception because he knew us and knew what we do.” Moody and Johnson have built up considerable goodwill in the Garfield area because of their efforts to help transform the neighborhood. “Back in the ‘90s, when we started getting involved in the neighborhood, landlords were renting severely substandard houses,” Johnson says. “Landlords were abusing undocumented people by renting them shitty places because they knew that they weren’t going to get reported for renting houses where people literally had no place to take a shit in them.” Johnson isn’t nostalgic for Garfield’s past. “Gentrification is a really nasty word. When we’re talking about gentrification and displacement, a lot of what was displaced was drug dealers and whores that were selling on Van Buren.” That perception of Garfield being a crime-ridden area still persists in the popular imagination. “We hear it all the time,” Moody says, talking about the invisible wall separating Roosevelt Row from the Garfield district. “People saying, ‘oh, we don’t cross 7th Street.’” That wall may come down soon: in addition to the activation of Alwun House’s green park, restaurants are popping up all over that side of the 7th Street dividing line. And the Alwun founders say there’s an Israeli investor whose been buying up churches in the area with a long-term plan of transforming them into venues and gallery spaces. It’s in part because of these developments that the Alwun men remain sanguine about the coming of Meow Wolf to Phoenix and the gentrification that’s rapidly transforming the Roosevelt area.

“People may go down to Meow Wolf and see it and experience, but it’s kinda like going to the Grand Canyon, “Johnson says. “You saw it, okay — so what’s next? People are going to go looking for other things to see and do.” Moody, with a mischievous gleam in his eye, chimes in: “And we’re just five minutes away.” While Johnson and Moody have been placing a lot of their focus on the art park, they continue to program shows and exhibitions at the Alwun House. In addition to longstanding annual shows like the Exotic Art Show, Monsters Menagerie, and Lighthouse, they also host burlesque shows, freakshows, readings, and theater events in their backyard. They’ve also recently formed a relationship with the folks behind Burning Man, thanks to Alwun’s connections with the organizers behind Arizona’s Saguaro Man. “Hundreds of people came out for the Burning Man party,” Moody says, pointing to the land north of the building. “We had flame balls going up 25, 40 feet in the air,” Johnson adds. It’s no wonder that Moody and Johnson have endured and thrived in the Valley’s constantly changing arts scene: they’ve planted strong, lasting roots in their community. Their civic engagement and willingness to work with their neighborhoods is a model that more artistic organizations and creators should emulate. But most laudable of all is their desire to preserve — in a city where everything is burning down and getting built back up again, Johnson and Moody understand that you need to save something from the flames. Ashley Naftule is a writer and theater artist from Phoenix, AZ. His work has been published in Pitchfork, Vice, Bandcamp, Phoenix New Times, Popula, Longreads, The Outline, SYFY Wire, AZCentral, and Java Magazine.. He’s a resident playwright and artistic director at Space55 Theatre. You can find him at @Emperor_norton on Twitter. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

Some of the must-attend arts events this season Compiled by Michelle Talsma Everson. Photos courtesy of venues.

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FEATURE STORY

t’s officially fall, which means cooler temps and arts events galore. Whether it’s a film festival, a gallery event or themed around a specific holiday, there is no shortage of things to do and art to experience this season. While the list we’ve compiled isn’t exhaustive of everything going on in the Valley (and beyond) this arts season, we hope it inspires you to get out of the house and get your art on.

A Vampire Tale by Scorpius Dance Theatre October 3-12 The Hardes Theatre at The Phoenix Theatre Company scorpiusdance.com/tickets This fall season, Scorpius Dance Theatre presents its popular production, A Vampire Tale. Dubbed “’The ‘Nutcracker’ of Halloween,” the yearly haunt is celebrating its 16th anniversary season. A Vampire Tale indulges audiences with all the trimmings: dark and sexy drama, quirky and comedic episodes, and visually stunning dance and aerial feats. This popular, sell-out production predates all of the vampire pop-culture and evolves annually to keep fans coming back for more.

Inaugural Mesa Film Festival October 17-20 Mesa Convention Center and Downtown Mesa Venues filmfreeway.com/MesaFF The Mesa Film Festival is excited to announce the inaugural festival at Mesa Convention Center and at venues downtown October 17-20. The festival welcomes participation from industry veterans, students, and everyone in between. Mesa Film Festival will host about 200 films from around the world for three days of film, art, food and fun for the whole family. FEATURE STORY

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OCTOBER 2019

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Select Dates Between October 9 and November 10 Phoenix Theatre phoenixtheatre.com The Phoenix Theatre Company is offering audiences an exceptional and powerful multisensory experience with this show. Set in the main character’s brain, the audience experiences nontraditional storytelling through a stunning mix of multimedia effects intended to mimic the over-stimulation the protagonist must endure to continue to pursue his case. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time tells the story of 15-year-old Christopher Boone and the mystery surrounding the death of a neighbor’s dog. Christopher is not only a mathematical genius, but also on the autism spectrum, providing a unique perspective as the storyteller.

Scottsdale Gallery Association Gold Palette ArtWalk Select Dates from October 10 through 2020 Scottsdale www.scottsdalegalleries.com On Thursday, October 10, the Scottsdale Gallery Association (SGA) kicks off its 45th season recognizing, advocating for and supporting the local art community with its weekly Thursday evening ArtWalks and Gold Palette ArtWalk series, which take place amid the Scottsdale Arts District along Main Street from Scottsdale Road west to Goldwater Boulevard, and on Marshall Way north of Indian School Road to Fifth Avenue. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the 45th Anniversary Celebration Gold Palette ArtWalk is scheduled to include an engaging slideshow featuring Scottsdale Arts District highlights over the past 45 years; and at 6:45 p.m. guests can also enjoy live music with an early ‘70s theme and refreshments as they peruse the galleries throughout the District.

Wild Rising by Cracking Art

October 12 to May 10, 2020 Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix www.dbg.org The Garden’s newest exhibition is traveling straight from Milan to bring Wild Rising by Cracking Art, an installation of more than 1,000 animal sculptures made from colorful and recyclable plastic. Visitors of all ages will be drawn to engage with these vibrant creatures and to discover that plastic does not have to end up in landfills, but it can be reinvented into something eye-catching and thought-provoking. 24

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FEATURE STORY

Enchanted Pumpkin Garden October 18-27 Carefree EnchantedPumpkinGarden.com The Town of Carefree’s Fifth Annual Enchanted Pumpkin Garden is a oneof-a-kind fall festival celebrating the magic of the Halloween season. The event takes place Oct. 18–27, with the incredible artistry of Ray Villafane and Villafane Studios’ carvers on display live each day, and their carvings found throughout the four-acre Carefree Desert Gardens. On weekends, this annual event boasts magical Halloween activities for kids and adults, plus culinary delights and autumnal refreshments including a beer garden, a harvest market and live music.

Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s – Now October 26 - January 19, 2020 Scottsdale smoca.org As a counter to the established ideas of land art, Counter-Landscapes: Performative Actions from the 1970s – Now presents leading artists working with performance who have brought about new ways of seeing and interacting with the environment. Through a focused selection of key historical and contemporary works, Counter-Landscapes illuminates how the strategies of women artists in the 1970s and 1980s are employed by artists today, especially those interested in issues of social, environmental, and personal transformation. The works present a dialogue across generations, locations, and genders and feature photography, video, sculpture, performance, and installation. Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

Dia de los Muertos Festival Sunday, November 3, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. St. Mary’s Basilica Plaza, Downtown Phoenix saintmarysbasilica.org

The sixth annual Dia de los Muertos Festival, hosted by St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, will be bigger than ever this year with the addition of Azteccostumed dancers leading the opening procession with energetic dance, and four large community ofrendas (altars to honor the memory of ancestors) designed by local Hispanic artists. The family-friendly, outdoor event takes place at 3rd and Monroe Streets, and is free and open to all. A suggested donation: one item of non-perishable food for St. Vincent de Paul. FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

Canal Convergence | Water + Art + Light November 8-17 Scottsdale Waterfront CanalConvergence.com This is a free, 10-day, public art event from November 8–17 at the Scottsdale Waterfront. This year’s event follows the theme of “The Story of Water” and will feature numerous large-scale, lightbased installations, many of which will have interactive components. Featured artworks include “Standing Wave,” by the UK-based artist studio Squidsoup,

and “Water Serpent,” by Scottsdalebased Walter Productions. “Standing Wave” comprises 600 orbs of light and sound that will simulate a wave over the Arizona Canal while “Water Serpent” is a 200-foot-long, floating sculpture that shoots fire into the air from its metallic spine and sparks from its mouth. In addition to the artworks, Canal Convergence features live performances, food vendors, a beer and wine garden, educational artist talks and all-ages workshops and activities throughout the event. It is organized by Scottsdale Public Art, part of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts.

Kierland POP Festival November 15-16 Scottsdale kierlandpop.com To kick off the beautiful fall weather season, the annual outdoor Kierland POP festival will take place Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 in Scottsdale. The two-day festival will include a series of interactive, pop-up experiences featuring wine from Arizona winemakers, art in unexpected places, live music and entertainment, a vintage market, a night run, and more.

Arizona Musicfest Select Dates November 8 – March 13, 2020 azmusicfest.org The 29th annual Arizona Musicfest festival season brings a diverse lineup of exceptional artists to Valley audiences. Arizona Musicfest’s 2019-20 Festival Season includes 27 performances from November 8 through March 13. Festival highlights include Grammy award winner Michael Bolton; chart-topping, multi-talented entertainer Vanessa Williams; acclaimed country star Sara Evans; iconic TV, stage and screen celebrity Tony Danza; Musicfest favorites Chris Botti and Michael Feinstein; plus, holiday concerts featuring The 5 Browns and New York Voices. Stellar ensembles coming to the Musicfest stage include the legendary John Pizzarelli Trio, The Hot Sardines, Back to Bacharach, as well as Under the Streetlamp performing classic hits with tight harmonies. 26

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FEATURE STORY

Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour Nov. 22-24 and Nov. 29-Dec. 1 HiddenInTheHills.org A signature event of the nonprofit Sonoran Arts League, Hidden in the Hills is Arizona’s largest and longestrunning artist studio tour. This year’s event features 199 artists at 47 studio locations throughout the scenic Desert Foothills communities of Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale.

CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! November 30 Piper Theater at the Mesa Arts Center MesaArtsCenter.com Choir! Choir! Choir! is a Toronto-based singing group led by creative directors Nobu Adilman and Daveed Goldman. The

duo takes a non-traditional approach; there are no auditions, and the audience is the choir. Audience members will learn an original arrangement to a well-loved song. Founded in 2011, Choir! Choir! Choir! has amassed a dedicated community of singers and an international fan base on YouTube.

