CURRENTS: LOCAL SCIENTISTS WANT TO MAKE DOG BREATH LESS STINKY
MAY 20 - 26, 2021 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE
The Show Must Go On As COVID cases drop, shows like Hamilton are returning to Tucson stages By Margaret Regan MUSIC: Soundtrack of the Desert
TUCSON WEEDLY: Harvest’s $2.1 Billion Drug Deal
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MAY 20, 2021 | VOL. 36, NO. 20
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STAFF
CONTENTS
CURRENTS
County lifts mask mandate, but urges continued use for unvaccinated people
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SKINNY
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More madness surrounding the election audit
FEATURE
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Local venues are once again scheduling shows and opening their doors
MUSIC
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ADMINISTRATION Steve T. Strickbine, Publisher Michael Hiatt, Vice President
EDITOR’S NOTE
Jaime Hood, General Manager, Ext. 12 jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com Claudine Sowards, Accounting, Ext. 13 claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com
Setting the Stage THE PANDEMIC HAMMERED A LOT of sectors over the last year, but it’s safe to say that the performing arts was one of the hardest hit. The very nature of the business, whether it’s screaming guitars in the Rialto or a Shakespeare production at the Temple of Music and Art, involved bringing people together in crowded spaces—a big no-no when you’re trying to squash an easily transmissible virus. Some theater troupes adjusted with various COVID precautions and some music venues have been doing outdoor shows, but many of our major performing venues simply went dark. Now, however, with about half of Pima County’s adult population vaccinated and cases dropping, we are seeing more arts organizations bringing back performances. Longtime arts writer Margaret Regan shares the details in this week’s cover story. Elsewhere in the book: Staff reporter Christina Duran looks at why the Pima County Board of Supervisors dropped its mask mandate following new guidance from the CDC and fills you in on where and how kids 12-15 can get vaccinated; associate editor
Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist, Ext. 10 sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com
Jeff Gardner introduces you to local scientists who are seeking a cure for your dog’s bad breath; The Skinny runs some numbers on the Arizona Senate’s absurd “audit” of the 2020 election; guest contributor Matt Russell celebrates the opening of new pizza joint Zio Peppe on Tucson’s east side; calendar editor Emily Dieckman shares a bunch of funbut-safe things we can do as the pandemic recedes; Tucson Weedly columnist David Abbott talks to Steve White, whose Harvest cannabis empire was part of a $2.1 billion deal last week; and there’s plenty more, including a look at a new album from Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin, your weekly horoscope, great sex advice from Dan Savage, this burg’s finest cartoons and plenty more, so crack open the paper and enjoy. Jim Nintzel Executive Editor Hear Nintz talk about what’s happening this weekend at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays on The World Famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.
RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson
EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, Ext. 38 jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor, Ext. 43 jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Mike Truelsen, Web Editor, Ext. 35 mike@tucsonlocalmedia.com Christina Duran, Staff Reporter, Ext. 42 christinad@tucsonlocalmedia.com Contributors: Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Andy Mosier, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, Will Shortz, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones, Dan Savage PRODUCTION David Abbott, Production Manager, Ext. 18 david@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, Ext. 26 ryand@tucsonlocalmedia.com Emily Filener, Graphic Designer, Ext. 29 emilyf@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, Ext. 17, alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING Kristin Chester, Account Executive, Ext. 25 kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, Ext. 24 candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive Ext. 39 lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive, Ext. 27 tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING VMG Advertising, (888) 278-9866 or (212) 475-2529 Tucson Weekly® is published every Thursday by Times Media Group at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona. Address all editorial, business and production correspondence to: Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741. Phone: (520) 797-4384, FAX (520) 575-8891. First Class subscriptions, mailed in an envelope, cost $112 yearly/53 issues. Sorry, no refunds on subscriptions. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN). The Tucson Weekly® and Best of Tucson® are registered trademarks of Times Media Group. Back issues of the Tucson Weekly are available for $1 each plus postage for the current year. Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.
Desert Heart, Mountain Soul traces the Southwest with a blend of Americana
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A conversation with Arizona cannabis mogul Steve White
Cover image of Hamilton actors by Joan Marcus. Cover design by Ryan Dyson.
Copyright: The entire contents of Tucson Weekly are Copyright of Times Media Group No portion may be reproduced in whole or part by any means without the express written permission of the Publisher, Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, AZ 85741.
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distancing for the unvaccinated people, while also recommending masks for all, vaccinated or not, on public transportation and in ‘health care settings, schools, correctional facilities, shelters, congregate facilities and any other setting where it is required by local, state or federal law.” These recommendations are also in line with CDC’s updated guidance. The resolution also requests establishments provide masks for employees who are not fully vaccinated and encourage the use of masks, but makes clear the resolution does not prevent establishments from setting their own standards on masks and social distancing, or refusing service for noncompliance. After the resolution, Christy motioned to “rescind, remove and terminate” board Resolution 2020-18, which declared Pima County in a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The motion died for lack of a second. While Supervisor Matt Heinz said he PHOTO BY JEFF GARDNER “With the release of updated CDC guidelines, and no way of distinguishing between vaccinated and unvaccinated would love to be able to support such a individuals, I will be asking my colleagues on the Council to consider ending our local mask-wearing requirement,” motion, “we still are in a pandemic.” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. “It’s important to continue to acknowledge to the public that we do still have a pandemic and a state of emergency is reasonable to maintain at this point,” said County lifts face covering mandate, but urges continued use for unvaccinated people Heinz. He said if the situation changes, he would vote to reinstate the mask requirement. cinated and unvaccinated individuals. By Christina Duran Along with the resolution, the Pima The first suggestion is that the board christina@tucsonlocalmedia.com County Health Department updated its could amend its current resolution to Public Health Advisory. Cullen said they apply only to unvaccinated individuals THE PIMA COUNTY BOARD OF looked at the CDC recommendation and and exempt fully vaccinated persons. Supervisors voted to 4-1 to repeal the tried to reconcile them with Pima Coun“This action, although symbolicalmask mandate and continue recomty’s COVID-19 data. mending masks at the emergency meet- ly meaningful, would be unenforceWhile not at the goal of 10 or fewer able,” wrote Huckelberry in a May 14 ing last week. cases per 100,000, Cullen said the county In order to stay in line with the Centers COVID-19 update. The second option, which Huckelberry, had stabilized at around 40 cases per for Disease Control and Prevention’s upalong with Pima County Health Depart- 100,000 for the last four weeks through dated guidance on Thursday, announcMay 7 and expects the last two weeks will ment Director Dr. Theresa Cullen and ing fully-vaccinated individuals can go remain the same. Along with the stability Garcia recommended the board select, unmasked in indoor and outdoor settings in cases, Cullen noted the increasing opted for considering a new resolution to in most cases, the board passed Resoluvaccination rates in the county, with 49% repeal the previous mask mandate and tion 2021-35. The resolution repeals Resof those 18 and over fully vaccinated and provide new recommendations. olution 2020-96, the mask requirement, the ongoing vaccination of children beThe last option suggested the Board while continuing to recommend mask tween the ages of 12 and 15, which began could simply repeal the resolution, use for unvaccinated individuals and in which Supervisor Steve Christy made an Thursday, May 13. some cases those vaccinated. “The really significant thing is the unsuccessful motion to pass at the May The county’s Chief Medical Officer growing body of evidence that indicates 14 meeting. Dr. Francisco Garcia acknowledged the that fully vaccinated people are less Ultimately the board chose the second contradictions between the board’s resolikely to have asymptomatic infection,” option, aligning with the CDC in recomlution and the CDC’s recommendation, Cullen said. mending continued use of masks and as the resolution required face masks The Public Health Advisory, following without differentiating between fully vac- other mitigation strategies like social
CURRENTS
UNMASKED AT LAST
