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Riot Night returns after two-year hiatus

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

For the first time since November 2019, the celebrated rock/metal Riot Night returns to Rockbar, Inc. on Oct. 3. Inspired by the iconic Chicago-based music festival Riot Fest and the emergence of Emo Nite – where DJ’s play early 2000’s emo and pop punk music at a club-like setting – event founder Katia Kianpour wanted to create a fun event that celebrated her favorite styles of music. “I’m a huge fan of Warped Tour, Riot Fest in Chicago and then Emo Nite was coming up when I was first thinking of doing something like this in Phoenix, I wanted the music to be a little heavier than Emo Nite,” she said. “I figured since Riot Fest has a lot of different bands, I wanted to combine Emo Nite and Riot Fest and that was where Riot Night came from.” Kianpour had just celebrated the third anniversary of Riot Night in late 2019 and had already planned another show for February 2020. Unfortunately, that show had to be postponed to March 2020 and then ultimately canceled when mass gatherings were deemed unsafe because of the pandemic. “It was sad when we couldn’t throw Riot Night, but I was more concerned about the music industry as a whole when the pandemic happened,” Kianpour said. Now that she has received the OK to host an event at the Rockbar, Inc., she is excited to celebrate the music she grew up listening to and introduce others to some big names in that style of music. Riot Night is slated to feature local rockers First and Forever along with popular acts; Cody Quigstad, a guitarist in the Florida-based metal band Wage War; Matty Mullins, the vocalist for the metal band Memphis May Fire; and Craig Owens, the vocalist of the alternative metal bands Chiodos and Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows.

Riot Night founder Katia Kianpour is excited to have fans return to Rockbar, Inc. on Oct. 2 for a night of loud music and drinks. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer) For some of the artists on the bill, like Quigstad, this will be their first Riot Night experience. “It’s exciting to be in a space where live music is back again and It’ll just be fun to feel the energy of being in a room of people celebrating the music that we grew up on,” said Quigstad, who will be playing a DJ set along with Mullins. Even though this will be his first time, Quigstad will be guided by someone who is not only a veteran of the event but is also his best friend. “Cody is my best friend and we live minutes apart from each other,” Said Mullins. “I thought the only thing that could possibly make Riot Night better is to have him there with me doing a DJ set together.” The two plan to curate a setlist featuring some of the most celebrated songs from artists like Blink-182, Underoath, Hawthorne Heights, My Chemical Romance and Yellowcard. Quigstad also has plans to treat fans to some new song off his bands new album, which will release the day before the show.

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SMoCA unveils exhibits from young artists, O’Chun

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art has unveiled two new exhibits. The exhibits, titled “Forever Becoming: Phoenix’s Young Artists” and “Mimi O’Chun: It’s All Cake,” explore upcoming local artists and the trends related to the pandemic, respectively. “Forever Becoming” showcases the creativity of the next generation of artists who call Arizona home and display how art is constantly evolving. “Although the title didn’t really define a theme, the artists’ works really speak to the idea of constantly evolving – whether it’d be through ideas, social justice or the development of Phoenix,” said Lauren O’Connell, curator of contemporary art for SMoCA. The exhibit features a unique concoction of two-dimensional and 3-D pieces along with innovative light and film pieces. “It’s a very diverse show in terms of material,” O’Connell said. “It’s so important to represent a lot of different ways of making contemporary art and the many different types of contemporary artists because life is not fun when it is homogeneous,” she added. The large sculptures and bright neon lights will likely catch the attention of the attendees. But some other buzz likely will come from a film created by Sam Frésquez, who places herself over the male love interests in some famous rom-com movies like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “Pretty in Pink” and “(500) Days of Summer.” “I love this piece and the way we connect with it because we’ve seen the movies and know the cast,” O’Connell said. “The way that Sam inserts herself brings a whole new love affair to life.” “The layout is really based on conversations of the works and ways that one can move through the gallery,” she said. “I think that all of these artists are constantly having to re-invent themselves and re-invent their ideas,” she said. “I think that all of these works are a constant evolution and they all are respond-

