Tucson Weekly 04/06

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, Laura Latzko, Andy Mosier, Dan Perkins, Hope Peters, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, Will Shortz, Brian Smith, Jen Sorensen, L. Kent Wolgamott

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

PETER PARKER, A BARBER’S POLE AND JINGLE-JANGLE BEAUTY

White dude enters a black barbershop in Tucson.

The five middle-aged gents inside begin calling me Peter Parker, and it is droll and amiable. A “Spider-Man” discourse ensues and the comedy soars.

DC’s, as it’s called, shares walls of a white-owned gun store on the northside and a Mexican-owned beauty salon to the south, on a side street o Speedway in central Tucson. The trio of businesses show a façade with minimal signage, perhaps last updated decades ago, a dusty but fetching little row behind a filling station that’s been there decades. Mom and pops you could say,

the best of what capitalism could do for the working class, now vanishing o the face of the earth.

The look inside the rectangular joint feels ensconced into brick and stone, there’s mini bleacher seating just inside the window, which could seat maybe 12. The loose configuration of barber accoutrement — clippers, brushes, cleaners, disinfectants, sanitizers, trimmers and razors, four barber chairs, and so on. Sports memorabilia on the wall, even old Playboy Magazines for leafing. Man, this is my dad and granddad’s scene. It is a close cousin to the murky old-man bar, comfy as a rec room.

I watch the two cutters, one is the

owner. They’ve a pal killing time on the bleachers and there are two customers getting their heads worked on. The cutters are masters with clippers and trimmers. When you watch someone this skilled—after decades of experience became part of who they are—their work, which at first appears mundane and workaday, becomes high-art in its poise, timing and result. It’s hypnotic. Once the Peter Parker ri s fade, other discussion and interruptions lift between the guys; they rattle o college

b-ball and pro football player and coach performances and stats dating back decades with the same devotion to detail a orded rare art and vinyl fetishism. They’re speaking a sports-jargon-rich language I cannot participate in, only listen and learn.

A regular, a Sun Tran bus driver, who’s been coming here for years, gets a tight fade cut masterfully by the barber who will say little of himself to me. Beyond

FIESTA LAVANDERIA: A NIGHTLY BEACON ON A DARK STRETCH OF ROAD. (BRIAN SMITH/CONTRIBUTOR)

Story & photos by Brian Smith

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his hilarious sarcastic asides, I learn he’s 55 and originally from Cleveland. He wears a UA ballcap.

I want to talk to the owner, DC. I follow him outside after one of the regulars pays and leaves. Standing outside, he lights up a little cigar. He tells me he’s Mississippi native, his grandfather and dad were barbers, he’s third generation, it is in his DNA. I love that about him. He’s owned this shop, he says, for two decades. He’s friendly, wrap-around shades, a charisma that extends far beyond the easy-flow floorshow of his shop; a sense of ease and self-assuredness, hits home on a big white beard, like a retired ballplayer with a penchant for old-school R&B and soul.

These cutters don’t want their stories told but I try. What have they to hide? I’m told the shop floats by just fine on its customer base and they don’t need or want any kind of profile done. How they like it. I can see why.

I get in the car. Day becomes night. I drive around looking for someone to write a story about because this is how

I find my favorite people, currently set against an imprint of sadness on a lonely night in Tucson. It is the pull of coin laundry lights on lonely dark stretches, the glint of commercial grade stainless steel through big storefront windows, the buoyant trick of seeing yourself in solitary figures resigned to being stuck in one place.

I pull into a few laundromats, on 22nd Street, on Pima, on Swan, go in, hang, leave. Insides are either empty or no one is approachable. I don’t have to use laundromats anymore; our house, as luck would have it, includes a washer and dryer. But I’ve spent years slogging my tired ass into launderettes, with a last-resort, at-the-end-of-the-world feeling. Hungover or drunk, depressed and armed with piles of fouled clothes and pockets full of quarters I’d saved hard. The imagery always fit the mood.

I pull into the Fiesta Lavanderia Wash and Dry. It’s bright rectangle yellow-and-orange sign, always a pleasing night beacon on this sweep of road slicing eclectic neighborhoods and class divisions, street fentanyl to the southeast, juice and fitness to the southwest.

It’s well lit inside, walls of washers and dryers, instruction signage, and, a pretty, considered approximation of décor, colored floor tiles.

A woman strolls in wearing a loose, African print maxi dress and matching hair wrap, an eruption in reds, yellows, oranges and browns. I watch her move in her style, how it transcends any repressive boundaries with cultural influences, grace and class. She smiles at me, a big restorative matriarchal grin. She makes me feel more alive. I don’t speak a word to her, she’s collecting her dried laundry and soon steps out of here with a kind of dignity that is nothing forced or mannered, more earned and learned. Like she can see through bullshit. The definition of cool. Two trips to her car, baskets filled with bold patterns and prints. Man, what a superstar, at a laundromat.

in years past would’ve filled me with the horrible yearning of wanting to be one of them, be anyone but me. I approach and each regard me with looks of indifference, say “hi,” and carry on.

I mostly go unnoticed and begin to feel like some kind of stalker or creep, with a notepad.

Few see the world around them anymore, connections to far o cell towers exclude us from finding the real-time moments. I’m not here to su er the grim task of outside-the-home chores, so I take beauty of tiny wonders: the shockblue rim lights of a jacked up pickup truck throwing neon spikes on deserted Country Club Road, the old man with wispy white hair wearing a snug-fitting denim jacket covered in anarchy patches who’s lost in a one-sided conversation with his leashed goldendoodle as they pass the open front door, or how the laundromat lighting bestows upon the blown-out brick wall at the parking lot’s edge the inviting look of an apocalyptic thrill ride.

It is that imprint of Tucson sadness, cut with the musical rattle of pant buttons against rotating metal, and the burnt-citrus smell of dryer fresheners.

TUCSON CITY OF GASTRONOMY PRESENTS

She is gone and I’m faced with a ticking clock and the dilemma of whether to initiate a conversation with a stranger engrossed in their handheld screen. Something about doing laundry in a public place reveals vulnerability and unavailability, the washing out of dirt and soiled days past, how it maybe translates into a pleasing spiritual cleansing, potentially embarrassing when observed.

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FEATURING

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I try: A surprised dark-skinned guy wearing shorts and thick white socks showing above his cowboy boots, and an elderly woman in a house muumuu and Nikes, both sport an invisible Do Not Disturb sign around their necks.

A pair of young Latina women sit at one of the two metal wait tables laughing — big, bawdy and carefree — sharing a phone video. It is the kind of persuasive laughter that inspires envy, and

Even Peter Parker could close his eyes, feel the humidity rising from washing machines, and maybe it would take him far away, into, say, the soft recesses of some lakeside town.

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DJ GARY CHAVEZ

DJ MIZSKODEN

CURRENTS

NEEDLES AND KNOTS IS A SEWERS’ SANCTUARY

By Karen Scha ner Tucson Weekly Sta

On the northwest corner of Campbell Avenue and Fort Lowell Boulevard sits an inconspicuous mid-century modern building that houses something unexpected: sewing machines, irons and spacious worktables.

Overseeing the room is a dress form replete with a ready-for-action, hot, red silk slip dress. Cut on the bias, this baby is form fitting. One thing is certain. This is not your grandmother’s sewing room.

This is Needles and Knots Sewing and Design Lab, a place to learn to sew or improve skills. The studio is the brainchild of Shauna Smith, who also teaches the classes.

“Who doesn’t want to have clothes that fit?” she asked rhetorically.

Tissue paper patterns and pinking shears, sure, but today’s sewers are now employing electric and knife-edge scissors and rotary cutters. They use decorative silk pins and pattern weights. Today’s sewers use machines made by Husqvarna, Bernina and Juki. They draft their own patterns for a perfect fit, and they work hard to use natural fibers such as cotton, silk and linen. They can learn to use those tools and wield a needle at Smith’s shop. She is calm, patient and an experienced sewer, pattern drafter and teacher. She will show anyone of any age, any size and any body shape how to sew clothing that will make them look good and feel good.

Smith runs any number of classes every month for people of every level of sewing skill. Those who don’t know how to sew should start with Stitch x Stitch, a one-day, learn to sew workshop. This is where a sewing journey begins.

