Tucson Weekly 03/23/2023

ADMINISTRATION

Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher

Michael Hiatt, Vice President

Tyler Vondrak, Associate Publisher, tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Claudine Sowards, Accounting, claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com

EDITORIAL

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski, Executive Editor, christina@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Veronica Kuffel, Staff Reporter, vkuffel@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Karen Schaffner, Staff Reporter, kschaffner@tucsonlocalmedia.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Brian Box Brown, Rob Brezsny, Connor Dziawura, Clay Jones, Jimmy Magahern, Evan Maharry, Andy Mosier, Dan Perkins, Linda Ray, Will Shortz, Brian Smith, Jen Sorensen

PRODUCTION

Courtney Oldham, Production/Design Supervisor, production@timeslocalmedia.com

Tonya Mildenberg, Graphic Designer, tmildenberg@timeslocalmedia.com

CIRCULATION

Aaron Kolodny, Circulation Director, aaron@timeslocalmedia.com

ADVERTISING

TLMSales@TucsonLocalMedia.com

Kristin Chester, Account Executive, kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Candace Murray, Account Executive, candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com

Leah Pittman, Account Executive, lpittman@tucsonlocalmedia.com

NATIONAL ADVERTISING

Zac Reynolds, Director of National Advertising zac@timeslocalmedia.com

THE KID BEHIND THE COUNTER AT THE BAGEL PLACE

There is a politeness about this kid Tyler Kebo that at first makes me uneasy. It feels like a put-on, the huckster jive of an annoying future politician already well-coached in PR. Timed grins punctuating softball query responses, saying only what he wants to say, rare to elaborate — an exercise in patient indulgence. We sit at a gleaming nonspecific table inside a gleaming nonspecific chain bagelry next to a Walgreens in Tucson’s north foothills. He works here, and is on a break. He wears jeans and a belt, Converse and a company-issued ink-blue shirt.

I am talking to Kebo because it is said by customers and employees that he is a rare kid — kind, o cious and diligent,

not at all entitled. He wants to work, needs to work. They said I should meet him, which is often all I need for a story.

The senior at Catalina Foothills High School just turned 18. What I found is a self-aware teen, and a gifted musician on a career track who’s deserving of attention. More, Kebo, e ects a civility that lifts from a mixed well of almost disquieting benevolence and shyness, a civility that is, I soon discover, an extension of his worldview. He said, with no hint of irony, “It sucks when you mess up an order. I’m a very understanding person. I understand that people go through stu . You never know what’s going on in their life.”

Soon my jaundiced presupposition of progress — that any person or

thing marching toward some exalted endpoint is doomed — feels belabored, tired and lazy.

He has worked at Bruegger’s Bagels for two years and today cuts out early from his shift for a show. Too, he just returned from a live audition at the prestigious, impossible-to-get-in Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and is waiting to hear if he’s been accepted.

I’ve yet to hear him bad mouth another or even swear. He hates talking of himself, yet clues rise in conversation. He is non-religious and a history bu (his fave school subject outside music), he values human diversity and the ongoing discovery of personal identity.

Here is a postmillennial kid who grew up with digital tools at hand, yet he chose a completely analog way to express himself, baroque languages of far-removed eras, from classical to jazz, the polar opposite of TikTok music virals. He lists Rush’s Neil Peart, Questlove, and deaf, barefooted percussionist Evelyn Glennie as his heroes. And to tie a ribbon on what others have said about

him, Kebo works harder than about anyone I know, is self-reliant, and turns the idea of teen entitlement to a bromide. His time is precious, between work, school, gigs and rehearsals, it is extremely di cult to speak with him outside of his bagel job.

An average day in Kebo’s life: Wakes up at 5:30 a.m., goes to gym. Returns home, heads to school till 3:30 p.m., rehearsals follow with any one of his ensembles. Then dinner, homework, and two-hour solo practice. Occasionally,

Story & photos by Brian Smith

TYLER KEBO: “DAYS I WORK ARE MORE MY REST DAYS.”

Kebo slides in live performances, typically on weekends. He works 11 hours a week, open to close, Sundays at Bruegger’s.

“Days I work are more of my rest days,” he said, his back straight in the chair, hands folded on the table before him. “I’m like this all the time, if there aren’t rehearsals, I’m practicing. Most times I practice by myself.” He pauses, adds, “Sometimes I get burned out.”

One freedom of being a kid is hardly anyone expects much of you. So Kebo built a career in music. He began with piano at age 5, and his dad would play classic rock on the way to school and Kebo would pound along, so he took up percussion at age 7.

I wonder aloud if those who choose to create a career of beating on things are simply pounding o on darker misgivings.

“For me I don’t get the satisfaction o beating the crap out of the things,” he said. “When I was 7 I’d get satisfaction beating the crap out of things. It sounded cool. Now it is about making music

TYLER KEBO BEHIND THE KIT FOR “URINETOWN.”

important that I focus on myself and be happy than pouring all my energy and money into another person.”

(TYLER KEBO/ SUBMITTED)

that is musical. And I like the pretty stu more than the heavy rock stu .”

Anyone great at any art knows it is the sum of countless hours, days, weeks, years spent perfecting the craft, catering to an obsession. It means other things in life su er.

Kebo is self-aware enough to understand the tenet, what makes him great at one thing makes him su er at another. “I like to think I’m a well-balanced person,” he said. “I’m not the greatest at communicating with people around

me. If anything, that’s what su ers. Since through middle school, I didn’t have the easiest time expressing my emotions. It’s the emotional connection with yourself, the instrument and the people around you, the listeners and the musicians.” He pauses, adds. “I am drawn to the non-verbal way of expression.”

He is so young as to never have endured a heartbreaking split with a girl. He said he has no “real desire or time for a girlfriend now. I just feel like it’s more

To learn more, call us today and schedule your free, no-commitment demonstration!

In my experience, drummers have been either total stoners or absolutely precise and pedantic about their surroundings, from drums to life. Kebo is neither. He doesn’t drink or drug, saw what it did to one close to him. Said he just “chooses not to.” He seems to live in his head a lot.

The Los Angeles-born Kebo moved to Arizona with his family when he was 3. His bloodline mixes American-Japanese (dad) and European roots, and his face broadcasts warmth and wonder through curious brown eyes and soft skin tones. He lives at home with his father, a real estate photographer who worked in film and television as a cinematographer, and younger sister. The parents divorced several years ago, and it wasn’t easy, he said, but going into family issues is nothing he wants to talk about. “Financially we haven’t been the most stable,” he adds. And he talks of an illness his dad su ered. “Covid really

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ARTS

FOURTH AVENUE FAIR MIRRORS TUCSON’S MELTING POT

By Veronica Ku el Tucson Weekly Sta

Tucson’s Fourth Avenue is a hallmark of the region, where history and the contemporary mingle.

The district’s street fairs show locals and tourists Tucson’s personality, according to Casey Anderson, Fourth Avenue Merchants Association’s chief operating o cer and marketing director.

“Fourth Avenue is still one of the most unique, eclectic areas of our town,” Anderson said. “It’s just one big melting pot of everything that happens in our community. And we’re celebrating it all together as one.”

In its 54th year, the Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair runs from Friday, March 24, to Sunday, March 26, featuring hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors. From food sellers to artisans and performers, the association supports the community and Southern Arizona as a whole.

“We’re internationally known for our street fair,” Anderson said. “The ability to basically shut down the historic district so we can welcome people all over the world into our community is incredible.”