CDC guidance and the board’s resolution, states fully vaccinated individuals can go participate in indoor or outdoor activities without mask or social distancing, while those not vaccinated should continue to wear a mask and social distance. However, regardless of vaccination status, they continue to advise mask wearing for people displaying COVID-19 symptoms, when traveling in public transportation, in schools, healthcare settings, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and congregate living facilities, and in large indoor events, greater than 1,000 people. “While we are consistent with CDC, there is the nuance there that if you are in a large indoor events, you can be putting yourself at risk,” said Cullen. “We are concerned that we are not able to assess people’s vaccination status. So while we strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated, we know that there will continue to be people that are unvaccinated.” The inability to distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals was a concern expressed not only by Cullen and the board, but also Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. In a statement released Thursday, May 13, Romero said she would ask the council to consider ending the city’s mask requirement at Tuesday’s meeting. “With the release of updated CDC guidelines, and no way of distinguishing between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, I will be asking my colleagues on the Council to consider ending our local mask-wearing requirement at our meeting on Tuesday while continuing to strongly recommend that Tucsonans follow CDC guidelines, including mask-wearing when appropriate,” said Romero. According to the release, the mayor and council requested the city attorney and manager interpret, administer, and enforce the city’s mask ordinance consistent with CDC guidance. “It is because we masked up and followed the advice of our public health experts that we are in a position where cases are low and we can take additional steps to fully return back to normal,” said Romero. “We must continue to stay vigilant, and I strongly encourage all Tucsonans who have not been vaccinated to get their shots as soon as possible.” ■
MAY 20, 2021
CURRENTS
SNIFF TEST
Local startup studies the science behind freshening dog breath ically engineer some synthetic pathways to produce nice aromas like mint smell.” Lyons submitted his idea to UA, and caught the attention of the university’s commercialization office, Tech Launch Arizona. TLA then gave uPetsia a busiWE ASK OUR DOGS A LOT OF questions, and oftentimes “Who’s a good ness development grant to move from concept to research. boy?” is second only to “Oh no, what did uPetsia’s argument is that traditional you eat?” Oro Valley’s bioscience industry breath fresheners are only effective in has gained a new member with uPetsia, the minutes after use, but introducing a University of Arizona startup that has bacteria that produce mint smell can last developed a bacteria strain to quell bad far longer. breath in dogs. “With toothpaste and mouthwash, you uPetsia’s technology was developed by have fresh breath for about 20 minutes. two associate professors out of the UA’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It’s the same thing for dogs,” Lyons said. “When they chew on something, The idea dates back to a Thanksgiving it scrapes the plaque and tartar off the with friends. Co-founder Eric Lyons teeth. Some products have mint to help recalls friends and family sitting around give them fresh breath. But as soon as a campfire with their dogs, and everyone that clears the oral cavity, that freshness started talking about how dogs had hordiminishes very quickly. The difference rible breath. Eventually this turned into guessing whose had the worst breath, and here is that our bacteria establish small if breed or body size affected their breath. colonies in the mouth, and during their “And I thought to myself, I bet we can lifetime that lasts about two hours, they come up with some technology to solve are producing that mint aroma.” Lyons realized that to be successbad breath in dogs,” associate professor ful, he’d need to work with a business Lyons said. “I kept thinking about it professional who can translate scientific when I got back to the office. That was advancements into a market-ready prodthe genesis of this technology, which uct, and called in longtime collaborator is to screen and cultivate, and look at Scott Zentack. the naturally occurring bacteria in the “As soon as he told me the idea, I mouths of dogs. Looking for ones that thought it was phenomenal and was are safe and effective that we can work with in the lab that don’t carry antibiotic on-board,” Zentack said. “That was resistance genes, and see if we can genet- almost three years ago, and it’s been a By Jeff Gardner jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com
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really fun ride… It comes down to the fact that it persists, and persists longer than other products. Ideally, we’d like to get to a point where you feed a treat to your dog in the morning, and it still has fresh breath when you come home from work.” The mint smell in question is methyl salicylate, an organic compound commonly used for fragrance and flavor. uPetsia co-inventor and fellow associate professor David Baltrus scanned through “hundreds if not thousands” of bacteria to find a type with the correct properties to engineer the production of the minty methyl salicylate. The engineering is done in the bacteria’s plasmids, small DNA molecules similar to chromosomes. While methyl salicylate has been linked to cases of toxicity in humans, this is often due to overuse of topical pain-relief products. “We basically synthetically engineered this pathway, and then we optimized it for use within these bacteria, and ordered stretches of DNA that contain the genes that we want to, and stitch them to a plasmid and put that plasmid in the bacteria,” Lyons said. “It’s very similar to thinking about it in terms of a computer code: there’s the bacterial program running on the bacterial chromosome, and then we have this little tiny program made up of a couple of genes that is there to make methyl salicylate.” To test the aroma-producing capabilities of the new bacteria, Lyons and Baltrus measured out a set amount of bacteria, put it on treats and fed them to dogs, then swabbed the dogs’ mouths immediately and every few hours after to find out how long the bacteria stuck around. “The University has a very stringent program for how to work with animals.
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But when it came to the first batch of dogs, these were our dogs,” Lyons said. “While the University was incredibly stringent in terms of their safety and control, the real person I had to contend with was my wife.” Lyons says they used four testing methods to detect the bacteria’s presence in their dogs’ mouths: using scientific instruments to detect the bacteria themselves, recovering the bacteria out of the dogs’ mouths, and using molecular markers as an additional confirmation of bacteria. But in addition to these more advanced processes, the classic sniff test also played a role. They were able to detect the specialized bacteria and methyl salicylate production for 90 minutes to two hours after feeding the dogs. Of course, this time range can be reduced by dogs quickly scarfing down their treats. “Our main concern with this bacteria is, because we’re going in there and re-engineering to divert their internal metabolic energy to produce mint smell, it’s going to make them a little weaker,” Lyons said. “Bacteria are constantly battling it out on animals, so if you bring in one that’s a little weaker, how fast are they going to get outcompeted?” Looking ahead, uPetsia (which comes from the word eupepsia, meaning “good digestion”) aims to increase the longevity of their bacteria, potentially by three or four hours. “Our ultimate goal is to make a product that’s made for pets and the people who love them,” Zentack said. “Dogs are part of their families and our families, so we want the consumers to understand that we’re being very safe.” uPetsia recently gained a major business boost in winning the University of
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Arizona Center for Innovation’s Sponsored Launch Fueled by the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce competition, which grants uPetsia business support and one year of admission to the new Center for Innovation in Oro Valley. “It was perfect. We were looking at lab space at the time this came up, so we did a pitch for the competition and were selected,” Zentack said. UACI has hosted multiple Sponsored Startups throughout the region, partnering with the likes of Perkins Coie law firm and the Town of Sahuarita. uPetsia recently moved into the Oro Valley office, which includes office space and lab space for research and development. The Center for Innovation at Oro Valley serves as a business incubator and connection between UA and Oro Valley’s own bioscience industries. The Center, located in Oro Valley’s Innovation Park, is located close to Roche Tissue Diagnostics and UA’s new veterinary school, providing opportunities for collaboration throughout the region. “We’re working on the bacteria. We don’t want to be a treat producer or a food producer. So we’re working with people that can help us understand how to incorporate this into pet foods,” Zentack said. “Our plan is to grow this bacteria in bulk and supply it to a treat maker, then they would incorporate it into their manufacturing process.” ■
CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones
the vaccine is available for anyone, according to health officials. TMC is reserving the Pfizer vaccine for the 12 to 17 group, and offering Moderna for adults; however, they will offer Pfizer to accompanying guardians if they have not yet been vaccinated. TMC plans to offer Pfizer for the foreseeable future and has about 1,500 doses, with more expected early next week, said Vice President of Community Benefit Julia Strange. The county is also offering the Pfizer vaccine at the Foothills Mall, 7401 N. La PHOTO BY JEFF GARDNER Cholla Blvd., in the former Old Navy store. The site is open daily from noon to 8 p.m. The county plans to offer Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson at Richey Resource COVID vaccine now available for kids 12-15 at select sites, including Foothills Mall Center, 2209 N. 15th Ave., on Thursday, May 20. Park vaccination site and the Foothills Pfizer is also available at the UA POD By Christina Duran Mall clinic. The Moderna and Johnson & and selected pharmacies, including christina@tucsonlocalmedia.com Johnson vaccines are only approved for Walgreens and CVS, which are currently those 18 and older. offering the vaccine for those 12 and older. PIMA COUNTY, TUCSON MEDICAL “The announcement earlier today is For all locations, a parent or guardian Center and the state of Arizona began a welcome step in our ongoing battle must accompany any minors. offering vaccinations for those 12 and older against COVID-19,” said Dr. Theresa CulThe UA site is open until 5 p.m. daily, len, director of the Pima County Health at multiple locations last week. and while no appointment is required, the This follows the approval by the Adviso- Department. “We have been watching site encourages registration at podvaccine. ry Committee on Immunization Practices and worrying about young people and azdhs.gov. To find a pharmacy offering on the FDA’s emergency use authorization the variants of COVID-19 for a few weeks. Pfizer, visit VaccineFinder.org. of Pfizer for children 12-15 on Wednesday, This is an extra and excellent layer of TMC’s Udall Park location is open from 8 May 12. The county, which has provided protection to keep them and their loved a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Appointments primarily Moderna and Johnson & John- ones safe.” are encouraged. Registration at vaccine. son, began administering Pfizer vaccines While the Pfizer vaccine is available at tmcaz.com opened Wednesday evening for last week at two locations: TMC’s Udall the county’s pop-up clinic for children 12-15, appointments Thursday morning. ■