The free, self-guided studio tour offers art enthusiasts a rare chance to observe artists at work in their private studios, which are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Las Noches de las Luminarias Select Dates in November and December Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix www.dbg.org Celebrate the romance of the season with one of Arizona’s longest-running holiday traditions — Las Noches de las Luminarias. On select nights Nov. 29 through Dec.31, stroll the Garden’s trails lined with 8,000 glowing luminaria bags and gaze at the glistening lights with a warm drink in hand. Happen upon toe-tapping tunes from eclectic entertainment groups and cherish the time spent with friends and family during the holiday season. Michelle Talsma Everson is a freelance writer, editor and PR pro. A graduate of NAU, she’s been writing for Valley publications for more than a decade. You can find out more at mteverson.com. FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

COCKTAIL FUNDRAISER & AWARDS CEREMONY Thom and Tavit Brodeur-Kazanjian, Event Chairs Carrick Sears, Co-Chair

Presented by

The 5th Annual Sparkle Glitter GLSEN celebrates students, teachers, and community leaders who advance our mission to end discrimination and violence against LGBTQ students and make our K-12 schools safe for all. The evening includes an awards ceremony and raffles, as well as hors d’oeuvres and our signature cocktail. All proceeds benefit GLSEN Phoenix’s evidence-based programs. Get your tickets now and learn more about the event and sponsorship opportunities at

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Daron Hagen, Composer Paul Muldoon, Librettist

BROW

To hell with the conventional

Redemption by fire takes center stage in this fascinating new Arizona Opera production about the early life of Frank Lloyd Wright.

An affair with a client’s wife, complicated relationships, murders and a devastating fire at Taliesin drove Wright’s passion and determination to rebuild. PHOENIX

“Mr. Hagen has a gift for the Big Tune and he delivers some beauties in this opera.”

Sep 27*, 28, 29 Herberger Theater TUCSON

Oct 5*, 6 Temple of Music and Art *Attendees to opening night are invited to attend The RED Party for free immediately following the performance!

Shining Brow is part of the McDougall Arizona Opera RED Series. Production made possible, in part, through generous support from the Flinn Foundation, Nancy Foster, Drs. Stephen and Barbara Munk, and PHX Architecture.

New York Times

Tickets: azopera.org

Youthful expression: one •n• ten joins the Phoenix First Fridays lineup By Tom Reardon Photos courtesy of one •n• ten

eing a teenager is hard.

Gay, straight, or questioning exactly where you fit in, the years between 13 and, really, 25, are just plain tough. If you’re reading this right now and thinking, “Wait a minute, those were the best years of my life,” well, most of us want to lovingly slap your face. One •n• ten exists to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 14-24 by creating a safe space to be listened to, create a new path, and promote healthy lifestyle choices through education, advocacy, and the arts. Everyone needs a little help from time to time and the mission and vision of one •n• ten not only espouses this sentiment but offers a beacon of hope, as well. With programs like the Promise of a New Day (P.O.N.D), which provides housing for 18-24 year old LGBTQ youth for up to two years as well as the Homeless Navigation Services, one •n• ten provides the opportunity for young adults to start their adult lives on, perhaps, more stable ground than they 30

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have ever known. More recently, one •n• ten has jumped into the world of fine art, as well. The Valley of the Sun has become very used to First Fridays being a time to celebrate art, but one •n• ten has decided to take it a bit further and is offering up time to learn about and practice art every Friday. In an article by Heather Stuckey and Jeremy Nobel entitled The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health, the authors stated that “Art helps people express experiences that are too difficult to put into words.” For many LGBTQ youth, opportunities to safely express themselves are too few and far between. To learn more about one •n• ten’s programs, we spent some time discussing them with Rebecca Semik, who is a Youth Center Programs Associate. An accomplished filmmaker and native Arizonan, Semik brings a wealth of experience to her role and seems to relish the opportunity she has to work with the youth served by her agency.

Echo: How did you get involved with one •n• ten? Rebecca Semik: I actually got involved with one •n• ten through my consulting work with GLSEN Phoenix, another LGBTQ+ nonprofit. These two organizations do a lot of collaboration, and when one •n• ten was hiring for a full-time position, I was fortunate enough to apply and get the job and continue working with LGBTQ+ youth in a whole other capacity. Tell us a bit about you. I grew up in Gilbert and graduated from Gilbert High School. What was it like growing up in Gilbert? Honestly, I had a pretty good childhood, but I was super sheltered and wasn’t out to myself let alone anyone else until I moved for college. I had one gay friend in high school, but I didn’t even have the language to know what being LGTBQ+ was. I think that’s why I love getting to work with LGBTQ+ youth today; they have such a greater awareness of the FEATURE STORY

community and the issues we face than I did at their age. What’s more, they advocate for themselves with courage I certainly didn’t have at their age.

it’s creating a painting or rehearsing a song), then they have an hour of fine arts program where all the youth gather together to learn about and create a different art form. We’ve done a full spectrum of activities like doing improv games with Phoenix Theater, writing slam poetry, and playing storytelling games.

What about college? After graduating, I did my undergrad (degree) at (Texas Christian University) TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. (I) lived in Austin for a couple of years after that and then went to Boston University for my master’s degree. I’ve been back in the Phoenix area for a little over a year now and have been loving every second because of all the great work I get to do with Phoenix’s nonprofits.

That’s so awesome! Why, in your opinion, are these programs important? The idea is that our youth are gaining a deeper appreciation for the arts while offering them the space to experiment and play, to polish their craft or to try a new one entirely, and most importantly the idea is for them to have fun. As this program has developed over the last couple of months, it’s been incredible to see the level of youth engagement. They’re excited about art and music and performance! One youth even told me that without Fine Arts Fridays, he wouldn’t have even tried learning the piano and now he enjoys it so much. Another youth practiced a piano piece daily so they could perform it at our First Friday Showcase; they wanted me to hear their progress every step of the way. This programming is so important especially with cuts to arts funding in schools.

What did you get your undergrad and graduate degrees in? I studied film and writing in my undergrad and then screenwriting for my Master’s. I never would’ve guessed I’d end up in the nonprofit sector. What is it about the arts programs at one •n• ten that you enjoy? I love art in all its forms. My education background is in film and writing, but I also play guitar, so that love of the arts was something I wanted to bring into one •n• ten’s programming. When the Youth Center team was brainstorming ways to mix up our current offerings, we thought it’d be a great idea to have a fine arts specific day of the week. So many of our youth are involved in the arts and have been asking for more of this type of programming, so it was a perfect fit. And because I’m such a fan of alliteration, Fine Arts Fridays was born. Now, every Friday youth ages 14-24 come into the space, have an hour of free art time (they can work on any kind of art whether Rebecca Semik

What are some upcoming events you have planned? With our Fine Arts Fridays, we create space and time for youth to create any kind of art, art that they can even share with the public at our First Friday Showcase. One •n• ten has had its own periodic First Friday Showcases in the past, but now we’re hoping to keep this a regular offering for our youth, so every month they have the opportunity to perform or showcase their art in front of the Phoenix community.

for folks involved in the arts that would be willing to come in and facilitate a program for our youth. Do you know how to lead a painting class? Come paint with us! Do you know how to teach a Hip-Hop class? Let’s dance! Additionally, if you are a local artist or performer/ performance group and would like to be the featured artist for an upcoming First Friday Showcase, we’d love to have you. And finally, spread the word! Come out to our First Friday Showcase happening every First Friday, 5 to 7 p.m. and tell your friends. You can support these youth artists by being audience to their performances and buying their artwork. What help do you need? In addition to volunteering and supporting, we’d happily accept any arts donations, especially small painting canvases. Visit onenten.org. Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) tv, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story.

Creating art is one thing; sharing art is a whole other thing entirely. It takes a certain level of openness and vulnerability. Our goal is to bring in local artists to feature on our First Friday Showcases so they can model to our youth what that openness looks like. It’s a definite growth opportunity for our youth. And it’s an opportunity for the community to come and support our youth every First Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., so be sure to check us out on your next First Fridays art walk. Our partnerships with local arts groups have also given us the fun opportunity to take youth to the The Phoenix Theater Company’s Kinky Boots late September performance. We’re really looking forward to it. How can people get involved? We have quite a few opportunities to get involved! We love our volunteers; for Fine Arts Fridays we’re always looking

FEATURE STORY

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

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Absher/Rejoice! installation performance by Sara Bahermez.

Culture trip Meet MOCA Tucson’s new deputy director, Ryan Hill By Tom Reardon

yan Hill of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Tucson is a man on a bit of a mission. As the deputy director of the museum, his role is to continually seek out that which will bring thought provoking beauty to the twenty-two-year-old paean to all things contemporary art in the Old Pueblo. As MOCA leans into the back nine of 2019, the museum continues to be a leader in Tucson for both art education and inclusiveness. After moving from an old HazMat building on Toole Avenue to it’s current digs in a former fire station on Church Avenue (265 South

Ryan Hill, MOCA’s Deputy Director. 34

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Church Avenue, to be exact), MOCA is host to programs like “Stay Gold” on Tuesday nights which invites LGBTQIA+ individuals ages 13-99 to create art while discussing contemporary themes together and all levels of art experience and knowledge are welcome. Recurring programs such as Stay Gold are provided free to the community through an extensive grant program and are also complimented by an array of new programs each month. For Hill, 56, who moved to Tucson in July of 2018 with his husband of six years, rock and roll guitarist and scene maker Kid Congo Powers (who was featured in the June issue of Echo), the lack of an executive director at MOCA has not impeded his role in the least. As a longtime museum professional who has worked the Guggenheim in New York City, the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and the Yale University Art Gallery, Hill has embraced the opportunity work with his team at MOCA to build an enticing upcoming calendar of events, as well as an equally exciting artist-in-residence program that promises to benefit MOCA, art in Tucson, and Arizona as a whole. The future is bright for both Hill, who is also an artist himself, and MOCA. We caught up with Hill via phone while

he was working on a Sunday afternoon in early September to talk about his move to Tucson, his art, and life at MOCA. Here’s what he had to say: Echo: So, you and Kid moved to Tucson about a year ago? Ryan Hill: Let’s see, we moved here on July 5th of last year, so it’s been a little over a year. My sister and my parents live here, and they’ve been here for 20 years. We (Powers and Hill) grew up in that Los Angeles but my parents retired out here so, when they moved out here, it meant that every holiday I would come out and visit them. So, I got to know Tucson through visiting my folks. Where had you been prior? I was on the east coast for a long time working in different museums. I first moved out to work at the Guggenheim and then after that I worked for the Smithsonian for about 10 years. Then I worked at Yale (University) for three years. After that I thought, “Okay, you know, my parents are getting older and maybe it’s time to move back west.” Kid was cool with that and we decided to make the move. That’s a big change from working at Yale. We were in New Haven, Connecticut. So, FEATURE STORY

it’s like the exact opposite of what it’s like here. You can always go to the top of Mount Lemmon to get something a little similar weather-wise. Did you fall in love with Tucson while on those holiday visits? Yeah, I think, I think that’s true. I always liked coming here and it was very different from the east coast. Tucson is more relaxed and a lot more lowkey. The sky is a lot bigger and nature is a more of a priority here. You’re around nature more and you’re going to be integrated into it. Where before, when we were kind of more in these big city environments, you just never thought about it. I think we were really excited for the change and I was excited to be close to my family. We were both really open to it and I know that Kid usually is good with moving anywhere. There is a great music community here, so he’s was excited about that and we’re both closer to our families in that way too. You’ve been working in museums for years. I’m assuming you have an art background I have a master’s in film history and theory from UCLA. I went to UC (University of California) Santa Cruz as an art major and got my undergrad there but I also got really into film during that time. Then I followed a professor to UCLA, and I got my master’s. After about three years of kind of tooling around, I decided that I really needed to focus, not as much on film, but more on my own artwork. So, then I went to California Institute of the Arts and I got a Master of Fine Art there.