“I feel like a lot of sewing classes out there, when they get you at the entry level, they just put you on a machine that already works, and have you sew a

cute bag, and by the time you’re done you really don’t know what you did,” she said.

“I (have you) take apart the machine and oil it, look at all the parts and really get to know the machine so that when you go home and break a needle or jam a bobbin, you’re not afraid of it, and you know you didn’t do anything wrong. You can handle it. That, I think, is the most important part of having a good relationship with your sewing machine.”

Those without a machine are in good shape, as there are six in the studio. Plus, “I encourage you not to buy a machine before that class because I tell you about things to look for in a good sewing machine,” she said.

For those at the other end of the sewing spectrum, there’s this class: “Pattern Making Primer: Tools of the Trade and How They Are Used.” In this class, students learn to make patterns for their own bodies, copying ready-made garments. Then there are the classes for students who fall between rank beginner and know-it-all. That’s where the bias cut silk dress class falls.

On this day, three of the four students — all women, two in their 20s and one in her 30s — were working on their silk dresses. This is not a beginner’s class, and for the women here this is not the first round of classes they have had at Needles and Knots.

Elizaveta Brotherton came to class with a year’s sewing classes and experience, so she is a quick hand with the slippery silk. She has a new clothing brand, Anaveta, with a small line of fashions. Her goal is to make her own samples, and, as a new transplant from Alaska, to meet new friends as well.

“I was super excited about this class because sewing silk dresses is my goal, and that was the first thing that really started our brand,” Brotherton said. “We

had this blue dress and I had designed it. It was very popular; it got a lot of traction on TikTok. That was my goal so I’m very happy to be able to work with it now.”

Her biggest challenge was overcoming nerves when working with silk. “I had a lot of fear and anxiety about

working with the fabric,” Brotherton said. “Shauna has taken me out of that mindset. I can always go in and unpick it. I’ve built some confidence with it whereas before I was terrified.”

Kalani Gill, a junior fashion industry

CURRENTS

THE PATCH BOYS’ CAMPAIGN SUPPORTS DIAPER BANK

By Veronica Ku el Tucson Local Media Sta

The Patch Boys of Tucson’s owner David and Caroline Scott siad they believe exceptional service and character set their company apart from others.

“We are unlike most other drywall companies,” David said. “We show up on time. We work clean and we clean up after ourselves. You don’t even know we were there.”

The Patch Boys of Tucson handle patches, popcorn ceiling removal and texturing for homes throughout Southern Arizona. Along with its drywall services, the company has partnered with the Southern Arizona Diaper Bank to give back to the community they sup-

port with their business. The Scotts have committed to donating 5% of all profits to the Diaper Bank with a goal of providing 15,000 diapers to the nonprofit.

According to David, the campaign is a part of the first anniversary of The Patch Boys of Tucson. The owner contacted Shannon Roberts, the CEO of the Southern Arizona Diaper Bank, and after touring his facility, the Scotts decided to partner with it. David noted the impact of a local company supporting a local nonprofit.

“We live in our community and believe in giving back to it,” David said. “The Diaper Bank came up as a unique opportunity to give back to the com-

munity, and we like what they’re doing. We thought it was a great cause.”

The Diaper Bank is a national network of nonprofits dedicated to providing diapers to the unserved and impoverished. The organization in Arizona is trying to raise money for those who can’t a ord diapers, but also menstrual and incontinence supplies. Additionally, the Southern Arizona Diaper Bank trains kids to get out of diapers sooner to lower costs for families.

In the wake of COVID-19 and the rise of housing prices, David addressed the urgency to support nonprofits who cover these necessities.

lice Department’s Family Day and contributed to the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Foundation and Tucson Fire’s Collaborative Community Care.

The Southern Arizona Diaper Bank is only one example of their mission to support Greater Tucson, and their choice to do it for their anniversary celebration highlights their commitment to serve.

“Families need help right now, and the Diaper Bank is one organization that’s supporting them,” David said. “They have more money to put food on the table rather than pay for diapers and things like that.”

The Scotts have supported the community for many years before operating The Patch Boys. David is a past board member of the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation and Caroline has worked with the Youth on Their Own nonprofit. They’ve sponsored the Tucson Po-

“Giving back to our community is of the highest importance to Caroline and I both personally and professionally,” David said. “We are so thrilled to be able to help support the Arizona Diaper Bank in its e orts to collect diapers and supplies for those in need, especially as a way of commemorating one year in business.”

With The Patch Boys of Tucson, the couple plans to serve other community initiatives. The company will also work with Habitat for Humanity to help support their projects in Tucson. David said this is an ongoing campaign.

“We’ve always believed in giving back to the community,” David said. “This is the community we live in, and we want to see it succeed.”

THE PATCH BOYS OF TUCSON WITH ARIZONA DIAPER BANK CEO SHANNON ROBERTS. (DAVID SCOTT/SUBMITTED)

and technology major at the University of Arizona, came to class even though she was without a car. Still, she sat down and got to work. Gill said she’s only been sewing since receiving a sewing machine for Christmas.

“I want to make my own clothes and eventually make my own designs,” she said.

The most challenging part? Wanting to be as precise as possible.

“This is only my first bias slip dress so you can’t expect it to be totally perfect,” Gill said of the perfect-looking garment.

“This is the third thing she’s ever made,” Smith added with some amazement.

At 32, Lauren Prushan is the oldest in the class. She works on her grandmother’s sewing machine that was manufactured the year she was born. She has six months of experience under her belt, but this sewing silk stu , she said, is not without its frustrations.

“This is definitely the hardest fabric I have worked with,” Prushan said. There’s lots to remember, like “being

THE TASK OF APPLYING BIAS BINDING TO CREATE NECKLINES AND STRAPS REQUIRES A DEEP BREATH AND FOCUS. (NOELLE HARO-GOMEZ/CONTRIBUTOR)

really careful and precise and taking a deep breath before you start the next thing so that you’re really focused on what you’re doing.”

Still, from the first class, Prushan discovered a love of sewing.

“I didn’t ever think I was just going to make my own clothes that I would wear,” she said. “I thought maybe I

would make some pillow cases, some curtains. Then, when I took the (first) class, I was like, I love this. I feel like this is the hobby I’ve always wanted and just didn’t know.”

Of course, the students wouldn’t be as accomplished without the help of their teacher. Smith knows her stu . She graduated from design school in 1992, then worked with a “big name pattern maker” in New York, she said, working on patterns that would go into catalogs. Besides classes, Smith also hosts monthly get-togethers. There are hand sewing, sitand-stitch and textile socials.

“I feel like fabric has been dumbed down so much by (large box stores) so that people don’t even understand what fabric is,” Smith said. “I teach students, and they come in, and they don’t even understand the di erence between a woven and a knit. They don’t understand the di erence between a fiber and

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

a fabric…I want to bring people together in a casual environment to just talk about fabric, to learn something from each other about fabric, and share their fabric and their fabric stories.”

Brotherton encourages everyone to give it a whirl.

“If you have a desire to sew or you ever thought about it or wanted to give it a try, you’re watching people make things online and TikTok videos, just go ahead and give it a try,” she said. “It seems so overwhelming before you begin, but if you have that desire, you’ll continue to come back to the machine and you’ll practice and you’ll get better. You can really surprise yourself if you put in the time.”

“(Needles and Knots) is a good place to start,” Smith said. “Come on out of your kitchens and bedrooms and see if you like it.”

Needles and Knots Sewing and Design Lab

1735 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 8, Tucson 520-261-9548, naksewing.com

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CURRENTS

TVHS FORGES NEW TRAIL WITH OUTDOOR PROGRAM

By Veronica Ku el Tucson Local Media Sta

For the first time this school year, English teacher Otto Ross looked out at the newly excavated path outside of Tanque Verde High School and saw an established trail. It’s a project his Outdoor Adventure Class has worked on every week, researching trail designs and clearing debris from their chosen route.

“They know every inch of the trail,” Ross said. “Overall, I’m extremely proud of the hard work and heart the kids have put into it. It’s cool to watch them take ownership of it and see the legacy they’re creating.”