CURRENTS
TIME FOR TEENS
THE SKINNY BIG LIE GETS BIGGER
Maricopa County GOP officials call Cyber Ninja crew “grifters and con men,” say they are done with election audit nonsense Jim Nintzel jnintzel@tucsonweekly.com THE SKINNY SPILLED A LOT OF ink on the Arizona Senate’s ridiculous “audit” of the 2020 election in Maricopa County last week, noting that if the Cyber Ninjas released a false-but-damning report, it would just add fuel to the belief that the election was stolen. As if on cue, the audit’s Twitter feed claimed last Thursday that “Maricopa County deleted a directory full of election databases from the 2020 election cycle days before the election equipment was delivered to the audit. This is spoliation of evidence!” The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (which counts four Republicans among its five members) as well as Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer (also a Republican) didn’t mince words when they responded earlier this week. They flatly denied deleting anything and demanded a retraction of the accusation that they had. In a letter to Senate President Karen Fann, they said the accusation shows that the Senate “is only interested in feeding the various festering conspiracy theories that fuel the fundraising schemes of those pulling your strings. You have rented out the good name of the Arizona State Senate to grifters and con artists, who are fundraising hardearned money from our fellow citizens even as your contractors parade around the Coliseum, hunting for bamboo and something they call ‘kinematic artifacts’ while shining purple lights for effect. None of these things are done in a serious audit. The result is that the Arizona Senate is held up to ridicule in every corner of the globe and our democracy
is imperiled.” Team Maricopa County had a number of other blistering things to say about this nonsense and said they were done working with the auditors. Instead, they told Fann to finish her audit and they would see her in court regarding its findings. Not that it mattered much: By the time the Maricopa County officials countered the claims, Donald Trump had already stretched the story further in a statement alleging “the entire database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED! This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms.” Fann, for her part, sent a text to CBS5 News political reporter Dennis Welch: “It saddens me some supervisors have decided to make personal attacks on me and the Senate members. I have never disparaged them and have considered them my friends for many years.” Karen, you also threatened to jail them when they resisted your efforts to go down this rabbit hole. Here’s what saddens The Skinny: The people who are embracing reality at this point—that is, the Maricopa County GOP elected officials—are probably doomed in the effort to persuade their fellow Republicans that this latest allegation is just a bunch of BS. And they’re probably doomed to lose a primary challenge should they seek reelection in 2024. That’s because Arizona Republicans have embraced Trump’s Big Lie about the stolen election. A recent poll from Phoenix political consulting firm HighGround notes a recent poll showed while only 42% of the Arizona voters
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surveyed believed “there was significant fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election which compromised the integrity of the election,” more than 78% of Republicans answered yes to the question. As HighGround honcho Chuck Coughlin noted in an analysis of those numbers, Senate Republicans are doing what their constituents want them to by hiring the Cyber Ninjas to do this review. It also demonstrates why other Republicans—such as Gov. Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich— are not going to criticize the absurd audit. They can’t afford to upset their base. Hell, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who sold her soul to Trump during the 2020 campaign (and who announced this week she’d be seeking the governor’s office in 2022), has repeatedly refused to answer questions from the press as to whether Joe Biden was legitimately elected president last year. But Coughlin notes there’s a danger for Republicans who go down this road: “Republicans bent on claiming
SORENSEN
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fraud and making that an integral part of their statewide election campaign should understand the electoral culde-sac they are living in. Only 42% of voters believe there was fraud; that is clearly not a majority. That is a losing proposition on the general election ballot in 2022.” Whether that turns out to be the case remains to be seen. We’ve got a redistricting process underway that will scramble the political maps, so it’s impossible to say what the 2022 landscape will look like. And the party in the White House traditionally loses seats in the midterms, so there’s a decent chance Republicans will retake the House of Representatives and/or the U.S. Senate. But there’s only one thing that will stop Republican elected officials from embracing the Trump’s Big Lie about stolen elections: They’ll have to lose elections. Until then, they’ll either be crazy or pretend to be crazy. Neither option inspires much confidence about the future for those of us in the reality-based world. ■
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Local venues are once again scheduling shows and opening their doors the one that was scheduled to come to Tucson in 2020. Stages went dark everywhere , and actors and musicals all over the country packed up and went home. Broadway in Tucson has more than HAMILTON IS ON ITS WAY. once postponed Hamilton and other muThat’s proof that the arts are coming sicals since the terrible spring 2020. But back. Or so we hope. in a joyful—and confident—press release The highly prized musical, written by last week, the company announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda, is scheduled to play in Tucson Nov. 17 to Dec. 5, this year, Hamilton will arrive in Tucson, just six months from now. at Centennial Hall. Plus, the group put together a lineup The hip-hop/jazz/R&B musical about of other coveted musicals that will keep the early years of the American Republic the theatre busy from October clear into has been a smash hit on Broadway from summer 2022. the day of its debut in January 2015. Last Among the 10 other shows, My Fair year, though, the pandemic shut down the New York and Chicago shows, as well Lady and Wicked will hit town next January, Hadestown goes on the boards in as all the traveling versions, including By Margaret Regan tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com
COURTESY PHOTO
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PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS
April next year, and Come From Away alights in May 2022. For a complete list, see broadwayintucson.com. Bursting with enthusiasm at putting plays on the stage once again, Broadway in Tucson told patrons that “we have exciting news to share!” They are not the only ones rejoicing. Call it spring fever or vaccination magic, various arts groups around town are cheerfully announcing their reopenings. Last week, for example, The Loft blasted an exuberant all-caps message in bold letters: “MOVIES RETURN TO THE LOFT CINEMA!” The theatre opened up its giant indoor movie screen after months of showing only vintage films outdoors. And the indoor movies are brand-new and newly released. loftcinema.org. Arizona Theatre Company likewise declared last week “We’re SO excited to announce our 2021/2022 Season!” The troupe had to decamp from the Temple of Music and Art in March 2020, and the theater has been dark ever since. A plan to reopen in January this year fell through. Despite those troubles, the company, which also performs in Phoenix, has bravely scheduled a stretched-out season beginning in September 2021 and ending June 2022. Three plays and three musicals are on the menu. First up is the musical My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend, starting Sept. 25. In April, the play Justice examines the friendship between two female justices of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and
Arizona’s Sandra Day. The season ends with How to Make an American Son, opening June 4. For the full season, see arizonatheatre.org. The Rialto, dark for more than a year, perked up this spring with a clever switch to visual arts. Instead of leaving the 101-year-old theater empty while waiting for the musicians to come back, the Rialto mounted a photo exhibition of portraits of rock-and-rollers shot by house photographers, C. Elliott and Mark A. Martinez, along with concert posters by Ryan Trayte. The show will end when the music begins again. And that should be soon, inshallah. Gritty Dirt Band is scheduled on Aug. 25 and Old Blind Dogs, a Scottish traditional band, is lined up for Sept. 3. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are at the satellite venue on 191 Toole on Aug. 20. Rialtotheatre.com.
THE ROLLOUT OF THE VACCINE is the biggest factor. Those doses in people’s arms are up to 95% effective, meaning that 95% of the people vaccinated will not get the virus if they are exposed to it. And the 5% of vaccinated people who catch the disease mostly get mild cases. With the comfort of those statistics, plenty of the vaccinated are already out and about, seeing friends, eating on restaurant patios and even braving the indoor dining rooms. Last week, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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Across the Boards Here’s what you can expect to see from local theater troupes: The Rogue Theatre stayed open in the 20202021 season with elaborate COVID protocols, including making videos of each play for fans who weren’t ready to get back in a theatre. Rogue’s new 2021-2022 season opens Sept. 9 with The Awakening, an adaptation of Kate Chopin’s early feminist novel. Four more plays follow, ending with an adaptation of the Virginia Wolfe novel Mrs. Dalloway, April 18 to May 15. theroguetheatre.org.
