Tucson arts and culture / ZOCALOMAGAZINE.COM / march 2013
index March 2013
05. Arts 09. Events 12. Film 16. Community 32. Food&Drink 36. Tunes 46. Life in Tucson
on the cover
Light Above, oil on board, by internationally recognized Tucson artist, Shana M. Zimmerman. See more of Shana’s work at ShanaZimmerman.com or contact her at shanazimmerman@gmail.com. Special thanks to Rachael Diane Redman.
Zócalo Magazine is a hyper-local independent media organization, focusing on Tucson’s arts and culture.
PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Olsen COPY EDITOR Amanda Frame-Wawro CONTRIBUTORS Marisa Bernal, Andrew Brown, Jon D’Auria, Emily Gindlesparger, Jamie Manser, Hannah McCain, Jared McKinley, Phoenix Michael, misterpaulfisher, Miguel Ortega, CJ Shane, Herb Stratford, Teya Vitu. LISTINGS Marisa Bernal, listings@zocalotucson.com PRODUCTION ARTISTS Troy Martin, David Olsen
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Artist’s Book by Mary Jane Henley, Nancy LaMott Solomon Endowment
Artists’ Books
Artist’s Book by Nadia Hlibka, Nancy LaMott Solomon Endowment
by CJ Shane
They don’t usually look like the books you see on library or bookstore shelves. They may or may not be made of paper, and they may or may not have words on their pages. In fact, they may not have what we typically think of as pages. Many seem more like a sculpture than a book. They are unique works of art, and they are called “artists’ books”. Visitors to Tucson Festival of Books have an opportunity to see and hold in their hands original artists’ books in an exhibit at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections during the festival. The artists’ books were all created by members of Tucson’s PaperWorks: The Sonoran Collective for Paper and Book Artists. PaperWorks is co-sponsoring this exhibit with the University’s Special Collections Library. The exhibit will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 9 and 10, from 10 am to 5 pm in the Special Collections reading room only a few steps away from the Festival’s booths on the University of Arizona campus mall. Special Collections Librarian Roger Myers notes that “Artists’ books are an important type of publication. They are books produced by artists, and we look at those differently.” He says that the University Libraries’ Special Collections has been co-sponsoring this exhibit with PaperWorks now for three years. Myers will give a talk on Sunday, March 11, at 2 pm in the Special Collections reading room which he describes as an introduction to artists’ books. He will discuss also some of his personal favorites. Tucson artist and PaperWorks member Nancy Solomon has made an especially important contribution to the development of this annual exhibition of artists’ books at the book festival. “We exhibited artists’ books the first year in a tent out on the mall,” she says. That was four years ago. After that experience, Solomon realized that “We needed a place where people could have the experience of handling an artist’s book,” and a tent wasn’t the best place for that. “So I got the idea of collaborating with Special Collections.” The artists’ books exhibit has been in the Special Collections reading room for the past three years. Solomon’s contribution will continue on into the future as well. She has established an endowment to support purchase of artists’ books for the University’s Special Collections Library, the Nancy Demott Solomon Endowment. Librarian Myers says, “It’s really good to have a fund. It ensures we can continue collecting artists’ books.” Although there are artists’ books in the UofA’s Poetry Center and Center for Creative Photography, the largest collection at the University of Arizona is in Special Collections Library. It numbers about 2,000 artists’ books. Nancy Solomon’s endowment is consistent with her life-long interest in artists’ books. “I’ve been making artist’s books all my life. I have some that
I made as a child. When I was doing a master’s program in printmaking at West Virginia University, the teacher was interested in artists’ books, and that’s when I realized my own interest.” Several of Solomon’s artist’s books are in University of Arizona collections. According to artist Anita Rankin, a PaperWorks member and organizer of this year’s exhibit, the 2013 exhibit includes more than 60 artists’ books. “The Nancy LaMott Solomon Endowment is providing a $500 purchase award this year,” adds Rankin. “And there will be two $200 purchase awards provided by PaperWorks. These awards will be chosen by the staff of the Special Collections Library. Those artists’ books will become part of the Special Collections permanent collection.” Artists’ books are chosen for purchase based on factors such as “content, how the book is constructed, of materials used, and how it fits in with other artists’ works,” says Librarian Myers. Along with the PaperWorks members’ artists’ books, a small collection of previously purchased artists’ books will also be shown. Rankin adds that PaperWorks members will be “demonstrating and helping the general public to make a simple fold-up book at the exhibit.” There will be a special table set up in the Special Collections reading room where you can try your hand at making your own artist’s book. Bobbie Wilson, PaperWorks president, says that the group was founded in 2001 with a charter membership of 40. Now PaperWorks has more than 200 members working in different art media that all involve paper: papermaking, book arts, photography, painting and drawing, and printmaking. There will be PaperWorks members at the Special Collections exhibit to answer questions about the group and about artists’ books. And Wilson reminds us that PaperWorks will also have a tent booth on the mall (space 335) where PaperWorks artists will be showing and selling art works made of paper. What should we look for when visiting the exhibit and handling the artists’ books? Librarian Myers says, “Just come with open eyes and enjoy what the book tells you. The books are a little different, constructed differently, not what you necessarily are accustomed to. These books are very delightful and sometimes challenging to look at.” Solomon adds, “I think they should realize that it’s a book that it can be handled. It’s an intimate form.” Learn more about the University of Arizona Special Collections Library at speccoll.library.arizona.edu and PaperWorks at paperworks.info. March 2013 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 5
Z arts
Birds, Trolls & Pachyderms
“March of the Lunatic” by Gary Aagaard. Oil on canvas.
Sundry Styles Showing at Contreras Creative magic happens in the back room of Contreras Gallery. In a space that can’t be any more than six feet wide and twelve feet long, Neda and E. Michael Contreras work. Neda paints vibrantly colored still life oils on canvas. Mr. Contreras, a silversmith, fashions and repairs jewelry; he is also a painter and additionally produces pen and ink pieces. For the Tucson natives, who met and married in the mid-70s, art is their lives. In addition to running the gallery, Neda curates the shows and they both hang the exhibits. Hanging the work proportionally with an aesthetic flow in a small space is not an easy task, but the artists have demonstrated a critical eye for layout within the two rooms’ confines. The exhibits rotate monthly, Neda explains, “The artists come to us. We’ve been involved in the arts community for years and we were both members of Raices Taller (a local non-profit arts collective).” The couple opened Contreras Gallery and Jewelry in 2008. “We were looking downtown, and noticed this place was vacant,” Mr. Contreras recalls. “It fits our needs; it’s just us two here.” The gallery is a bright and cozy nook with the requisite high ceilings in the Historic Arts Warehouse District, a Tucson treasure that is easily discoverable at its 110 E. 6th St. locale during First Saturday Art Walks. This month, Contreras Gallery and Jewelry hosts the “3 Sum In 2-Son” exhibit with pieces by the gallery owners and Gary Aagaard. It showcases 6 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
by Jamie Manser Neda’s bird series, paintings that are years in the making, along with work by E. Michael and Aagaard’s sociopolitical art. Neda’s bird series is intriguing; canvases saturated with color bisected by deep blue backgrounds and foregrounds that pop with vivid plants, vegetables and, of course, the winged ones. Most are oriented horizontally but one, “The Red Balloon,” is a vertical painting with a fantastical grouping of subjects and critters that makes you wonder what they are up to. She looks at it and remarks, “It’s like a dream or something.” In stark contrast to her work, E. Michael’s “The Troll Bridge” is a haunting, dark, wintery and intricate (250 hours worth!) pen and ink depiction of the Billy Goats Gruff tale. Aagaard’s art rounds out the show. His “March of the Lunatic” will be on display; a delightfully searing commentary on radical Republicans tearing apart Washington D.C. Liberals will love the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man/Newt Gingrich thundering behind a stampeding herd of pachyderms with a macabre sneer on his horribly evil face. It’s good stuff. “3 Sum In 2-Son” opens on March 2, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., during First Saturday Art Walks. The show, at 110 E. 6th St., continues through March 30. Find more details at ContrerasHouseFineArt.com or by calling 398-6557.
Z arts
Top: Odaiko Sonora is a Taiko/ Japanese drumming ensemble performing at 2nd Saturdays March 9. Right: Gabriel Ayala performs “JazzMenco” - a fusion of jazz and flamenco.
Philabaum Glass Gallery and Studio
by Herb Stratford
Glass Art The Philabaum Glass Gallery and Studio is hosting a show of work by Michael Joplin and Mark Abildgaard through April 13. Joplin’s works are large glass platters featuring etched vintage nude studies in black and white. Mark Abildgaard’s work is cast glass forms that take the shape of both totems and quartz-like vessels in a variety of colors. Together the artists display the amazing diversity and beauty of contemporary glass art. Philabaum Gallery is located at 711 South Sixth Avenue and is open Tuesday through Saturday 10am – 5pm. Visit PhilabaumGlass.com for more information.
Opera Arizona Opera’s 2012-2013 season is drawing to a close, with just two more operas to experience. This month “Il Trovatore” will take the stage on March 9 and 10 at the Tucson Music Hall. The opera features rivals in love with the same woman, mistaken identity, a burning at the stake—literally something for everyone in the audience. Made famous by its inclusion in other cultural touchstones such as the Marx Brother’s “A Night at the Opera,” the 1853 Verdi classic has not been performed in Arizona in 20 years. Tickets and more information are available at AZOpera.org.