What is your medium? What kind of work do you like to do when you’re working on your own stuff? So, when I went the Institute of the Arts, I was a painter, but I got less interested in what you might call the monumentalism of painting. There’s a lot of historical baggage around painting and it’s ... it can feel very limited in a certain sort of way because people come at painting of certain expectations. So, I like taking the casualness of drawing and kind of working on a bigger scale. I do these large drawings or site-specific drawing installations. What do you draw your inspiration from, typically? The way I’ve been working in the past, I’m inspired by images from web searches and then that kind of becomes a way of generating a series of work. It’s kind of like how when you do a Google search, depending on the keywords you type in, you can go in a lot of different directions, so I just allow myself to go into all those directions. I amass a bunch of images based on those searches, and then I start to kind of either combine them or treat them separately then I put them around people more atmospherically and architecturally, so you’re kind of in the search. I develop a show based on drawings that help people make connections, or unusual connections between those drawings. Oh wow. How long have you been working this way? I’ve been working that way since 2007. I have a gallery in (Washington) D.C. that

I started working with about 10 years ago or so. Since moving here (to Tucson), I’m working a bit more with abstraction during this last year. I spend a lot of time on Instagram, so I’m consuming images so much. It’s interesting to me that you like the people who are experiencing your art to feel like they are in the Google search. That seems very similar to the work you do at MOCA with setting up installations for other artists. Does that make sense to you? Yeah, I think whenever I get a chance to do an installation, that’s the other thing I think about. People who are installation artists, they’re a little bit like architects. I think people come to museums for all kinds of reasons. Part of it is the architecture and being in an environment that’s different from their home or the supermarket or the department store. They want to be in what some people call a sacred space. I don’t think the museums are sacred because that’s kind of a puritanical way of thinking about it, but I do think that there are spaces that allow people to reflect or enjoy a new framework that they’re not used to. Museums, especially, are carriers of history and culture so they’re super loaded spaces where people go and they may not even be conscious of that, but they’re kind of absorbing cultural biases when they’re in the space and they’re absorbing late 19th century ideas about how reality is organized. So, for me, I’ve been in these spaces for a good 25 years and so there’s a part of me that also wants to challenge the way people think about it. Especially as a queer person, after a while, what’s considered naturally normal for most people you start to go, “Wait a second, my experience isn’t that.” And then when you talk to people who aren’t clear or who don’t identify as queer, they have those feelings too. So, for me, it’s really about creating an environment with a certain amount of sense of humor about itself. What’s great about it, and one of the reasons why I’m working at MOCA, is that the space doesn’t have a collection, so you don’t have to be anchored to ideas of what taste is. It can always be changing with every exhibition.

Art by J. Eric Simpson and Caleb Lightfoot from the current exhibition Groping in the Dark. FEATURE STORY

Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) tv, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

Shaneland Arts Grand Opening Aug. 17 at Shaneland Arts, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

For more Echo photos visit echomag.com/2019-photos. SPONSORED CONTENT

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Sky Duncan: Cosmic dancer and earthly painter By Jeff Kronenfeld Photos courtesy of Sky Duncan

ky Duncan grew up thinking it was normal to tour the world dancing in front of large crowds.

Though born in Arizona, Duncan’s earliest memory is from a trip to Austria where he and his family were attending a festival celebrating indigenous cultures from across the globe. Only three at the time, he still vividly recalls watching Maasai, Hemba, Aztecs, and others celebrate together while he nestled under a blanket beneath a tree. Hailing from a family of world champion hoop dancers, he learned to move to the beat of drums almost before he could walk. Whether painting on canvas, sketching in his journal, dancing gracefully in competition or teaching dance to indigenous youth, Duncan uses art to bridge gaps, be they aesthetic, cultural or even emotional ones. As the second youngest of five brothers and one sister — almost all of whom have been competitive dancers at one time or another — Duncan learned dancing by watching his brothers rather than in a classroom or studio. Growing up in a suburban home in east Mesa, all he wanted to do was dance and draw, sometimes seeing elementary school as something that got in the way. Though at times the only Native American in his classes, he was surrounded by indigenous people through extracurricular activities, church and dance. As early as first grade, he recalled feeling somewhat separated or displaced due to his sexuality, especially when P.E. class was split up by gender. However, his best friend BJ always had his back. “He’s black and queer and I am indigenous and queer,” Duncan recalled. “If anyone gave him crap, I would give them crap. If anyone gave me crap, he would give them crap.”

By Jeff Kronenfeld. 38

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While he found solidarity in the classroom, his homelife was an artist’s haven, whether it was his father painting, his brother Kevin sewing dancing outfits or his mother’s work at the Heard Museum. From Kevin, his older brother, he also picked up the habit

of keeping a journal and sketch book, something he still does for artistic and therapeutic reasons. Then as now, his journals were intricate works of art overflowing with colorful self-portraits, angelic figures and psychedelic skyscapes. Though increasingly drawn to visual arts, he didn’t gel with his art teacher at Mountain View High. However, he continued to develop his skills through fashion and photography classes. His photography teacher held weekly critiques and pushed Duncan to show his work and enter it in competitions. He learned the basic elements of design in fashion class, enjoying being the only boy in it. He loved both subjects, feeling torn over whether to move to California to pursue fashion or New Mexico to pursue visual arts. Duncan opted to study visual arts at the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe, the same school where his parents and brother had once gone. He enjoyed being surrounded by other aspiring Native American artists from across the continent, though it was a little overwhelming as well, cloistered far from the city center. Compared to his brother’s experience a decade earlier, which Duncan said was defined by President Barack Obama’s hope-centric campaign, he attended in the shadow of President Donald Trump’s vitriolic one. At the same time, Duncan witnessed a resurgence in indigenous activism forced by efforts to infringe on the sovereignty and livability of tribal communities. There was the proposal for the Resolution Copper Mine in Arizona, which would have desecrated FEATURE STORY

an area sacred to Duncan’s San Carlos Apache Tribe, and the Dakota Access Pipeline protests further north. “That was one movement that I kind of saw mature,” Duncan said. “I always look back at that one-year as really wild, being a 20-year-old growing up during that time and trying my best to hold on to my hopes and drives, even though everything — all the screens — were totally opposite of that energy.” Duncan has kept busy, continuing to paint while participating in solo or group shows throughout New Mexico. He often integrates dancing or live painting into his events, such as he did for a show in July at Karuna Colectiva, an Albuquerque art gallery. He had a solo show in 2015 at a space now known as the LOOM Indigenous Art Gallery in Gallup. There, Duncan showed paintings that were massively scaled up versions of his journal work, including wavy recursive patterns and colorful skyscapes, often featuring smiley and stoic faces. “My paintings, at that little stage, were kind of Keith Haring-esque, just to represent my claustrophobia and extreme overthinking.” Contacts he made at school and through the art world helped him learn more about the indigenous LGBT+ community, including the Gathering of Queer Nations. Started in 2016 as a response to a lack of visibility for LGBTQ people at the annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, which brings over 700 tribes from across North America together, the Gathering of Queer Nations showcases the art, music, poetry and fashion of LGBTQ indigenous creators at Corpus Arts, an Albuquerque book and zine store. At the most recent gathering, Duncan participated in a multimedia show, presenting a large painting titled “You Will Never Fall Apart.” He labored on the painting for more than year, repeatedly painting controversial images or words, only to cover them up and then repaint them, over and over. “That was one of my main inspirations, just conceptually thinking why am I covering this up?” Duncan explained. “Then, going back to those things and asking what am I glorifying?

What am I yelling to the audience? A lot of it had to do with sexual violence and other experiences that I’ve never discussed before.” As he continues exploring traumatic events from his own past and pushing himself as an artist, he also has been learning from teaching hoop dance to youths from the Pueblo of Pojoaque in New Mexico over the last three years. Having never been a teacher before, save for as an uncle or older brother, Duncan’s experiences helped him cultivate patience, adaptability and to reflect on why he creates and performs. “Sometimes a student will have a good day and sometimes a student will have a bad day,” Sky said. “I have to reach down to the deepest part of my heart and give them what excites me, whatever I would feel on stage or

FEATURE STORY

in my backyard dancing. Then, I happen to hear the ending and we have to get out in time, because we’re so lost in the rhythm. I just want them to get to that point, to where this becomes an instinct for them.” Armed with his numerous journals and a drive as relentless as the beats he dances to, Duncan is a young but growing artist to watch. Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News,, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

Hansel & Gretel. He remembers building things like a giant gingerbread man and a cage for the witch when they finally caught her. “Imagine having a scrim on the ground and you’re painting it with a giant paintbrush on the end of a stick,” he says with eyes lighting up. He enjoyed the work because they would have to creatively imagine anything that came up — it was always something new.

James Angel in the studio.

From the corporate sets and staging jobs, Angel moved on to Phoenix Art Group, where he began to work in an open studio among many other painters, producing high demand fine art.

Artistic evolution: James Angel By Jenna Duncan

he digital revolution has not only completely rewired the platforms of human communication as we know it, it also has created an evolution in forms of self-expression, as well. Immersive art experiences have replaced static, passive, experienced based on observing art objects.

To get to where he is now, still painting and creating series of limited edition giclee prints but also creating mesmerizing digital animated video art and installation work, James Angel traveled through a cosmic chronology of life events, art experiments, and selftraining.

In sum, art and artists have evolved, and continue to evolve.

Throughout his career, Angel has worked in mainly three distinct arenas: fine art, fine art for interior design (Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Z Gallerie among others), and original, site-specific comissions for more corporate settings, including hotels.