The trail will be open for the school and Tanque Verde community in the next month, thanks to the e orts of the Outdoor Adventure Program. Started by Ross, the initiative includes a pilot class and club which engage students in different aspects of nature.

From high ropes courses to wilderness first aid, the program allows students to learn about the outdoors and how to maintain it. Sophomore Eric Morton is a student in the class and saw the opportunity to express his love for nature.

“It’s more captivating to me than city life,” Morton said. “I thought I’d be able to learn some more or get outside more

than I usually would, let alone get a grade for it.”

His teacher, Ross, has taught in Tucson for eight years, and he’s always found a way to fund his own passion for adventure. During summer breaks, Ross would help lead backpacking trips for kids in Yosemite.

Tanque Verde High School recruited him to teach English, and he discussed the idea of the program with the principal.

“I always had this duality between being in the classroom and then being outside teaching kids about nature and adventuring,” Ross noted. “At Tanque Verde, an opportunity presented itself where I could merge those two things.”

The high school funded the program with backpacks, outdoor stoves, sleeping bags and five mountain bikes. In the class, Ross developed a curriculum packed with lessons on flora and fauna, leave no trace principles, and national parks. In the club, he scheduled orienteering courses, hiking trips and campouts. The teacher also started a Mountain Biking Club, meeting once a week to test interest for a future team.

It was during one of the program’s excursions the group got the idea for a community trail. Ross addressed the

early discussions with his students regarding the project.

“We saw there was this beautiful patch of desert the school owned but wasn’t really accessible to students,” Ross said. “As a class, we started talking and thought it would be cool to build a trail out there.”

The community nature trail is one mile in length near the campus, taking almost a year for the students to finish. The Outdoor Adventure Class worked on the project from the ground up, learning how to design the trail based on erosion, wildlife and user experience.

With expert guests from Flagline Trails and the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, Ross’ students developed the path with preservation in mind. Freshman Irelynn Mcgrath noted how every cut of palo verde and creosote is done to prioritize wildlife regeneration.

along it. It’s cross-curriculum opportunities like these the teacher believes are key to keeping students engaged in learning.

“It creates these organic, genuine learning experiences that are hard to replicate in a classroom setting,” Ross said. “I’ve seen how experiences in nature can have these profound, positive impacts on youth and really transform their outlooks.”

Along with aiding in the curriculum, the Outdoor Adventure Program has helped some students out of their comfort zones. Freshman Jennifer Coronato had always believed she was fearless up until a field trip on a high ropes course. The class allowed her to face her fear little by little, and now, she climbs regularly at a local bouldering gym. Coronato had also never used a saw or loppers before the class. Now, she gets excited every time Ross’ class is out to work on the trail.

“I’ve learned how to cut branches and help keep the trees alive,” Mcgrath said. “I chose the class because I wanted to try something new and get more into nature. It’s been really fun.”

Ross has watched his students learn and grow through the program, and after a final “brushing” of the trail, they’re excited to complete it. The class plans to open it in the coming weeks for both the school and the Tanque Verde community.

“It’s been super rewarding,” Coronato said. “I’ve learned about wildlife like the palo verde, snakes and cacti. I’ve also learned a lot about hard work, and how if you work hard, it’s going to be very rewarding.”

Not only will the trail be used by other extracurricular clubs like cross country, but classes like Environmental Science and AP Biology will study the wildlife

Due to the success of the program, TVHS will make room for a second cohort of the class and a Mountain Biking team for next year. They also plan to build a rock climbing wall on school grounds. For now, Ross and his students prepare to celebrate the new trail with the community.

STUDENTS IN THE OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PROGRAM PREPARE FOR A DAY ON THE TRAIL. (OTTO ROSS/SUBMITTED)

CURRENTS

HABITAT TUCSON OPENS CONSTRUCTION HUB

By Veronica Ku el Tucson Local Media Sta

With the dramatic increase in housing prices, organizations are stepping up to create solutions for Southern Arizona. Habitat for Humanity Tucson recently showcased its new CHUCK Center, a project CEO Charlie Buchanan called a comparable answer to the growing problem.

“This is a crisis we haven’t experienced in generations,” Buchanan said. “It’s not a low-income challenge anymore, it’s an everybody challenge. It’s redefined housing a ordability.”

The purpose of the new Connie Hillman Urban Construction Knowledge Center is to support the lack of a ordable housing in Greater Tucson and to address the need for a skilled workforce in the trades. Habitat Tucson will be able to prefabricate homes and store materials in a temperature-controlled warehouse. The center will not only accelerate housing production but the education of schools, colleges and other programs in the area.

It’s a development for the nonprofit, and Buchanan noted its potential for

increasing work quality within Habitat Tucson.

“We build homes, community and hope,” Buchanan said. “This isn’t anything new to us, but it’s certainly a di erent scale. The ultimate goal is to provide more housing solutions in a challenging environment.”

The CHUCK Center holds o ces, a classroom and a large warehouse. Habitat Tucson will use the space to store tools and materials for projects across the community, including prefabricated panels made in the facility.

A one-story home under 1,500 square feet takes 18 to 26 panels to build, while a two-story of the same size requires 24 to 32. Habitat Tucson plans to build at least 10 panels per day and store up to 144 panels, enough for around five to eight homes, in the CHUCK Center.

Tony Lundberg is an AmeriCorps member with Habitat Tucson, and addressed challenges in the past associated with building these panels and procuring materials.

“It would lag our construction progress,” Lundberg said. “At some point

during the builds we had in Marana, we weren’t able to procure doors or windows, even lumber. It’s beneficial to have a safe, dry indoor spot for all of these sensitive materials.”

The CHUCK Center was primarily funded by the Connie Hillman Family Foundation, along with other organizations and nonprofits like The Stonewall Foundation, Bank of America and the City of Tucson. Its partners contribute to the facility with donations of money but also labor, as is the case with AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps contributes workers to volunteer with Habitat Tucson projects, one of the options for their member commitment to one year of intensive service. According to Lundberg, most organizations and nonprofits o er housing, but in past years, Habitat Tucson didn’t have the budget for it.

The CHUCK Center is building a duplex house in its backyard to meet the needs of out-of-state AmeriCorps members. Lundberg expressed his relief for future members and their access to this housing.

“The AmeriCorps members receive only a small stipend for their service, making living in Tucson hard for most,”

Lundberg said. “It’s very di cult to pay rent and groceries on the stipend, so it’s a necessary means to find a ordable or provided living for nonprofits like Habitat.”

Another key part of Habitat Tucson’s commitment with the CHUCK Center is to provide educational resources to assist trade students. The nonprofit has started this by partnering with the Building & Construction Technologies program at Pima Community College. Lundberg of Tucson’s AmeriCorps team was one of the program’s past students. Due to current space constraints on campus, BCT Discipline Coordinator Himat Khalsa visits Habitat Tucson with his classes weekly. Pima Community College works to increase its facilities for the program, but for now, the CHUCK Center allows students to gain real-world experience and make an impact on the community.

“A lot of this has been facilitated through the CHUCK Center because there’s a real training focus,” Khalsa explained. “Here, there are potentially other people from di erent trades that will interact with the students as we’re build-

A LARGE TOOL BENCH STOCKED WITH EQUIPMENT FOR GROUPS OF WORKERS, STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE CHUCK CENTER WAREHOUSE SPACE. (VERONICA KUFFEL/STAFF)

HABITAT TUCSON CELEBRATES THE GRAND OPENING OF THE CHUCK CENTER.

ing. Those are features that are hard to simulate in a lab environment.”

Khalsa and his students utilize the CHUCK Center to complete varied curriculums, building homes and designing plans which Habitat Tucson puts to use throughout the region. Between the college and nonprofit, their collective goal is to engage 100 student learners in construction trades in 2023.

The partnerships between programs, organizations and the nonprofit will not only create hands-on learning experiences but contribute to Habitat’s goal for universal housing. Here in Southern Arizona, Buchanan and Habitat for Humanity will continue to combat the housing crisis, developing new and innovative solutions to support Tucson.

“The CHUCK Center was our acknowledgment that the status quo wasn’t meeting the need to support the a ordable housing crisis,” Buchanan said. “The potential and the partnerships are going to create opportunities for not only trade students and their careers but opportunities for families to have stability.”