Theatre The Neil Simon classic “The Sunshine Boys” will take the stage at the Temple of Music and Art from March 2 to 23. Arizona Theatre Company’s production, of the much-beloved Broadway darling, follows a pair of comedy partners who are reuniting for a show the public can’t wait for, but can they stand each other long enough to make it work? Hailed as one of Neil Simon’s best plays, the story of relationships, time and reconciliation rings true today just as well as it did when it was first staged in 1972. If you only know the story from the 1975 film starring George Burns and Walter Matthau, you owe it to yourself to see the original work. Visit Arizonatheatre.org for tickets and showtimes.
Film There are two films of note to not miss this month at Loft Cinema. The excellent documentary “West of Memphis” opens on March 1 and tells the story of the three young men wrongly imprisoned for a murder they did not commit. Also debuting this month is “War Witch,” which tells the story of a kidnapped 12 year-old African girl who is forced to become a rebel fighter with devastating consequences. This film opens March 22, and is one of my top movies so far in 2013.
Less Fences
2nd Saturdays returns to Congress by Jamie Manser With springtime comes new life, refreshed energy and opportunities to grow again after the winter chill. Downtown’s monthly event is embracing spring’s rejuvenation and the evolution and (mostly) re-opening of Congress Street, which has been closed down for almost a year. Since last April, the event turned south to Jackson Street in order to keep hosting its vendors, children’s area and free film screenings when Congress’s sidewalks were squeezed in by streetcar construction and its required fencing. However, this month sees 2nd Saturdays going back to energizing Downtown’s main strip with the relocation of the kids’ area and Fire Truck Adventure Zone to the Old Pueblo Parking lot, 25 E. Congress St., where the movie “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” is being shown. Also look for music at the Ronstadt Transit Center and new venue T.O.P. (located at the top of the Pennington Street Garage, 110 E. Pennington St.) with classic rock and blues music performed by The Bluerays. The outdoor stage on Scott Avenue is showcasing an international array of styles with Taiko (Japanese Ensemble Drumming) by Odaiko Sonora starting at 5 p.m., the Walia music of Gertie N The T.O. Boyz at 6 p.m. and Gabriel Ayala’s classical, jazz and flamenco guitar work at 7:30 p.m. Santa Pachita wraps up the night with Latin reggae, ska and rock in Español from 9 p.m. to 10:15 pm. Besides the music and sidewalk performances, food choices abound with local restaurants and street vendors ready to serve up dinner or snacks, artisan vendors, plus the addition of horse-drawn carriage rides. Sports fans can also check out the Old Pueblo Gran Prix bicycle criterium plus FC Tucson street soccer. Congress Street is still closed from 4th Avenue/Toole to 5th Street and west of Church Avenue. 2nd Saturdays is from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. Details at 2ndSaturdays.com. March 2013 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 9
photo courtesy of Gabriel Ayala
Photo by PJ McArdle
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Z events
Moctoberfest promises a raucous, vaudevillian spectacle by Emily Gindlesparger
Like scientists at an experiment, performers stretch a tightrope wire over a Tesla coil. When the artists take to the wire voltage surges through them, sparking off their fingertips. “The tightrope is connected to the coil so there are arcs coming off the metal coil they’re on and it’s feeding through their bodies and what they’re wearing, so they’re just kind of a moving conductor across this wire,” explains Ruben Palma, the mad scientist behind the second annual Moctoberfest, a Hoegaarden-styled beer carnival where this performance will feature. The next undertaking is developing a cage connected to the Tesla coil, so festival-goers can be at the center of a lightning storm. “The outside back area is going to be a theater with an aerial truss. Instead of a side show, we’re going to make feature pieces with a big main stage, use some of our trussing and gear to highlight our arsenal of staging equipment. We’re going to make an elevated front house, build a tower, and make some shade structures up. It’ll be like a big arena with a main stage and a side stage, and we’ll feature duets and solos in between the acts, so there’s more of a circus feel.” Flight School acro-yogis will be on stage folding and unfolding, aerialists and acrobats will be suspended in the evening sky, with live music weaving through every scene. Steel drums, funk, gypsy music, djembes, and even an act combining beat boxing, Native American flute, and hip hop rhymes will all thread into the sound of the festival. Into the night, Palma is proposing an open fire jam for musicians and fire dancers to collaborate on spontaneous performances. “What worked well was the diversity of acts,” Palma says of the last Moctoberfest, and this year’s lineup keeps pushing the envelope. Daytime attractions will lean more toward the vaudevillian, with clog dancers beating on the courtyard, hula hoopers, African dancers, mustachioed men, local food carts, chili flavored cotton candy, and a slide and jumping castle for kids. “It was really fun for the families to come hang out, parents got to let loose,” Palma explains. And there will be a dunking tank, for which “we’re looking for people to step up who love All Souls or who are Tucson celebrities or Tucson infamous.” Palma says “their fans will love them for it.” (He’s hoping to get Mayor Rothschild.) Workshops, lessons and performances will run in tandem for participants to become part of the exhibition. It wouldn’t be an Oktoberfest – however mock – without the beer. With brew donated by Cosmic Beer in Flagstaff, the proceeds go to Many Mouths One Stomach, the organization that pays for Tucson’s increasingly popular All Souls Procession. The great experiment of funding the ritual spectacle of All Souls with the raucous spectacle of Moctoberfest has been modestly successful so far. “It’s a way to make money in a fun way instead of asking for money,” Palma explains. “Helping communities give back and have a good time, that’s our mantra for Moctoberfest.” This year the entry fee is dropping down to $5, which will hopefully draw an even bigger crowd than last year’s, about 300 strong. Whether you’re an artist, musician, beer lover, contortionist, or just love to let your hair down in our city, come to Mercado San Agustín and fuel the revelry.
Moctoberfest Saturday, March 30th Mercado San Agustin 100 S. Avenida del Convento Noon to midnight, $5 Moctoberfest.com moctoberfestival@gmail.com 520-203-1093 10 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
Z film
El Lenguaje de los Machetes/Machete Language, screens Saturday, March 23, 7pm at Harkins Theatres
Tucson Cine Mexico Film Festival Delivering An Ultimate Film Combination Platter For 2013 by Herb Stratford The 8th Annual Tucson Cine Mexico Film Festival, which brings the best films in contemporary Mexican Cinema to town, will have its most eclectic line up ever when it debuts March 20-24. The festival, presented in partnership by the Hanson Film Institute at the University of Arizona, the Ambulante Documentary Film Festival and the Cinema Tropical Film Festival, presents a diverse group of films that may otherwise go unseen in the United States for lack of a distributor. This year the range of films includes a romantic comedy, a horror/comedy, documentaries, shorts and important narrative features from established and up-and-coming filmmakers. This year the festival is presenting its first award, the Tucson Cine Mexico Jaguar Award to the film that most impacted the festival’s producers long after the film unspooled. The inaugural award is being presented to “El Lenguaje de los Machetes/Machete Language” by Kyzza Terrazas. The film is a modern-day Mexican “Sid and Nancy” with a odd couple who found each other while figuring out the meaning of love, and what one is willing to do for it. Tucson Cine Mexico director Vicky Westover said the film left her and others “thinking long afterward about the nature of love and relationships. It was a powerful film from a new voice in Mexican filmmaking.” Another film of note, “Después de Lucía/After Lucia” was Mexico’s official entry into this year’s Academy Awards. It tells the story of a distraught family struggling to fit into a new town following a tragedy and relentless bullying of their teenage daughter. Westover said that the festival is truly a “curated” affair with selections 12 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
being made both for their artistic quality, as well as the notion that there is a desire to screen films that may not be otherwise seen in the U.S. In addition to these screenings, the festival has arranged for post-screening Q & A sessions with directors and actors of most films. Even if you could see the films at home, the festival is a great way to interact with the filmmakers and stars of the films. Westover is also excited about the screening of “Colosio: El Asesinato/Colosio: The Assasination,” a fictional thriller which tells the story of the killing of the heir apparent to former Mexican President Carlos Salinas. The story details potential conspiracy-loaded theories as to who was behind the act and the investigation into it. The film has built a strong buzz in Mexico and was a box office success there when it was released. Colosio was from Sonora, Mexico, lending a local connection to the movie for many Tucsonans who followed the headlines from this side of the border. Two short films will also be shown this year with connections to the Hanson Film Institute, as well as a panel discussion about the representation of indigenous people in Mexican films that will lead off the festival at the Center for Creative Photography on March 20 at 6pm. All films are free and open to the public, and will take place at either the Harkins Spectrum 18 Theatres on I-19 or at the downtown Fox Tucson Theatre. All films are also subtitled, so there is no need to worry about losing anything in translation. For more information on the festival, its films and special events, visit TucsonCineMexico.org.