Enter James Angel, a talented multimedia/multidisciplinary professional artist who has been active locally for more than two decades. “Everything is 20 years,” he says. “I’ve been married to my husband for 20 years. We started Chaos Theory 20 years ago.” Before a recent move and brief stint in Austin, Texas, to work fulltime at Fine Art Publishing, Angel and his partner lived in his Scottsdale home near SMoCA also for 20 years. “I’ve been at it a while,” he says. “My first professional jobs were at Sunbelt Scenic Studio and Southwest Scenic Group in Tempe. [Southwest Scenic Group] was my first real art job. I was in the paint job and I was in the graphics department.” 40

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The work he did for his scenic studios in the 1990s was work mostly for trade events, he says. His company would build the set or do staging for trade events, concerts, theatrical performances and more. He produced three-dimensional objects like styrofoam cacti, 100-foot screens, even a Santa’s Workshop. “We had these 50-gallon drums of glitter and spray glue, and we’d glue glitter to the ceiling. We’d do a whole village,” he says. One year his company built props and the set for World on Ice’s production of

“It was so cool because it was a studio art house.” Any given day he’d be surrounded by 18 different artists, and he could see what all the other artists were doing. That was back in the year 2000. It impacted his art practice in myriad ways, he says, because it provided a space to be extremely creative and to be influenced by and collaborate with other creative people. “To this day, I am hard to pin down because my work is so varied as it is. And it’s probably a result of that,” he says. James Angel found at Phoenix Art Group different ways of approaching things. Around that same time, he also became connected to the Fine Art Publishing firm. He began to produce work in many different veins, from his own, personally expressive fine art to also more commercial, on-demand art, often made under a pseudonym. He learned the trade of how to read the market, forecast trends and produce works that met those demands. “For the longest time none of us talked about this stuff,” he says. “I know artists who wouldn’t appreciate me telling you their [pseudonyms].” “After we left Phoenix Art Group — we all left together, Randy Slack, and [David] Dauncey — we started ThreeCar Pile-Up.” Right around that time, he also met the publishers at Fine Art Publishing group and began to produce limited edition prints for them, as well. “That’s mostly what you learn at Phoenix Art Group,” he says. “You learn how to interpret the interior market and how to read trends, and just know innately what’s current, right now.” As many art career stories go, Angel was growing and changing his practice all the time. He began to teach himself Photoshop when early versions of the software debuted (he recalls Photoshop 3.0 back in the 1990s). He had a goal, he says: Angel wished to be as skilled working in the digital program as he was working on Canvas. When he began to work in the more FEATURE STORY

site-specific, location-based arenas, he felt he was still riding in the same lanes as the interior design art but scaled up. Designing the interior look of spaces follows a lot of the same parameters, he says. The artist must embrace the idea of a brand presence. “Some firms have a whole design team that formulates their colors, their brand, and the design needs may change as the project goes on. “It’s really rewarding at the end if you see it and go, ‘That’s my lobby!’” he says.

Some projects don’t even exist anymore. One of Angel’s favorite projects to work on, the Pink Pony remodel, only lasted about six months to a year. He recalls the landmark fondly and says he was especially proud that you could look into the building’s windows and see his work from the street. But after the market crashed, he started to do more site-specific work to supplement his income. “When I say installation, I’m talking mostly about artwork for the walls. There’s a company called The Art Makery. I met the founder because she used to come to Modified for Art Detour, and I showed there seven years in a row,” he says. Angel began to work with Jude Smith, an art consultant. She has also worked with other local fine artists such as Christine Cassano and Gloria Gaddis. She only works with original fine art. “So, she’ll go in. She will meet with the designers, the architect, the owner, all the major decision-makers, and she’ll find out what their objective is. And then she will curate a collection. He just got a call that a major hotel

Waxing Moon.

His installation/interior design work includes spaces in the Phoenix Country Club, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, hotels in and around the state, and different corporate offices. in D.C. is looking for some work. “We are going to try something that sort of references the train station.” Union Station, D.C., rivals Grand Central in New York City, he says. James met his husband, Johnny Angel, 20 years ago. About a year-and-a-half ago, he got an offer to work for Fine Art Publishing full time, so he uprooted his family, including his elderly mother, and moved out to Austin. But the move didn’t turn out to be a permanent change. Within that time, Angel lost not only his mother, but a best friend in New York City and his beloved dog. Shortly after that series of losses, he lost his job. James and Johnny decided to return to Scottsdale. But it was a tough move. They loved the house they gave up in Arizona, and Austin really started to grow on Johnny, James says. “But Austin was not an art city; not compared to here,” he says. “Their first Friday is like five or six galleries and three of them are in strip malls.” So, for that reason, James Angel was glad to return to the Valley where he can be active and has been embraced by the art community. “It’s just that the concentration is greater here. Just by population,” he says. “As a whole. I don’t want to slam Austin.”

Mixed media on canvas.

As his art practice continues to grow and evolve, more recently Angel has taught himself how to design and create new works using 3-dimensional rendering software. His drug of choice is a freeware program called Blender 3-D and he’s been training himself through YouTube, he says. Repeating his goal of being “as good at demonstrating on canvas as demonstrating in Photoshop,” he now hopes to become as good at Blender 3-D as he is in Photoshop — pretty much an expert-level user. Angel credits his naturally curious nature with the development of his software and digital video art skills. FEATURE STORY

“What happened was I pressed the 3-D button — and it changed my world!” Every time he figures out a new trick or meets a new personal milestone working in Blender 3-D, he posts the results to Instagram. He becomes very animated when he describes working in the program, which professional designers use to model everything from car parts to dental implants. “It is like all of human learning in one program.” His new products are more like short films; it’s not exactly right to call them “video art,” but it’s not exactly wrong, either. Angel says he might conceive some way to use these new skills for branding and marketing work. Currently, he’s mainly using them for creative expression. “That’s what so great about it, too. A lot of these big cinema houses use Cinema 4D or these big rendering issues. And for a longtime Blender was the underdog. But because it’s freeware and because there is such a big knowledge base … it’s really gaining in popularity.” New works by James Angel will be on view at Chaos Theory 2019, opening Oct. 4 at Legend City Studios, 521 W. Van Buren St., in Phoenix. Angel will also be featured in a show at The Newton, in Phoenix, through October. Jenna Duncan is writer, community college instructor and artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. She leads the training program for journalism at Glendale Community College. Her video art and documentaries have screened in Phoenix, NYC, and Berlin. Jenna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Arizona, an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in Vermont, and a Masters in Media Studies from The New School. Jenna is a freelance reporter and editor for a few local magazines and co-hosts a biweekly pop culture podcast with fellow Phoenix writer, Jared Duran, called HootNReview. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

Dragalicious: A Drag Convention with Shuga Cain from RuPaulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drag Race

Sept. 1 at Cash Inn, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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Sept. 1 at Kobalt Bar, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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Sept. 8 at Charlieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Phoenix. Photos by nightfuse.com.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Hidden messages in Shining Brow By Katrina Becker “The more you know, the more you get,” says composer Daron Hagen of his richly layered work Shining Brow, which opens Arizona Opera’s 2019-2020 season as part of the McDougall AZO RED Series (Sep. 27-29 at Phoenix’s Herberger Theater; Oct. 5-6 at Tucson’s Temple of Music and Art).

in Illinois and Wisconsin), condensing the performance length and removing the female voices from the chorus.

Shining Brow focuses on architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s life between 1903-1914, including pivotal points in his relationships with his wife and his mistress, culminating in the devastating multiple murder and fire which destroyed Taliesin and ended Wright’s Prairie School period.

“It was Chas’s idea,” says Hagen, referring to director Chas Rader-Shieber. Rader-Shieber wanted to “heighten the male-dominated world of Frank Lloyd Wright by making the forces that act upon him, his wife, and his mistress all male,” explains the director. “There’s a different tone at work when there are only three women in the opera, and they struggle to find their way in this atmosphere of aggressive masculinity.”

Hagen dedicated Shining Brow to the memory of another of his teachers, Leonard Bernstein. “There’s a very specific impact that Bernstein had on Shining Brow,” he continues. The composer created a unique 24-musician incarnation of Shining Brow specifically for AZ Opera’s RED Series (he calls it “the Taliesin West version,” although the production remains set

“I truly love the intimacy of this story,” he says, describing the new AZO production, “and this version offers a careful sense of scale that goes along with this series of very private moments.

Even the public scenes are interwoven with Wright’s private thoughts. It’s a poetic idea that he’s transformed into an appealing musical landscape.” RaderShieber adds, “In many ways, this opera is about how ‘Wright the architect’ became ‘Wright the icon.’” As they created Shining Brow, Hagen and Muldoon added symbolic weight to the role of the opera’s murderous chef and made the persona of the maid a sort of Fury, a voice from the gods. The work also features barbershop used as a dramaturgical device, along with a nod to Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

Brandon McGill

ith his wavy dark hair and beaming smile, Valley artist Brandon McGill isn’t exactly the spitting image of Salvador Dali. He lacks the mad Spaniard’s intense diamondcracking stare and gravity-defying mustache, but the two men do share one thing in common: a warped perspective on the world.

Body painter Brandon McGill turns real-life flesh & blood into fairy tales By Ashley Naftule. Seth Powers, Bear Michael, and Nola Yergen in GODS AND MONSTERS

“I feel like I have a very Salvador Dali-esque brain,” McGill says over the phone with a chuckle. “I like to exaggerate things,” McGill said. “Where I’ll be like, ‘Oh, let’s make these legs longer.’” Describing his personal aesthetic as equal parts Tim Burton and Salvador Dali, McGill’s visual art is bold, Surrealistic, and bursting with fantastical imagery. It’s also not entirely family-friendly, as one of McGill’s favorite surfaces to paint on is the human body itself. If you’ve been to your fair share of underground shows, fashion events, or goth-friendly happenings over the years, you’ve probably seen McGill at work. The body painter is an old hand when it comes to painting live. And if you haven’t seen McGill at work, you’ve probably seen his canvases: Naked men and women transformed into satyrs, fauns, faeries, demons, succubi, aliens, snow queens, and all manners of things that looked like they emerged out of a Todd Haynes’ production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. McGill has received considerable acclaim for his work as a painter and makeup artist. Phoenix Magazine named him their best artist of 2018; his work has been featured in Out Magazine and The Advocate; his music video for “Dually Noted” won Music Video Of The Year by the Arizona Republic; and he’s also received a Makeup Artist Of The Year award from RAW Artists. “My creative journey has taken a lot of twists and turns,” McGill says, reflecting on his evolution as an artist. “I’ve done everything from music to deejaying to canvas art.” It was his love of working with 2-D art that led him to using skin as his muse and canvas. “One of my canvas models who I was painting on campus at the time asked me to paint him. We posted it online as a kind of joke, and then 900 body paintings later…” It’s easy to find the idea of body painting risqué and titillating, but the truth is that it’s a very tricky process to master — and one that comes with a unique set of challenges. “For one thing, you have to deal with the fatigue of the model,” McGill explains. “Them being able to stand and be comfortable.” It’s one area where the canvas artists of the worlds have an advantage: You never have to worry about your Michael’s