The Historic Fourth Avenue Business District started as a neighborhood until 1916, when the Fourth Avenue Underpass was completed. Its key placement in central Tucson made it a crucial shopping area for students, neighbors and downtown businesses.

The street fairs began as a way for Fourth Avenue businesses to come together and develop an organic marketing strategy. In 1983, association was established to help grow and maintain the historic district. They added more events to fund the nonprofit, introduc-

ing the entrepreneurship of more local artists and businesses to the community.

“A lot of the rules from the first fair actually still apply today,” Anderson noted. “In order to be qualified as an artist, they have to hand make their items. It can only touch three sources to be considered handmade.”

Fourth Avenue was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. But in 2020, the district and the fairs were hit hard by the pandemic. The association canceled a year’s worth of events, and it was in danger of dissolving.

According to Anderson, the association was forced to take out a small business loan in winter 2021 just to put on the first post-COVID-19 fair.

“The first fair was really scary,” Anderson said. “It takes so many people and companies and so many hands to be able to put this on and do it successfully. But now, we’ve had a full year of fairs.”

With the success of the 2021-2022 season, the association is ready for its next street fair series. The Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair will host over 400 vendors and line Fourth Avenue with tents and stages to hold them.

Most are local, but the association allows artists from all over the world to apply. If a vendor isn’t chosen, they’re placed on a waitlist prioritizing local businesses.

“We really give preference to our local artists as a community event,” Anderson said. “We limit how many commercial businesses can participate because we really want to honor that entrepreneurial spirit. That’s what Fourth Avenue is made up of.”

Featured this year is the interactive

area, which includes Ben’s Bells Pop-up Community Art Studio and a large Eurotramp Trampoline.

Ben’s Bells is a local Tucson nonprofit that allows the public to make ceramic ornaments as symbols of kindness for people to find and take home.

Popularized in California, Eurotramp Trampoline has no weight limit and is used competitively in the Olympics. It will be available for the community to enjoy on Fourth Avenue grounds.

Cumulus Radio helped the association find acts for its two main stages. The station hosted a contest where anyone could be considered to perform. The jury selected a handful of acts and organized their shows on each of the fair’s three days.

“It really didn’t come down to just bands,” Anderson noted. “We have cloggers, belly dancers, magicians and The Hags of Tucson. We chose the performances on each of those days based on which radio station would be out there.”

Friday will be KHYT classics and oldies, followed by KIIM FM country. It wraps on Sunday with The Vibe hiphop and R&B. The stations will host the new Ram Plumbing Fifth Street Stage

The association celebrates the entire community with more than fairs. With each event’s revenue, the association gives back 25% to 30% to other organizations and community groups. According to Anderson, they also employ a portion of the homeless population to

work the fairs.

“The fair does so much for so many,” Anderson said. “It employs people, it gives back to other nonprofits and it brings together the community. You get that whole vibe of a fair while supporting people that make their wares with their bare hands.”

With hundreds of premier vendors, talented performers and local artists, the Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair emanates the rich culture of Tucson. The association prepares for another fair season full of local entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropy.

From Friday, March 24, to Saturday, March 26, Anderson hopes for full days that bring Tucson’s old and new together.

“Everything you see, touch, taste or hear at the street fair is just a melting pot of everything our community has to o er,” Anderson said. “Everybody has the same idea that they’re out to embrace and celebrate it. It’s something our world needs more of.”

Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, March 24, to Sunday, March 26

WHERE: Historic Fourth Avenue, Tucson

COST: Free INFO: fourthavenue.org

THOUSANDS OF VISITORS ARE EXPECTED AT THE FOURTH AVENUE SPRING STREET FAIR. (CASEY ANDERSON/SUBMITTED)

TRAVEL THE WORLD THROUGH TUCSON CUISINE

By Jimmy Magahern Tucson Weekly Contributor

Ever since Tucson began receiving international honors for its rich culinary heritage and agricultural history (in 2015, it became the first U.S. city o cially designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy), the world has been taking notice.

In February, London’s Daily Telegraph highlighted Tucson in an article touting

KID FROM PAGE 5

didn’t help.”

He tells me his mother is a digital librarian and both parents are, and have been, super supportive of him.

One thing Kebo had access to is musically gifted and smart people, superstars in their fields. He studied piano with professional Marie Sierra, who introduced him to percussionist Homero Cerón, with whom Kebo studied for a decade. (“I met him when I was little.”) Cerón backed everyone from Tennessee Ernie Ford to Trini Lopez, is a timpanist of Tucson Pops Orchestra, and a retired principle percussionist for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

As a sixth grader at Esperero Canyon Middle School, Cerón introduced Kebo to László Veres, founding conductor of the Arizona Symphonic Winds, retired conductor of the Tucson Pops Orchestra, and former principal clarinetist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (the Udall Park amphitheater bears his name). Kebo was blown away by the orchestral music and in sixth grade joined the Foothills Philharmonic, a community intergenerational orchestra, under Veres’ direction, and stayed four years. Kebo is a percussionist in the Arizona Symphonic Winds conducted by Veres. Kebo rattles o names of anyone who

Arizona as “the surprising U.S. state that’s a dream come true for foodies.” In March, Time’s “World’s Greatest Places 2023” issue saluted the “revolutionary” cooking that put Tucson on its list, singling out the Arizona-grown heritage grains of Barrio Bread’s James Beard Award-winning baker Don

SEE CUISINE PAGE 8

has helped him, Veres’s is repeated often. “He was great, he’s been supportive of me since I was little and getting started.”

In fact, Kebo performed Ney Rosauro’s solo marimba concerto, the first, third and fourth movements, “in front of like 6,000 people” in Tucson. The concerto is filled of shifting time changes, complex phrasing concepts, dramatic tensions, anchored on Brazilian rhythms and jazz motifs, South American melodies. Basically, Tucson Pops Orchestra backed Kebo on the marimba. It was his debut as a soloist and was a star turn for anyone of any age, much less a 17-yearold high school junior.

“I was completely surprised they asked me,” he said.

Kebo is also principal percussionist of the Tucson Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and plays in various high school ensembles, steel drum and band. He’s thinking about starting a rock band. In January this year, Kebo manned the drumline with his high school’s Falcon Marching Band in the 5-mile Rose Parade.

I headed to Catalina Foothills High School theater to hear Kebo play in a student production of “Urinetown,” the Greg Kotis Broadway musical. The winning yarn takes the piss out of capitalism, civic bureaucracy, pay toilets, cops

and the idea of a musical itself (“Les Miserables,” for example). The kids tendered a fun performance with exuberance and skill.

The student seven-piece musical ensemble, including Kebo on bass, wind and brass players, a student-teacher trombonist, and a teacher conductor, delivered a rousing, acerbic and whimsical performance of a relatively complex and challenging score, blending musical theater, jazz, vaudeville, and gospel elements.

Kebo, on a full drum kit, filled the theater with a heady little groove. He does not play with the tentative wrists and elbows of a teenager. He plays with grace, an intuition evident in his swing and split-second restraint or push on the beat, matching the intent of the song. He knows, he just knows. You sense that with great drummers, from Stax-man Al Jackson Jr. to Questlove; it is about the greater performance, and Kebo removes himself so as to be fully in; he is a drummer’s drummer at a very tender age. The sight-read beats may cross into math, sure, yet slight fractal-like deviations give it a soul, form definitions of Kebo’s emotional responses, even adding planned badum-dum-splash accents on hilarious dialog. He gets this, completely. You hear it.

His dream is get a career out of all this. “I’d like to study in college, teach high school and become a performer in the Tucson Symphony or even something bigger like the LA Philharmonic.” If the music doesn’t pan out, his back up is, of all things, law enforcement. “I like customer service, interacting with people, the military and law would allow me to help people.”