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Photo courtesy of LoftCinema.com
film Z
"The ABC's Of Death" screens at The Loft Cinema on Fri, Mar 8.
film listings Cinema La Placita La Placita Village, 110 S. Church Ave. Thursdays at 7:30pm, $3 suggested donation. CinemaLaPlacita.com The Loft Cinema 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. 795-7777 (show times recording), 322-LOFT, LoftCinema.com Times and admissions vary. Dates indicate first date of movie run. Fri 1: First Friday Shorts, West of Memphis, A Place at the Table Tue 5: Tucson Lunafest 2013 Thu 7: The Waiting Room Fri 8: Happy People: A Year in the Taiga, The ABC’s of Death Fri 15: Let My People Go, Caesar Must Die, Koch Sat 16: The Loft Cinema Farmer’s Market Thu 21: Nairobi Half Life Fri 22: War Witch Fri 22: The Sheik and I Sun 24: A Woman Under The Influence Thu 28: Play Again Fri 29: The Gatekeepers, On The Road, Trapped in the Closet Sing-ALong Fox Theatre 17 W. Congress St. Admission is $6-$8. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org Sat 23: BANFF Mountain Film Festival 2013 Sun 24: BANFF Mountain Film Festival 2013 Sat 30: The Big Lebowski Pima County Public Libraries 594-5500, Library.Pima.Gov Fri 1: Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American (Joyner-Green Valley) Mon 11: Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American ( Himmel Park) Fri 15: Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American (Oro Valley) Mon 25: Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American (Mission) Wed 27: Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American (Valencia)
Superheroines Superheroines Superheroines Superheroines Superheroines
The Screening Room 127 E. Congress St. 882-0204, AZMac.org/Scroom See the website Voices of Opposition UA’s Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Building, 1130 N. Mountain Ave. VoicesOfOpposition.com
“Catnip: Egress To Oblivion” Wows at Sundance by Herb Stratford Tucson filmmaker Jason Willis’ journey to indie credibility reached an apex of sorts with the recent Sundance Film Festival screening of his short film “Catnip: Egress To Oblivion.” Willis, who grew up on a steady diet of low budget educational films in his home in Kansas, has become a sought-after freelance filmmaker with clients including the band Heavy, who hired him for their video of the song “Can’t Play Dead.” That video featured Willlis’ signature stop motion animation created on an iPhone blended with vintage Halloween imagery drawn from vintage sources. His commercial work, which he described as “ephemeral, and of a specific genre” enables him to bring the “iconography of another era to modern audiences who may not be familiar with the source material”, by using the old classroom educational films he so masterfully spoofs in “Catnip”, for example. At this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, his short film played to full houses in three screenings in front of a Roger Corman produced film titled “Virtually Heroes.” This double bill was a unique opportunity that left fest audiences cheering. The seven minute-long short film examines the effects of catnip, through the prism of the infamous anti-narcotic educational films of the 70s. Presented in monotone narration and featuring odd scientists, trippy visuals and cat testimonials, the film was a hit in all of its screenings in late January at the Festival. The film had its genesis as a self-assignment to help Willis learn an editing program. Three weeks later he submitted the film to the Loft Cinema’s First Friday Shorts where it won after a heated battle. It played next at the AZ Underground Film Festival and then was accepted to the AFI Fest in Los Angeles where it caught the eye of Sundance programmers. The film is now on its way around the country to other film fests, and Willis is still in awe of what has happened with his film. Shot with a Canon 5D Mark III, and costing just $25 (for catnip, or is it called craft services?), the film was a labor of love with friends’ cats providing the onscreen talent for the 3 week shoot. Since its debut on YouTube the film has chalked up over 400,000 views. This total was enough (by over 100,000) to win the short film a coveted Sundance audience award, beating the closest competitor by over 100,000 views. While collecting cheers from audiences, Willis also attracted some scorn from other filmmakers who saw the cat video as less than serious fare, however the winning combination of cats, the internet and drugs is hard to beat. Ironically, some viewers are taking issue with his depiction of psychotropic drugs as a serious condemnation of their benefit, but honestly, the film depicts talking cats and trippy imagery, mixed with expert testimony from authors of imaginary studies. Willis says the film is “95% factual” and stands by his version of the story of catnip. He said he researched the substance extensively prior to writing the script (which the cats refused to follow) and found little conclusive evidence to its evils or benefits. Much like the educational films of our youth, we are left to draw our own conclusions about the benefits of a cat’s best friend—catnip. “Catnip:Egress To Oblivion” can be seen on YouTube. March 2013 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 15
The Herbert Urban living for Gen Y, empty nesters and seniors by Teya Vitu
Z community Funny how the same space can serve low-income senior citizens for nearly 40 years and then, one year later, welcome jet-setting empty nesters and the young urban-oriented generation. That’s the intention, at any rate, for the former Armory Park Apartments, 211 S. 5th Ave. Last summer, about 130 low-income seniors lived there before moving to the new Sentinel Plaza on West Congress Street in September. Some time this summer, the 1973 structure will have a new look, new appliances, new fixtures, new windows, a new demographic niche and a new name: The Herbert, named for the little-used street along the building’s east side. The former Armory Park Apartments already have new owners: Holualoa Companies and Peach Properties acquired the eightstory, 144-unit structure on December 6, 2012. “The two largest demographics now are people over 55, empty nesters, and Gen Y,” said Anne Lawrence, asset manager at Holualoa. “That is a market that is underserved with housing. Empty nesters might want to rent space for the weekend. There is an emerging market for seniors renting apartments in two different cities.” Now they will have The Herbert for consideration. The fit is for the minimalist. The 106 studio apartments offer about 450 square feet and the 38 one-bedroom units measure about 600 square feet. “You have to think beyond the traditional living situation,” Lawrence said. “You’re 55. You retired. You have a choice. You could have a house. Or for half that, I can have a studio apartment in a couple of cities. It’s an emerging demographic.” The new kitchens will have maple cabinets, durable Corian counters, microwave ovens above the stoves, and onebedroom units will get dishwashers. The bathrooms have new toilets and walk-in showers. From inside and out, the most notable transformation will be with the windows. As is, the structure has a bit of an institutional look with threefoot-high bulging bulkheads between the windows on each level. Inside, that means the windows sit on a waist-high wall. The existing window scheme will be scrapped in favor of floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows for all apartments, which have higher-than-average 9-foot-high ceilings. From the outside, The Herbert essentially will have a glass wall. Some test windows on the 12th Street side give a small sense of this window wall future. “You take out the stucco bulkheads, that makes a huge difference,” said Ron Schwabe, owner of Peach Properties along with his wife, Patricia. “How can you modify the building to give a whole new look? Here it’s windows.” Schwabe has an innate passion for Downtown Tucson history, be it 40 years or 100 years. He partnered with Williams & Dame to redevelop the old Martin Luther King Jr. Apartments into the One North Fifth Apartments. Schwabe noted Armory Park and MLK had the same architect. Peach also owns the 119 E. Toole Ave. warehouse with Borderlands Brewing, the 1 E. Toole warehouse once known as Zee’s Warehouse, the Old Market Inn 16 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
building now home to EXO Roast Co., the 299 S. Park Ave. building in the Lost Barrio with the Peach Properties office and Tooley’s Café, and 17 small apartment complexes scattered near Downtown. Holualoa bought the 11-story Pioneer Building in 2005 and added the blue tilted façade building (US Bank) at 1 E. Congress St. in 2007. Holualoa owns nine apartment complexes around Tucson but none have the urban dimensions of The Herbert. “We own mid-rise apartment buildings in other cities,” said Mike Kasser, president of Holualoa, which has its headquarters on Skyline Road. “I’ve always looked at mid-rise apartment buildings and the dearth of them in this city.” With other Holualoa offices in Phoenix, Hawaii, Paris and Geneva, Switzerland, Kasser has come to understand what appeals to empty nesters and young singles in the early 21st century. “If people had walkability, where they can walk and have stores and buy stuff, the whole thing gets denser,” Kasser said. “People like that, especially younger people and older people. Older people don’t want to live in the boonies. It’s a type of living a lot of people like.” About nine months ago, Schwabe and Kasser attended a reception at the University of Arizona Downtown at Stone Avenue and Pennington Street. Afterward, Schwabe took Kasser for a walk around the east end of Downtown and got to the property Schwabe owns at Broadway and 5th Avenue. They wandered the one block south to the Armory Park Apartments, then still inhabited by senior citizens. “He knew more about it and brought it to my attention,” Kasser said. “When we found out this property would become available, a light bulb went off. Let’s do it.” Chicago-based Senior Housing Group bought the Armory Park Apartments in 2011 with the intention of transferring the federal Section 8 lowincome housing subsidies to the new Sentinel Plaza apartments on West Congress. Once the seniors moved from Armory Park to Sentinel Plaza, Senior Housing Group put the Armory Park Apartments on the market. The Herbert is the first co-ownership, co-development project for Peach and Holualoa and both find the partnership ideal. “It’s very collaborative,” Schwabe said. Kasser added that Schwabe and Lawrence make a good team. “We like to partner,” Kasser said. “We’re not developers. (Schwabe) has strong experience Downtown. He and Anne Lawrence work well together. Anne brings a lot to the table. She’s an ex-contractor.” Lawrence certainly is familiar with the Armory Park Apartments and the surrounding neighborhood. She chaired the Armory Park Neighborhood Association Board several times over the past 30 years. “There’s a huge market for people who want to be down here but not right on top of the streetcar,” Lawrence said. “You feel like you’re in the neighborhood. Could you imagine sitting up on the eighth floor and watching the monsoon come in. You can have monsoon parties.”