By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist

ODYSSEY STORYTELLING:

“TREASURE”

In March, Odyssey celebrated its 19th year telling the stories of our community. Each month a different topic is chosen, and anyone can submit their story via the Odyssey website. After selections are curated, presenters participate in a rehearsal and coaching session. Their stories almost invariably include light and funny moments. The theme for the March readings is “Treasures.” We can expect the “treasures” to include pets, kids, adventures, travel memories and, perhaps, some family secrets.

7 p.m. Thursday, April 6, and every first Thursday, The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street, $15, odysseystorytelling.com, free for Patreon members.

FLAM CHEN

“DANCE ACROSS THE WATER”

Flam Chen isn’t just for the All Soul’s Procession any more. This weekend they break out the sparkling lights, dancing flames and high-flying acrobatics for a new collaboration with JuJubey Dance Company. They describe their project as “a semi-autobiographical journey,” engaging dance, global beats and circus arts to tell a story about “navigating difficult spaces, both emotional and physical.” Look for stilt walking, fire spinning and puppetry. The evenings close with a dance party featuring DJ Just Jon.

7 p.m. Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8, MSA Annex, 267 Avenida del Convento, flamchen.com, $20 to $100

BREAKFAST WITH THE BUNNY

You’ll have Easter Bunny photo ops galore at Savoy Opera House. Saturday begins with a breakfast buffet and continues with craft-making, museum exploring and outdoor fun in Trail Dust Town’s frontier setting. Bring your own basket for the “Easter egg” hunt in which kids can exchange their found booty for treat bags. Everyone can enjoy rides on the period carousel and Ferris wheel and a tour of Trail Dust Town on its own (very) narrow-gauge railroad.

CROSS UP “A” MOUNTAIN. (RAMON OLIVAS/CONTRIBUTOR)

“LA PROCESION DE VIERNES SANTO” Y “LA MISA AL AMANECER” (GOOD FRIDAY

PROCESSION AND EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE) ON SENTINEL PEAK (“A” MOUNTAIN)

Los Dorados Orphan League leads its 56th annual Good Friday procession bearing a giant cross to the top of “A” Mountain. Several hundred people follow along their path each year, often accompanied by musicians. This year, Pastor Jeff Bernal of Mission Park Baptist Church will lead brief meditations at each of the traditional Stations of the Cross. The Good Friday event concludes at 7 p.m., but the cross remains until after an Easter Sunday sunrise service at the site. The service is in both English and Spanish. Volunteers are welcome for the procession and the service. Members of Los Dorados will keep vigil throughout. 4 p.m. Friday, April 7, and 6 a.m. Sunday, April 9, Sentinel Peak (“A” Mountain). 1001 Sentinel Peak Road, lower parking lot, free. Gates to “A” Mountain parking open at 4 a.m. Sunday.

MERCADO FLEA MARKET

Pay a visit to the Easter Flea! Sunday is the secondto-last of these popular markets until the next season starts in October. More than 45 curated vendors offer antique, vintage, collectible and other unique treasures of former owners. Parking is abundant and the streetcar comes right to the door. The Mercado District also features two coffee shops, a bar and a bakery. Consider stopping in after the sunrise service on Sentinel Peak.

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 9, The Mercado District, 100 S. Avenida del Convento, free

CONGRESS COOKOUT: BAD NEWS BLUES BAND

The Bad News Blues Band has been a local favorite for 30 years. They’ve released seven LPs and were named to the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame, but they’ve also taken Tucson blues all over North America and Europe, including Turkey, Romania and Moscow. Hotel Congress’ Sunday cookout series is an ideal setting for the band. It’s one big community picnic. Choose your eats from The Cup menu or get faster fare from the hotel’s own food-truck equivalent. Your friends will be happy to share their table. 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 9, Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, hotelcongress.com, $10

9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 8, Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road, traildusttown.com, $35 adults, $25 ages 2-12, $5 under 2

TOUR THE LOS REALES SUSTAINABILITY CAMPUS AND RECYCLING FACILITY

Ride a tour bus with others passionate about sustainable living and get a behind-the-scenes look at how our

bottle and lots of really unique selfies. 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 11, Price Service Center, 4004 S. Park Avenue, reservations are on a first-come, firstserved basis. Call 520-791-3175

“VISIBILITY MATTERS:” DEMENTIA EDITION

Aging LGBTQI+ people are uniquely impacted by dementia. Their lifelong witness to, and experience of, stigma can compound their disorientation. Anyone who cares for, or about, an aging member of this population can benefit from this free training offered by Pima Council on Aging. Learn how to provide care that is aware, sensitive and responsive to their unique needs so these folks can safely continue to be their authentic selves.

9 a.m. Tuesday, April 11, PCOA Katie Dusenberry Healthy Aging Center, 600 S. Country Club Road, eventbrite. com, free

“WHAT’S THE BUZZ?” FLYING APRONS HONEY TASTING

Honey is the next big thing! You can learn to “connoisseur” with the best of them as beekeeper and sommelier Noel Patterson of Dos Manos Apiaries leads you through samples of 6 different honeys on fresh fruits, cheeses and nuts. Patterson talks about how each sample expresses the terroir of the Sonoran Desert. Her goal is to give participants confidence in making sustainable and delicious choices when exploring the infinite flavors of honey.

5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, Catalina United Methodist Church, 2700 E. Speedway Boulevard, flyingapronstucson.com, $75

RAFAEL MORENO LATIN QUARTET

environmental and general services department operates the landfill, handles waste diversion and household hazardous waste, protects groundwater and more. You’ll also learn how methane gas generated at the landfill can be a renewable energy source for Tucson’s power grid. The tour will be completed by noon. Reservations are required by phone. Wear long pants, closed-toed shoes, hats and sunscreen. Take a water

Tucson residents who get their move on to Latin beats (and who doesn’t?) have probably danced to the conga rhythms of Rafael Moreno. He fronts the popular salsa band Descarga and is first call for conga drums in local dance combos. With his own quartet, his music trends toward a mix of boleros and Latin jazz, but he mixes in popular tempos and sonic flavors from throughout Latin America.

6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, Oro Valley Marketplace, 12155 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley, orovalleymarketplace.com, free

BAD NEWS BLUES BAND PLAYS THE CONGRESS COOKOUT. (MARILYN STRINGER/CONTRIBUTOR)

A PROCESSION CARRIES A

PRELOVED TREASURES AWAIT AT THE MERCADO FLEA. (CARL HANNIS/SUBMITTED)

LAUGHING STOCK

RORY SCOVEL FINDS EVERY LAST LAUGH

By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist

Rory Scovel’s April 14 show at 191 Toole is part of what he’s calling “The Last Tour,” But it’s by no means certain that he won’t be back. After all, his 2016 Netflix special, “Rory Scovel Tries Standup for the First Time,” was far from the first time he’d done standup.

Scovel’s characteristic whimsy is behind the tour name titles. Still, a mix of talent and good luck have lately put him in a position to reconsider his career choices. He just wrapped his third season as co-star in the best streaming series that almost no one has ever heard of, the Apple+ sleeper hit, “Physical.” The series has an 81% rating on Rotten

Tomatoes. The third season drops in June.

It was Jack White, of the band White Stripes, who plucked Scovel from obscurity. The two had “met cute” as strangers at neighboring tables on the patio of an Atlanta fast-food restaurant. Scovel was in town to do a show, and on the way out of the restaurant patio, he stopped to invite White and his friend. On an impulse, he also handed them a copy of his first record.

“Maybe a year or so later,” he said, “I randomly got a call from (a friend of White’s) and he said, ‘I’m with Jack White right now, and he wants to talk to you. I got on the phone with him, and

RORY SCOVEL IS A CLASS-Y CLOWN. (MANDEE JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY/ CONTRIBUTOR)

he said, ‘I’ve listened to your album so many times. I make people listen to it. I know it by heart. I want you to come to Third Man and do a show.”

Third Man Records is White’s Nashville label. He started out supporting other musicians’ work, but now includes comedians in his roster. Scovel joined the likes of Dave Chapelle, Conan O’Brien, Neil Hamburger, John Waters and Stephen Colbert.