PHOTO COURTESY RIALTO THEATRE
Devo performing at the Rialto Theatre. Images of past shows such as this are available to view and purchase at the Rialto Theatre Gallery Project, which opened to the public in April. AN OUTPOURING OF OPTIMISM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
people can generally go without masks and the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to rescind its mask mandate, while still encouraging those who are not yet vaccinated to wear masks until they get their shot. The art organizations are calculating that art lovers will soon come flocking inside to plays, concerts, museums and art galleries. Ironically, arts groups usually worry that too many of their patrons are old and too few are young. But now that age issue is a plus: Tucson boomers went out in droves to get the vaccine. Of course, the downside is that not everyone wants to get vaccinated. As of last Friday, May 14, roughly 357,000 of Pima County’s 1 million residents were fully vaccinated, although almost 420,000 had received at least one shot. Pima County Health Director Theresa
Cullen estimated last week that 49% of those 18 and over are fully vaccinated. But after 14 months, most people know the protocols that reduce the chance of infection from the virus. And the arts groups are taking no chances. By planning for maximum safety, they can more readily coax fans back inside. The Loft has already posted its COVID rules. Indoors, only the large theatre is open; the two smaller rooms are not in service. Only 77 patrons are allowed in, just 21% of the usual numbers. Reserved seating will keep moviegoers apart. Everyone must wear masks, just 21% of the usual numbers. And reserved seating will keep moviegoers apart. Everyone must wear masks, taking them off only when seated and eating or drinking. Only six people at a time can be in the usually bustling lobby. When the film is over, people will leave through the emergency exit doors, to keep people from crowding the lobby. Fox Tucson Theatre has been hosting outdoor music singers in April. Dos Sueños plays the last event scheduled, this Friday, May 21, from 3 to 6 p.m., across the street at the intersection of Stone and Congress. But Fox’s gorgeous southwest art deco interior may soon shine with music and comedy. “Hope is on the horizon for the return of live performances,” the Fox says. So far there are six groups on that horizon this fall, and a few gigs are already scheduled for 2022. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a swinging jazz band, is set to play Sept. 11. Comedian Paula Poundstone is on for Oct. 28. Altan, the Irish trad band that fled back to Ireland to escape the virus just before their planned show at the Fox last March, is rebooked for Nov. 21. Foxtucson.com. Like The Loft, the Fox has COVID rules already in place. Fans must wear masks, and a pod system in the seats will ensure social distancing; the staff will get their temperatures taken regularly and keep the place sanitized. Fingers crossed that all this effort will keep the arts going. As the Fox marquee has it, “The Show Will Go On!” ■
Invisible Theatre also stayed afloat all season by following strict pandemic protocols. The company has not yet announced its fall plays, but two works will be on the stage this summer. Tiny Beautiful Things, adapted from Cheryl Strayed’s advice column, runs June 9 to 20. A reprise of this spring’s hit, Gloria: A Life, about famed feminist Gloria Steinem, runs Aug. 18 to 29. A celebration of the troupe’s 50th anniversary will take place Oct. 29 to 31. Invisibletheatre.com. Winding Road Theater Ensemble’s plays turned virtual in the wake of the coronavirus, and the final performance of the 2020-2021 season is no exception. Some 300 aspiring playwrights from around the country entered 10-minute plays to the company’s annual writing contest. Eight 10s in Tucson brings the plays of the eight winners to the digital stage. Tucsonan Madison Peden is the only local winner. Fans can live stream on opening night May 28, or watch a video on demand until June 30. Windingroadtheater.org Live Theatre Workshop has been using its parking lot this past year to accommodate drive-in outdoor plays. But the three summer shows will move indoors, with a limited number of seats. A Life in the Theatre by David Mamet is on the stage June 10 to July 10; The Standby Lear, a comical work by John W. Lowell, runs Aug. 5 to 28; and Bloomsday, a Irish time-travel romance by Steven Dietz, runs Sept. 2 to Oct. 9. Livetheatreworkshop.org An LTW kids’ drive-in play The Tortoise and the Hare ends this Sunday, May 23. Once Upon This Time, a “princess meets the present” story, runs in the children’s theatre July 16 to Aug. 1. The Conundrum at Camp Catalina, on Sundays from Aug.22 to Sept. 6, gets children participating woodland games,. Gaslight Theatre has been staging concerts outdoors for months, but now the music has gone inside the theatre, with a long roster of shows. The current play, Buccaneers of the Caribbean, has gone outside. Buccaneers is sold out, but Space Wars opens up in June and runs through the summer. thegaslighttheatre.com See main story for info on Arizona Theatre Company.
MAY 20, 2021
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The Prickly Pickle pizza at Zio Peppe, a new restaurant co-owned by Tucson natives and longtime chefs Mat Cable and Devon Sanner.
PIE EYED
Zio Peppe fuses classic Italian with flavors of the Southwest “He still carries that 1970s De Niro swagger,” said Sanner. So how do you get a trailblazing spirit, a serious kind of smile and a certain ALL IT TOOK TO CONNECT swagger on a menu that marries Sonoran the Rillito River to the Mediterranean and Italian customs? I’m glad you asked. Sea was a shared respect for Old World Zio Peppe’s Elote Arancini is a Sonoran wisdom and an abiding love of hometown, take on the classic Sicilian street food. plus a little inspiration from Uncle Joe. Charred corn, queso fresco and lime This confluence of culinary cultures crema are the chefs’ hometown touches to is now on display at Zio Peppe, a new these fried risotto balls that have defined restaurant co-owned by Tucson natives Sicily’s culinary story for generations. and longtime chefs Mat Cable and Devon “We knew we were going to do both Sanner. The name of the eatery at 6502 arancini and street corn on different E. Tanque Verde Road was inspired by parts of the menu, but when we put them Cable’s Uncle Joe (Zio Peppe in Italian), together in experimenting with this dish, Joe Sottosanti, who opened Tucson’s first we looked at each other and said, ‘Well, Sicilian pizzeria four decades ago. that settles that,’” said Cable. “Uncle Joe is a trailblazer,” said Cable. The Lasagna Sonorense is another “He never talks before he thinks and dish that Sanner said “works through there’s a certain seriousness in him, even analogues.” In place of the traditional when he smiles.” veal and pork Bolognese and marinara, When Sanner officially met Uncle Joe, they use house-made chorizo and red his impression was consistent with the chile sauce, along with poblano chile con image portrayed through the series of queso, spinach, and ricotta. vintage Sottosanti photos that adorn the “This lasagna has a little earthiness restaurant walls. from the guajillo chiles and richness By Matt Russell tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com
MAY 20, 2021
from the poblano chile con queso that give it a slight piquancy along with some depth,” said Sanner. The centerpiece of the Zio Peppe space is a unique gas and wood-fired oven with a rotating stone hearth, which tells me that pizza is a central part of their story. And several of the Neapolitan-style pizzas symbolize the Sonoran-Italian connection. The Prickly Pickle pizza is one example, topped with prickly pear cactus pads, or nopales, cholla cactus buds, red onion escabeche and guajillo chile crema. “I’ve done pickled cholla buds in other guises for some years now, and Mat and I decided to do something fun with them,” said Sanner. “We ended up using pepperoncini brine in the pickle, and it was like magic when we tried it. The natural artichoke and asparagus flavor profile of the cholla buds played well with the sharpness of the brine.” Cable concurred. “When we pickled the first batch of cholla buds in that
brine, we probably ate about $30 worth of them, one after the other,” he said. “They were that good.” Cable and Sanner are as much about praxis as they are about playfulness, and several dishes on the menu are intended to suit more traditional palates, such as their classic Margherita pizza, Fettuccini Alfredo, and Caesar Salad. Zio Peppe is open for take-out and delivery, with plans to open the dining room this summer as staffing allows. You can access the menu at www.ziopeppeaz.com. As noted, Uncle Joe never talks before he thinks. After sitting down with Mat Cable and Devon Sanner, I’d suggest the same is true for Zio Peppe. ■
Food and Music at Hotel Congress
By Jeff Gardner jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Flying Aprons Pizza Class Flying Aprons, Tucson’s own teacher-chefs, are hosting an event where you can learn about pizzas inside and out: forming crusts, balancing flavors, and even using a pizza peel and pizza stone. Flying Aprons is partnering with Zio Peppe owner and pizza master Mat Cable (interviewed on page 12), who will discuss his special ready-to-go dough. According to Flying Aprons, the class also includes making a fresh mozzarella
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Residents at Shepherd Hills enjoy our gardens filled with a variety of fruit trees and flowering plants. During the warmer seasons, birds and butterflies are a common sight in our tranquil oasis. Residents can participate in the Shepherd Hills Gardening Program at any level they are comfortable with. Whether you still enjoy planting and tending the garden or simply enjoy a quiet stroll along the garden pathways, Shepherd Hills is full with beautiful outdoor spaces.