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community Z
Let the Games Begin
photo: Korionov
by Phoenix Michael
Video games have grown up considerably since the heady days of dark, cramped arcades. Back then, colorful cabinets tempted one’s quarters by offering quick rounds of “Space Invaders” and “Donkey Kong”. Electronic entertainment is these days far more epic. With the advent of home consoles came new tech, and video games adjusted accordingly. Today’s “Mass Effect 3” is a far cry indeed from “Pong”. Yet what of the social nature of the arcade? Although many modern games do feature online multiplayer capabilities, competing against others over the Internet is still essentially a solitary experience. Each player alone, holed up in his or her respective den clutching a controller and sending a carefully-crafted avatar into combat, hardly approximates the pleasantly unpredictable togetherness that gamers used to enjoy by gathering in their full geeky glory. Enter Clinton Lee, 24, who along with business partners Bryant Nieuwenhuis and Clayton Abernathy is melding today’s over-the-top plethora of gaming options with the open-door arcade sensibility of yore. Their threemonth-old venture at 1927 E. Grant Rd. is already becoming a hub for gamers hungry to interact in person as well as within the digital realms. Skinny Fingers Gaming Center opened on New Years Eve with a free event, says Lee. “We had a little party,” featuring a costume contest, prizes and gratis gaming on the PS3s, Xbox 360s and Wiis which fill the approximately 3000 square feet of space (formerly occupied by Starr Skates) across the street from Bookmans Entertainment Exchange. No less than thirty computers are also available here in this gaming mecca, and Lee enthusiastically shows off the labyrinthian 2000 feet of cable feeding into SFGC’s server. With “the highest-quality Internet possible” running through their own network, one can be confident any gaming session here will be
uninterrupted by technical hiccups. Parents shall be pleased to know that Skinny Fingers also boasts “security features” which control access to Mrated games. These quality assurance aspects have helped Skinny Fingers attract gamers from e-clubs at Catalina High School, the University of Arizona and elsewhere. Become a member for $25/month at SFGC, and enjoy affordable prices for 1-hour, 3-hour and all day passes. An intriguing concept of “competitive play” even exists among members, by which the leaders in a points bracket ranking system earn discounts on their gaming time. SFGC members also get one free day of game play a month, and half off all tournament entry fees. Skinny Fingers’ library of games includes older favorites and the latest releases. Game on! Skinny Fingers hosts a 5v5 League of Legends tournament on Friday, April 5; throw your hat into the ring for $15/pre-registration or $20/door. As “the world’s most played video game,” this popular MMO (massively multiplayer online) battle arena currently boasts 12 million players globally each day, so competition may be fierce. If Lee and company are able to organize twenty teams, the top prize will exceed $700. The real winners, of course, will be the players who Lee refers to as family. “Making friends,” he says, is the real goal. Along those lines SFGC supports the anti-bullying efforts of Rize Up Gaming, a nonprofit working to dissuade hatred, discrimination and prejudice among the gaming community. Skinny Fingers Gaming Center is open Mon.-Thurs. 11am-midnight, Fri.-Sat. 12pm-2am and Sun. 12pm-10pm. Wednesday is “Ladies Night,” so girls play free. While in the neighborhood, try Upper Crust Pizza or Karuna’s Thai Plate next door! Need more information? Find them online at SkinnyFingers.com and RizeUpGaming.com. March 2013 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 19
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community Z
Museums/Exhibits ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Power of Women’s Words, a collection of speakers, takes place Fri, Mar 8 from 6:30pm-8:30pm. $5, adults; $4 seniors & students, 12-18; free, children under 12 & first Saturday of the month. Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm. 949 E. 2nd St. 6285774, ArizonaHistoricalSociety.org
ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM
Art Institute Student Exhibition continues through Sat, Mar 9. Sea of Cortez opens Sat, Mar 16. Regularly: Desert flora and fauna, animal presentations, Raptor Free Flights, more. $14.50, adults; $5, children 6-12. Daily, 7:30am5pm. 2021 N. Kinney Rd. 883-1380, DesertMuseum.org
JEWISH HISTORY MUSEUM The Definitive Bi-
Indie Wheel
NEW COLUMN by Miguel Ortega
It happened 20 years ago on a beautiful spring Sunday morning in Tucson. I was riding my bike on 4th Avenue on my way to buy a loaf of bread or something to make breakfast at home. I had done that a hundred times as a young guy living near 4th Ave. No big deal. That particular morning, however, I was feeling it. I was really feeling it. As I peddled along a stretch of 4th Avenue I let my bike just slowly drift to the middle of the avenue. There wasn’t a car in sight, you see. The road was completely empty. Open. And it was absolutely quiet except for the occasional screen door closing or dog barking something in Sunday morning dog language. So, I was peddling just enough to keep the bike moving. Then, I slowly extended my arms out and leaned my head back to feel the sun on my face. Yup, I was that guy - no rush, nothing important on my mind, just gonna get that loaf of bread. Eventually. Maybe. Or some fruit. Whatever. At that moment, on that bike, along that avenue, even after doing it hundreds of times before on hundreds of Sunday mornings, it occurred to me how good it all felt. I had no consequences, no barriers, nothing stopping me from saying or doing anything. I was independent in the purest sense of the word because my choices were completely up to me and no one else. Today, my nostalgia for that perfect bike ride 20 years ago guides me more as a point of reference. It is where I click “home” when I try to make sense of the world. It guides my views on politics, commerce and the arts. Simply put, I have come to believe that independent thinking just makes everything better. Everything. Like adding chiltepin to your bowl of menudo, or getting that unexpected monsoon after a hike in late June. When you add indie values to something, that thing significantly improves. Think about it. The food we eat at locally owned restaurants is better because the owners tend to base their culinary choices on what we Tucsonans value and not what a corporate board member based in Chicago thinks is good and profitable enough for us. Locally produced art is better because the artists creating it strive to express something real that comes from their souls and not from a formula that fills art galleries or theater seats. And politicians tend to produce better policy when they shape their positions based on what they truly believe in, or on what their constituents want instead of what political machines or parties expect from them. And that is the perspective I will bring to my Indie Wheel commentaries. In my columns, I will: review plays and films, analyze what we are doing as a community to support our hometown economy, and celebrate moments of independent thinking by elected officials. You will quickly figure out my politics so I have no qualms about saying, for the record, that I am a registered Democrat. What kind? The kind of D that is pro-choice, supports gay marriage, detests the draconian policies of Phoenix politicians over the years, and so on. You get the idea. But make no mistake. I would much rather have an intelligent conversation with an independent thinking Republican than I would with a Democratic cheerleader that views politics more as a football game, supporting his team no matter what they do or say. So, in a nutshell, I look forward to bringing you my views on local commerce, politics and the arts from an indie values perspective. Let’s add a little chiltepin to the Old Pueblo and see what happens.
ography of the Jewish Woman Behind Wyatt Earp Lady at the O.K. Corral book release takes place Thu, Mar 7 at 7pm. Wed-Sun, 1pm-4pm.; Fri, 12pm-3pm. $5 nonmembers. Free for members. 564 S. Stone Ave. 6709073, JewishHistoryMuseum.org
MINI-TIME MACHINE MUSEUM
Small Scale Skirmishes: Battles from Imagination and Reality continues through April. Art of the Cosmos continues through Sun, Mar 24. 1st Thursdays, open until 8pm. Tue-Sat, 9am-4pm. $7, adults ($5 Thu); $6, seniors/military; $5, 4-17. 4455 E. Camp Lowell. 881-0606, TheMiniTimeMachine.org
POSTAL HISTORY FOUNDATION The Golden Age of Stamp Collecting continues through early March. Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm; Sat, 10am-2pm. Free. 920 N. 1st Ave., 623-6652, PostalHistoryFoundation.org
SO. AZ TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM
The Silver Spike Festival 3rd Anniversary of the Railroad to Tucson on Sun, Mar 17 at 9am. Tue-Thu & Sun, 11am3pm; Fri-Sat, 10am-4pm. 414 N. Toole Ave. 623-2223, TucsonHistoricDepot.org
TOHONO CHUL PARK
Artworks in Glass opens Fri, Mar 29. Paper: From All Sides continues through April. Daily events: Reptile Ramble, Eco-Station Walks, more. See the website for other events. Daily, 8am-5pm. $7, 13+; $5, 62+ & military; $3 students; $2 children. 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. 742-6455, TohonoChulPark.org
TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS
Butterfly Magic continues through April. Twilight Bridal Fair takes place Fri, Mar 8 from 5pm-7pm. Regular entry fees: $13, adults; $12 Student/ Military; $7.50, children 4-12, children 3 and under free. Daily, 8:30am-4:30pm (except holidays). 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 326-9686, TucsonBotanical.org
UA POETRY CENTER
Maps continues through Wed, April 17. Explores how poets use maps to create surprising and innovative explorations of space, place, and the passage of time. Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen St. 6263765, PoetryCenter.Arizona.Edu
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Photo courtesy of Pima Community College.
Photo courtesy of TheRogueTheatre.org
Z listings
“Metamorphosis” continues through Sun, Mar 17 at the Rogue Theatre.
Performances AZ FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC Festival Concert takes place Sun, Mar 17, Tue, Mar 19, Wed, Mar 20, Fri, Mar 22 and Sun, Mar 24. Festival Gala Dinner and Recital takes place Sat, Mar 23. TCC’s Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. 577-3769, ArizonaChamberMusic.org
AZ
ROSE
THEATRE
COMPANY
Magic Attic starring Illusionist Michael Howell takes place Sat, Mar 2 at 7pm. Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. 888-0509, ArizonaRoseTheatre.com
ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY
The Sunshine Boys shows Sat, Mar 2- Sat, Mar 23. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 884-8210, ArizonaTheatre.org
ARIZONA OPERA Il
Trovatore takes place Sat, Mar 9- Sun, Mar 10. TCC’s Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. 293-4336, AZOpera.com
ART.if.ACT
I Wonder If My Name Is Alice shows Fri, Mar 29- Sun, Mar 31. Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd. 621-1162, ArtIfActDanceProject
BEOWULF ALLEY THEATRE
The Pavilion continues through Sun, Mar 3. Lysistrata shows Fri, Mar 8- Sun, Mar 24. 11 S. 6th Ave. 882-0555, BeowulfAlley.org
“All Shook Up” continues through Sun, Mar 3 at the PCC Proscenium Theatre.