OCTOBER 2019

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FEATURE STORY

canvas cramping up in the midst of a watercolor session. But the real challenge comes from dealing with a “material” that is as unique and individualistic as McGill’s artwork. “Everyone’s skin is different,” he says. “Some people are oilier; some paints stick differently to people depending on what’s going on with them.” Considering the wide gamut of shapes and sizes humans come in, keeping an open mind and adapting on the fly is a vital skill for any body painter. “I take a chaotic approach that I kind of have to expect that anything that could go wrong will go wrong, so I have to be flexible and adapt because everyone’s bodies are different,” McGill says. While many of the models in McGill’s portfolio have fairly sculpted, readyfor-the-boudoir physiques, the Valley painter stresses that he doesn’t have a “type” for his work. “I don’t have a specific criteria on what your body must look like,” McGill says. “Everyone is welcome in my studio.”

paintings, like the astonishing Neon City that features models in paints that make them glow like Tron characters. Or Heroes & Villains and Gods and Monsters, where McGill transforms his subjects into resplendent deities and cackling Gotham supervillains. The Tim Burton influence is particularly pronounced in his Alive In Wonderland series, where he recreates Lewis Carroll’s iconic characters with a dark, erotic energy that’s far more compelling and less off-putting than the giant-head/Johnny Deppification of Wonderland that Burton pulled off in his movies. He also used his fascination for Lewis Carroll’s work as inspiration for the music video he wrote and directed for Fairy Bones’ “Notes From Wonderland,” complementing the Valley rockers sound with his unique, fractured fairy tale visuals. His current project is one of his most ambitious efforts yet. For his Tarot series, McGill plans to create his own tarot deck by transforming each of his subjects into one of the 78 major or minor arcana cards. He said he plans to print actual decks based on his art once the series is complete. McGill is currently taking applications for folks who are interested in being transformed into Tarot cards. “I’m taking a page out of Avatar where I’m breaking it up into four elemental chapters: The sword is the wind element, so we’re doing swords right now. Previously I did cups, which is the water element. And then wands are fire and pentacles are earth.” While McGill says he’s consulting the iconic Rider-Waite tarot deck for inspiration, he’s putting his own unique spin on the iconography of the Tarot. “Rider-Waite uses a lot of the colors that I don’t use,” McGill says. “They use a certain yellow that I just can’t stand…. And there’s some Christian imagery in those cards that I didn’t include because my deck is very LGBTQ-focused.”

Ben Foos from the band Fairy Bones in ESCAPE ROOM

Among his proudest accomplishments is working with the disabled. “I painted someone in Oregon during a naked bike ride where they wanted to participate but they were in a wheelchair, so they got one of those front-powered bikes and I painted them and they felt beautiful all painted out.” McGill has created a variety of different thematic series for his body FEATURE STORY

An avowed atheist (“since I was a small child”), McGill nevertheless is fascinated by mythology and spiritual energy. “Through my art I get to study different backgrounds and religions,” he muses. Like his spiritual ancestor, McGill’s Dali brain bends conventional occult imagery into strange and wild new shapes. In addition to the tarot project, McGill is hard at work on a variety of side hustles. One of the most unusual of them being escape room design: McGill helped create a horror-themed setting for the Eludesions Escape Room. “The idea is that people are trapped in the paintings and you have to escape the room by solving this curse,” McGill says

Best Tardy as the Fool Card in the series, TAROT.

of the escape room project, marveling at the weird puzzles his Eludesions collaborators have come up. “There’s a scent puzzle in there, which I wasn’t expecting. There’s only one key in the entire room; everything else is all organic and wired puzzles. Like, if you put this candle on this mantle, it will do something — everything is electronically activating.” Eager to talk shop, McGill expresses his love for color theory over the phone. While he hates the Rider-Waite yellows, he confesses a deep love for blue in all its permutations. “They started calling a blue that I use Brandon blue because I use it in just about everything,” he says. “I really metallic blues and teals … I love contrasts.” It’s one thing to win awards and gain renown for your work; how many artists can claim to have a color named after him? That’s why Brandon McGill is a Valley artist worth watching. Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves; he paints his on everyone else’s. Ashley Naftule is a writer and theater artist from Phoenix, AZ. His work has been published in Pitchfork, Vice, Bandcamp, Phoenix New Times, Popula, Longreads, The Outline, SYFY Wire, AZCentral, and Java Magazine.. He’s a resident playwright and artistic director at Space55 Theatre. You can find him at @Emperor_norton on Twitter. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019

WITHOUT RESERVATIONS

An exterior shot of The Farish House.

A photograph of the co-owner Lori Hassler’s grandfather is displayed in the restaurant and is lovingly known as “Angry Grandpa Baby.”

A duck walks into a wine bar: The Farish House’s old world charm Story and Photos by Jeff Kronenfeld

Lori Hassler, who co-owns the Farish House with her husband.

the faded brick exterior of the 120-yearold building lending its name to the restaurant, which opened earlier this year. Located in Phoenix on Third Street a block and a half south of Roosevelt, the family-owned business is a smart choice for dates, a quick nosh and postwork drinks, or Sunday brunch.

her tiramisu — and a number of dishes from Radda have been revived for The Farish House. “It was more modern Italian dining. It wasn’t red checkered tablecloths and Frank Sinatra,” Hassler explained. “My food ethic is still the same: real food, slow-cooked, and not buying prefabbed items.”

Born and raised in the Valley, Hassler’s career in foodservice began as a hostess. Over time, she gravitated to the kitchen, eventually starting her own catering business. When presented with the opportunity to take over a friend’s lease in 2004, she opened her first restaurant: Radda Café-Bar. Located in Scottsdale, Hassler named the now closed establishment after the town in Italy where she married her husband Eric Hassler, the other co-owner of the Farish House. She won rave reviews there — especially for

Faced with the economic downturn in 2009, in addition to a number of illnesses and deaths in the family, Hassler choose not to renew her lease and closed shop. After caring for family members for a year, one of her former wine reps recruited her. She enjoyed the wine business, especially getting to work with different restaurant concepts and owners. All the while, she was making mental notes. Lucky enough to meet the owner of the Farish House property, which was then vacant, Hassler explained her plan and things fell into place.

hough The Farish House’s menu is populated by cassoulets, roulades and patés, head chef and co-owner Lori Hassler espouses a simple culinary philosophy: long, low and slow. Its unique brand of French home cooking with an American twist fits well within 56

OCTOBER 2019

Brandied chicken liver paté

EchoMag.com

Foutine Dining Out

fingerling potatoes, which were tender, plump and juicy. They are available on their own. In the foutine, the little potatoes are smothered in duck gravy, blue cheese and duck rillettes, the ladder of which was almost like slow-cooked pulled pork. Hardy yet richly-flavored, this dish is like poutine’s final Pokémon evolution.

Farish House Cup

For six months, Hassler and her family led a restoration of the storied structure. They refurbished the trim, exposed the original fireplace and repainted the gray and black walls with a vibrant color scheme popular at the time of the building’s construction. They removed the existing bar, replacing it with one painstakingly built by her uncle. She decorated with family heirlooms, including old photos, one which she jokingly dubbed, “angry grandpa baby.” However, the most extensive part of the remodel involved converting a smaller building on the back of the property into a kitchen fit for a full-service restaurant. Though replacing the floors, removing walls and adding additional sinks took longer than expected, the end result was a spacious kitchen with plenty of natural light. Though the restaurant was packed on the Friday evening we visited, it didn’t feel overcrowded or as if our neighbors could easily eavesdrop. We started with a fizzy red wine — Monte delle Vigne Lambrusco — which was only three dollars a glass and sweet without being too sugary.

Short ribs Dining Out

French lentils

We sampled three items from the “To Start and To Share” portion of the menu, though it was difficult to winnow down our selection from the 14 options. First to arrive was the brandied chicken liver paté, which was creamy, savory and complemented nicely by a crown of raspberry jam and pickled onions. It came with a half-dozen triangles of toasted crustless bread, a perfect vehicle, which was almost like airy meat ice cream, but in a good way. Never much of a liver eater myself, this dish nonetheless won me over. Though The Farish House is certainly not a place for vegans, there are some vegetarian options. We tried the French lentils, which were sautéed with carrots, fennel, shallots and fresh herbs. Though in the unenviable role of following the paté, the lentils surprised me, soft yet still retaining their texture and form. They were buttery with a strong citrus flavor and olive oil notes. Our last appetizer is one of The Farish House’s signature dishes, foutine, an extravagant take on poutine, which though the most expensive of the appetizers at $15, is definitely worth it. It starts with a base of roasted duck fat

Le Mac

After all this, we switched to cocktails, seeking to steel our nerves and stomachs for the main courses. Though the cocktail menu was small, each was a delightful pre-Prohibition throwback and included an interesting explanation of each drink’s origins. My companion had a Farish House Cup, consisting of gin, amaro, lemon, ginger beer and mint. It was tangy and, though strong, went down exceedingly easy. I tried the A Whiskey Smash, made up of bourbon, berry compote, lemon and mint. Though it was good, it paled in comparison to the cup, which was exceptional. With nerves sufficiently steeled, we felt ready for our main courses, despite our somewhat excessive orders of appetizers. My friend had Le Mac, which is to mac and cheese as foutine is to average-joe poutine. The sauce was a blend of gouda, sharp cheddar and parmesan. It was creamy and rich, yet light. The dusting of breadcrumbs added a nice textural dissonance. The dish was affordable, just $13, with the option of adding bacon for a couple more bucks, which for some crazy reason my friend didn’t go for. Whatever cocktail envy I had quickly fell away when my order of short ribs arrived. Braised in red wine and coated with peppercorn gravy, the ribs were so tender I imagined the animal had been given Valium and massages before its execution. Honestly, you wouldn’t even need teeth to chew it. It came accompanied with fingerling potatoes, plump haricot green beans, cabbage and some other plant material. These vegetables were quite good, even the next day, as by this point, I was quite full. The downtown culinary scene offers plenty of satisfying options, but if you’re desiring something beyond the quotidian fare of pizza, tacos and burgers, then The Farish House is an excellent choice, whether on a date or just dropping in for a happy hour snack. Jeff Kronenfeld is an independent journalist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His writing has been featured in Java Magazine, the Arts Beacon, PHXSUX, and the Phoenix Jewish News,, where he received the Simon Rockower Award for excellence in news reporting from the American Jewish Press Association. Links to his previously published work are available at www.jeffkronenfeld.com. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

AT THE BOX OFFICE

Four films in theaters this month By Tuesday Mahrle

Joker In theaters October 4 | Rated R | 122 minutes | Crime, Drama, Thriller

The role is said to be cursed. It is dark and terrifying in a creepy, sadistic, unsettling way. In a never before stand-alone movie, Joker, played by the incomparable Joaquin Phoenix, is an origin story of the famed Batman nemesis. The actual origins of Joker are unknown, and this film will answer questions and leave you with more about the tortured villain. The story follows failed comedian Arthur Fleck, who after an attack, begins a dissent into madness as his new clown identity.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil In theaters October 17 | Rated | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Families are complex. The people we hold dear are sometimes the ones that cause the most harm. In the second installment of the Disney villain’s story, Maleficent and Aurora find themselves at odds with Aurora in love and planning a wedding to a prince. Maleficent must use her powers to try and stop her from making a potentially terrible mistake and keep Aurora from the Prince’s evil mother.