Contact Matt Russell, whose day job is CEO of Russell Public Communications, at mrussell@russellpublic.com. Russell is also the publisher of OnTheMenuLive. com as well as the host of the Friday Weekend Watch segment on the “Buckmaster Show” on KVOI 1030 AM. and sauce. Topping options range from basil for a classic Pizza Margherita to pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, sausage, peppers to pineapple and ham. Tuesday, May 25, 5:30 – 7 p.m. $40. flyingapronstucson.com/event/zoom-class-pizzawith-chef-mat-cable/
The Hotel Congress’ outdoor stage and plaza are keeping busy with a blend of food and music events this weekend. Starting off, Friday, May 21 is Jazz Friday at the Cup Cafe, where you can enjoy live music from local musician Al Rodriguez and enjoy Congress’ Cup Cafe’s outdoor seating and revised menu. Seating is limited and reservations fill up fast, so reservations are strongly recommended. On Sunday, May 23, Connie Brannock’s Little House of Funk will be performing music at Hotel Congress’ Congress Cookout, which features a blend of blues, soul and plenty of barbecue cooking for an unbeatable Sunday combo. As always, limited seating and COVID protocols are strictly enforced. 311 E Congress St. hotelcongress.com
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by Emily Dieckman
Ready to Launch: Arizona’s Place in Space. The Arizona History Museum is launching a really neat new exhibit this week, all about the role that Arizona and Arizonans have played in space exploration. Arizona has several claims to fame, but things like sending multiple missions to Mars and helping capture the first image of a black hole have got to be among the coolest. The exhibit includes objects from NASA, Lowell Observatory, the UA and—in the spirit of galactic neighborliness—even ASU. Come be inspired, whether you’re 2 years old or 102. Opens Thursday, May 20, and ongoing through Nov. 30, 2021. Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Arizona History Museum, E. Second St. $10 GA, with discounts for students, seniors and youth (free for kids 6 and under). Ask about free admission for veterans.
Cat Bingo. Need a last-minute Friday evening activity? Look no further than Cat Bingo, the game you didn’t know you needed. Just head on over to our adorably cozy local cat lounge, El Jefe, for an evening among the kitties. There are only 12 spots available for this event, so make your reservation now. You’ll have the chance to win plenty of prizes—including a free lounge hour pass and El Jefe merch. And who knows? Maybe you’ll fall in love with a furry friend while you’re there and end up adopting a new pal. 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 21. El Jefe Cat Lounge, 3025 N. Campbell Ave. $24 for two people. (If they run out of space at bingo, you can still visit for a regular lounge hour!) SAHBA Home & Patio Show. It feels like we’ve all been training for this for over a year. Stuck inside our houses much more than usual, some of us have got some big ideas about changes we’d like to make to our décor. The SAHBA Home Show features more than 300 exhibitors, so you’re sure to find a vendor to meet your needs, whether it’s got to do with your driveway, that funky light in your kitchen, better ways to store your leftovers, a rug to really pull together a living room or a brand-new pool. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 23. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. $8 GA, free for kids 12 and under, discounts for military, and half-price for seniors 50 and over on Friday. Check their website, sahbahomeshow. com, for a $2-off coupon.
I’ll Follow The Sun. Shelley Lawrence Kirkwood, who earned her MFA in photography at the University of Arizona, has spent most of her life in either the Sonoran Desert or the forests and meadows of western Massachusetts. This exhibit takes a close— like, really close—look at bits of debris and foraged plants from both of these areas. She blows up photos of these little objects to huge sizes, to be proportionate to both their significance in her personal history and their echoes through a larger system. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across the country, and you don’t want to miss this opportunity to see it at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. On display through Sept. 6 at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $15 GA.
MAY 20, 2021
Movies on the Lawn. Even before the pandemic, there was something extra fun about watching movies outdoor on a lawn. Bringing your own chairs, blankets and snacks? Sign us up! The Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center his hosting screenings on a giant, inflatable screen once a month throughout the summer, to give us something to look forward in the gut-wrenchingly hot months ahead. First up: Grease! This year has been a tough one for a lot of us, but one thing that Grease can teach us to be grateful for is the fact that we are no longer sewing ourselves into our pants to impress idiotic men. These days, ladies, we are only sewing ourselves into tight pants if we want to do it for ourselves. 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 22. Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center, 11000 N. La Canada Drive. Free. Hacienda Del Sol Pop Up Drive Through Sculpture Show. It’s exciting to be re-entering a time in our lives
when we can attend events where we actually leave our cars, because it’s safe to be near other people. But it’s unfortunate that we are also re-entering a time in our lives (summer) where we’d really rather not leave our air-conditioned cars. That makes this art display at Hacienda Del Sol a perfect fit for our lives right now. Just drive through the front entrance of the resort and follow the signage to see a gorgeous array of featured art displays—all against a background of lovely desert scenery. On display through Sunday, June 13. Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol Road. Free. Discovery Night at the Children’s Museum. One of the best parts of being a kid is that you have the whole summer to explore and adventure. One of the worst parts of being an adult is that you usually don’t. While summer rages on for the kids, many of us grownups are stuck at work during the day. That makes these evening
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hours at the local children’s museum a perfect chance for working caregivers and guardians to take their kids out for some fun. (Not to mention that it’s a little bit cooler.) These events, which happen once a month during the summer, also offer half-price admission and bilingual programming. Hip, hip, hooray! 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 20. Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Ave. $4.50 GA. Spaceballs at the Drive-In. Somehow, the drive-in is an experience that seems to make everybody feel nostalgic, even if they didn’t grow up in a period where drive-ins were popular. And what better befits that sense of nostalgia than the 1987 Bill Pullman-Mel Brooks-John Candy-Rick Moranis spectacular Spaceballs? Follow the saga of Lone Starr the space pilot and his half-man, half-dog partner as they set out to rescue Princess Vespa from President Skroob. This parody film is a great way to get in some laughter on
your Sunday night. 8 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, May 23. Cactus Drive-In Theatre, 6201 S. Wilmot Road. $20 to $25 per vehicle. ■
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so there was a question of how to keep things organic,” Brashear said. “Peter and I went in at the same time, we were in the same bubble anyway. So we could get the by Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin basic tracks done, then had other people come in. And I think the folks we had as Release show: Tuesday, May 25. 7:30 p.m. $12guests were able to keep an organic feel, 15. Club Congress Plaza, 311 E. Congress St. even when we were separated.” Desert Heart, Mountain Soul also www.hotelcongress.com includes a cover of Alice Gerrard’s “You Gave Me A Song,” and features her singture and upbringing we probably bring ing harmony. McLaughlin says singing some of that high, lonesome quality. with Gerrard on her own song was the We like that in music anyway. So I don’t honor of the album. know if the pandemic specifically has “We wanted to do those songs bechanged our sensibilities about what we cause they cover the natural elements bring to lyrics and songs, but we’ve also and wildlife. It’s very reflective of what had this very specific Southwest bent. our thoughts were for the whole project, So there’s other things like geography a lot of outdoor imagery and wild places,” and culture coming into our songs, as McLaughlin said. “When I think of writopposed to what is just thought of as ers like Kate Wolf and Woody Guthrie, Appalachian mountain music.” they really captured the social issues and McLaughlin says they are both environmental issues in their songs, and heavily influenced by the outdoors in that’s kind of what we seek for our their songwriting, and often explore the recordings.” COURTESY PHOTO Southwestern nature together. Adoration Though there is an emphasis on natPeter McLaughlin (left) and Chris Brashear release their third collaborative album Desert Heart, Mountain Soul on the Hotel Congress plaza on Tuesday, May 25. of the wilderness is clear in the title track, ural imagery and genre standbys, certain which decries city living and expresses a tracks tackle personal and political subwillingness to escape into a desert land- jects, such as “21 On the Border,” where scape: “The cactus blooms, the coyotes Brashear sings about border crossings. cry, the Colorado rolls / A full moon over The calm, pained song examines identity the mesa is a wonder to behold.” and isolation in lyrics like: “As empty Desert Heart, Mountain Soul traces the Southwest with a blend of Americana “I think Chris and I have similar as the Gila south of Phoenix, on a dusty styles, even though our playing and road where no one ever goes / I