CARNIVAL OF ILLUSION
Shows weekends in March. See website for times and locations. Double Tree Tucson Hotel, 445 S. Alvernon Way. 615-5299, CarnivalOfIllusion.com
ODYSSEY
CHAMBER MUSIC PLUS Clark-Schuldmann
PCC ARTS
Duo takes place Sun, Mar 3 at 3pm. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 400- 5439, ChamberMusicPlus.org
FOX THEATRE
Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Tribute Show takes place Fri, Mar 1. “Too Jewish” Radio Live featuring Robert Klein takes place Sat, Mar 2. Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs Sun, Mar 3. Aaron Lewis performs Thu, Mar 7. Rhythm of the Dance takes place Fri, Mar 8. Classic Albums Live—Abbey Road shows Sun, Mar 10. Blues at the Crossroads takes place Fri, Mar 15. Suzy Bogguss performs Sat, Mar 16. Barbara Cook takes place Sun, Mar 17. The Mavericks perform Thu, Mar 21. Jesse Cook performs Wed, Mar 27. Booker T. Jones performs Fri, Mar 29. Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org
THE GASLIGHT THEATRE
Lone Stranger continues through Sun, Mar 31. Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. 886-9428, TheGaslightTheatre.com
INVISIBLE THEATRE
First Kisses continues through Sun, Mar 3. You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up premieres Sat, Mar 9. Invisible Theatre, 400 N. 1st Ave. 882-9721, InvisibleTheatre.com
LIVE
THEATRE
WORKSHOP
BORDERLANDS THEATER Bruja opens Thu,
Regrets Only continues through Sun, Mar 24. The Cemetery Club continues through Thu, Mar 28. The Brave Little Tailor continues through May. Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. 327-4242, LiveTheatreWorkshop.org
Mar 28. Cabaret Theater, 330 S. Scott. 882-7406, BorderlandsTheater.org
NOT BURNT OUT JUST UNSCREWED
BLACK CHERRY BURLESQUE/RAW Tantalizing burlesque performance on Fri, Mar 1 and Fri, Mar 15 at 8pm and 10pm. Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. 4th Ave. 882-0009, TucsonBurlesque.com
BROADWAY IN TUCSON Memphis
continues through Sun, Mar 3. Wicked premieres Wed, Mar 20. TCC’s Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. 903-2929, BroadwayInTucson.com
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The improv comedy troupe performs Fri, Mar 1; Fri, Mar 8, Fri, Mar 15 and Fri, Mar 22. See website for times and locations. 861-2986, UnscrewedComedy.com
STORYTELLING
SERIES
Not As Advertised shows Thu, Mar 7 at 6pm. $7. UA Museum of Art, 1031 Olive Rd. 730-4112, OdysseyStoryTelling.com All Shook Up continues through Sun, Mar 3. Pima Community College Wind Ensemble performs Thu, Mar 7. Pima Community College Chorale and College Singers Concert takes place Tue, Mar 5. PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Rd. Pima.edu/cfa
RHYTHM & ROOTS Sons of the Pioneers shows Sat, Mar 2. 2970 N. Swan Rd. RhythmandRoots.org
THE ROGUE THEATRE
Kafka’s Monkey and Metamorphosis continues through Sun, Mar 17. 738 N. 5th Ave. 551-2053, TheRogueTheatre.org
TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Mark and Millie perform Sat, Mar 2. Mednelssohn’s “Italian” takes place Sat, Mar 9- Sun, Mar 10. Markus Groh shows Sat, Mar 16. Pink Martini with TSO Pops! takes place Sat, Mar 16. Beethoven’s “Pastorale” takes place Fri, Mar 15 and Sun, Mar 17. TCC’s Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. 882-8585, TucsonSymphony.org
UA’S ARIZONA REPERTORY THEATRE Cymbeline continues through Sun, Mar 24. Tornabene Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Rd. 621-1162, web.cfa.arizona.edu/theatre
UA PRESENTS UA Dance performs Fri, Mar 1Sun, Mar 3. Menopause The Musical takes place Sat, Mar 2 - Sun, Mar 3. Academy St. Martine in Fields takes place Tue, Mar 5. Jazz at Lincoln Center shows Sun, Mar 9. Jim Belushi performs Mon, Mar 10. Barbara Cook performs Mon, Mar 17. Kathleen Battle performs Fri, Mar 22. Come to the Cabaret! shows Sat, Mar 23. Limon Dance Company performs Sun, Mar 24. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. 6213341, UAPresents.org
ZUZI! DANCE COMPANY Home Grown: Zuzi! Young Choreographer’s Showcase takes place Fri, Mar 22. On The Spot takes place Sat, Mar 23. Zuzi’s Little Theater, 738 N. 5th Ave. 629-0237, ZUZIMoveIt.org
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Z community
Sunshine Smiles on Broadway by Emily Gindlesparger
The Sunshine Mile revival started with a tour: last November, Demion Clinco from Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation found himself on Broadway Boulevard, organizing talks for the inaugural Modernist Week on the mid-Century modern architecture that populates a particular corridor of the boulevard. It was a spark of history that’s now revitalizing the business district. “This section of Broadway between Euclid and Country Club was born modern,” Clinco begins. The decades after World War II saw both an explosion in Tucson’s population and the birth of the Modernist era; the economy traveled east from downtown, using Broadway as its main thoroughfare and prominent, innovative architects in its construction. Now even in the midst of contemporary buck-saving commercial architecture, we’ve been left with so many modernist gems that the Arizona Preservation Foundation added the Sunshine Mile to its list of endangered historical places. They’re in danger of being forgotten and potentially erased by a long-standing proposal to widen the street and tear down encroaching buildings on its north side. Clinco walked our conversation through the buildings passed by and so seldom seen. Consider the Solot Plaza Building, which now houses It’s A Blast Gallery. Designed by Nicholas Sakeller in 1957, floor to ceiling windows glaze the entire storefront, capped by a cantilevered roof extending shade over the sidewalk, with an opening for one palm tree to grow through. The iconic Hirsch’s Shoes, commissioned by Mrs. David Hirsch
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in 1954 and still in family hands, has angular walls set with jutting display cases and a framed canopy. “It’s a really beautiful and classic mid-Century modern commercial storefront,” Clinco explains. “I think that’s such a great emblem of the whole corridor, that you have a business that’s highly specialized and they’ve managed to survive despite the chain shoe stores all over the city.” After the Modernist Week talks, business owners along the corridor started banding together to revive and promote the Sunshine Mile again, spearheaded by Monica Cook, owner of Deco. “I love the historical aspect of it and I’m thrilled with how quickly it’s become an active and cohesive business community,” she says. Her building is sandwiched next to the sprouting Haas Building, built in 1957 with a two-story glass facade and an open steel staircase inside. Its extending west wall now displays the Sunshine Mile mural, bright and evocative of the fifties heydays; a design conceived and painted by Jude Cook, Monica’s husband and owner of Cook & Company Signs. Jude also created a flier and printed merchant stickers with the new Sunshine Mile logo. “Since then many of the business owners have added their expertise,” Monica adds. “Jessica Shuman of Kismet wrote the press releases and serves on the Broadway Coalition and keeps in touch with the neighborhoods, Art Benavidez of Art Hair Studio created the website, Patricia Katchur of Yikes Toys developed the Facebook page, Larry Montoya of Caps and More plans to print Sunshine Mile tees. Since this area is under
community Z
PHOTOS, above and below: “Broadway Born Modern: A Guide to Tucson’s Modernist Sunshine Milie, Euclid to Country Club. Photos by Jude Ignacio & Geradine Vargas. Text by Demion Clinco and Andie Zelnio. Graphic Design by Andie Zelnio and Darci Hazelbaker. Printing by Arizona Lithographers. Courtesty of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation. Please contact the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation for a complete printed copy of this guide, www.preservetucson.org
threat to the possibility of the widening of Broadway in the future, several business owners – Rocco of Rocco’s and Michael Butterbrough of Inglis Florists – serve on the Broadway Citizen Task Force.” “What is most exciting is having a sense of community beyond myself and my business,” says Patricia Katchur, proprietress of Yikes Toys. “I love the idea of being in a defined area that offers a friendly approach to shoppers, bicyclists, walking, neighborhoods and history!” Fitting to its mid-Century surroundings, Katchur describes Yikes as “an eclectic blend of young, old and all in between,” a description that seems to echo down the street in other shops that are mixing vintage and contemporary. And banding together with these stores, Katchur says Yikes will “join in events to help make us a destination that has a fascinating history, past and present, and is very much a part of the Tucson community on many levels: including retail, architecture, 1950s culture and the rise of the suburbs and extension of the Tucson downtown and city limits.” On March 2nd, this collection of merchants will kick off reclaiming their Sunshine Mile name – a title that came out of a competition in 1953 with a $1,000 prize to describe the burgeoning corridor – with a festival. The unveiling of the Sunshine Mile mural will be accompanied by a trumpet soloist from Catalina Foothills Band playing – what else? – “On Broadway.” The Tucson Barbershop Men’s Chorus will rouse the Modern-
ist atmosphere. More than a dozen corridor businesses will be offering discounts, refreshments, and a scavenger hunt continuing through the month with prize gift certificates for winners of a drawing. Monica Cook sees the partnership unfolding into other events throughout the year: “a sunny mid-summer event,” a holiday boutique crawl, and the return of the Tucson Historical Preservation Foundation’s Modernist Week. “That iconography and that name is tied to that modern era,” Demion Clinco says. “We’re really starting to craft and cultivate a destination to shop in the middle of the city.” He hopes people will take a fresh look at Broadway Boulevard the next time they pass through. “This isn’t just a place in Tucson that’s kind of cool; this is a regional and state-wide asset. And as a region we should be finding resources to preserve and cultivate it.”