Lucy in the Sky In Theaters October 4 | Rated R | 124 Minutes | Drama, Sci-Fi

Space is so vast, its hard to fathom its immensity. Lucy (Natalie Portman), is a determined astronaut who finds herself feeling enlightened after her mission through the universe. Coming home proves to be a bigger struggle than getting up there. Reality seems more Sci-Fi in a world that now seems like a fishbowl. Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens, Zazie Beetz and Ellen Burstyn round out the cast, inviting you to come star gazing.

The Current War In theaters October 25 | Rated PG-13 | 107 minutes | Biography, Drama, History

Edison. Westinghouse. Tesla. Set in the industrial age of design, three men sparked ideas to power the new modern world. It’s a race to the finish line with charged personalities and amped up ambition. Fueled by the desire to be on top, passions ignite when it comes to being the name associated with electricity. Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicholas Hoult, and Tom Holland bring the story of these three modern men to the silver screen. Tuesday Mahrle is a film critic and host of “Whiskey and Popcorn,” a Phoenixbased movie podcast. 58

OCTOBER 2019

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Entertainment

The finest music in the world is now at Central and Palm. Join us at our new location at Central United Methodist Church, 1875 North Central Avenue in Phoenix. Hop on the light rail or take advantage of our free parking. All season concerts begin at 7:30 pm. Visit www.PhoenixChamberMusicSociety.org or call 602-252-0095 for tickets and information. 60th AnniversAry seAson

Brentano Quartet with Dawn Upshaw Polonsky-Shifrin-Wiley Trio Sextet David Finckel and Wu Han Winter Festival XI Dover and Escher Quartets East Coast Chamber Orchestra FaurĂŠ Quartett LA Guitar Quartet

October 25, 2019 November 9, 2019 January 4, 2020 January 31, 2020 February 17-23, 2020 February 22, 2020 March 14, 2020 March 28, 2020 April 4, 2020

Phoenix Chamber Music Society EchoMag.com

PCMS 190828

OCTOBER 2019

By RT Cox

Courtesy of Michelle Talsma Everson

Honoring consent Festive photo shoot celebrates community diversity By Michelle Talsma Everson

n honor of Consent Month and in the spirit of visibility, Ms. Phoenix Leather Sam Heart recently teamed up with local photographer R.T. Cox and gathered friends from across various communities for a fun photo shoot. “I have met so many amazing, welcoming individuals in our diverse community,” Heart shares. “One of the most valuable things I have learned is how embracing our community is. I asked friends from the leather community, drag community, kink community, Master/slave community, furry community, and LGBTQ community to take a photo with me. We want to include you. Come sit with us!”

By RT Cox 60

OCTOBER 2019

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Michelle Talsma Everson is a freelance writer, editor and PR pro. A graduate of NAU, she’s been writing for Valley publications for more than a decade. You can find out more at mteverson.com. FEATURE STORY

4343 North 7th Avenue Phoenix facebook.com/stacysatmelrose

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602-264-1700

OPENING NIGHTS

Arizona Opera revisits the Lavender Scare By Seth Reines Production photos by Philip Groshong.

magine a time when it was dangerous to be in love … and gay.

In the 1950s and 1960s, interrogations of one’s sexuality became commonplace in the federal workplace. Questions like “Do you identify as a homosexual or have you ever had same-sex sexual relations?” were commonplace as employers attempted to root out gay employees. This period of time is often known as the Lavender Scare — the interrogation and firing of gay-identifying civil servants.

“One of the most accomplished new American operas,” the production will be directed by Marcus Shields, New York City-based director who specializes in the presentation and performance of classical music.

As a part of the broader Red Scare that targeted communists, the Lavender Scare’s development was in large fault due to Senator Joseph McCarthy. For the federal government, gay employees supposedly posed a security risk: if they were living double lives, then they may not be loyal nor mentally stable enough to keep government secrets. November 9-11 in Phoenix and November 16-17 in Tucson, Arizona Opera will relive the Lavender Scare, presenting Fellow Travelers by millennial composing team Gregory Spears (music) and Greg Pierce (lyrics). Heralded by the Chicago Tribune as 62

OCTOBER 2019

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Jonas Hacker as Timothy Laughlin ENTERTAINMENT

certainly a more sustained movement of hatred and discrimination. Politics isn’t about abstract ideals but rather about real human beings and the impact that policy and institution has on daily life. In light of our current times, Fellow Travelers reconnects us to the emotional cost of state sanctioned hatred and warns us against the dangers of becoming deaf to evil when it announces itself within society. Why is Fellow Travelers important to the LGBTQ community? Fellow Travelers is important because it honors the love of these two men with the full expressive potential of the operatic art form. Narrative representation is one of the most powerful tools of change within society and having the LGBTQ stories and themes finally as the subject of opera acknowledges what we all already know: that love is love is love is love. Fellow Travelers tells of a chance encounter between ambitious college graduate Timothy Laughlin, played by Jonas Hacker (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wolf Trap Opera) and handsome U.S. State Department official Hawkins Fuller, played by Joseph Lattanzi (Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago), who created the role in Fellow Travelers’ 2016 world premiere at Cincinnati Opera. The first encounter of these characters results in Laughlin’s first job — and his first love affair. Drawn into a maelstrom of passion and deceit, he struggles to reconcile his political convictions and his “forbidden” love for Fuller. The powerfully compelling opera is an ode to the importance of being

one’s self and the bravery it takes to stand up to oppression. Echo recently spoke with director Shields about this provocative musical theater piece and a time when it wasn’t safe to love. Echo: What drew you to Fellow Travelers? Shields: I have been involved with Fellow Travelers since its inception (I sang the role of Timothy Laughlin in the initial workshop production over five years ago) and from first encounter, it was clear that Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce, working from a text by Thomas Mallon, had managed to create a work of musical theater that — like the other jewels of the art form — is simultaneously human and mythological. The characters are truthful and recognizable and their struggle is eternal. I attract to pieces that render its subjects with clarity, efficiency, and resolve. Gregory and Greg do exactly that with Fellow Travelers. Both the music and the libretto possess the lyrical sweep of La Boehme and are wedded to a sophisticated and contemporary quality of understatement. The story is warm yet devastating, the music is ravishing, and the themes at the center of the narrative feel both timeless and startlingly of-the-now. What could be better? What do you want audiences to know about the Lavender Scare?

Joseph Lattanzi as Hawkins Fuller ENTERTAINMENT

Audiences should know everything about the Lavender Scare — it existed! It wasn’t just a footnote to McCarthyism, but in fact equally as pernicious and

The time has come for LGBTQ stories to take center stage — in all aspects of cultural storytelling and Fellow Travelers is a gorgeous first step towards a more inclusive and thoughtful space of representation within opera. For tickets to Fellow Travelers and the rest of Arizona Opera’s 2019-2020 season, contact boxoffice@azopera.org. M. Seth Reines is an award-winning theater buff who has directed more than 500 productions nationally for stage and television, and formerly served as head of Roosevelt University’s musical theatre program.

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

RECORDINGS

s we ease our way into fall, the records coming our way are pretty darn fun this month. Whether it’s a relatively new band, an established and accomplished professional musician, or old friends back with a new slab of wax, these records represent a drop in the bucket of new stuff out there. These aren’t pumpkin lattes, by any means, and that’s a good thing.

By Tom Reardon

Seratones – POWER (Fat Possum) From the opening bass line of “Fear,” which kicks off the second record by Shreveport, Louisiana’s Seratones, there is a sense of overriding calm and joy mixed with confident urgency. It’s a strange combination, but you can listen to POWER while hitting the gym or relaxing on a drive home after a stressful day at work. Singer AJ Haynes has a stunning voice, equally at home with an early ‘60s girl group (if you’ve ever seen Illeana Douglas’ excellent cinematic homage to 60s female singer/ songwriters Grace Of My Heart, you get my drift) or current fuzzy power pop. 64

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Title track, “Power” features a, pardon the pun, powerful music video with lyrical content that could activate even the most dormant feminist as it drives the point home with agile musicianship. It is markedly unfair that the Seratones have been compared to Alabama Shakes in the press. Sure, they are both bands from the South fronted by the strong presence of a black woman, but that’s about where the similarities stop. The overall “poppiness” of POWER is somewhat of a departure from the fuzzy rock that permeated Seratones excellent debut, 2016’s Get Gone, but the growth of this nicely developing band is tangible on POWER. Overall, this is a record everyone needs in their collection. Thank me later.

Bernard Fowler – Inside Out (Rhyme & Reason) Longtime session musician and Rolling Stones backup singer Bernard Fowler is a pro’s pro. He has performed with the Stones for the last 30 years and has collaborated with everyone from Bill Laswell to Alice Cooper to John Lydon. On Inside Out, Fowler covers eight songs by the Rolling Stones in his own unique style while backed by some extremely capable musicians. Mostly spoken word, Inside Out corrals the work of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (as well as Marianne Faithfull who co-wrote “Sister

Morphine” with The Glimmer Twins) in an amalgamation of thinking man’s hip hop, jazz, and deconstructed rock and roll in a way that brings new life to some classic tracks. In fact, if you didn’t know some of these songs were covers, you might not at once recognize them. Fowler, perhaps unconsciously, has brought new doorways to the music of his most famous employers and needs to be recognized as a musical force himself. His vision on “Inside Out” is a fresh take on key elements of the Stones’ canon and his version of “Undercover Of The Night” is fucking brilliant, reminiscent of Michael Franti (Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy/Spearhead) channeling William S. Burroughs. Entertainment

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Redd Kross – Beyond The Door (Merge) Any record that begins by covering the theme song to a Peter Sellers movie is pretty damn boss. I love Redd Kross, but to be honest, the album that follows their cover of Henry Mancini’s title track song for The Party (1968) is fairly tame compared to the band’s previous releases and, realistically, probably something only a true devotee of the band like myself will admire. Having said this, Beyond The Door is a fun record and the McDonald brothers (guitarist and lead vocalist Jeff and bassist Steve) are most likely not looking to rope in a ton of new fans with this effort. In fact, after having had the opportunity to speak with both of them over the past few years, it is clear the brothers are scratching a personal itch here and releasing a record that is mainly for them. As songwriters, the McDonalds crank out catchy fuzz pop with the best of them and their live show continues to be something to behold but with a discography full of bubblegum inspired punk/glam masterpieces, Beyond The Door doesn’t add anything particularly new or earth shattering here. Fans of the band will undoubtedly want Beyond The Door in their collection, but if you’re unfamiliar with the band and looking for something that will change your life, dig into their earlier work. Redd Kross opens for Melvins at Crescent Ballroom on November 4. Be there or be square — both bands are something to behold when live in concert.