will work expands its view both thematically and By Jeff Gardner singing is different. We both write about anywhere I will do anything, I don’t have compositionally, and was co-written with what we’ve seen and done, and the places a name and I ain’t got no papers / I’m all jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com songwriter and performer Mark “Brink” we’ve been,” McLaughlin said. “Whenev- alone, yes all alone, in a wasteland that a Brinkman. BLUEGRASS MUSIC HAILS FROM er I go out on one of my off-weekends to free man never knows.” “That particular project, there was a the rolling hills of Kentucky, but fans of go hiking or camping or backpacking, I “It’s not like the instrumentation on specific motivation to write songs about take it all in and that’s where I get a lot Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin the record is complicated or too layered the Colorado plateau. There was a much of my songs from. It makes me happy I know the musical style fits quite well on top of each other, but we definitely between saguaros and canyon walls. The more direct focus to that recording,” can get away from city life. I think a lot are trying to capture a feeling with every Brashear said. “Desert Heart, Mountain duo’s latest collaboration, Desert Heart, of the songs talk about that because this song. So we pick instruments that lend Soul didn’t have that kind of primary Mountain Soul, combines a variety of past year, especially with not having a themselves better to produce certain rustic and lonesome songs into a musical focus and I’d say was much more loose. lot of gigs, I was able to explore some feelings or settings,” Brashear said. “It’s We weren’t trying to fit anything into one wilderness areas I had no idea were so map of the American Southwest: creothe same for ‘21 On the Border,’ I wanted small box.” sote, pastures, borderlands and all. spectacular. That was one of the bright it to have that feeling of norteño in there, Beyond its varied lyrical themes, The pair have performed together sides from the COVID year. I had all this so we have accordion and nylon-string Desert Heart, Mountain Soul also since the early ’90s, blending a variety time to get out into the backwoods and guitars to help instrumentally produce a of ballads that fit beneath the Americana includes covers of American folk icons canyons and mountains.” sonic picture in people’s minds.” like Woody Guthrie and Kate Wolf. label. McLaughlin is a guitarist and Although the album was recorded Brashear’s “The Day I Was Set Free” singer who moved to Tucson in the ‘80s, Songs like “Take Me Back Where I Was during the pandemic, its songs feature a is a classic blues song filled with imagery Born” and “Another Trip Around the performing in several folk festivals and vast and warm atmosphere. Brashear and of drunks, train cars and absent famiSun” are more somber reflections of fronting The Sonoran Dogs. Brashear, McLaughlin managed to maintain this lies. But the dusty guitar and drums are who records on the guitar, fiddle, mando- time’s passing, but much of the album even during isolated recording sessions turned on their head with a tight perforis warm, pastoral songs celebrating the lin and more, met McLaughlin when he at A Writer’s Room in Tucson. Guest mance and the ironic central theme of history and landscape of Arizona. moved to Tucson in 1992. musicians like Alvin Blaine, Duncan wanting to go back to prison after being “We really haven’t done a lot of In 2016, through a Museum of NorthStitt and Chris Haynes further defined released. co-writing. Usually Peter comes up with ern Arizona artist residency, Brashear the landscape via added layers of dobro, “I always listen back to my own recordand McLaughlin recorded an album cele- ideas and I come up with ideas and we pedal steel guitar, piano and accordion. ings and overall am my own worst critic, brating the Colorado plateau. A follow-up try to fulfill each other’s vision as much “This recording couldn’t be made with but I think we really captured what we as we can,” Brashear said. “In our very na- everybody in the room at the same time, wanted here,” McLaughlin said. ■ of sorts, Desert Heart, Mountain Soul,
MUSIC
BLUE AND RED
Desert Heart, Mountain Soul
MAY 20, 2021
WHITE ON GREEN
A conversation with Arizona cannabis mogul Steve White By David Abbott david@tucsonlocalmedia.com THE SALE OF HARVEST HEALTH & Recreation to Florida’s Trulieve in a deal said to be worth $2.1 billion has created the largest marijuana company in the U.S., with a combined 126 dispensaries and operations in 11 states. Harvest has 39 operating shops in five states, including one in Tucson at 2734 E. Grant Road, and was the first operator to sell adult-use marijuana when the Arizona Department of Health Services surprised everyone on by suddenly announcing the opening of legal sales in the state Jan. 22 . “We are thrilled to be joining Trulieve, a company that has achieved unrivaled success and scale in its home state of Florida,” Harvest cofounder and CEO Steve White said in May 10 press release announcing the sale. “As one of the oldest multi-state operators, we believe our track record of identifying and developing attractive market opportunities combined with our recent successful launch of adult use sales in Arizona will add tremendous value to the combined organization as it continues to expand and grow in the coming years.” Due to the legal status of marijuana in the U.S., the sale has been consummated according to Canadian law “pursuant to the Business Corporations Act,” and still must be approved though the courts of British Columbia’s and two-thirds of votes cast by Harvest shareholders, but for all intents and purposes it is a done deal. Home Grown White, 47, was born at Desert Samaritan Hospital (now Banner Desert Medical Center) in Mesa and grew up in Tempe. He attended Roosevelt Elementary in Mesa, Kyrene del Cielo in Chandler and Pueblo Middle School the first year it opened. After graduation from Coro-
na del Sol high school, he went on to Arizona State University and eventually earned a law degree at Washington and Lee School of Law in Virginia. After setting up a successful practice back at his home in Arizona, White and his partners were able to parlay their luck in the lottery to get one of the original licenses. He says his law career is over, as he has built his cannabis empire into a nationwide player that will now be part of the largest pot-related business in the country. Thanks to the profitability of a pot juggernaut that allowed him to contribute nearly $2 million in support of the initiative, 2020’s Prop 207 passed by a 60-40 margin and the fruits of his labor have paid off exponentially. White sat down for an interview with Tucson Weedly last week to talk about the deal and where he thinks the future of legal cannabis might go. The transcript is below, edited for length and clarity. How did you end up getting into the business? Did you ever imagine becoming this big of a player? I got into it after a conversation with a couple of buddies, who were clients of mine as a lawyer. It was really a way to save money on legal expenses to start, because they wanted to hire me. They didn’t want to spend the money on it so one of them threw out partnership as an alternative. Our goal was to get a license in Arizona, to open up a store and have a nice little business and run it for as long as it made sense to run it. We didn’t fully appreciate how difficult it is to operate in cannabis: We didn’t realize how difficult the types of regulatory problems we would have and how difficult it is to actually make a business profitable because of taxes that are too high, and everybody is hitting you for fees, and then you’ve got to overpay for every service, from renting space to having somebody do
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your books and your income taxes. We went in the first lottery in Arizona and got two licenses, which was obviously double what we were hoping for. So we were ecstatic. But I’m really competitive. When Nevada opened up its doors and kind of copied Arizona’s program, we saw that as an opportunity. I went in and made partnerships there and won a number of interests in businesses in Nevada. That’s kind of where it started. Then it was Illinois next and then Maryland. And then before you knew what we were, we’re a monster. Why did you sell? I don’t look at it quite as selling. I think what we’ve learned over the course of 10 years doing this is that scale is a very powerful thing: Scale allows you to provide better products at cheaper prices to customers. When you take care of customers, they take care of the business. This is, for us, simply attaching ourselves to a larger platform so that we can develop more scale, more products, more innovation at better prices than we ever have. I remember in 2017 when we did an acquisition and picked up some additional licenses, [Ray Stern, Phoenix New Times] questioned whether or not it was a capitalist play. I was saying to him, “I promise you prices will go down as a result of this and other activities.” And they did. The medical prices came down and promotional activity was high, leading into the addition of recreational sales. I just think that there is there is room for all kinds of businesses and particularly in Arizona, from small to large. There are advantages that a large business has. And for us, it was an opportunity to take advantage of some of those things and build better relationships with customers. So you’re not actually bought out? You’re a partner? We will continue and our employees will remain in place. They will operate the assets that we currently have. We will just have a larger network from which to borrow best practices and understand more about our consumers and what it is that they want. Everybody in all of our stores, they’re showing up today. They’ll be there in a year, they’ll be there in two years, so it’s just a different platform. But it is an acquisition, so technically speaking, they’re the larger company, so it was a sale.