“It’s all about picking the right songs,” Quigstad said. “It’s definitely not something you can do at the last minute. If you want your set to be a good one, it has to be very concentrated and have the dynamics of a regular concert setlist.” These songs will not only be the cause of celebration among DJ’s and fans alike but will offer a release for both parties. “When I was young, I had a lot of aggression and emotion and these songs were an outlet to release that,” Mullins said. “Hearing lyrics from someone else who’s going through something that’s similar to what you’re going through makes you realize that you’re not alone.” “I hope that people can have that release or that moment where they forget about all the pain and darkness that’s going on in the world.” added Quigstad. It is the emotional release within these songs that adds to the jubilance of the crowd. “Bringing up these songs that were so impactful for people in such a lighthearted and fun way is a magical experience,” Mullins said. “These were the songs that we grew up on and no matter how old we get and no matter how much our taste changes, these songs will always be a part of who we are as music lovers.” When Oct. 2 rolls around, Mullins and Quigstad will be fresh off of tours with their respective bands and are excited to play a different type of concert. “With my band we try to figure out what we think our fans are going to want to hear and try to incorporate songs that we haven’t played in a while,” said Mullins. “With events like this, there’s the same thousand songs that everybody loves that we get to pick between and they always win.” “A DJ set is just a microphone and a space bar, there is not a whole lot of preparation that goes into it at all,” Mullins added with a laugh. DJ sets won’t be the only source of noise at Riot Night as Owens will play an acoustic set, in addition to his DJ set. First and Forever will play a live setlist of covers and original music as well. “I try to make it dynamic with the DJ sets and the live shows,” Kianpour said. Kianpour will add to the dynamics of the evening by having the bottom floor of Rockbar, Inc. reserved exclusively for attendees of Riot Night and have an extension into the alley of the space to accommodate guests. The roof of the venue will only be open for other guests who do not wish to attend the event. Kianpour expects the bottom floor to be rocking from the minute doors open to the moment the show ends. “I think it’s going to be a lot of drinking, partying, listening to music and having fun,” she said. “It’s also a very intimate space where the artists will be hanging out at any one of these tables.”

Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins is among the list of performers who will be playing a set at Riot Night. (Courtesy of

Memphis May Fire) Rockbar will have its stages fi lled with musicians playing DJ sets, live performanc-

es and acoustic performances. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)

If you go

What: Arabian National Breeder Finals When: Oct. 2, 8 p.m. Where: Rockbar, Inc. 4245 N. Craftsman Court Cost: $22 Info: riotnight.net *This is a 21+ event.

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ing to the world in which we live today. So, in essence, they are forever becoming.” As these artists navigate these changing times in the art world, O’Connell also hopes that patrons will be impressed. “I want people to realize that this is only a taste of the talent in Phoenix,” she said. “I want people to connect with each work and really get a sense of what’s happening in the artistic community here in Phoenix.” O’Chun’s exhibit is her first solo museum show and while her pieces look soft and cuddly, many allude to darker topics. “As much as it is beautiful, well crafted, delightful and Instagram-able – it’s also talking about all of the cultural changes that we’ve been seeing,” O’Connell said. This is best exemplified by one piece that is an oversized smartphone with a large ring light. The piece looks like a nod to

Lauren O’Connell, the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, grins as she stands inside the Forever Becoming: Phoenix’s Young Artists Exhibit.

(Ashleigh Carpenter/Progress Contributing Photographer) The piece was created in reference to the attacks on people of color that were caught on camera and disseminated across the internet. “For Mimi, it’s really discussing the power of the phone and the camera. But she is also putting this back on the viewer with the ring light and the reflective surface,” O’Connell said. Another piece with a darker meaning features stuffed bunnies sitting in a circle. Above the bunnies, “You are the news now” is written in rose gold balloons. It’s a phrase that became a rallying cry used in threads spread by the QAnon conspiracy. “Even though we can create the news now, if you think about the conspiracy theories and the rabbit holes it puts people down, it’s really scary in some ways,” O’Connell said. Despite the dark undertones, O’Connell believes that there is still a lot of fun to be experienced by viewing O’Chun’s works. “I think that this is a fun exhibit, but I hope that people also spend time thinking more critically about the way that we blindly consume information,” she said. “Whether it would be scrolling through reels on our phone or our obsessiveness of reading the news and the way it perpetuates this culture that we have.” She also hopes that the exhibit will allow people to reflect on the trends emerging during the various phases of the ongoing pandemic. “I also think it will be nice for people to come in here and think about their own experiences during the pandemic and relate it to what other people have experienced,” O’Connell said. Both exhibits will remain on display until Jan. 23, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art will remain open during construction. Info: smoca.org