Sunshine Mile Opening festival, March 2nd Mural unveiling at 2610 E. Broadway, 12pm Specials, refreshments and demonstrations at participating businesses along Broadway from 12-5pm Visit SunshineMile.com or find Sunshine Mile on Facebook.
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“Parallel Unwinding” by Quetzally Hernandez Coronado shows as part of the “Idlefly” exhibit at the Porter Hall Gallery through Wed, Mar 20.
art Galleries/exhibits ATLAS Fine arts Albert Chamillard, an exhibition of works on paper created during the past year. Show runs through March. Wed-Thurs 11am-6:00pm, Fri-Sat, 11am-7pm. 41 S. 6th Ave. 622-2139
CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY The Making of the Jazz Loft Project: Archives as Resource and Wellspring continues through Sun, Mar 10. March Photo Friday takes place Fri, Mar 1. Film Screening: Different Drummers takes place Tue, Mar 19. Lola Alvarez Bravo: Rethinking the Archive takes place Fri, Mar 29. Lola Alvarez Bravo and the Photography of an Era continues through June. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm. 1030 N. Olive Rd. 6217968, CreativePhotography.org
CONRAD WILDE GALLERY
Eighth Annual Encaustic Invitational opens Sat, Mar 2 with a reception from 6pm-9pm. Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm. 439 N. 6th Ave. #171. 622-8997, ConradWildeGallery.com
CONTRERAS GALLERY
Gary Aagaard, Neda Contreras and E.M. Contreras create a 3-Sum in 2-Son Sat, Mar 2- Sat, Mar 30 with a reception Sat, Mar 2 from 6pm-9pm. Tues-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-4pm. 110 E. 6th St. 398-6557, ContrerasHouseFineArt.com
DAVIS
DOMINGUEZ GALLERY Magical Realist paintings by Susan Conway and abstract sculptures by John Davis continue through Sat, Mar 23. Paintings by Katherine Josten opens Thu, Mar 28. Tue-Fri, 11am-5pm; Sat, 11am-4pm.154 E. 6th St. 629-9759, DavisDominguez.com DEGRAZIA GALLERY IN THE SUN
Recycled Mixed Media by Tina Anderson shows Sun, Mar 10- Fri, Mar 22. Oil and Pencil on Canvas by Joanne Pregon opens Sun, Mar 24. Daily, 10am-4pm. 6300 N. Swan Rd. 299-9191, DeGrazia.org
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Photo courtesy of TucsonBotanical.org
Z listings
“Rand Carlson: Armed and Dangerous” at Wee Gallery
THE DRAWING STUDIO ARTcetera: Art Rum-
SACRED MACHINE
mage Sale takes place Sat, Mar 16 from 10am-12pm. The Journey Continues: Pat Frederick, Mikaela Quinn and Roberta Miller shows Sat, Mar 2- Sun, Mar 30 with a reception Sat, Mar 2 from 6pm-9pm. Tue-Sat, noon4pm. 33 S. 6th Ave. 620-0947, TheDrawingStudio.org
TEMPLE GALLERY Kate Breakey: Surveillance
ETHERTON GALLERY
Surface Tension continues through April. Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm. 135 S. 6th Ave. 624-7370, EthertonGallery.com
Thirteen, a small group invitational, continues through Sun, Mar 31. Wed-Fri, 5pm-8pm; Sat, 4pm-9pm; Sun, 3pm-6pm. 245 E. Congress St. 777-7403, SacredMachine.com
opens Fri, Mar 1. Mon–Fri, 10am-5pm. 330 S. Scott Ave. 624-7370, EthertonGallery.com
TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART
Sat, 11am-4pm and by appointment. 172 E. Toole St. 882-2160, GeorgeStrasburger.com
Wed, Fri, Sat: 10am-5pm; Thu: 10am-8pm; Sun, noon-5pm. $10, adults; $8, seniors; $5, students 13+; free, children under 12. Free to all the first Sunday of the month. 140 N. Main Ave. 624-2333, TucsonMuseumofArt.org
JOSEPH GROSS GALLERY
UA ART MUSEUM
GEORGE STRASBURGER GALLERY Thu-
Language of the Land: Popular Culture within Indigenous Nations and the New Wave of Artistic Perspectives continues through Fri, Mar 29. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 626-4215, CFA.arizona.edu/galleries
LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL GALLERY Rearranging The Sands continues through Fri, Mar 8. Wed 10:30am-5pm; Tue, Thu 10am-5pm; Fri 10am-3pm. 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 206-6942, Pima.Edu/cfa
OBSIDIAN GALLERY
Two Person Show continues through Sun, Mar 10. Obsidian Gallery, 410 N. Toole Ave., #120. 577-3598, Obsidian-Gallery.com
PHILABAUM GLASS GALLERY & STUDIO Cast & Cut continues through Sat, Apr 13 10am-5pm. Tue-Sat, 10am-5pm. 711 S. 6th Ave. 884-7404, PhilabaumGlass.com
PORTER HALL GALLERY Idlefly by Quetzally Hernandez Coronado continues through Wed, Mar 20. Windows: Scenes Observed, Remembered and Imagined opens Sun, Mar 23. $13, Adults; $7.50, Children 4-12; Free, Children 3 and younger. 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 326-9686, TucsonBotanical.org
Broken Desert—Land And Sea: Greg Lindquist, Chris McGinnis, Mary Mattingly and William Lamson continues through Sun, Mar 3. Fresh Paint previews Fri, Mar 15 from 9am-5pm with an Art Auction and Soiree’ on Sat, Mar 16 from 6pm-9pm. Tue-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun, noon-4pm. $5 adults; children/students/faculty, free. 1031 N. Olive Rd. ArtMuseum.arizona.edu
WEE Gallery
“Armed and Dangerous,” works by Rand Carlson, March 2nd - April 4. Reception: March 2nd 6-11pm. 439 N. 6th Avenue (At 6th & 6th), Suite #171. Gallery located inside OZMA Atelier. Thursday - Saturday 11am - 6pm 520.360.6024
WILDE MEYER GALLERY
Native and Modern continues through Wed, Mar 6. The Gem Show continues through Sat, Mar 2. Instant and Imaginary opens with reception on Thu, Mar 21 from 7pm-9pm. Southwest Trails and Travels opens Thu, Mar 7. Tucson and Beyond opens Thu, Mar 7. Mon-Fri, 10am5:30pm. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 3001 E. Skyline Dr. WildeMeyer.com
WOMANKRAFT ART GALLERY
Scenes From the Trails We Travel continues through Sat, Mar 30. 388 S. Stone Ave. 629-9976, WomanKraft.org
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march SAT 2 BAILE DE LAS FLORES
The 94th Baile de Las Flores: Dress in Fiesta style attire and enjoy rooms filled with music, dancing and entertainment. Proceeds benefit St. Luke’s Home, a non-denominational, licensed, assisted living facility for low-income, elderly Tucson residents. Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. Saint Andrews Drive. BaileDeLasFlores.org
SUN 3 MÖDA PROVOCATEUR Fashion and dinner fundraising event for Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 628-7223, SAAFModa.org
SAT 9 2ND SATURDAYS A monthly downtown festival down Congress. Scott Avenue Stage: Odaiko Sonora, Gertie N The T.O. Boyz and Gabriel Ayala. 4pm-10:30pm. Free. Congress Street, 2ndSaturdays.com
OLD PUEBLO GRAND PRIX
Arizona’s premier bike race in downtown Tucson. 5pm. Free to spectators. OldPuebloGrandPrix.com
Kidical Mass (also March 23)
Tucsonans of all ages and abilities are invited to gather at the Mercado San Agustín, 100 S. Avenida del Convento at 10:00 am for the first of two in a series of kid-friendly, safe, and fun “Kidical Mass” bicycle rides exploring area neighborhoods. For more information, please visit LivingStreetsAlliance.org.