And if he gets into Eastman? He loved the campus, the people he met, “that was the big pull. I would rather pay some money, and I’d have to work a job, get loans and help from my parents, and go to Eastman, than a full-ride to, say, NAU.”

Back at Bruegger’s, Kebo is called from our conversation to get back to work. It is getting crowded; a line has formed. In a moment he is in service behind the counter with four other employees delivering custom bagel orders. It is fast food, it is a hustle, and the work is arduous, you earn hard every dollar in such places. Kebo hovers around the register, accommodating one hungry customer after the other, the rotund, the thin. His a able banter transcends formality, soothes a mother in charge of an unruly child, relaxes a fussy eater’s impatience. The habits of their lives are not lost on him.

ROLLIES MEXICO PATIO

But Tucson’s cuisine isn’t limited to its own home-grown specialties. There are also plenty of international flavors that can be sampled within our own city. From Turkish shish kebab and Peruvian lomo saltado to Jamaican curry chicken and Mexican raspado desserts, you can have the experience of dining around the world without ever leaving Tucson. Here’s just a sample.

MEXICO

Rollies Mexican Patio 4573 S. 12th Avenue 520-300-6289, rolliestucson.com

Tumerico 2526 E. Sixth Street 520-240-6947, tumerico.com

Raspados El Paraiso 5917 E. 22nd Street 520-398-5817, facebook.com/Raspados-El-Paraiso

Naturally, Mexico is the country best represented in the Old Pueblo, a Mexican town itself until that ol’ Gadsden Purchase deal. Rollie’s Mexican Patio owner Mateo Otero said he learned to cook from his grandfather, who worked as a chef in Tucson from the 1960s to ’80s and taught him the “Sonoran Chicano” style of cooking.

“In Mexico, they do things a little different,” said Otero, who remembers tearing o pieces of big tortillas to make what would later be called soft shell tacos.

Rollie’s signature dish is its namesake: rolled tacos filled with either chicken, potato or birria with di erent chilies and spices. “A favorite is our Nana’s

Taco — basically it’s a ground beef patty and you fill the tortilla up and deep fry it and then you stu it with lettuce and cheese and peas. I don’t know where the peas came from, but they’re delicious.”

For a vegetarian spin on Mexican cuisine, there’s Tumerico, with two locations (the second is at 402 E. Fourth Avenue). Chef Wendy Garcia counts as her signature dishes a vegan chilaquiles — “a Mexican-inspired dish made with house made corn tortilla chips, salsa verde, Tumerico vegan carnitas, or jackfruit, and tofu scramble” — and her Cactus Bowl, featuring locally grown cholla buds, tepari beans, cactus and mesquite chili sauce. Top o either with an authentic Mexican dessert from Raspados El Paraiso Their raspado is essentially a Mexican snow cone livened up with fresh fruit and sweet cream along with a flavored syrup. The Food Network singles out their Tostiverduras: “They’re made by slicing open a bag of tortilla chips lengthwise and then stu ng it with cabbage, diced cucumber, tomatoes, lime, Chamoy, chile powder and the hot sauce of your choice.” Postre delicioso!

ITALY

Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink 101 E. Pennington Street 520-882-5550, reillypizza.com

Fentonelli’s Pizzeria & Bar 7262 N. Oracle Road 520-447-5759, fentonellispizzeria.com

The many tastes of Italy are neatly represented by a pair of restaurants run by the same executive chef: Tyler Fenton, a half-Jewish, half-Italian cook whose menus incorporate a little from each culture.

is made of black pepper and pecorino romano cheese. We extrude our own pasta using a blend of flours including locally grown and freshly milled blue beard durum flour.”

Fentonelli’s is a New York-style “red sauce joint” where the hot seller is a spaghetti/rigatoni featuring “Uncle Al’s Sunday Gravy.” “Sunday gravy is regionally specific to the east coast,” Fenton said. “It’s a home-cooking staple in Italian American households, a dish that is a point of pride between families.”

Classically made with various meats braised all day in tomato sauce — some chunky, some smooth — it’s a communal family-style dish. “The version we serve is my version of my uncle’s recipe — which he never gave anyone. It’s made with house-made fennel sausage as well as beef meatballs that are crumbled into the sauce. It is cooked down for a few hours. It is a meaty, warming dish.”

EUROPE

Bata

Another Fenton project, Bata is the restaurant that best reflects the chef’s Guerra.

“At Reilly, the spaghetti cacio e pepe is one of our most authentic regional Italian dishes,” he said. “Cacio e pepe is a classic pasta dish from Rome that

35 E. Toole Avenue 520-367-4718, batatucson.com

PERÚ

Inca’s Peruvian Cuisine

Jewish roots — even though its name refers to a Japanese style of open-fire grilling called robatayaki. Such is the eclectic nature of the Tucson eatery featured in Bon Appetit’s list of the nation’s top 50 new restaurants of 2022. “Our staple dish is the malawach with labne,” Fenton said.

“Malawach is a flat bread of Yemenite Jewish origins. It’s made of dough rolled out thin, rubbed with butter and folded up, resulting in lamination. It’s then rolled out again and cooked on a griddle. The resulting flat bread is flakey, buttery and delicious. We serve it with labne, which is heavily strained yogurt, and a rotating topping as well as egg yolk that has been cured and smoked.”

6878 E. Sunrise Drive, Suite 130 520-299-1405, incasperuviancuisine.com

Featured as one of three Tucson eateries to present restaurant “pop-ups” at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate party at Super Bowl LVII earlier this year, owner Fatima Campos was jazzed to serve samples of her Peruvian-spiced saltados as Diplo spun tunes for an estimated 10,000 guests. Inca’s lomo saltado is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, made with tender strips of angus beef marinated in Peruvian spices sautéed with onions, tomatoes and parsley over a bed of potatoes and served with jasmine rice. Another Fieri fave is its seco de carne, with beef braised in a

CUISINE FROM PAGE 9

cilantro and Peruvian sauce and served with jasmine rice and canary beans.

JAMAICA

D’s Island Grill JA 3156 E. Fort Lowell Road 520-861-2271, dsislandgrill.com

Chef Duwayne Hall learned to cook by watching his mom prepare curry chicken in St. Thomas, Jamaica. After moving to Tucson in 2001, he bounced around food service jobs before landing a gig as a line cook at the Flying V Bar & Grill at Loews Ventana Canyon. But it was his side hustle, hosting weekend barbecues at home and later serving his mom’s Jamaican recipes out of a food truck, that eventually led him to opening D’s Island Grill JA in March 2013. Since then, D’s has become Tucson’s hot spot for authentic jerk chicken, oxtail stew and other island delicacies, making Travel Noire’s list of favorite Jamaican restaurants in the United States for 2022. The Black-owned business championing publication singled out D’s curry goat: “finger-licking good and falls right o of

the bone.”

TURKEY

Turkish Grill House at Old Times Kafe 1485 W. Prince Road 520-293-2324, oldtimeskafe.com

Opened just this January inside Old Times Kafe, Turkish-born owners Ibrahim Aslan and Engin Saglam, along with chef Zekeriya Tekes, who graduated culinary school in Turkey, bring authentic recipes from their homeland to their corner of the 1940s ranch house turned comfort-food restaurant. From hot Turkish tea to the nutty baklava dessert, the team brings genuine Turkish flavor to everything on the menu. A favorite main course is the ali nazik kebab, a dish made with beef or chicken featuring eggplant, yogurt, butter, garlic, tomato and jalapeno. But regulars also like the Kefte Burger, a twist on the American favorite featuring lettuce, tomato and kefte, a Turkish meatball.