White invited Scovel to record an album for his series, “Live at Third Man.”

The Netflix special followed in 2016.

In 2021, Scovel updated his comedy for fans in a novel 70-minute “documentary,” “Live Without Fear,” on YouTube. He saw the project as important to updating material that had aged out with the 2016 and 2020 elections. It also gave him greater freedom to play with both his environment and the notion of “story.” Above all, he was enthusiastic about expanding his use of improvisation.

“When I first started doing standup,” he said, “I was learning and doing improv at the same time. They sort of fed each other. Everything I was learning in improv, like, ‘use all of the buffalo all of the time,’ I started to apply that to stand up.

“It also gave me the confidence to really act out jokes and sit in the silence for a long time. In those moments I was able to (find) tags and directions.”

Scovel also credits the support of more accomplished comedians on the scene in Washington, D.C., and New York City. He said, “They were great at tagging your jokes and helping you learn how to write.”

Over time he learned to drill down and stretch a premise to the exquisite detail. As a result, a bit like this character quote from his 2016 special — “I’m one of those people who doesn’t believe in global warming, but I’m pretty sure Noah’s ark was a true story” — can turn into ten or even 20 minutes of one- or two-line jokes.

That particular line is representative, too, of the content of Scovel’s comedy. He’s a brilliant tight-rope walker of the fine line.

“I had a lot of sex jokes very early on,”

he said, but if someone asks me core topics, now, I always land on drugs, sex, religion, politics.” He stresses, though, “I try to not have any of them exist in a preachy format. I try to figure out a way for it to feel like it’s coming from a place of innocence.

“I was raised Catholic, so I’m fascinated by religion, and I think politics is something that we can’t ever escape from.”

How Scovel was raised looms large among his comic influences. He said his whole family shared a great sense of humor.

“I’m one of seven kids. My dad was one of five. My mother was one of three. It was just a big, extended family. All my aunts and uncles, when they got going, that was funny.

“I noticed that getting a laugh, you got a lot of attention, and I think once you get that drug a little bit, you’re kind of always chasing it. It’s how you connect dots socially in conversations. So, I became a class clown.”

Scovel grew up in South Carolina and earned a degree in journalism and communications. After graduation, he went to visit a sister who had moved to Washington, D.C., and that’s where the class clown became a comedian. His sister encouraged him to try an open mic and brought all her friends to cheer him on. “She was naturally very excited to get all her friends together,” Scovel said. “So, I showed up at the show with the whole audience. They were very willing to give me stage time.

“After that night I looked in the city paper and saw all these open mics and thought, ‘This may be a great place to

move.’”

It was 2004, when he made the move, and the first thing he did was sign up for improv classes at Washington Improv Theater. “I had come across a video of Upright Citizens Brigade performing ASSSCAT. I don’t even remember how I came across (it), but I had never seen long form improv before. I’d only seen stuff like ‘Whose Line (Is It Anyway).’ I was, like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really would love to do that.’”

Scovel said he continues to lean on improv techniques in his standup comedy, and it provided the spine of “Live Without Fear.” He also continues to look for opportunities to perform. “Just yesterday I filmed a scene in ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’ It was a fully improvised scene. I’d never been in a trailer where I wasn’t studying lines and trying to feverishly memorize them. And there was nothing.”

All along, Scovel also has been writing. “I’ve worked on a couple scripts, one of which became my TV show (“Robbie”) on Comedy Central, but I haven’t written as much as I’d like to be doing by now. These things seem to come at a natural pace that I don’t force. I’ve recently become very obsessed with painting. I can’t seem to knock that.”

Rory Scovel, 7 p.m. Friday, April 14, 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Avenue, 191toole.com, tickets start at $35

OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK

Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating. Ken Garr, scion of a firefighting family, mines laughs from blue-collar life

Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. 9th Street, tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic.7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, Improv 301 and “Harold Eta;” 8:30 p.m. Open Mic; 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox” with Julie Evans; 9 p.m. Stand Up Showcase with Rich Gary, Dom DiTolla, Brady Evans, Sylvia Remington, Lisa Kristine, Zo Thomas; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, “Your Favorite Movie Improvised” and “The Meeting;” 9 p.m. “LOL and Order”

Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, From the Top Improvised Musical; 9 p.m. Unscrewed Fridays After Dark (pay what you will); 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 8, Family Friendly Improv; 9 p.m. Uncensored Improv Comedy with house teams NBOJU (Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed) and The Big Daddies

MUSIC

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

By Connor Dziawura Tucson Local Media Staff

APRIL 6

Freddy Parish

LaCo Tucson, 6 p.m., free

Sarah Tolar Quartet

The Century Room, 6:30 p.m., free-$10

APRIL 7

The Anderson Brothers play Gershwin

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

Classic Albums Live performs Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”

Fox Tucson Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $20-$45

Cryfest Emo Nite featuring Annie Jump Cannon, MattstaGraham, King Quice and Fuzzy Dozen Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10

Emily Nenni

191 Toole, 8 p.m., $15

Greg Morton and Jim Stanley LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free

M. Crane

Club Congress, 8 p.m., $10

Pop Evil

Rialto Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $28.50

APRIL 8

Birthday Bash w/Swarm of Serpents, Az the World Burns, Kenopsia and Demon Tongue

The Rock, 5 p.m., $8

Eugene Boronow

LaCo Tucson, 6 p.m., free

Jameson Clay Koweek

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

Local Love featuring Lost Republic, The Dust Folk, Midnight Island, Something Like Appropriate, Armando Moreno & the Revival, Swigfoot and Method to the Madness

191 Toole, 7 p.m., $5

No Stones, Joan of Arkansas, Ingrate Souls and Then When Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10

APRIL 9

Bad News Blues Band

Hotel Congress Plaza, 5 p.m., $10

Mik and the Funky Brunch

LaCo Tucson, 11 a.m., free

Surl

Club Congress, 7 p.m., $20-$25

Whose Blues

Hotel Congress Plaza, 4 p.m., $10

APRIL 10

Etran de L’Aïr

Club Congress, 7:30 p.m., $18-$20

APRIL 11

Miss Lana Rebel and Kevin Michael Mayfield

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

APRIL 12

Dry Socket, jayne.rose666, Final Stance and Big Bad Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10

Oscar Fuentes

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

The Residents

191 Toole, 8 p.m., $30

SaddleBrooke Singers

DesertView Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $25

Third Eye Blind

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $48.50$69.50

APRIL 13

Blue Skies Trio

LaCo Tucson, 6 p.m., free

Gordon Lightfoot

Fox Tucson Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $40-$130

Last in Line

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $28

Long Beach Dub Allstars 191 Toole, 8 p.m., $25

AROMA OF CHANGE FILLS THE NEW CORK TUCSON

By Karen Schaffner Tucson Local Media Staff

Change is being served at a long-time Tucson staple.

As of March 27, what used to be Jonathan’s Cork on Tanque Verde Road is now The Cork Tucson. That’s when former owner and chef Jonathan Landeen and his wife and partner, Colette, officially passed the cleaver to new owners, chef Glenn and Sally Murphy.

Although change is on the table, much of the place will remain.

“We haven’t lost any (staff),” Murphy said. “It’s been fantastic.”

“We had three employees that have been there 25 years,” Landeen added.

“We’ve had a very good staff.”

This change has been a long time coming for Landeen, who at 73 is ready to move on. He has owned and operated the establishment for 29 years, since 1994. He said he’s sad, happy and relieved to see it go.

“For us, it’s nice that we could sell it to someone who wants to keep it going kind of the way it is,” Landeen said. “I think Glenn is a smart enough restaurateur that he would not do anything that would be detrimental to his business. He’s got 95 (reservations) on the books for tonight. They’re going to be busy.”

Over the years, there have been some

the floor in the bar. We had to let the walls dry out.”

That’s in the past now for Landeen.

memorable events at Jonathan’s Cork, but “I don’t think we’ve had anybody die there,” Landeen said. “We’ve had the paramedics a few times and about five Heimlich maneuvers in 29 years and a few buttheads. Sometimes we called the police. Some people wouldn’t let us drive them home. We had to block their cars so they couldn’t leave, so they’d have to take an Uber, but no disasters.”