SAT 9-SUN 10 TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Hundreds of national and internationally renowned authors, hundreds of exhibitors; lectures, interviews, book signings, workshops, poetry readings, writing contests, panel discussions, kids events, more. 9:30am-5pm. Free. University of Arizona campus. TucsonFestivalofBooks.org
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Old Pueblo Grand Prix
events fri 8-SUN 10 Spring Artisans Market
More than 140 of the Southwest’s finest artisans will display unique pieces of jewelry, artwork, fashions, and more. Both the Market and Museum are FREE and open to the public all three days. Details at TucsonMuseumofArt.org
SAT 16 WINE, WOMEN, AND SONG Annual wine-tasting and silent auction. Fundraising to support the SAWC. 6pm to 8pm. $40. Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E. Camp Lowell. 404-3148, SouthernArizonaWomensChorus.org/
SUN 17 25TH ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE & FESTIVAL Featuring live Irish music, dancers, entertainment, children’s activities and more. Festival begins at 10am; parade begins at 11am. Free. Armory Park, Downtown. TucsonStPatricksDay.com
RAILROAD SILVER SPIKE FESTIVAL Celebrate the anniversary of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s arrival in Tucson with historic re-enactments, music, arts & crafts, & children’s activities. Free. 9am. Tucson Historic Depot, 414 N. Toole Ave. 623-2223, TucsonHistoricDepot.org
SUN 17-SUN 24 20TH TUCSON WINTER CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL A weeklong series of concerts and other events. Classes and dress rehearsals held at Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. 577-3769, ArizonaChamberMusic.org
SUN 24 SONORAN SPRING CELEBRATION
Spring in the Sonoran Desert blossoms into a festival of wildflowers, friends, and family with music, tastings and art.4pm-7pm. Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, 742-6455, TohonoChulPark.org
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Notes From A Plant Freak by Jared R. McKinley
So You Wanna Be a Gardener? People are really getting into gardening and food right now. And it’s more than a trend. There is a paradigm shift occurring that is driving people out of the big box grocery stores and into their gardens, or at the least, into the farmers’ markets and grocery stores specializing in whole foods. A growing number of people are no longer willing to suffer the hideous first world health ailments caused by being passive consumers. We want to know about our food and we want it to be clean, not just look pretty in produce stands. What happens when someone realizes how important it is to get closer to their food, but lacks the space to garden? Community gardens: that is what happens. Neighborhood cooperative gardens are popping up all over Tucson. For just a pittance (enough to cover costs like materials and water) you can probably find a little plot of your own for the purpose of nourishing your belly and soul. If there isn’t one close to you, you might consider just talking to a good friend or neighbor who DOES have a yard, and say, “Hey, let’s grow some stuff.” If you share a garden with a friend, that is also a community garden. Community gardening makes everyone happy. And this activity is revolutionary. In urban food deserts all over the U.S. (places where there are no decent grocery stores for miles and miles) urban community gardens are changing lives! These gardens are exposing people to learn to grow and eat healthy food and these positive changes are in our future. In general, gardens are the best sort of distraction: instead of going out, expending fossil fuels, taxing your body with unhealthy foods, producing waste, or doing one of the various activities you might be doing to entertain yourself. Gardening in your backyard or community garden makes your life healthy, improves the environment, and encourages you to live an active, healthy, outdoor life. Growing things together builds communities, gets people away from their digitized “existence” and educates them about the very building blocks of life. Any future that this author will be participating in will see every school, every neighborhood, and every yard with a garden. It will be weird to NOT have one.
Seasonal Guidelines, April 2013 April is such a wonderful month. What can you NOT plant right now? Yeah, you can pretty much plant anything except long-season winter vegetables. Get out there! Now. If you haven’t planted your warm-season crops (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, corn, squash, etc.) get your fanny out there right now and start planting your little heart out. You see, it is the latter part of the cool season but you still have a few months, time enough to get a few successions of your favorite greens, root vegetables and annual winter herbs, that is, your cool-season crops. There is no excuse not to plant. There is always that possibility of frost. March 4th is the average last frost date. In 1899 it frosted on May 3rd. Nature, and global climate change, will ensure that whenever we get too dependent on an expectation, surprises will humble us and remind us to keep our eyes open. So have a plan for protecting those frost-tender crops. Jared R. McKinley maintains a gardening and homesteading blog called Arid Land Homesteaders League at AridLandHomestead.com
Hopyard Dishes Out “A True East Coast Feeling” by Emily Gindlesparger There’s a state park in Connecticut called the Devil’s Hopyard, centered around a falls that tumbles 60 feet over a series of stone steps where rocks have pelted the Scotland Schist into circular potholes. Allison Crist grew up right next to it, and so did her husband. They’re Tucsonans now. “We used to spend a lot of time there hiking. It’s a really beautiful place in New England,” she says, beautiful enough that the couple named their new business in the historic Tophoy building on 4th Avenue, Hopyard, in its honor. “This is kind of an inspiration from home.”
New England markets, like the kind Crist grew up with in Connecticut, are part grocery, part bistro, and they’re hyper-local, customizing their selection to the nearby neighborhoods. “Where I grew up, it’s common to get breakfast, lunch, or dinner to pick up or bring back something to prepare. So it’s going to be ready to-go items and a full line of groceries for people who live in the neighborhood. All the basic kinds of needs,” Crist explains. And though one of those basic needs doesn’t include beer, as the name implies to many, Hopyard will be up later than the bars, with special hours 10pm to 3am Thursday through Saturday for post-drinking sustenance in a chicken parmigiana grinder or shredded pork on a roll. (Regular hours will be 9am – 7pm Monday through Saturday, after which they’ll close for a disco nap before the weekend night shift. Sunday will be noon to five.) Crist describes “a true east coast feeling” in her market, with a wagon in the front overflowing with fresh produce from the U of A cooperative farm and Sleeping Frog Farms. In the back, shelves of groceries line the walls on
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The Wild Garlic Grill delicious French-inspired cuisine by Hannah McCain It’s a trait I inherited from my mother, whose aesthetic taste is unrivaled: the moment I enter a restaurant I start to pass judgment — way before I’ve seen the menu or my waiter — based on the decor. Mom-and-pop joints and dives have it pretty easy with me: if I expect cracked linoleum and paper napkins, I adjust my pickiness to match. The Wild Garlic Grill (2530 N. 1st Ave.), however, shoots for refinement — and doesn’t quite hit the mark. The ocotillo-ribbed ceiling provided a rustic warmth, and there were a couple of vibrant, good-looking oil paintings on the walls. But the heavy, patinaed frames on the blackboards and mirrors looked tawdry, the “butcher paper” on the tables looked liked it should have come with crayons, and the bar was cramped and cheap-looking. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s obvious when a restaurant doesn’t hire an interior designer. The good news: as soon as my dinner came out, the decor was the last thing on my mind. The food was delicious. Chef Steven Shultz, an Arizona native and a veteran of the state’s restaurant scene, is the culinary muscle behind Wild Garlic Grill. His French-influenced culinary background, fused with a more laid-back California vibe, is what makes Wild Garlic Grill a success. Both of my meals began with an appetizer or two. Although the fondue lacked the gooey consistency of its classic forebearers — it was more like cheese sauce — my dining companions and I polished it off happily. Mussels with garlic and tomatoes on my second visit were delicious, but the restaurant had run out of bread. Nothing to sop up the savory beurre blanc sauce at the bottom of the bowl! I wanted to dash out to a bakery, or dispatch our waiter. Our meal was marred, though definitely not ruined, by this shortage. The highlight of my dinner came in a large, shallow bowl — so reminiscent of a Moroccan tagine that I found myself resisting the urge to eat the succulent lamb with my hands. It was the night’s special: braised lamb
shank in a rich and comforting burgandy wine sauce, redolent with warm spices and accented with onions and mushrooms. Two fish dishes also showcased the kitchen’s talent: a tilapia special served with a crisp salsa (heart of palm, avocado, cilantro, and more), and grilled salmon with tomato-spiked risotto and a beurre blanc sauce. A vegetable side of the evening accompanies each dish at Wild Garlic Grill. The first night’s vegetable medley included bell peppers, chard, and, oddly but not unsuccessfully, cooked cucumber. A mix of sautéed kale, zucchini, and Brussels sprouts on my second visit was too salty for me. Still, it added a pleasing burst of color to my meal — a delicious but incredibly rich linguini bolognaise with braised beef, pork, and veal that would have easily been enough for two hungry carnivores. The restaurant features an entirely adequate wine selection and a small, somewhat bizarre cocktail menu featuring items such as a Smurf-inspired blue martini and a savory “sangria” that sounds more like a Bloody Mary. One of my dining companions tried the Summer Day, a drink made with muddled basil and cucumber — delicious, but misplaced on a drink menu that should have had pairings better suited to the complex, savory meals that Wild Garlic Grill offers. The service at Wild Garlic Grill is a bit harried, and at moments the timing is off. The wait staff is warm and accommodating, however, and as time goes on the staff will no doubt learn the rhythms of this still-new restaurant. And next time I visit for a great meal, I’ll avert my eyes from those heavy-framed mirrors and simply enjoy some delicious food.
The lowdown: How much? $$ - $$$ (entrees average between $10 and $20) Who goes? Attracts a more mature crowd; mostly groups of friends or couples. What’s the vibe? Classy yet inviting. Is it worth it? Fantastic food for the price — definitely worth a visit.