INCA’S PERUVIAN CUISINE

GUY FIERI WITH FATIMA CAMPOS, OWNER  OF INCA’S PERUVIAN CUISINE. (INCA’S PERUVIAN CUISINE/SUBMITTED)

CALLE TEPA RECALLS GRANDMOTHER’S MEXICAN HERITAGE

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Tucson Weekly Sta

Jordan Fuller knew he was taking a chance when he opened Calle Tepa Mexican Street Grill 10 years ago.

The journey has been a rollercoaster ride, but Fuller stuck to his mission of serving quality food and drinks in the festive restaurant.

“We just said the best thing we can do is create the best product and have the best service and then we have a chance to grab hold of the community,” Fuller said.

“The first few years were fun and interesting because we were just trying to do all the things we could. We had people outside with signs. We were delivering samples to businesses and residences around the neighborhood.”

Around year five, Fuller started to see traction. Regulars were recognizable and he felt like he was becoming part of the community.

“I felt like, ‘OK. We’ve made it over a hump,’” he said. “The next five years, we

expanded the restaurants and added items to our menu. Once we knew we had something that was working, we started to add drinks to our bar.”

Then, the pandemic hit, but Fuller swore to make it work. Every restaurant struggled, and Calle Tepa was no di erent. It survived and now it’s celebrating its first decade on Wednesday, March 29, with specials and giveaways all day.

“It’s going to be a really fun thing,” Fuller said. “We’re trying to come up with a fun way to celebrate so every group who comes in here will have fun. We’re going to have birthday cake, too.”

POPULAR ITEMS

The myriad tacos are the No. 1 seller at Calle Tepa. They come in vegetarian varieties, as well as shrimp, mahi, carne asada, chicken asada, chicken adobada, barbacoa, carnitas and chorizo.

“We have street tacos with onion and cilantro,” he said. “We do our Tepa-style tacos, with lettuce, pico and queso fres-

co. We’re really known for our freshmade dishes like tamales. We make all of our tamales in house. We do a chili pork tamale with enchilada sauce and green corn tamale with spinach sauce.”

The from-scratch soups are a hit as well, Fuller said. Pozole and chicken tortilla soup ($5.99/cup; $10.99/bowl) are sold year-round. Handmade tortillas are Calle Tepa’s forte.

CALLE TEPA PAGE 12

JORDAN FULLER SHOWS OFF THE MENU THAT IS PAINTED ON THE WALL OF HIS RESTAURANT CALLE TEPA MEXICAN STREET GRILL.  (NOELLE HARO-GOMEZ/CONTRIBUTOR)

“That’s pretty rare because it’s so much extra work,” he said.

“But it really adds to the flavor — and it really does make a dish taste better.”

The handmade tortillas go well with the popular fajitas — chicken ($17.99), steak ($18.99), surf and turf ($18.49), six jumbo shrimp ($18.99).

Another top seller is the Sonoran dog — beef hot dog wrapped with bacon in a toasted bun, ranchero beans, pico, mayo and mustard ($9.99).

“I think it stands with any of the other dogs in Arizona,” Fuller said. “It’s definitely a big hit. It’s delicious. So, we have a

lot of really good dishes that people come for.

“It’s just a spectrum of delicious items that people enjoy.”

Recently, it added breakfast with options of chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, huevos montados, burrito, torta, tacos, quesadilla and enchiladas.

Calle Tepa was named after the vibrant town in which Fuller’s grandmother lives. Fuller described it as lively, having delicious food on every corner.

“We wanted to create an homage to her and draw on those roots of where she’s from, and from the food that she grew up

CALLE

With the special blending of spices, international influences and ingredients imported from Perú we create fresh dishes made from scratch. Unique, authentic, delicious.

Inca’s is part of Tucson’s UNSECO City of Gastronomy designation.

Fatima Campos is the owner and founder of Inca’s Peruvian Cuisine in Tucson, Arizona. Twelve years ago, she had a dream to open a restaurant that specialized in Peruvian cuisine and bring it to an already culinary diverse community here in Tucson. In that short span of time, Inca’s has enjoyed much success as a hidden gem in Tucson, even receiving a feature in the Food Network’s nationally syndicated show, “Diners, DriveIns and Dives”. USA Today named Inca’s one of the top 10 new and exciting restaurants in Tucson. Inca’s also participated in a 2023 Superbowl event hosted by Guy Fieri through the Food Network.

Sun: 11:30am-8pm Mon: 4pm-8pm Tues-Thurs: 11:30am-8pm Fri & Sat: 11:30am-9pm

Inca’s Peruvian Cuisine at the southwest corner of Sunrise and Kolb.

TACOS ARE A

SELLER AT

TEPA, AS ARE DRINKS. THE TACOS COME VARIETIES SUCH

VEGETARIAN, SHRIMP, MAHI, CARNE ASADA, CHICKEN ASADA, CHICKEN ADOBADA, BARBACOA, CARNITAS AND CHORIZO. THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY WILL FEATURE DRINK SPECIALS.

with,” he said.

By design, the restaurant resembles his grandmother’s street, with the brick walls that are adorned with artwork of windows and doors. The kitchen is open, but wrapped in stainless steel to look like a food truck.

“We wanted to give that feeling that you’re in something vibrant and special and di erent,” Fuller said.

“When you eat at a taco area in Mexico, they have the menu painted on the walls at times.

Here, it’s on the wall. We thought it was such a cool idea. It’s so immediate. It just feels so real.”

TEAMWORK PAYS OFF

Fuller is pleased with the sta who has accompanied his 10year journey.

“People have come and gone but they’ve all helped to make this a special place,” he said. “During COVID, we had to come together as a team to try to get through that.

“We had really good support

from our customers, too. We’re lucky. We have food that we could convert to takeout pretty easily. So, we leaned into that right away. We came up with this system to make food more accessible and quick for customers.”

During the pandemic, Calle Tepa also added a patio, complete with heaters. Fuller called it a “big extra move for us.”

“We have our full-service patio now, which we tried to make really cozy,” he

added. “We have heaters. We have the shade. We have projectors out here so guests can catch a game and be outside. It’s dog friendly, so people can bring the dog and spend time outside. It’s a really great spot for this restaurant. Some things that have come out of COVID have helped us moving forward. The patio was a good deal for us.

“Coming out of COVID, the goal now is to be as strong as we’ve ever been. We have recognition in town and with the customers. It’s perfect.”

CALLE TEPA FROM PAGE 14

CALLE TEPA WAS NAMED AFTER THE VIBRANT TOWN IN WHICH OWNER JORDAN  FULLER’S GRANDMOTHER LIVES. FULLER DESCRIBED IT AS LIVELY, HAVING DELICIOUS FOOD ON EVERY CORNER.

11:30am to 2:30pm for Lunch Wed -Sat 5pm to 8pm for Dinner, Tues - Sat 11am to 2:30pm for Sunday Brunch

Closed Mondays / Tuesday is “India Night” Lunch is $9.95, Dinner & Brunch $11.95 for a delicious 14-course meal w/ salad bar Student & Senior discounts apply

LAUGHING STOCK MEOW MEOW PURRS HER WAY TO A HAPPY PLACE

By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist

Performer Meow Meow loves life and does not want theater to die.

“I want people to keep coming back and have the spontaneity within theater that is that genuine flexibility of emotion,” she said.