Then there’s this:

“I did get a call one day,” Landeen said. “The cleaner said, ‘I hate to tell you this, but water is running out your front door.’ The ladies’ room hot water line broke, probably broke sometime in the middle of the night, and it ran until 9 o’clock that morning before someone realized it and shut it off. We had to take out all the carpeting. We had to replace

As part of the restaurant sale, Landeen’s recipes will be passed on to Murphy, who plans to keep using them. Not surprisingly, though, Murphy has some plans to add to the menu.

“We will very, very slowly introduce new lines but immediately we’re not changing anything,” Murphy said. “The reason this has been successful for so long is people are accustomed to their dishes. They know what they’re getting and if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. (However), I’ll be introducing new stuff coming up fairly soon: chili mussels, charcuterie board, some of the old classics SEE CORK PAGE 19

EASTER SUNDAY BRUNCH April 9th 11am to 2:30 pm $19.95 Adults, Kids 4 - 11 yrs $8.95, 3 yrs & under eat free

OWNER AND CHEF OF JONATHAN’S CORK JONATHAN LANDEEN PASSES THE CLEAVER TO THE RESTAURANT’S NEW OWNER, CHEF GLENN MURPHY. (JONATHAN’S CORK/SUBMITTED)

from the 1970s. Everything from chateaubriand to chicken Kiev or chicken cordon bleu. Just all the old stuff that a lot of people have forgotten about, but people still love.”

The staples will remain on the menu, such as the liver and onions and meatloaf Monday, which seems to be a Tucson favorite.

“This has been Jonathan’s old recipe for 20, 30 years,” Murphy said. “Last (Monday) night we had a full house. People love it. It’s just old school comfort food prepared really well and the service here is great.”

A native of Perth, Australia, Murphy loves to prepare seafood, the fresher the better. Eventually, some choice underwater selections will make it on to the menu as well.

“Anything with fresh, wild caught, no farm stuff, which we’re moving toward in this restaurant,” he said. “There won’t be any farmed products at all. We’re just using wild caught, so seafood is definitely my jam.”

These days Murphy, at nearly 64 years old, prefers to manage the restaurant. He develops menu items and pays the bills, leaving the cooking, the hard stuff he called it, to the younger staff.

“Honestly, our line crew, I watched them last night and they were machines,” he said. “They are so good at what they do; if I got back in there now, I’d just get in the way.”

Murphy does not come to The Cork Tucson as an inexperienced restaurateur. Some in Tucson might remember the Backstage, a live music venue located next door to Jonathan’s Cork. He has also owned or operated more than 40 other pubs and restaurants throughout his career. This restaurant, Murphy said, is exactly what he and his wife were looking for.

“Sally and I have been looking since the pandemic for a restaurant in Tucson that is of this ilk,” Murphy said. “You know, old school, well established. There’s not many of them around, so you just have to play the waiting game. This came up and I jumped at the opportunity.”

Meanwhile, Landeen is happy the place is busy, but pleased to be free. In fact, the day after he officially sold the place, he planned to take his boat out to Parker Canyon to fish for the day, then drink a beer and eat a turkey sandwich.

“When the phone rings I don’t have to worry about someone not coming and doing their shift,” he said. “That’s the thing that’s off my mind now: the rules, regulations and employee issues are no longer my responsibility.”

The Cork Tucson

6320 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson 520-296-1631, jonathanscork.com

3 to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday

April 27 - 30

STATE OF SONORA

CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones

MUSIC

ALBUMS ARE NECESSARY EVIL FOR MICHIGAN ROCKERS

By L. Kent Wolgamott Tucson Local Media Contributor

There’s an argument that, in the streaming era, there’s no reason to make an album, that music is now a track-by-track playlist world in which only the most dedicated fans will listen to an 11-song package.

So why did singer Leigh Kakaty and Pop Evil just make and release their seventh album, “Skeletons?”

“The real answer?” he responded in a mid-March interview. “I’m under contract, so you got to make an album.”

That said, Kakaty said, he understands the conundrum surrounding making albums today, as opposed to 2008, when Pop Evil released its debut, “Lipstick on the Mirror.”

“The old-school side of me is like, I just want to make albums. It’s your legacy, right?’ the singer said. “You get the albums out for your kids one day and you can look back and feel like you did something. But there’s that other new side of that’s like ‘I don’t want to (make) albums anymore, I just want to do singles, put a little more money in these music videos.’”

That push and pull even extends to the recording process. Making a full album can be daunting, especially in comparison to recording two or three songs aimed at becoming singles, Kakaty said. But no matter how exhausting, recording a full album is more fun than cutting singles, and if the end product reaches expectations, more fulfilling.

That was the case with “Skeletons.” Raw, stripped-down and riff-powered, the album represents a re-energized Pop Evil, something of a tightly fused return to the unapologetic hard rock that Kakaty and guitarist Dave Grahs, the two remaining original members of the band, forged back in their home state of Michigan in the early 2000s.

“I know for me personally, in the

band we’re in an interesting place and it was, compared to the other albums previous, definitely something that we just felt different,” Kakaty said. “There’s an energy with our band since the pandemic that’s been special, and we’re definitely excited to finally get the songs (out) and have an opportunity to play these live.”

In fact, the songs on “Skeletons” were intentionally recorded to sound as much as possible like Pop Evil does live, so they can seamlessly fit into the live set that Kakaty was itching to play when the tour began in March.

That desire to play shows, which Kakaty has done for two decades, was heightened by the pandemic, which like all other bands, took Pop Evil off the road for months.

“The pandemic was the first time in my life since I was like 12 years old that I wasn’t able to at least be in a club or bar and play music,” he said. “Not only were we unable to tour, we couldn’t even go back home and play music for anyone, unless you played in your house. We’d have those video calls, those Instagram live sessions where we’d play. But it wasn’t the same.

“It was definitely taken away from a lot of us. Some of us left the business,” Kakaty elaborated. “Others were like, ‘Wow, this is definitely what I want to do, and when we come back, I’m gonna come back even hungrier than ever.’ For us, the band members, I know I speak for them as well, we all have that bond now and in ways we’re closer with each other. We all understand we’re all starier in this game of musical basketball, the starting five.”

That hoop analogy is natural for Kakaty, who was a multisport athlete who played football for current Louisiana State University coach Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State, before going into music.

“My first love was to play for the Lakers, but I think I’m like a generous 5-9, so I realized that wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “I do relate sports to the writing process, just the motivation and to try to help others. It’s the team effort. It’s very similar. I think that this business, even with the fans and the bands and the way the community stands by each other, it’s very much like sports.”

That sports analogy carries over onto “Skeletons” and the planned two-year tour that Kakaty equates to a very long basketball season.

“The energy you’re hearing on this album, I think we’ve got a little chip on the shoulder,” he said. “Like, ‘Hey, we’re going to remind the fan base that we’re not playing around. We’re ready to come out and earn it. We want to earn it. We don’t need any favors.’”

What Pop Evil needs, or at least wants, is input from their fans about their shows, either live or online.

“Every year because of these meet and greets that have become a part of the touring scene, you’re able to listen to what your fans like, what they don’t like,” Kakaty said. “The streaming world has made it a little bit easier to see what our fans are gravitating to. You’re able to study that so we’re able to give them a little bit more of what they want.

“At the same time, we’re not afraid to kind of experiment, and we do make

music for ourselves as well. But, at the end of the day, all the music we’re writing is to make this live show, this live experience with Pop Evil even that much more enjoyable for our fans.”

And those longtime fans, Kakaty said, are like a family whom the band needs to continue to bring together year after year, not only to experience the live music but to support each other through life.

“We just want people to understand that we’re here and it’s our responsibility to be one of those bands that can stick around because so many bands that came in around our era aren’t there anymore, so it’s important, man,” he said. “I think for up-and-coming bands to come, they need other bands that they can tour with, and it’s a community that we really need to stick together and fight through tough times, so, we can get to celebrate on the other side at some point.”