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Tom Reardon loves to write about people who are doing something to contribute to our community in a positive way. He also loves his family and family of friends, his pets, music, skateboarding, movies, good (and bad) TV,, and working with children to build a better world. Tom’s favorite movie is Jaws,, his favorite food is lasagna, and he loves to play music with his friends. He’s a busy guy, but never too busy to listen to what you have to say so tell him a story. Entertainment

EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

BETWEEN THE COVERS

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

his one or that one?

Pick A or B, your choice. Have one or the other, either-or, you have to decide because you can’t have everything. And don’t reach for it quick or, as in the new novel Going Dutch by James Gregor, someone’s going to get hurt. Richard Turner hated online dating. Tinder, Grindr, OKCupid, they were all filled with the same kinds of interests and in-search-of’s from the same hot guys. Blah-blah-blah. As for Richard, he wanted love. He wanted happilyever-after with a man of his dreams. He also wanted to finish his grad school paper, but not too quickly: his entire life was made possible by fellowship money that kept him financially afloat. Without it, he’d actually have to get a job so, in the meantime, he had single dates with single men, and

he met with his academic advisor to discuss the work he wasn’t doing. At least there was movement on that first part: he’d met Blake, who was incredible, but who didn’t seem so into Richard. Onto the next swipe. And on that second part, well, Richard’s advisor advised him to talk to Anne, a classmate who was also a rising star in academia. Richard knew Anne, but only in passing and she seemed nice enough, if not a little weird. As it turned out, she really knew how to write, though — so much so, that she basically wrote Richard’s paper for him. She was smart, well-traveled, and she also knew how to make Richard feel wanted. It didn’t take long them to sleep together. That was weird, too, because Richard was gay. But he liked Anne, he liked

Going Dutch by James Gregor c.2019, Simon & Schuster $26.99 / higher in Canada 352 pages spending time with her, and he appreciated her generosity. She seemed to genuinely care about him. He started thinking about moving in with her. And then he met Blake again at a party. Blake. Single, hot, and wanting Richard now. Going Dutch is a tight novel — tight, as if it’s been sucking lemons all day.

James Gregor 66

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It’s hard to imagine any two more unlikeable characters than Richard and Anne, as they have endless, banal conversations about their respective classwork and other mundane things. One could argue that this inanity is perhaps the point of the story, but it goes on for too, too long. When you’re in the midst of it, in fact, you’ll understand completely why

author James Gregor’s two characters can’t find true love. Enter Blake, who is a great distraction but who’s not very fleshed-out on the page. Even so, he’s a nice burr under the story’s saddle, adding a bit of desperatelyneeded interest to what ends up something like wet firecrackers: a little spark and a sputter, doused by overly-wordy narrative. And so this tale progresses to a squirmy-uncomfortable big culmination scene that, alas, even Blake’s presence can’t fix. This book, filled with small talk and small actions, may appeal to habitual peoplewatchers but just remember that Going Dutch is sleepy. If you want a novel with any serious action in it, in other words, skip this one. Entertainment

dolescence stinks.

Look, there’s no other way to say it: it’s horrible. You’re expected to adult but you’re treated like a kid. You can see freedom but you can’t have it. Everybody thinks you know your future but you barely know yourself. And in the new book We Are Lost and Found by Helene Dunbar, you’ll see that nothing ever really changes. Michael, James, and Becky. They’d been best friends for ages and Michael couldn’t imagine it any other way. On that New Years’ Eve 1982, their future looked stellar, even though Becky was in an iffy relationship, James kinda-sorta crushed on Michael, and Michael was 16 and solidly single.

On that, he was careful. Months ago, his parents had kicked his older brother out because he was gay, never suspecting that Michael was, too. Michael figured they

Helene Dunbar

were secretly hoping he’d find a “nice girl” like Becky but instead, he was using his friends as cover while he

snuck into his favorite club to dance all night with boys. It was there that he met Gabriel. It was there, not long after, that he fell in love. But what was love, anyhow? Michael had never had much experience with guys — surely not intimately — and he badgered Becky with questions. How did he know he was in love? He asked James how he’d know if Gabriel was “the one.” Neither of them had any good answers. Becky’s boyfriend was a member of the Guardian Angels, and she wondered every night if he was alive. James was distracted by a play he’d written, and by a disease that seemed to be killing gay men all over New York. His sadness kept reminding Michael that AIDS was still an unknown and that, for now, safety was everything; when Michael learned one of Gabriel’s secrets, he knew that James was right. But there was no use thinking they could avoid this disease. One way or another, it was going to get them all. With that as a backdrop

We Are Lost and Found by Helene Dunbar c.2019, Sourcebooks $17.99 / higher in Canada 304 pages Entertainment

to this coming-of-age novel, you might think that it’s a story too depressing to tackle. Nothing could be further from the truth, though: We Are Lost and Found absolutely sparkles. But here’s the thing: you’ll have to look for this book in the teen section of your library or bookstore, although the tale itself may be halfway lost on those under 40. Readers who endured the ‘80s as young adults, however, might see this novel as eerily biographical: author Helene Dunbar offers sly reminders of evolving social attitudes, of the times (movie tickets: $3.50. Preposterous!), of teen friendships and love, and of the beginning of the AIDS crisis — memories that are forgotten, or best forgotten. This, she does as she so perfectly, so evocatively captures the angst, uncertainty, and shaky selfconfidence of adolescence that it might make you wince. Give this book to a 14-to-18-year-old, but be sure to borrow it back. Better yet, read it together. We Are Lost and Found is for you both, and missing it would really stink.

Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm, lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 13,000 books. She’s been reading since age 3 and, to this day, she never goes anywhere without a book. EchoMag.com

OCTOBER 2019

TALKING BODIES

can do this on your back porch. Find a space and make it happen. When 20 seconds feels too easy, do 30 seconds. When 20 minutes feels too easy, go to 25. And then to 30. We call these workouts EMOMs — Every Minute On the Minute. They’re a great way to pack a right-sized batch of work into a relatively short amount of time, and they’re perfect for bodyweight-style workouts. Make it happen and don’t be shy about using Lord Google to find form check videos on the movements you’re choosing. Every day I Write The Book. Grab a nice big yellow legal pad (my preference). Find a pen you love. This is how you’re going to write the next chapter in your fitness biography.

How to get creative with your fitness routine By Justin Keane

lright. You’re out of country, out of pocket, out of your regular routine. There aren’t many gyms in sight. Maybe you’ve gotten slammed with a new project at work that’s going to suck up all of your free time for the next few months. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re sick of what you’ve been doing. You don’t know if you can handle another spin class, another lonely run, or whether you can push through the drudgery of the same bodybuilding routine you’ve been doing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the last three years. Sometimes we just need to switch it up. The good news is that necessity isn’t just the mother of invention — sometimes she’s a real bad mother (shut your mouth)! Getting creative with your workouts can result in some of the best fitness you’ve had in years! So, if you’re looking to change things up, here are some ideas to get you started. Think of these as lane dividers — we don’t want to prescribe exact routines here, but simple principles to get your gears going. You are Rocky versus Drago. In Rocky IV, we were treated to an absolutely mint compilation of primo Stallone training — Rocky in the snow, Rocky in the cabin, Rocky capering around town in his Lambo … oh wait, that last one

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EchoMag.com

was the sad part. Anyhow, one of the great visuals from Balboa’s Bolshevik period was Rocky standing at the top of a snow-covered mountain, screaming in triumph. Actually, that’s an audio as much as a video. It was loud. He’s loud. Point is: you could do a lot worse than to pick out some external obstacle you’re looking to conquer. A mountain hike, a bike trail, a run through some enchanted neighborhood. You get the idea. This should be something you can do in parts, a few times each week, until you are able to complete the whole. And you want to make it a movie: every time you think of it, you’re the star. If it’s a hike, then practice nasal breathing at home; if it’s a bike trail, watch some old Tour videos. Immerse yourself in the idea of your completion. And make sure you have some kind of awesome battle cry ready for when you win. Camera’s always on, baby! Time Won’t Give Me Time. Get out your phone. Turn on the stopwatch. At the beginning of every minute, I want you to move yourself for 20 seconds. Do jumping jacks. Do some squats. Do pushups, sit-ups, flutter kicks. Just move for 20 seconds. For the next 40 seconds breathe deeply and think about what you’re going to do next minute. Repeat for about 15-20 minutes total. Do something different every minute. You can do this in your living room. You

Write the day and date at the top of a new sheet. Underline it. This is the heading for the list you’re about to compile. Underneath that heading, you’re going to write down everything you do that is out of the ordinary physically. If you pick up a stone in your backyard and move it to the other side of the yard, write that down. (That’s a good start, by the way.) If you park at the back of the lot and walk three minutes to the store entrance, write that down. (Keep doing that.) You might decide to do a plank while your dinner heats up in the micro. Awesome. Get it on the paper. You might decide to do some arm circles in the shower because your shoulders feel tight. Dry yourself off and write it down. Here’s what’s going to happen: you’re going to magically find some tough stuff to do. You’re going to move more, you’re going to move differently, and you’re going to end up competing with who you were yesterday. The cool thing is that you’re accumulating fitness nicely here, and the piecemeal nature of this endeavor mitigates against undue soreness and fatigue. By the end of each day, you look up and boom! You’ve done a hell of a lot. And what do you do then? You start over tomorrow. Every new day’s a chance to be creative, have fun, and move well. The first time I picked up a barbell, I was hooked. Okay, it was a dumbbell. And okay, it was five pounds and I was ten years old but hey, I’m still lifting and loving it thirty years later. Strength training and hard conditioning have taken me through some serious peaks and valleys in my own life; the gym has been a place of celebration and camaraderie during the good times and a place of refuge during the bad. woodshedstrength.com Health & Fitness

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OCTOBER 2019

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

I’ve been itching to go to Dollywood my entire life. Which is peculiar, since I was 15 when it opened. (I must’ve known what was to come, I guess.) Anyway, as someone who has cheated death three times in the last decade at Magic Mountain, I’m basically fearless when it comes to amusement parks. And when it comes to roller coasters and thrill rides, Dollywood is the poor man’s Magic Mountain. But that’s ok, because Dolly was poor, so it’s pretty fitting. The thrills were plenty exciting, however, and there was no waiting 90 minutes to get strapped in. What Dollywood has on other parks, furthermore, is an affordability, a charm, and a majestic, gorgeous setting in the Great Smoky Mountains. My trip to this part of the country was to re-visit my childhood home, which is nestled in the Appalachians. While I struggle with the realities of this part of the country — it’s certainly home to more than its fair share of KKK members, Trump boot-lickers and snake charmers — there is an undeniable allure, a culture that is worth saving. There’s no other place in the world like the Appalachians, and I really hope the terrific parts of that culture do not die. I’m talking about going down into the holler; grampas making moonshine; grannies dipping snuff; the unique dialect that gives us words like dope (soda), ett (ate), clumb (climbed) and poke (brown paper bag); and inexplicable phrases like “Shit far and save the matches.” (Even when you realize that “far” means “fire” … it’s an odd phrase.)