Such is the passion of Meow Meow. In the wake of the pandemic and related theater closings, she would rescue live theater by her teeth and nails if she had to, in epic, wrenching chanson.

Someone like David Byrne, perhaps, would direct and choreograph that performance. (David Bowie, Mikael Baryshnikov and Broadway already have created shows for her.)

Also known as Melissa Madden Gray, Meow Meow said she has worked worked a lot with Jerry Bischoff, so that’s a start. But “American Utopia” style would be too. . .postmodern, maybe, too much of a demand for us to fill it up with our imaginations. Meow Meow does not like to manipulate her audience. No, she would likely inspire a palette of rudimentary passions, primary

colors and a blowsier style, exposed and vulnerable.

“I don’t remember my origin story,” Meow Meow said, coyly, adding, “(The reason) I live in this heightened way is so people project on (me) more, and I like that rather than limiting myself to a uniform that’s still a costume.

Both her physical and musical expressions are unfiltered, except by their grace. “I ha-

ven’t constructed my identity. I just simply exist like this. I haven’t sat with a notebook and thought about things. If it happens (in a show), it’s evolved from the incongruity of a situation and the joyfulness of it.

“I think just about being real and inthe-moment and sharing in the ridiculousness of, you know, all of us really. I do like to play with the conventions of the concert, but not with a point of destroying it.”

Meow Meow confesses to being a creature of dance. “I think I’ve learned everything through it,” she said. “Music is the thing that makes me move, makes me express.” She spoke of a personal hero, Pina Bausch, a dance theater choreography legend about whom Wim Wenders made an acclaimed documentary.

It’s her music she’s bringing to center stage at her Fox Tucson Theatre concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29. There will be no flying trapezes, looming ladders or elaborate props, although she did promise at least to lift one knee. The music will be from her new album release, “Hotel Amour.” Pink Martini bandleader

“SOUL FOOD WEDNESDAYS”

Blax Friday hosts a gathering of Black-owned business and soul food trucks on the last Wednesday of every month. They define “soul food” as multicultural foods that “warms the soul.” The organization’s goal is to represent and empower Black business owners, focusing on “positive, actionable steps toward inclusivity and equity.”

7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento, blaxfriday.com, free

BATTLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL BANDS

Curated from a citywide call among musicians ages 13 to 18, six bands compete for a grand prize: studio time at Luna Recording Studios, a short-run pressing by lathecuts.com and a record release show promoted by Best Life Presents. Set to compete in the battle are Lunar Excursion Module, The Auspices, Fantasy and Fortune, Maldita Gente, Public Freakout and OK Acacia.

Noon Sunday, March 26, Gene C. Reid Park, DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, 1100 S. Randolph Way, tucsonaz.gov

“ EGGSTRAVAGANZA” IN MANSFIELD PARK

More than 2,000 kids are expected to turn out for the city of Tucson’s annual Easter egg hunt. There’s fun for everyone with music, games, prizes and the Easter Bunny. Egg hunt start times vary by age, so the little ones have at least a chance. Ages 2 and younger start at 10:15 a.m., ages 8 to 12 kick off at noon. The others are in between. Park on the street or at the Donna Liggins Center, Mansfield Park Pool, Tucson Symphony or the Sixth Avenue Dog Park. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25, Mansfield Park, 2000 N. Fourth Avenue, tucsonaz.gov, free

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING OVER ARIZONA

The Davis Monthan Air Force Base air show returns with plenty of excitement overhead. Some of it can be seen almost anywhere within a couple of miles of Craycroft Road and Golf Links Road, but the most serious flight fans can pop for cushy seating, canopies, food service and other amenities right in the flight path.

9 a.m. Saturday, March 25, and

by Linda Ray

Sunday, March 26, Davis Monthan Air Force Base, dmfss.com/airshow, premium tickets start at $55

“ON THE VERGE, OR THE GEOGRAPHY OF YEARNING”

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY:

“PRU PAYNE”

ATC stages a world premiere of a thoughtful, often witty and ultimately life-affirming look at how a vibrant intellectual life devolves when its foundation, memory, begins to decay. Written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Steven Drukman, the play received an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. ATC calls it “a remarkable, funny, and emotional journey about the evolution of love and identity in the face of memory loss.”

7: 30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, to Saturday, March 25 and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 25, Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Avenue, atc.org/show/prupayne, tickets start at $25

TEDDY MORGAN, CATHY RIVERS, STEVE GRAMS AT CONGRESS

We would pay good money to see Teddy Morgan play guitar by himself at a taco stand, but with this lineup, he’s unmissable. Morgan, a former Tucsonan now established as a Nashville session cat and producer, also produces and plays in actor Kevin Kostner’s band, Modern West. Joining him in this set is Cathy Rivers, current executive director of the Rialto Theatre and former head of KXCI community radio. Rivers has been a rocker grrrl her whole adult life, writing, performing, producing and booking music and even, for a time, managing the band Cracker. And, aww, Morgan played at her wedding. Arizona Blues Hall of Famer Steve Grams joins Morgan’s Modern West bandmates, John Coinman and Neil Harry, and original Hacienda Brothers drummer Richard Medek to round out the sound.

7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, Hotel Congress Plaza, $311 E. Congress Street, $10

VOLUNTEER FOR T.R.O.T.

Volunteering for any good cause can bring us “therapeutic” benefits — a sense of belonging, confidence in a job well done, and satisfaction from helping a cause we care about. This unique organization provides therapy for a range of mental and physical disabilities and in the process, also for volunteers. Opportunities to help involve walking alongside the horses, helping to groom them, helping maintain the facilities and staffing special events. We feel calmer just thinking about it. Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, 8920 E. Woodland Road, trotarizona.org, free, apply on the website.

In the late 1880s, Sara Plummer Lemmon was documenting the botany of Mount Lemmon, which was ultimately given her married name in her honor. Playwright Eric Overmyer set this play in that time and endowed its three female characters with a similar passion for science and exploration. In their pursuit of adventure, the trio encounter fantastical creatures and artifacts, but what they discover are their own destinies. The play’s been a hit with curious minds for more than three decades. Various times through Saturday, March 25, Live Theatre Workshop, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road, livetheatreworkshop.org, $23

THE SILOS

As a fine artist and art scholar, Walter Salas-Humara makes a killer proto-altpunk musician. He’s toured and made albums for over 30 years on the strength of The Silos’ early work that won him an RCA Records contract and a national debut on “Late Night with David Letterman.” The enduring loyalty of his fans is sustained by dozens of high-quality releases, but in recent years he has been devoting more time to painting, now in a colorful style influenced by the pop art genre. He’s currently touring with The Silos new record release, “The Silos Family,” available on the band’s website for whatever you wish to pay.” Salas-Humara’s collaborative inclinations have grown The Silos family greatly over the decades. Expect guests sitting in. 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 29, 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Avenue, 191toole. com, $16

GEOLOGY WALK AT CATALINA STATE PARK

Walk with an experienced geologist to learn how the Santa Catalina Mountains were formed. You’ll see how to identify rocks common to the area and find out more about the park’s curious geological formations and natural history. 8:30 a.m. Sunday, March 26, Picnic Area Ramada, Catalina State Park, 11570 N. Oracle Road, $7 vehicle, $3 bicycle

TEDDY MORGAN SHINES AT HOTEL CONGRESS.

ARTS

BICAS PAIRS CYCLING WITH ART IN THIRD ART MART

By Veronica Kuffel Tucson Weekly Staff

To Tony Zepeda, bikes have a deep connection with artists and their work. The cheap and easy nature of transport allows creators like Zepeda, an art program coordinator, to pour more resources into their passion.