Pop Evil w/The Word Alive and Avoid

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 7 WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson COST: $28.50 in advance INFO: 520-740-1000, rialtotheatre.com

MICHIGAN ROCKERS POP EVIL PERFORM AT THE RIALTO THEATRE ON FRIDAY, APRIL 7. (NICK FANCHER/CONTRIBUTOR)

ARTS

ADVOCATES CREATE THE LANDMARK BLAC GALLERY

By Margaret Regan Tucson Local Media Contributor

In late March, on a beautiful spring night in Downtown Tucson at Pennington and Scott, a huge crowd of art lovers gathered.

Why? A new gallery has opened, The Blue Lotus Artists’ Collective (BLAC). And it’s a big deal, likely the first gallery in Tucson dedicated to Black artists.

Most of the Downtown galleries have left over the last few years, pushed out by expensive new development. Blue Lotus brings art back to the center of downtown in one of the city’s most historic buildings, the old Pioneer Hotel, no less.

We can thank a feisty band of local artists and arts advocates, led by board president, Laura Pendleton-Miller, for getting the gallery up and running. “We want to expose the community to Black art and to provide much needed exhibition space for Black artists,” Pendleton-Miller said.

“We also want to provide a safe community space for education and conversation about the contributions of Black folks to our culture.”

In the future, she and her partners hope to bring in Black artists from all around the United States and elsewhere. They’ve already scouted galleries in Oaxaca, Mexico, to tap into the region’s long but little-known history of Black visual artists. Local artist, Willie Bonner, suggested Blue Lotus for the gallery’s name. A plant native to Africa, the water lily rises from the mud to create great beauty.

The first show has eight artists, most from Arizona, some quite young and

others quite venerable. Here’s the rundown in no particular order.

Allison Miller (no relation to Laura) is a young Tucson artist who had a marvelous show at the Louis Bernal Gallery in 2021. She got a lot of attention for her portrait of Eartha Kitt. Miller likes to look at old films and photographs of notable Black performing artists and redo them as paintings. One of her pieces at Blue Lotus is a gorgeous acrylic titled “Carmen Jones,” taken from a scene in a 1954 musical. It shows a joyful party of Black women and men — the film’s star-studded cast of musicians and singers — beautifully dressed and laughing together. In her work, she says, she likes “to transform racial trauma into Black joy.”

In fact, all the works in this show reflect on Black identity and culture. Papay Solomon was born in Guinea, Africa, and spent most of his childhood in a refugee camp. He came to the US at age 14 and eventually went to college at ASU. His talent was recognized immediately and while still in school he won a spot in the Tucson Museum of Art 2018 Biennial.

Solomon often does self-portraits and at Blue Lotus has a piece titled “Here There Everywhere, Somehow.” The painting has four very different pictures of his face, with varied expressions, from serious to amused to angry.

Marita Dingus, Joe Willie Smith and Amber Doe are mixed-media artists. Dingus, who describes herself as an African American feminist, has two figures conjuring traditional African folk art that

ALLISON MILLER’S “CARMEN JONES.” (ALLISON MILLER/SUBMITTED)

are made of cloth and other repurposed materials. Joe Willie Smith, a Phoenix-based artist and musician also works with found-objects. His piece, “Sonic Sculpture,” is made from industrial paper, steel, waxed linen and electronics.

Doe, a Black woman with Indigenous roots, uses cotton rope, fabric, dried yucca, and plant dyes to create pieces that evoke the past. For “American Flag,” her grandmother’s old linen provides the canvas, with coloring from blueberry and indigo dyes. One of her creations is titled, “We are Here Because You Were There,” a statement that defines all her work.

the cotton plantation to urban jazz clubs. For the current show, one of his works, “They Say Its Wonderful,” places postage stamp images of important Black Americans on a board against a shadow of the Statue of Liberty. Five other works are delightful ink-on-paper drawings that Bonner sketched during live shows in jazz clubs in New York.

Casimir Batiano, born in Ivory Coast, has lived in many places in Africa and Europe, including Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Morocco. He has described his life as nomadic and his paintings as “universal and always in motion.” Batiano’s four large acrylics at Blue Lotus mixes images of human faces and animals in a style and choice of colors that echo the modern art of the 1920s as well as traditional African folk art.

Willie Bonner is well-known to Tucson art-goers, especially for his great show at the Tucson Museum of Art in 2021, a personal favorite. That show had brilliantly colored paintings, beautiful to behold, but unnerving and sad. His work draws on Black history, from slavery and

George R. Welch, a beloved retired art teacher at Pima College, has three pieces in the show, including an early acrylic canvas from 1989. That piece, “Distant Relations,” swirls with the bright colors of Africa. Two paintings from 2022 evoke the beauties of Tucson. “Aqua Flow” is a lush rendering of cascading waters and “Part Vision,” honors the glorious blue skies.

Blue Lotus Artists’ Collective (BLAC)

15 E. Pennington Street in the Pioneer Hotel Building By appointment only 520-400-4701 info@bluelotusartistscollective.com

HEALTHFUL FLOWERS PROVIDES HEALTH OVER HIGH

By Hope Peters Tucson Weekly Contributor

Sparked by the need for calmer, healthier choices without the high, Healthful Flowers founders, Travis Freeman and Taylor Reed, opened their CBD hemp-focused dispensary, as an alternative to THC cannabis.

Health over high is their motto.

“Taylor and I have been best friends since high school,” Travis Freeman said, “and we came up with the idea one

night in my backyard just trying out products from different dispensaries during COVID…We spent a lot of time together, and we spent a lot of time smoking regular cannabis, and we both started seeing some negative effects from sitting at home smoking cannabis all the time.”

Freeman and Reed looked to see what was available that gave the same effects of THC, minus the high.

“We researched what was available that helped out with anxiety, stress and things like that without having to be on cannabis all the time.”

They discovered CBD flower for sale online. They purchased it and when the flower arrived it had the same weed smell as THC cannabis flowers.

“It (CBD) is very similar to cannabis; it just didn’t have the psychoactive portion and it wasn’t addictive,” Freeman said.

FRIENDS, CO-FOUNDERS AND OWNERS OF HEALTHFUL FLOWERS, TRAVIS FREEMAN, LEFT, AND TAYLOR REED. (HOPE PETERS/CONTRIBUTOR)

“It smelled stinky like cannabis, so it made me super nervous, it made him (Taylor) nervous. I didn’t want them to think I’m having weed shipped to my house, and get in all sorts of trouble.”

They searched for stores in Tucson to purchase CBD flower and other CBD products.

“We found a couple places, but they were limited,” Freeman said, “and the way they were presenting it seemed

a little off putting to us, and the whole transparency behind it wasn’t there, and we would ask questions about the product, and they really wouldn’t have any answers.”

They then knew there was an opportunity to join the market with a better customer service-oriented business and more knowledge of CBD products.

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Freeman and Reed did in-depth research across the nation on who was providing the products and who was providing the best customer service.

“So when we opened up on Oct. 15, 2020, we were actually opened up based off of the best products around the nation,” he said. “So we were getting in relationships with the best online retailers, it was people selling products online, but they didn’t have brick and

Healthful Flowers

5460 E. Speedway Boulevard, Suite 104, Tucson 520-279-1819

healthfulflowers.com

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

mortar locations.”

Healthful Flower was born and has been extremely successful.

“We ended up carrying their products here,” Freeman said. “Eliminating that whole process of people having to order it online, having the stinky packages delivered to their houses and offering an option for people to come in and see the product before purchasing it, as well, was a big portion of it for us.”

Freeman said he and Reed test their products before selling them.

“We ordered from every company online, from every farm, every retail shop, everywhere across the

HEALTHFUL FLOWERS CBD FLOWER.

nation,” he explained. “So, we had this whole Rolodex of who was doing good business, who had good customer service, who had good products, who had great lab reports, who was transparent

about their products.”

They developed their business model for their brick-and-mortar store based on this research of the best businesses and products of online retailers. Healthful Flowers, they said, is the only purveyor of organic indoor hydroponic CBD and CBG cannabis in Tucson.

Healthful Flowers has CBD and CBG products, but they also sell products containing hemp-derived Delta-9 THC, such as their own 3:1 ratio vegan mixed-fruit gummies, which contain 75 mg of broad-spectrum CBD and 25 mg of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC as well as their own 3:1 vegan dragonfruit gummies containing 10 mg of broad-spectrum CBD and 3 mg of Delta-9 THC. These products will be reviewed in Tucson Weekly’s next issue, the Cannabis Bowl issue.