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In cannabis, everybody needs more talent and our team brings a lot of that to the table. You’re going to continue for the foreseeable future to be involved in day-to-day operations? Yes. Do you think the small mom-and-pop dispensaries are still going to have a seat at the table? I think they always will, particularly in Arizona, the way Arizona works and the way they allocate licenses by way of a lottery. I do think that this provides an opportunity for other types of businesses other than just large ones. And I think that’s what’s always been great about Arizona. You have very large, sophisticated companies side by side with people who are running one store. It makes for a really unique environment. And it does make it a lot more fun. Will you continue to do advocacy in Arizona? Some people come to the business as an advocate. Others come to advocacy as a business. But either way, you can’t be involved in the cannabis ecosystem in Arizona without being an activist. Some part of you has to. You have to have an activist streak in you. It is still extremely important for us and for the combined company that Arizona continues to be a model marketplace like it is today. So we’re going to continue to be at the forefront of making sure that’s true.
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It’s amazing how fast things have happened. Did you imagine it would go that fast once Prop 207 passed? I didn’t think it would. I imagined it was possible, but I didn’t think that it could be accomplished that quickly. If our sales started today, it would still be the fastest in the history of the country. When you look at that, and you think about it and say, “Wow, we are almost four months into this process, we have a whole ’nother (social equity) program, the parameters of which you’re starting to see, this has moved at an incredible rate. It really has. What do you say to people that are worried that big cannabis might turn into big tobacco? Never gonna happen. Yeah, it is just never gonna happen. Because cannabis is a better product than tobacco. I start there. That is really the issue at its core: Tobacco is harmful to people. The industry knew it was harmful to people and didn’t care. Cannabis, we all believe, is good for people. So you won’t see the evils that you’ve seen with big tobacco. The other thing that you see is because you don’t see interstate commerce—shipping things from country to country—it’s not gonna happen the same way. [There are] restrictions on how big people can get. Can you imagine if cigarette companies would have to have cultivation, manufacturing and stores within each and every state? That’s never going to happen. Do you think you think the merger is going to shed a more positive light on the cannabis industry? Legitimize it on a national scale?
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There was a time in 2012 when I would walk into offices to go talk to regulators and somebody at the front desk would ask me why I was there and I couldn’t spit it out. Think about where we are today relative to that. Where we have conversations with elected officials on both sides of the aisle who acknowledge that cannabis is here, it’s here to stay and widespread distribution is inevitable. I think that there are two things that happened. The legitimization of the industry and the industry being able to demonstrate that it can behave responsibly, in conjunction with changing social norms have legitimize cannabis and in the industry that surrounds it. Do you think people like Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers are ever gonna come around? Nope. I don’t. And I don’t think it’s important that he does. He will always think that cannabis is bad, and that if you make something that’s bad illegal, people won’t do it. There’s so many things wrong with that logic, but you’re never going to change that mindset of people who are that entrenched. If you think back 20 years ago, and you think about issues like gay marriage and how crazy it would have been to think that issue was going to be something that nobody would think is a bad thing—or many, many fewer people would think is a bad thing. To me cannabis kind of follows the same line: You will have certain people who will never change their mind and will die and their grandchildren will have a very different belief. ■ For the full interview, go to www.tucsonweekly.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
By Rob Brezsny. Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700 $1.99 per minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries playwright Samuel Beckett wrote the play Waiting for Godot. At one point in the tale, the character named Estragon suggests it might be possible, even desirable, to “dance first and think afterwards.” In response, the character named Pozzo says, “By all means, nothing simpler. It’s the natural order.” With that in mind, and in accordance with astrological omens, I am going to encourage you to dance first and think afterwards as much as possible in the coming weeks. In my opinion, your ability to analyze and reason will thrive to the degree that you encourage your body to engage in enjoyable free-form play. Your power to make good decisions will grow as you take really good care of your physical organism and give it an abundance of pleasure and release. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): As you enter a phase when gradual, incremental progress is the best progress possible, I offer you the concluding lines of Taurus poet Adrienne Rich’s poem “From a Survivor”: “not as a leap, but a succession of brief, amazing movements, each one making possible the next.” I especially want to call your attention to the fact that the small steps can be “brief, amazing movements.” Don’t underestimate the power of minor, subtle, regular breakthroughs. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here’s a public service announcement for you Geminis from the planet and god Mercury: You’re under no obligation to be the same person you were three years ago, or six months ago, or last week—or even five minutes ago, for that matter. Mercury furthermore wants you to know that you have been authorized to begin a period of improvisation and experimentation, hopefully guided by a single overriding directive: what feels most fun and interesting to you. In the coming weeks it will be more important to create yourself anew than to know precisely who you are.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): As a Zen Buddhist priest for 47 years, Kōshō Uchiyama was knowledgeable about the power that illusions can wield over our imaginations. “If we’re not careful,” he said, “we are apt to grant ultimate value to something we’ve just made up in our heads.” I won’t tell you the examples from my own life that prove his point, because they’re too embarrassing. And I’m happy to report that I don’t think you’re anywhere near granting ultimate value to something you’ve just made up in your head. But I do advise you to be on the lookout for milder versions of that phenomenon. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo-born professor Sibelan Forrester is an expert on charms, spells and incantations in Russian folklore. She wrote, “An empty place where no one can see or hear what one says is the proper locus for working magic.” Spells often start with these words, she added: “I rise up, saying a blessing. I go out, crossing myself, and I go to an open field.” Whether or not you have Russian heritage, Leo, I see the immediate future as being a good time for you to perform magic in an open field with no one else around. What might be the intention of your magic? How about something like this: “I ask my guides and ancestors to help me offer my most inspired largesse so as to serve the health and inspiration and liberation of the people whose lives I touch.” VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Spiritual author Stephen Russell wrote, “Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: It is your greatest asset.” That’s an exaggeration, in my opinion. Vulnerability is a greater asset than your intelligence, compassion and creativity? Not in my view. But I do recognize the high value of vulnerability, especially for you Virgos during the next three weeks. “Be vulnerable,” Russell continues. “Quake and shake in your boots with it. The new bounty and beauty that are coming to you, in the form of people, situations, and things, can only come to you when you are vulnerable—open.”
SAVAGE LOVE SHAFTED
By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net
I’m an European heterosexual girl and reading your column from afar has been a good way for me to better know the sex world! I am wondering if you have advice for me about a “faster” way to do blowjobs. Or rather a way to make my boyfriend come faster from them. I like doing them but after some time my mouth begins to hurt and I’d like him to finish. My partner is “slower” to come than other men I’ve been with. During intercourse sex I don’t mind. I usually come first but is not a problem to wait for him to finish. But during oral sex, it is harder to wait. Sometimes I say no to giving
him a blowjob because I know the effort it will take. I don’t want to talk with him about this because I don’t want to make him self-conscious. I know how good it is to receive oral sex without thinking about having to rush my own orgasm and I don’t want to make him feel rushed. In the years of our relationship I haven’t found a trick that gives me the power of to make it faster. I need some button to push. Maybe you have some tips for me? —Sex Tips Inducing Faster Finish Easing Discomfort I have some good news: there is a but-
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My friend Jenny’s Swedish grandmother used to say to her on a semi-regular basis, “åh tänk om vi vore korkade, vi skulle vara så lyckliga,” meaning, “If only we were stupid, we would be so happy. In the coming weeks, I am asking you to disprove that folk wisdom. According to my analysis of the astrological potentials, now is a favorable time for you to explore ways in which your intelligence might enhance and deepen your enjoyment of life. Your motto should be: “The smarter we are, the happier we will be.” SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Sometime soon I invite you to speak a message similar to what poet Kenneth Rexroth once delivered to a special person in his life. He wrote, “Your tongue thrums and moves / Into me, and I become / Hollow and blaze with / Whirling light, like the inside / Of a vast expanding pearl.” Do you know anyone who might be receptive to hearing such lyrical praise? If not, create a fantasy character in your imagination to whom you can say it. On the other hand, maybe you do know a real person who would appreciate an earthier, less poetical tribute. If so, please convey it; something akin to this: “Your influence on me amplifies my ability to be my best self.” Now is a perfect time to honor and extol and reward those who move you and excite you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Author Aldous Huxley said, “I can sympathize with people’s pains, but not with their pleasures. There is something curiously boring about somebody else’s happiness.” To that I reply, “Other people’s pleasure and happiness bored you? Maybe you were suffering from raging narcissism and an addiction to cynicism.” In any case, Sagittarius, I hope you won’t be like Huxley in the next few weeks. I believe you could glean useful insights and derive personal benefits from knowing about and appreciating the joys of others.