“The bicycle is such a widely used tool of transportation for people,” Zepeda said. “As an artist, it’s nice for me to be able to have extra income throughout the month and not have to worry about bills so I can focus on creating art.”

Art also connects to cycling through the Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage Center, or BICAS. The nonprofit will host its third Art Mart to continue supporting local artists and inspiring the community. Ranging from recycled bike art to textiles and graphics, participants will sell their crafts from tents around the center on Sunday, March 26.

BICAS Art Mart began at a time when local artists were hit hardest by the pandemic. In 2021, most pop-ups and fairs were limited or altogether disbanded for social distancing. Artisans who relied on these events lost a major source of income and struggled to maintain

BICAS ART MART OFFERS INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES TO MAKE ART IN ADDITION TO BUYING IT.

their practices.

The BICAS team came together and developed the market to support these local artists.

“A lot of local artists came through our doors, and people were talking about it,” Zepeda recalled. “The staff at the time decided to create our own art market and set it up in the parking lot.”

In its third year, the Art Mart hosts local and emerging artists with their products. Art on sale will range from prints and pottery to sculptures and glasswork. With every product sold, artisans receive 100% of the sales profit.

Some of the highlighted artisans include revolta Art, Two Snake Pots and One Mad Menagerie. While revolta Art crafts eco-conscious prints on recycled materials, the artist duo at Two Snake Pots creates their designs on functional pottery. The artist behind One Mad Menagerie focuses her collection of jewelry, embroidery and greeting cards on the art of reuse. These are a few of the many artisans BICAS invites due to their drive for recycling and sustainability.

“Some people have bicycle-themed art and some of them don’t,” Zepeda

noted. “They’re all from different backgrounds and they all create different types of art. This is one of the big events where we invite all sorts of artists to come and join.”

This year, BICAS offered scholarships for some of the 15 to 20 vendors struggling to meet the cost of entry. Zepeda explained they do this to allow artists,

especially those new to selling their art, a chance to try art markets at a low to no cost.

BICAS will also offer opportunities for participants to make their own art. This is something Zepeda felt separated the Art Mart from most other markets. Over

APRIL 1, 2023 –OCTOBER 1, 2023

First organized in 1948, the Arizona Biennial is a much-anticipated juried exhibition that showcases some of the most innovative and diverse new works being created in the state.

David Collis, Communion, 2022, latex on wood panel. Image courtesy of the Artist.

ARTISAN SELLS RECYCLED, BICYCLE-INSPIRED ART AT THE BICAS ART MART. (TONY ZEPEDA/SUBMITTED)

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

By Connor Dziawura Tucson Weekly

MARCH 23

Hank Topless

LaCo Tucson, 6:30 p.m., free

Hemlock

The Rock, 6 p.m., $15-$20

Hermanos Gutiérrez

191 Toole, 8 p.m., $25

Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica

The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.,

$25-$40

Stayin’ Alive:

One Night of the Bee Gees

Rialto Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $27.50-$64.50

MARCH 24

Carvin Jones

The Rock, 8 p.m., $25-$75

Greg Morton and Jim Stanley

LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free

Jimmie Allen

Desert Diamond Sahuarita Casino and Resort, 8 p.m., $29.50-$69.50

Josh Turner

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $44.50-$79.50

Kristin Korb

The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $20-$30

Los Caligaris

Club Congress, 7 p.m., $35-$40

Metalachi

Hotel Congress Plaza, 7 p.m., $23.18

Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal

Fox Tucson Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $20-$72.50

Sophia Rankin & the Sound

191 Toole, 8 p.m., $12

MARCH 25

The Bennu

Hotel Congress Plaza, 7 p.m., $10-$12

Fat Tony

Hotel Congress Plaza, 10 p.m., free

Heather “Lil’ Mama” Hardy

LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free

BICAS

FROM

PAGE 19

the last few years, making art has been a big draw for the event, and he noted the nonprofit will have more activities for the upcoming market.

“We give opportunities to create art with us as opposed to just coming through,” Zepeda said. “People are given more access to create their own art, which is one of the BICAS core values.”

Jameson Clay Koweek

LaCo Tucson, 10:30 a.m., free

Patti Zlaket and Friends

The Century Room, 7 p.m., free-$10

Ronstadt Revival

DesertView Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $30

Teddy Morgan and Special Guests

Club Congress, 7:30 p.m., $10-$12

Token

191 Toole, 9 p.m., $25

Tucson Symphony Orchestra: The Music of John Williams

The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $18-$82

MARCH 26

Danny Bonilla, Daytrails and Alex Blue Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10-$12

Mik and the Funky Brunch

LaCo Tucson, 11 a.m., free

Tucson Symphony Orchestra:

The Music of John Williams

The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 2 p.m., $18-$82

Vanessa Collier

Hotel Congress Plaza, 6 p.m., $23.18

Zoso

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $18

MARCH 27

Century Room Jazz Orchestra

The Century Room, 7 p.m., $10-$15

SEE MUSIC PAGE 22

BICAS is primarily an education center working to solve problems in transportation justice. Founded in 1989, the nonprofit salvages vehicles and parts to build affordable bikes and offer maintenance services to the community. Their mission is to support the community through affordable transportation, creative recycling and education.

Their Work-Trade Program allows participants to learn how to fix and build bicycles, earning credits toward their own. These programs are also offered in youth sessions for children. With anything they can’t use, the nonprofit recycles parts for art projects.

“Whatever parts we can’t refurbish or contribute to the community as an active bike, we take them apart and either scrap, recycle or save them for art,” Zepeda said. “We have a vast collection of bicycle parts saved primarily for art.”

Along with opening an art gallery to the public, BICAS also creates public art, including bike racks, for commission. They host their annual art auction in December to spotlight community artists and raise funds for the organization.

BICAS takes used bikes and parts to provide low-cost transportation and educational resources. They recycle what they can’t salvage into pieces of art. Most of all, they host events like the Art Mart to not only support local artists but the colorful image of Tucson.

“Local artists are the heart of the community,” Zepeda said. “They really give you a vibe of what Tucson’s all about. Supporting these local artists spreads awareness about the community.”

BICAS Art Mart

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, March 26

WHERE: BICAS Center, 2001 N. Seventh Avenue, Tucson COST: Free INFO: bicas.org

ARTS NEW POETRY READING SERIES COMES TO TUCSON

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Tucson Weekly Staff

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, poets have had few places to share their work.

Katie Zale is fixing that problem with the Tucson Arts Poetry Series, which starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Tucson Desert Art Museum, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road. When they meet the fourth Saturday of each month, two poets will read from their published works.

“I’ve realized that Tucson really needed a location for local poets to share their published works,” she said.

“Since COVID, places don’t seem to have gotten back on their feet. My friends and I decided to just make this happen.”

Recently, the writers came together for an Ekphrastic Poetry Contest. A judge for the contest, Cynthia Hogue, talked about the art of ekphrastic poetry and read from her chapbook of ekphrastic poems, “Contain,” written during the pandemic.

The attending poets selected a painting or artifact that inspired them to write a poem in response. Ten winning poems (or excerpts) will be reimagined as frameable art by printmaking students at Pima Community College,

under the guidance of their instructor

Lauren Steinert.

At the 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, gathering, each selected poem will be displayed next to the painting or artifact that inspired it. The art students will explain their process and the winning poets will read their poems. Both the poets and printmaking artists will be available for questions.

Zale — who has been dabbling in poetry since she attended Cooley High School in Detroit — said her events are booked through February 2024.