Appalachia is purt near heaven By Buddy Early

his summer I was able to cross something off my bucket list. Most things on that list involve sporting events — the Summer Olympics, a Final Four, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, The Masters (where I can yell “Get in the hole!” right before being kicked out). Then there are those bizarre items that I will probably never do, like dress in drag or go to Burning Man. (If I ever made it to Burning Man I would die. I don’t mean “die” like it would be so incredibly amazing; I mean I WOULD DIE. DEAD. DECEASED.) Of course, I have my decades-long bucket list goal of writing the next Great American Novel. So far, however, I’ve decided to simply use my talents to write this monthly column

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EchoMag.com

about my tips for avoiding small-talk with people at the holidays and why non-British individuals who spell words like “humour” and “realise” should be brought up on hate crime charges. This summer I was able to drag several members of my family to Dollywood. And that’s a real accomplishment. Dollywood is not in a major metropolitan area. Even the closest airport is an hour away in Knoxville, Tennessee. My family and I actually drove two hours from where we were visiting — Asheville, North Carolina, which is like a much smaller Portland, Oregon, but without the homelessness, used needles scattered on the sidewalks, and people trying their damnedest to be “weird.”

Lest you think this is an example of Southerners being lazy or stupid, you should know that the language of Appalachians is rooted in Elizabethan English. I guess what I am proposing is that we not write off the South. There are some of us who sometimes suggest we should let the South secede and let those states crumble under the weight of backwards thinking, but I think it doesn’t have to come to that. I needed this trip “home” to realize the South is worth saving. Bigots and evangelicals don’t deserve this magnificent place. The progressives, free-thinkers and true Christians who live there deserve it. I know Dolly would agree. By the way, this is all in reference to the one-and-only Dolly Parton, in case nunna yuins ain’t know. Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine. Community

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OCTOBER 2019

HISTORY

assistant editor and then the managing editor, and Steve as the sales manager. We worked together starting in 2000, all the way through 2007. He was also an esteemed member of the Valley’s leather scene. But Steve’s most memorable role in the story of our community was as founder of Janus Theater, the Valley’s gay theater company that existed from 1979 to 1987. I hooked up with Steve at First Watch in August to talk about Janus. We sat down and he promptly handed me a five-page single-spaced history of the company … and his theatrical resume. If you know Steve, you’re chuckling right now. To say that he is still proud of Janus is an understatement. But why shouldn’t he be proud? Their accomplishments and mere existence during that time were pretty impressive. In the late 1970s a childhood friend and New York City roommate from two decades earlier, Bud Guiles, had enlisted Steve’s help with a production of three gay one-act plays for the DignityPhoenix Chapter. (Dignity, to be brief, is an LGBT Catholic organization.) Despite the struggle to find rehearsal space and death threats, the show went on. Opening Night began with Steve as the only actor in a 40-minute play titled … wait for it … One Person. According to Steve, the response to the one-acts was overwhelming. “Newspaper critics from Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe raved,” he said. “Mesa and Glendale declined review invitations.”

The Past I Heard …

Janus Theater was theater for gays (and everyone else) By Buddy Early

o celebrate Echo’s 30th birthday, this year I will be catching up with some of Arizona’s LGBT personalities from past and present to revisit the people, places and events that helped shape our community. If you want to get an earful of Phoenix gay history, plant the seed with Steve Schemmel. He owns tons of memories — tangible

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EchoMag.com

and intangible — and would be more than happy to share them with you. (I’ve mentioned Steve a few times in this column, along with Miss Ebony, as someone who has educated me on our past.) Steve was out before I was born, and I don’t know a whole lot of people who fit that bill. I originally met Steve when we both worked at this magazine — me as the

The buzz created from the show led Steve to pitch the idea of “theater for gays.” That is, in fact, what they called this new troupe. However, a church that had offered rehearsal space declined to take a check from a troupe called Theater For Gays. So, the name was changed. And Janus Theater was born. The name was chosen from Roman mythology; he was the god of beginnings and transition. “His temple had no doors, remaining open at all times to anyone wishing to enter, stay as long as they wanted and leave when they were ready,” Steve said. Furthermore, “Janus is the god with two faces, also the symbol of theater: comedy and tragedy.” Despite loyal audiences, it was not an easy path being a “gay” theater company in ultra-conservative Arizona. Steve remembers receiving arson and death threats, since his home phone number served as the box office. And the P.O. Box the theater rented regularly housed similar notes. Concerns raised with the local police were met with a scoff and, COMMUNITY

for this mismanagement that occurred after he left. Ok, “mismanagement” is my word. According to Steve, someone who had been trusted to run the troupe embezzled the funds; both bank accounts (a sizable general fund and a growing building fund) were cleaned out. Even more than three decades letter, Steve firmly believes Janus could’ve continued and thrived. “I’ve been wondering for years why no one is doing gay theater here.”

The cast of Janus Theater’s The Boys in the Band.

according to Steve,” Whaddya expect? Bunch of fucking faggots.” Nevertheless, they persisted. Support came from elsewhere, even as threats continued. Local theater legend Helen K. Mason was a huge advocate, and in the early days reached out to offer performance space on behalf of Phoenix’s Black Theatre Troupe. “You boys come on over,” she told Steve. “We’re both fighting against discrimination and for acceptance. Let’s help each other.” And then-Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt even sent a formal letter to welcome Janus to the downtown community when it moved into its own building at 3rd Avenue & Moreland Street.

We Roll Along, The Ritz, Bent, The Women, Torch Song Trilogy, Bus Stop, and The Bad Seed, among many others. As personal all-time favorite of mine, As Is, the brilliant AIDS play by William Hoffman, premiered at Janus only six days after the Tony-winning production closed on Broadway. Lanford Wilson, Terrence McNally, Harvey Fierstein, David Rabe, Edward Albee, Martin Sherman — they were all among the hottest playwrights of the day, and Janus got the rights to produce all of them. “I don’t recall a near-empty house,” said Steve.

“We felt that if gays complain they are discriminated against, how then can we practice discrimination ourselves?”

Bud Guiles eventually relocated to San Francisco after a seventh and final attempt to resign from Janus. In 1986, Steve relocated to Los Angeles and, less than a year later, Janus was no more. The company’s home theater, which had previously been a Mormon church, ultimately became home to Great Arizona Puppet Theater in 1996 after it had fallen into disrepair. Steve returned to Arizona in 2000 and Bud passed away in 2006.

The productions included Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Boy Meets Boy, Orphans, The Boys in the Band, Fifth of July, Merrily

Steve laments the closing of Janus, and wonders what might have been. It could still be operating, he believes, if it weren’t

Over its eight-year existence Janus Theater produced a number of popular gay plays in front of packed crowds. And, as Steve pointed out to me multiple times, they did not limit themselves to entirely gay-themed shows or gay actors.

I reminded him that “gay theater” has now gone mainstream, and a number of local companies are, in fact, producing gay-themed shows (what we would now call queer-themed shows, I suppose) and/ or shows that appeal to that audience. To paraphrase Steve: it’s not the same. “Looking at the whole (current) season, there is no specifically gay theater.” And he’s right. I can go through the calendar and find a number of shows that fill that niche, but Steve is referring to the lack of a singular company producing those shows. He thinks there’s a market. “Buddy, I never expected an audience back then,” he replied when I asked if such a company will still sell out shows. “This was still when cops used to wait outside (gay) bars. Of course there would be an audience now.” As I mentioned, Steve is an encyclopedia of memories, and we sat and talked about all kinds of things: the state of American theater and how he can’t find shows on Broadway that he wants to see; the history of movies (which, admittedly, is a topic I forced on him); his adventures as a young man in Hollywood in the 1950s; how his grandmother told him to leave her home in Atlantic City and go see his mother in Philadelphia, where he was told to go back to Atlantic City and pack because his grandmother wanted him out of her home; off-the-record conversations about certain people in this town; and his rather one-sided feud with Andy Griffith. Back at Steve Schemmel’s central Phoenix home, we went through his memorabilia room, which is chock-full of framed photos (of himself, fellow theater brethren, and celebrities), photos albums, plaques and awards. It’s a 10x10 museum of Phoenix’s gay theater company of yesteryear. Not for nothing, but I think it would be cool if Janus Theater still existed.

The cast of Janus Theater’s The Boys in the Band. COMMUNITY

Buddy Early grew up in Tempe and has been involved in various communities across the Valley since. He is a former managing editor of both Echo Magazine and Compete Magazine. EchoMag.com

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OCTOBER 2019

BAR SPECIALS

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BUNKHOUSE S HH and $1 Drafts all day. Indian Fry Bread with Joe Jackson Thames 12 p.m. - 9 p.m., Live Jazz with Kenny Thames 7:30 - 10 M 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Pool tournament 9 p.m. T 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m. W 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Karaoke 9 p.m.-close T 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., Underwear/Gear night $1 off drinks if in gear or underwear 8-close, WMW dancers 10-12 F 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m. $2.50 Miller 8- close S 2-4-1 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., HH 2 - 8 p.m., $2.50 Bud 8 - close

CHARLIE’S S Super HH 4 - 7 p.m., $3 pitchers; $3 Long Islands open - close M 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 8 p.m.-close, 1/2 off drinks for wearing underwear, $3 Jack Daniels T 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 cocktails & beer 8 p.m - close W 2 -8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; $3 Three Olives vodka, 8 p.m. - close T 2 - 8 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestic bottles, $3 pitchers; 2-4-1 drinks open - close F 2 - 7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics, $3 pitchers; HH 7 - 9 p.m.; $1 well & domestics, $1 drafts 10 p.m. - midnight S Noon - 7 p.m. 2-4-1 well & domestics; HH 7 - 9 p.m.; $1 well & domestics, $3 Absolut & Bacardi 10 p.m. - midnight

STACY’S @ MELROSE S $1.50 Rolling Rock & Wells, open - 7 p.m.; Showtime 7 - 10 p.m.; $1 Rolling Rock & Wells; $2.50 Bud Light; $3 Fireball shots 7 p.m. - Close; Happy Hours 10 p.m. - сlose M Happy Hours; $2.50 Rolling Rock ALL DAY T Happy Hours; $5 Martinis & $2.50 Rolling Rock ALL DAY W 2-4-1 all day*; *no shots T Happy Hours 4 - 8 p.m.; $1.50 Rolling Rock & Wells 8 p.m. - midnight F Happy Hours 4 - 8 p.m.; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day; $2.50 Bud Light, $4.50 Pinnacle vodka & Fireball 8 p.m. - close S Happy Hours 4 - 8 p.m.; $2.50 Rolling Rock all day; $2.50 Bud Light, $4.50 Pinnacle vodka & Fireball 8 p.m. - close 78

OCTOBER 2019

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OCTOBER 2019

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Exposed Studio & Gallery

Arizona Opera

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Echo Magazine - Arizona LGBTQ Lifestyle - Oct 2019: The Arts Issue

Articles inside

Body Painter Brandon McGill

The Alwun House