thropist. But as he aged, he became increasingly eccentric and reclusive. For the last 10 years of his life, he lived in expensive hotels, where he placed strict and often absurd demands on the hotel staff. For example, if he called on room service to bring him a meal that included peas, he would measure the peas with a ruler, and send back any he deemed too big. I do hope that you Capricorns will also have an intense focus on mastering the details in the coming weeks—but not as intense or misguided as that nonsensical obsession. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was famous and popular. Audiences packed the halls where he did public lectures and readings. His favorite way to prepare for these evening events was to spend the day drinking a pint of champagne, as well as generous servings of rum, cream, and sherry with eggs beaten into the mix. I don’t have a problem with that—whatever works, right?—but I suggest a different approach for your upcoming appointments with greater visibility and prominence. Like what? How about sexy meditations on the gratitude you feel for your expanding possibilities? How about fun fantasies focusing on how you’ll use your increased clout? PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his upcoming book The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, John Koenig proposes that we begin using “monachopsis,” a word he coined. He defines it as follows: “the feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach—lumbering, clumsy, easily distracted, huddled in the company of other misfits, unable to recognize the ambient roar of your intended habitat, in which you’d be fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home.” Even if you have spent too much time lately experiencing monachopsis, my dear, I predict this malaise will soon dissipate and give way to an extended phase of being fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home. ■
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn businessman Howard Hughes (1905–1976) had great success early in his life. Working as a film director and aviation pioneer, he became a wealthy philan-
Homework. Tell me your three most brilliant and useful opinions. Go to FreeWillAstrology.com.
ton. It’s doesn’t work on all men, sadly, but for many men a little pressure on this button can speed up an approaching orgasm considerably. While this button isn’t hard to find, STIFFED, you can’t see it with the naked eye… because it’s inside a guy’s ass. The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that produces seminal fluid; it’s located inside and up a man’s bum. If you’re facing your boyfriend—which you would be while blowing him—his prostate the same side of his body that you are. Slip a finger in his ass, make a gentle “come here” motion with your finger, and you’ll be hitting that button. Keep gently pressing on his prostate as his orgasm approaches and you should feel it harden, swell, and contract.
But you’re gonna need to get your boyfriend’s consent before sticking a finger in his ass, STIFFED, which means you’re gonna have to talk to him about trying this—and I think you should level with him about why you wanna try it. You don’t frame it as a problem (“You take too long!”) but it isn’t a problem. He has amazing stamina, right? And while that stamina is great during PIV (you always come first), it’s a challenge when you blow him. Figuring out what you can do to get him there a little faster without making him feel rushed is something you should be able to talk about. You need to be able to talk honestly with your partner about sex in general, STIFFED, and it’s particularly important that you’re able to freely give
MAY 20, 2021
him feedback when sex is physically uncomfortable. While there’s an obvious upside for you to speeding up his orgasms during oral, e.g. less wear and tear on your face, there are two big upsides for him: you’re gonna get him there faster by making blowjobs more intensely pleasurable for him and he’s gonna get more of those more of those more intensely pleasurable blowjobs once they’re less physically taxing for you. And if a finger in the butt is a no-go for your boyfriend (or you), STIFFED, there are some other tricks you can try. Some guys get there a little faster during oral if you cup, squeeze, or gently pull on their balls; some guys get there a little faster if you play with their nipples (or they play with their own). And you can always use your hands to speed things along, i.e. pull his dick out of your mouth, give him a few good pumps, get him a closer to the finish line, and then dive back down on his dick.
Basically, there are women out there who need the “shaft” of the clitoris stimulated in order to come— not the exposed glans, but the majority of the clitoris, which is inside the body. The sensations provided by a powerful vibrator is the best and, for some women, the only way to hit their shafts with the sensations required to get them off. So my advice… after all these years… is to finally learn to love “it.” Invite your wife to incorporate “it” into your sex sessions; don’t make the mistake (or continue making the mistake) of forcing her to choose between sex with you that don’t get her all the way there and masturbation sessions with “it” that do. Let her use “it” on/with herself when you’re having intercourse and ask if you can use “it” on/with her when you’re not, e.g. every once in a while leave your dick out of it and focus on your wife’s pleasure. Hopefully you’ll come to see “it” as an extension of your body when “it” is in your hands and as your loyal wingman when “it” is in hers. Good luck and happy anniversary.
Stop trying to compete with “it.” Sex is not a competition, VIBEQ, and “it” is not your competitor. “It” is a tool, VIBES, and “it” could and should be your friend and collaborator instead of your nemesis. First, your wife is not broken and her clit does not have addiction issues. Your wife is most likely one of the many women out there who can only come with the help of a vibrator. Some women (and some other people with clits) need sustained deep-tissue vibrations in order to get off. Remember: Dicks and clits are made up of the same starter-pack of fetal tissues; a dick is a big clit, a clit is a small dick. But most of the clit—the “shaft” of the clit, e.g. the erectile tissues and chambers that anchor the exposed glans of clit to the body—is internal. You probably haven’t seen many men jerk off, VIBES, but I have. Some men (and other people who have penises) focus all of their efforts on the heads of their cocks—working the glans—while others barely touch the head and focus most of their efforts on the shaft.
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the house sometimes. I’m wondering if we still refer to a guy dressing in women’s clothes as a “cross-dressing” or is it now just “wearing a dress”? Is there a more modern term/name? Cross-dressing feels derogatory for some reason. We have no intention of trying to change his behavior but I’d like to use the right words if he wants to talk about it. —Demonstrating Respect Exposes Sincere Support
No one is more up to date on the right words than the word cops at GLAAD, which used to stand for the “Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation” and now just stands for GLAAD… because coming up with a catchy acronym that incorporated B (bisexual), T (trans), Q (queer), Q again (questioning), A (asexual), A again (ally), I (intersex), 2S (twospirited), P (pan), P again (polyamorous), K (kink), etc., etc., prompted several dozen supercomputers to threaten suicide if they weren’t immediately reassigned to bitcoin-farming duties. Anyway, DRESS, GLAAD says the term “cross-dressing” is fine: “While anyone may wear clothes associated with a different sex, the term cross-dresser is typically used to refer to men who occasionally wear clothes, makeup and accessories culturally associated with women.” GLAAD recommends people use “cross-dressing” instead of “transvestite” and notes that most cross-dressers identify as both male and straight and My wife and I just celebrated our 34th anniversary. For “have no desire to transition and/or live full-time as the first year it was great. We shared many intimate women.” But your son is only 15 years old; he may be a moments. But on her 26th birthday (33 years ago!) My son, a 15-year-old straight guy, occasionally enjoys straight male cross-dresser, DRESS, or he may be exshe got “it.” A vibrator. Ever since I feel like I’ve been ploring his gender identity under the guise of wearing bumped down to a distant fourth in our relationship. Her dressing in girls’ clothing. When he was little it was his sister’s tutus and painting his nails. These days he dresses for laughs. Give him time, give him space. And priorities: family, job, “it,” then me. She thinks everydoes it more to be funny. I have noticed, however, that just as you’re keeping an open mind about your child’s thing is fine and that we’re soul mates, friends, lovers, once the joke is over he keeps the makeup and dress on gender identity, DRESS, I would encourage you to keep etc., but I feel like her lowest priority. I’ve read articles longer and longer. This has never bothered me or his an open mind about his sexual orientation. My mom where women can be become addicted to these devices, dad. We don’t encourage or discourage it. We have never thought I was straight when I was 15 years old and look essentially snubbing their significant others. I know it’s gendered things in our very liberal house (no girls/boys how that turned out. complicated, but what can I do to win her back? I’ve tried romancing her but I always competing with “it” for toys, etc.). He is a pretty open kid with friends across the spectrum of sexual and gender identities so I don’t intimate attention. How many others have been remail@savagelove.net get the feeling he would hide it if he is struggling with placed by “it” in their relationships? What can I do? Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage gender issues. I think he just likes to wear a dress around —Vanquishing “It” Becomes Essential Quest savagelove.net
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ACROSS “Yep, took care of it!” 8 King-like, in a way 15 Turn into a cliché 16 Wrongly 17 City transport, redundantly 18 Most common mineral in the human body 19 Severe 21 Court proceedings 22 Gentle, mild-mannered sort 26 Gets one’s feet wet? 28 Goes (for) 29 Eel, on a menu 31 Ring thing 33 Warm-up time for pro athletes 37 ___ Jima 38 “I’m back” 40 G.I. with stripes 41 On a need-to-know basis 43 One of the sisters on TV’s “Braxton Family Values” 45 It’s a start 46 A ways away 47 Astronaut Cooper as portrayed in “The Right Stuff” 49 Camping pests 53 Bell Biv DeVoe or Bananarama 54 Pale as a ghost 55 Happy, as bygone days 1
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