“Poets are eager to show their work,” she said. “They haven’t had a play to do that in Tucson, at least not for our local poets.”

Tucson Arts Poetry Series w/Alan Perry and Gene Twaronite

WHEN: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25; and every fourth Saturday

WHERE: Tucson Desert Art Museum, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson

COST: Email for info INFO: katiesarahtaps@gmail.com

The Silos 191 Toole, 8 p.m., $16

Underoath

Rialto Theatre, 7 p.m., $41-$51

MARCH 28

beabadoobee

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $27.50

Black Flag

The Rock, 8 p.m., $20

Miss Lana Rebel and Kevin Michael Mayfield

LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free

TobyMac

Tucson Arena, 7 p.m., $15-$49.75

MARCH 29

Meow Meow

Fox Tucson Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $20-$42.50

Mysterious Babies

The Century Room, 7 p.m., $10

Oscar Fuentes

LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free

MARCH 30

Militarie Gun Club Congress, 7:30 p.m., $15-$17

MARCH 31

Chris Pierce Hotel Congress Plaza, 7:30 p.m., $12-$16

Christian Sands Trio

The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $30-$45

Greg Morton and Jim Stanley LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free Tucson Symphony Orchestra: Mahler’s “Resurrection”

The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $18-$90

Wynton Marsalis

Fox Tucson Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $57.50-$175

Thomas Lauderdale accompanies her on the recording and on tour, along with other musicians from the extended Pink Martini family.

“Why I like this little tour of concerts is they’re fantastic musicians,” Meow Meow said, “and that means the set list can change, but it’s structured. It’s not chaos but it’s alive. With me it’s still theatrical. It’s always some kind of subversion of expectations.”

Concert formats also have the benefit of being more affordable to venues, everywhere, creeping back up to their feet. And they create wide open spaces for creativity, including comedy, audience interactions and smaller-scale hijinks. With Meow Meow there’s always a lot going on.

For years, Meow Meow has toured constantly all over the world. Unaccus-

tomed to spending so much time in her Melbourne home, (“I’d never been in Australia for so long,” she said.) During the pandemic, she poured her creativity into to new music and “Hotel Amour,” her ticket to getting back on tour.

For inspiration she returned to her creative happy place, the crowd-pleasing music, mocking and occasional mayhem of the cabaret traditions at the core of her aesthetic.

“There were the Dada cabarets in the twenties or the really, the 1800s,” she said. “You’ve got a poet, you’ve got someone throwing things, you’ve got people yelling. You’ll have exaggerated personalities, songs from the street, songs ridiculing politicians, someone sitting in the corner.

“I’ve been lucky because I’m able to take that experience of the intimate (cabaret) setting into a concert hall. And I think if you can tell a story, you have activated the whole space. There’s definitely a tradition that I love, which is where social mores and politics are all bashing against each other and with music. It’s that period in the twenties that is so interesting when jazz hits Europe.”

Meow Meow has updated the tradition by gutting it of Dadaist anger while amping up the sharp wit and occasional absurdity of its diversions.

“Even though I live in a very heightened way, visually, on and off stage, it’s very truthful way of being, “Meow Meow said. “I really do believe there’s an honesty within all the theatrical-

ity that is very important to me. And I think, in that bigger space that you can make, through comedy, a largeness of life, rather than larger than life, because life is enormous. Grief, it is enormous. Tragedy is enormous.

“When comedy works and you’re sick with laughter, it’s enormous.”

OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK

Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street. 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, hotelcongress.com, $15. The more-fabulousthan-life “Retro Game Show,” now in its 11th year, presents “Family Fuss.”

Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, and 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, laffstucson. com, $15, $20 preferred seating, Nick Hoff.

CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones

Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street, tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, “Cage Match;” 8:30 p.m., Open Mic; 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox;” 9 p.m. Headliner Standup (new); 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, “Set Unlisted” (new); 9 p.m. “Improv Madness.” Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 24, Family-Friendly Improv; 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 25, “An Awesome ’80s Improv Show” (Family-Friendly Improv); 9 p.m., Uncensored Improv Comedy with Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU) and The Big Daddies.

ROXY MERRARI HEADLINES TIM’S NEW COMEDY SHOWCASE.

BLAZY SUSAN FOUNDER TALKS NEW PAPERS, PROCESS

By Evan Maharry Tucson Weekly Sta

Immediately recognizable by its pink rolling papers and friendly retro appeal, Blazy Susan is a cannabis company known for its quality and inventiveness.

Beside their natural, often vegan ingredients and loyal fanbase, Blazy Susan’s success can be chalked up to “collaboration,” according to founder and CEO William Breakell. There are not many better examples than Blazy Su-

san’s new purple cones.

“A lot of people were like, ‘Hey, you guys should do purple next.’ We were like ‘Hey, that’s a good idea,’” Breakell said.

“We’re like the first company to do purple rolling papers…for us, you know, we’re a community driven company. I built everything on Instagram, through taking feedback from other people, so it’s very collaborative.”

So, what makes the paper special? Breakell shared that after two years of development Blazy Susan perfected a formulation with non-GMO, nonchlorinated and vegan ingredients, allowing for a conscious burn. He added the paper’s purple color represents mental health in the same way the famous pink papers supported breast cancer awareness.

“Basically, we started with pink rolling papers for breast cancer awareness,” Breakell said.

“My mother is a breast cancer survivor, so for me it was something personal and a fun way to have a unique

IN AN INDUSTRY DOMINATED BY MEN, FOUNDER AND CEO WILLIAM BICKNELL SAID HIS IS THE FIRST COMPANY TO PRODUCE PURPLE PAPERS. (SUBMITTED)

impact on the industry, and from there we kept just wanting to try doing other products and get other things together that we can have fun with and also have a good meaning behind it as well.”

Breakell founded Blazy Susan 2017 in Denver when he saw his cluttered coffee table and came up with the name Blazy Susan as a pun on “Lazy Susan.”

“It started with a rolling tray, started with me really just trying to create a cool solution for a problem that wasn’t being addressed, which is messy stoners. I think a lot of wives and girlfriends maybe that don’t smoke…there were a lot of people that were like, 'This is great for my significant other.'”

The same tray is still on sale on the Blazy Susan website and Etsy. Other products from Blazy are also available in smoke shops, including those in Tucson.

think there’s not a lot of places for women,” he said. “I think that we’re a brand that is very welcoming not just to woman but to everybody. Its kind of got that retro, feel-good friendly vibe. I think it brings a lot of people together, which is ultimately the goal of our company — to make better experiences around our cannabis.”

According to a 2022 Gallup poll in August, 18% of men and 14% of woman reported regularly smoking marijuana — 16% of people overall. That is up from the 7% of people who reported regularly smoking marijuana in 2013, with the rate of woman regularly smoking growing at a faster rate than men. Regardless, cannabis should be inclusive, Breakell noted.

“I think one of the big things is just us ultimately getting stoned and thinking, ‘How can we level this up?’ Sometimes we have cool ideas, but other people have amazing ideas, and we love to celebrate that and show that off. The purple papers are one of them.” Breakell said.

With a variety of offerings in cannabis, it can be hard to find a quality name that burns nice and is trusted. With states legalizing weed every year, too, it will only get harder to wade through products. With his company, Breakell said he wanted to be the one to make a company that will stand out in such a masculine field.

“In the industry, there’s such a cool place for Blazy Susan because its typically a very masculine industry and I

“There are a lot of companies in cannabis, and we like to embody not taking it too seriously, but also knowing there is a lot of good that comes from it and being able to have fun at the same time. I think everyone should have access to it…at the end of the day, rolling papers is one way to leave that mark on the space.”