COMICS

By Rob Brezsny.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19)

PLEASE REVIEW PROOF CAREFULLY!

Aries-born René Descartes (1596–1650) was instrumental in developing of modern science and philosophy. His famous motto, “I think, therefore I am” is an assertion that the analytical component of intelligence is primary and foremost. And yet, few history books mention the supernatural intervention that was pivotal in his evolution as a supreme rationalist. On the night of November 10, 1619, he had three mystical dreams that changed his life, revealing the contours of the quest to discern the “miraculous science” that would occupy him for the next 30 years. I suspect you are in store for a comparable experience or two, Aries. Brilliant ideas and marvelous solutions to your dilemmas will visit you as you bask in unusual and magical states of awareness.

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TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20)

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The dirty work is becoming milder and easier. It’s still a bit dirty, but is growing progressively less grungy and more rewarding. The command to “adjust, adjust, and adjust some more, you beast of burden” is giving way to “refine, refine, and refine some more, you beautiful animal.” At this pivotal moment, it’s crucial to remain consummately conscientious. If you stay in close touch with your shadowy side, it will never commandeer more than ten percent of your total personality. In other words, a bit of healthy distrust for your own motives will keep you trustworthy. (PS: Groaning and grousing, if done in righteous and constructive causes, will continue to be good therapy for now.)

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)

clues that will be wildly useful for you personally. For inspiration, read this quote from author Sam Keen: “Enter each day with the expectation that the happenings of the day may contain a clandestine message addressed to you personally. Expect omens, epiphanies, casual blessings, and teachers who unknowingly speak to your condition.”

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22)

Traditional astrologers don’t regard the planet Mars as being a natural ally of you Crabs. But I suspect you will enjoy an invigorating relationship with the red planet during the next six weeks. For best results, tap into its rigorous vigor in the following ways: 1. Gather new wisdom about how to fight tenderly and fiercely for what’s yours. 2. Refine and energize your ambitions so they become more ingenious and beautiful. 3. Find out more about how to provide your physical body with exactly what it needs to be strong and lively on an ongoing basis. 4. Mediate on how to activate a boost in your willpower.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22)

I won’t ask you to start heading back toward your comfort zone yet, Leo. I’d love to see you keep wandering out in the frontiers for a while longer. It’s healthy and wise to be extra fanciful, improvisatory, and imaginative. The more rigorous and daring your experiments, the better. Possible bonus: If you are willing to question at least some of your fixed opinions and dogmatic beliefs, you could very well outgrow the part of the Old You that has finished its mission.

“’Tis the good reader that makes the good book,” wrote Gemini philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. “In every book, he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.” In the coming weeks, a similar principle will apply to everything you encounter, Gemini—not just books. You will find rich meaning and entertainment wherever you go. From seemingly ordinary experiences, you’ll notice and pluck

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)

The Supreme Deity with the most power may not be Jehovah or Allah or Brahman or Jesus’s Dad. There’s a good chance it’s actually Mammon, the God of Money. The devoted worship that humans offer to Mammon far surpasses the loyalty offered to all the other gods combined. His values and commandments rule civilization. I bring this to

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE

minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.

your attention, Virgo, because now is an excellent time for you to deliver extra intense prayers to Mammon. From what I can determine, this formidable Lord of Lords is far more likely to favor you than usual. (PS: I’m only half-kidding. I really do believe your financial luck will be a peak in the coming weeks.)

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22)

It’s an excellent time to give up depleted, used-up obsessions so you have plenty of room and energy to embrace fresh, succulent passions. I hope you will take advantage of the cosmic help that’s available as you try this fun experiment. You will get in touch with previously untapped resources as you wind down your attachments to old pleasures that have dissipated. You will activate dormant reserves of energy as you phase out connections that take more than they give.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV.

21)

“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy,” said ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. I’m tempted to advise every Scorpio to get a tattoo of that motto. That way, you will forever keep in mind this excellent advice; As fun as it may initially feel to retaliate against those who have crossed you, it rarely generates redemptive grace or glorious rebirth, which are key Scorpio birthrights. I believe these thoughts should be prime meditations for you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS

(NOV. 22-DEC. 21)

Sometimes love can be boring. We may become overly accustomed to feeling affection and tenderness for a special person or animal. What blazed like a fiery fountain in the early stages of our attraction might have subsided into a routine sensation of mild fondness. But here’s the good news, Sagittarius: Even if you have been ensconced in bland sweetness, I suspect you will soon transition into a phase of enhanced zeal. Are you ready to be immersed in a luscious lusty bloom of heartful yearning and adventure?

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19)

What shall we call this latest chapter of your life story? How about “Stealthy Triumph over Lonely Fear” or maybe “Cre-

ating Rapport with the Holy Darkness.” Other choices might be “As Far Down into the Wild Rich Depths That I Dare to Go” or “My Roots Are Stronger and Deeper Than I Ever Imagined.” Congratulations on this quiet but amazing work you’ve been attending to. Some other possible descriptors: “I Didn’t Have to Slay the Dragon Because I Figured Out How to Harness It” or “The Unexpected Wealth I Discovered Amidst the Confusing Chaos.”

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18)

It’s sway-swirl-swivel time for you, Aquarius—a phase when you will be wise to gyrate and rollick and zigzag. This is a bouncy, shimmering interlude that will hopefully clean and clear your mind as it provides you with an abundance of reasons to utter “whee!” and “yahoo!” and “hooray!” My advice: Don’t expect the straight-and-narrow version of anything. Be sure you get more than minimal doses of twirling and swooping and cavorting. Your brain needs to be teased and tickled, and your heart requires regular encounters with improvised fun.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20)

When I was growing up in suburban America, way back in the 20th century, many adults told me that I was wrong and bad to grow my hair really long. Really! It’s hard to believe now, but I endured ongoing assaults of criticism, ridicule, and threats because of how I shaped my physical appearance. Teachers, relatives, baseball coaches, neighbors, strangers in the grocery store—literally hundreds of people— warned me that sporting a big head of hair would cause the whole world to be prejudiced against me and sabotage my success. Decades later, I can safely say that all those critics were resoundingly wrong. My hair is still long, has always been so, and my ability to live the life I love has not been obstructed by it in the least. Telling you this story is my way of encouraging you to keep being who you really are, even in the face of people telling you that’s not who you really are. The astrological omens say it’s time for you to take a stand.

EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL

Freeport Minerals Corporation seeks Mine Engineer II Tucson, Az

Under general supervision, plan & perform mining engineering duties related to development & production at assigned site. Send resumes to Ron Ostrom <rostrom@fmi.com> and must reference Job #170 in subject line. Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veteran/Disability.

EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL

Burns Wald-Hopkins Shambach Architects, Inc. dba BWS Architects, Inc. seeks an Architectural Project Coordinator for Tucson, AZ office to prepare construction docs based on codes & design & mng all phases of architectural dvlpmt REQ’D: Bachelor’s degree in Architecture (or foreign equivalent). 5 yrs exp in AutoCAD, Revit, Autodesk, Adobe. Alternatively, a Master’s degree in Architecture (or foreign equivalent) field and 3 years of experience in AutoCAD, Revit, Autodesk, Adobe. All applicants must have exp. w/ reviewing project bids & determining cost analysis reports Resumes to: gsoto@ bwsarchitects.com

by Will Shortz

56 Condo, e.g.

58 Awards for Broadway’s best 59 O en-buggy so ware stage 60 Government takeover 61 One running the show 62 Boeing 747s, e.g.

Smooch 64 Takes ten 65 Haphazardly assemble, with “together”

Door opener

___-weeny (small)

Takes a dive, perhaps

Previous incarnation

A question of identity

Raucous social event 8 Word with gray, play or Bay

Potentially raucous social event 12 What a spy collects 13 Having some kick, as food 21 “Fer ___!”

22 Intense a raction, with “the”

26 Small ear of corn

27 Target of a plumber’s snake

28 City that’s an apt rhyme for “casino”

Mammal with a two-foot-long

Noble rank associated with

Actress Reinhart of “Riverdale”

(curbside dining option)

Home of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

PUZZLE BY JULIETTA GERVASE