COMICS

LEGALIZATION NATION By Brian Box Brown

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19)

PLEASE REVIEW PROOF CAREFULLY!

Submit any changes or approve your ad via the link attached to this proof.

Representative: Kristin Chester Proof Number: 1

Date: 3/14/19 Designer: OM

Sometimes, I give you suggestions that may, if you carry them out, jostle your routines and fluster your allies. But after trying out the new approaches for a short time, you may chicken out and revert to old habits. That’s understandable! It can be difficult to change your life. Here’s an example. What if I encourage you to cancel your appointments and wander out into the wilderness to discuss your dreams with the birds? And what if, during your adventure, you are flooded with exhilarating yearnings for freedom? And then you decide to divest yourself of desires that other people want you to have and instead revive and give boosts to desires that you want yourself to have? Will you actually follow through with brave practical actions that transform your relationship with your deepest longings?

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20)

Advertiser: Behavioral Awareness Proof Timestamp: 12:28p - 3/8/19

You have done all you can for now to resolve and expunge stale, messy karma—some of which was left over from the old days and old ways. There may come a time in the future when you will have more cleansing to do, but you have now earned the right to be as free from your past and as free from your conditioning as you have ever been. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, you still need to spend a bit more time resolving and expunging stale, messy karma. But you’re almost done!

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)

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And during the coming weeks, you will be even more skilled than usual at doing just that.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22)

The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to become the overlord of your own fiefdom, or seize control of a new territory and declare yourself chieftain, or overthrow the local hierarchy and install yourself as the sovereign ruler of all you survey. APRIL FOOL! I was metaphorically exaggerating a bit—but just a bit. I do in fact believe now is an excellent phase to increase your clout, boost your influence, and express your leadership. Be as kind you can be, of course, but also be rousingly mighty and fervent.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22)

In his poem “The Something,” Charles Simic writes, “Here come my night thoughts on crutches, returning from studying the heavens. What they thought about stayed the same. Stayed immense and incomprehensible.” According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you Leos will have much the same experience in the coming weeks. So there’s no use in even hoping or trying to expand your vision. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is, you will not have Simic’s experience. Just the opposite. When your night thoughts return from studying the heavens, they will be full of exuberant, inspiring energy. (And what exactly are “night thoughts”? They are bright insights you discover in the darkness.)

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)

Businessman Robert Bigelow hopes to eventually begin renting luxurious rooms in space. For $1.7 million per night, travelers will enjoy accommodations he provides on his orbiting hotel, 200 miles above the Earth’s surface. Are you interested? I bet more Geminis will be signing up for this exotic trip than any other sign. You’re likely to be the journeyers most excited by the prospect of sailing along at 17,000 miles per hour and witnessing 16 sunsets and sunrises every 24 hours. APRIL FOOL! In fact, you Geminis are quite capable of getting the extreme variety you crave and need right here on the planet’s surface.

If there will ever come a time when you will find a gold bullion bar on the ground while strolling around town, it will be soon. Similarly, if you are destined to buy a winning $10 million lottery ticket or inherit a diamond mine in Botswana, that blessing will arrive soon. APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating a bit. The truth is, I suspect you are now extra likely to attract new resources and benefits, though not on the scale of gold

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bullion, lottery winnings, and diamond mines.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22)

Do you have a muse, Libra? In my opinion, all of us need and deserve at least one muse, even if we’re not creative artists. A muse can be a spirit or hero or ally who inspires us, no matter what work and play we do. A muse may call our attention to important truths we are ignoring or point us in the direction of exciting future possibilities. According to my astrological analysis, you are now due for a muse upgrade. If you don’t have one, get one—or even more. If you already have a relationship with a muse, ask more from it. Nurture it. Take it to the next level.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21)

Dear Valued Employee: Our records show you haven’t used any vacation time over the past 100 years. As you may know, workers get three weeks of paid leave per year or else receive pay in lieu of time off. One added week is granted for every five years of service. So please, sometime soon, either take 9,400 days off work or notify our office, and your next paycheck will reflect payment of $8,277,432, including pay and interest for the past 1,200 months. APRIL FOOL! Everything I just said was an exaggeration. But there is a grain of truth in it. The coming weeks should bring you a nice surprise or two concerning your job.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21)

Sagittarian poet and artist William Blake (1757–1827) was a hard-working visionary prophet with an extravagant imagination. His contemporaries considered him a freaky eccentric, though today we regard him as a genius. I invite you to enjoy your own personal version of a Blake-like phase in the coming weeks. It’s a perfect time to dynamically explore your idiosyncratic inclinations and creative potentials. Be bold, even brazen, as you celebrate what makes you unique. BUT WAIT! Although everything I just said is true, I must add a caveat: You don’t necessarily need to be

a freaky eccentric to honor your deepest, most authentic truths and longings.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19)

Some of my friends disapprove of cosmetic surgery. I remind them that many cultures throughout history have engaged in body modification. In parts of Africa and Borneo, for example, people stretch their ears. Some Balinese people get their teeth filed. Women of the Indigenous Kyan people in Thailand elongate their necks using brass coils. Anyway, Capricorn, this is my way of letting you know that the coming weeks would be a favorable time to change your body.

APRIL FOOL! It’s not my place to advise you about whether and how to reshape your body. Instead, my job is to encourage you to deepen and refine how your mind understands and treats your body. And now is an excellent time to do that.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18)

I invite you to make a big change. I believe it’s crucial if you hope to place yourself in maximum alignment with current cosmic rhythms. Here’s my idea: Start calling yourself by the name “Genius.” You could even use it instead of the first name you have used all these years. Tell everyone that from now on, they should address you as “Genius.” APRIL FOOL! I don’t really think you should make the switch to Genius. But I do believe you will be extra smart and ultra-wise in the coming weeks, so it wouldn’t be totally outrageous to refer to yourself as “Genius.”

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20)

Your body comprises 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion microbial cells, including the bacteria that live within you. And in my astrological estimation, those 69 trillion life forms are vibrating in sweet harmony with all the money in the world. Amazing! Because of this remarkable alignment, you now have the potential to get richer quicker. Good economic luck is swirling in your vicinity. Brilliant financial intuitions are likely to well up in you. The Money God is far more amenable than usual to your prayers. APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating a bit. But I do believe you now have extra ability to prime your cash flow.

Storage at 5855 S Palo Verde, Tucson,AZ 85706 will be auctioning off Units 1497 and L231 Laura Rowell last known address 15598 W Ajo Wy Unit B, Tucson, AZ 85735. The Auction will be posted to StorageTreasures.com on March 24th where you can place your bids.

- Noon

& Continental Reserve Loop in Marana 1300+ Home Community

Edited by Will Shortz

’Fros and fades

Org. with a cr yptologic museum

Greet with a “grr”

Shellackings

Crossword direction: Abbr.

Punctuation in a web address

of

Olympic stickers?

’Fros and fades

Org. with a cryptologic museum

6 Punctuation in a web address

say

Fish or mushroom feature

Epitome of simplicity

Eye layer

What sheepdogs do

Wrangler alternative

Clear plates,

Greet with a “grr”

Shellackings 5 Crossword direction: Abbr.

37 Dissolute man, from the French

Take up a new residence

Covers for a king or queen?

Bring to a new level

Make R-rated, say

Use, as a prayer

Occasions for egg-hunting

Competitor of WaPo and W.S.J.

OB/GYN tests, informally

PUZZLE BY ROSS TRUDEAU AND WYNA LIU