Hopyard, continued from page 32 the right while on the left there’s a deli case packed with a rotating menu of family recipes, including home classics like Swedish meatballs, shepherd’s pie, Cobb and German potato salads, vegetarian baked couscous and of course, New England clam chowder. In the morning, fresh croissants will come over from a pastry chef at Mercado San Agustín. Pick a dish and have a seat next to the big floor to ceiling windows, where handmade chairs crowd around cafe bistros welded in town. A laptop bar with wifi and plugins belies the historic interior built in the 1920s. “It has this industrial feel, but feels really homey at the same time,” Crist says. And located on the social hub of 4th Avenue, soon to be linked to neighborhoods both north and downtown by the modern streetcar, Crist
sees Hopyard fitting nicely into the niche, complementing the goods offered at the Neighborhood Co-op. “I wanted to provide a neighborhood feel,” she adds. “I think it’s going to be a great add-on for the area.” She hopes to be open in the first week of March. After living downtown for a decade, Crist says it’s a dream realized to start a business in this community, and contribute to its culture and economy. “I’ve always had this passion; I love parties, I love people, I love socializing,” Crist explains, and now she gets to build her own party: a gathering reminiscent of her hometown at Hopyard. Hopyard will open at 210 N. 4th Ave. March 2013 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 35
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Festival En El Barrio Calexico and other great bands join together to support KXCI and celebrate the Barrio Sunday, March 24th marks the Fourth Annual Festival En El Barrio, which is taking place downtown in the streets of the El Presidio neighborhood. This year’s festival boasts three stages filled with amazing bands from Tucson and beyond, local food and spirits including the restaurants and storefronts of the Old Town Artisans, booths for shopping and crafts and a chance to support one of Tucson’s greatest resources–KXCI Community Radio. Making their fourth consecutive appearance headlining the festival will be the celebrated native-Tucson band Calexico, who have gained a global fan base and have received widespread notoriety for their 2012 album Algiers. Currently on tour in Europe, the band always makes Tucson their first priority and this great festival is no exception. “I love Tucson, why wouldn’t I want to give back to the town that inspires us?” says Calexico lead singer Joey Burns. “Plus it’s a great way to get together and celebrate. Any way to get people together in the barrios and neighborhoods is a good thing. Combining that with good food, drink, music and activities for all of the family members makes this a special spring time occasion. Helping out our local community sponsored radio station is also another movement that we should all get behind. We love KXCI.” Along with Calexico, this year’s festival includes an exciting line up featuring the Grammy award winning New Orleans outfit Rebirth Brass Band, Tucson’s own Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta, Heartless Bastards, Brian Lopez, Mariachi Aztlan, The Cordials and many other great acts. The bands will be spread out among the main Barrio stage, the Telles stage and the Mariachi Aztlan stage beginning at 1:00pm. “It’s a great street party and we have a really killer musical lineup this year,” says Executive Director of the Rialto Foundation Curtis McCrary. “I’m really excited about Rebirth Brass Band. We had them at Rialto in 2008 and they were really terrific and put on a great show. Now they’ve been on the show Treme, and they have a lot of notoriety and we’re really excited to have them on the bill. Each year it seems to get better and more refined with more food and beer offerings and it’s a great thing to do on a nice afternoon.” The proceeds from the festival will go toward funding for KXCI, who are loved by the Tucson community for their support of local artists and their tireless quest to keep independent radio alive in our city. The programming of KXCI largely benefits local bands and musicians and they have done much to boost the popularity of such artists, including Calexico. “KXCI has always been supportive of local artists and bands,” says 36 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
by Jon D’Auria
Burns. “They have been there for us since the beginning and continue to help out local bands and bring in interesting touring acts to their station. They have a lot of diversity in their programming and shows that I admire and can’t find anywhere else.” “By sharing eclectic commercial-free music with our audience, we’re able to introduce songs and artists – old and new – that you simply don’t hear anywhere else on the radio dial,” says General Manager of KXCI Randy Peterson. “And because we’re locally based and community-driven, we’re able to reflect the interests and values of our community while at the same time championing those things we love about it.” The beautiful setting of the festival is nestled in the Barrio of downtown Tucson on Alameda between Main and Church in El Presidio neighborhood, which contains beautiful historic houses, the Old Town Artisans complex and the Tucson Museum of Art. “We’re really grateful for the support and willingness of the Presidio neighborhood, because if it wasn’t for them allowing us to bring this event to their doorsteps we wouldn’t be able to do this,” says McCrary. “It’s the perfect place to have an event like this and they’re all really supportive of our efforts and do everything they can to accommodate us and make us feel welcomed.” “My favorite part is probably the incredible behind-the-scenes effort that it takes to make it all happen” says Peterson. “Putting on a multi-stage live outdoor event requires a lot of cooperation with the neighborhood (who are always wonderful), the musicians, the vendors, the organizers and city officials. A lot of people think this is “just” a KXCI event – but it wouldn’t happen without the incredible team at the Rialto Theatre and at Stateside Presents.” Tickets cost $24.00 in advance, $27.00 at the door and can be purchased at the festival gates or prior at www.rialtotheatre.com. Special VIP tickets are available that include seating in the area closest to the stage, a private bartender and private bathrooms. Children under 10 are admitted free with a paid adult. “It’s a great day of great music, first and foremost, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity to gather as a music loving community,” says Peterson. “On top of that there’s wonderful food, great drinks and a great time to be had by all. And if the attendees are smart, they will plan to take the following Monday off of work.” The festival is located at 166 West Alameda Street. Visit www.rialtotheatre.com or www.kxci.org or call 520-740-1000 for more information.
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Found Puzzles by misterpaulfisher
A DIFFERENT LOOK AT NUMBERS Numbers are all around us. Math is everywhere. Pollsters poll on everything. How many Facebook friends do you have? The numbers on the clock dictate our everyday movements. And the numbers of our dollars define us. So let’s take a deep breath and turn our backs on that view of numbers and have a look at two puzzles that use numbers from a different point of view…..
PUZZLE #11 And now your Rebus Challenge: What is this common human condition?
10
10 2 10
10
PUZZLE #12 Can you continue this pattern? What are the next two lines? 1 11 21 1211
ANSWERS to puzzles 11 and 12 are available at www.ZocaloMagazine.com/puzzles misterpaulfisher is a consultant-teacher-lecturer-artist who has been puzzling for many decades. Find out more about Paul, his work and puzzles at: www.misterpaulfisher.com
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Stuart Oliver & The Desert Angels by Jamie Manser
Stuart Oliver & The Desert Angels Sheddin’ Every Skin (Old Bisbee Records) If you’re free on Sundays and music is your temple of wry reflections tied to sin and hopeful, redemptive contemplation… then spin this album. It’s a collection of 14 stories that are beautifully composed, performed and arranged. Stuart Oliver paints notes and words on time and space, ageless motifs of humanity’s dukkha (nature of suffering) and deliverance. To rip right from the press release, this is “a self-produced 70s country-rock and psychedelic folk journey through Oliver’s colorful past, featuring ethereal harmonies by his sister Angela Taylor, Kate Becker and Silver Thread Trio’s Laura Kepner-Adney. Sam and Danielle Panther are on loan from Bisbee’s Green Machine, and Ryan Janac (Sunday Afternoon, Luca) is a mainstay on drums.” Other auditory contributions come from drummer Jim Glinski, bassist Peter Schnittman, Deanna Cross on viola, Mark Holdaway’s kalimba, banjo by Rudy Cortese and Louis Levinson sliding on pedal steel. This is unapologetic cosmic Americana - evocative storytelling delicately carved from pain - musically and lyrically heart rendering. It can sit on the same shelf with The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo and Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Stuart Oliver’s songs are “inspired by coming to terms with tumultuous family, romantic, and cultural (also religious) relationships. Expatriating to the desert from the deep South was a key influence,” Oliver explicates. “Most of the songs have a mystical, spiritual element - the only way I can come to terms with said tumultuous relationships.” It’s a process of mucking through the darkness of utter heartbreak to transitioning beyond it and into the light as a wiser being, being open to a beginner’s mind while still – when appropriate – donning the calloused cloak. The bottom line is, don’t suffer your sorrows. Move through and past ‘em; create a new reality of healing and understanding in this temporal existence. Find musical meditation and redemption at the “Sheddin’ Every Skin” CD release show on Saturday, March 30 at Café Passe’s super gorgeous and intimate patio, 415 N. 4th Ave. All ages, 8 p.m., $5 suggested donation. Get more information at OldBisbeeRecords.com.
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From French Village A Tucson Chanteuse Moves On by Jamie Manser Marianne Dissard is a prolific, thoughtful artist of multiple disciplines. Utilizing an array of platforms for expression, she will often combine those various outlets into layered, spellbinding projects. As Dissard’s bio states, the French-born creative is a “singer, writer of lyrics and poetry, filmmaker and performance artist, (who) has toured extensively the world over, either solo or backed by her American band mates.” A Tucsonan for close to 20 years, this month sees Dissard bidding the Old Pueblo adieu with a couple of farewell shows to send the chanteuse off musically, and with love. Zόcalo communicated with Dissard via email while she was in Seattle last month to talk about her time in Arizona and what is drawing her to Palermo. (This interview was edited for print, visit ZocaloMagazine.com for the full context.)
How was the transition from living in France to moving to Arizona as a teenager? Transition from living in France to living in Mesa at the age of 16 was rough. I went from a village of 2000 people to a high school of 2000 people and from green fields to dust and concrete. The language was not really an issue - I was bilingual very rapidly - but I truly went into shock after a few months and became a recluse. It made me uncomfortable being the new kid, attracting attention because I was foreign and further, that fabled ‘French,’ a desirable ‘foreign.’ The only thing that excited me in that new environment was music. A new record store, Stinkweeds, had just opened across the school. It seemed every kid was in a band or a groupie of one of those. In my new world, weekends were devoted to house parties with the school’s one punk band, one rockabilly posse, the ten straight-edgers and the five really dark goth kids. I suppose what was uniting us all, despite musical tastes that bled through from Bauhaus to Elvis and Willie Nelson, were the cheap drugs and the sheer boredom of life in Mesa.
What drew you to this dusty old town? I first moved to Tucson from Mesa in 1989, working for a summer on a Nickelodeon TV show called “Hey, Dude.” I moved to LA after that for a few years but made it back in 1994 after I was done with film school there. By that time, I had known Howe Gelb for a few years and had become a huge fan of Giant Sand. I was burned out with LA, burned out with the amount of film work I’d been doing so I chose to come to Tucson to make a film on Giant Sand. I didn’t think I would stay more than a summer, planning to end up in NYC for grad school in performance art. Well, things took another turn. I started enjoying the amount of music, musicians and live shows in Tucson. There’s a part of chance, a part of unconscious decision-making but I suppose I just knew Tucson was a good place to relax, think about the next move and give myself a chance to figure out what I wanted. It soon became a great place to toss around ideas about films, performances, writing… The energy I was mostly dissipating around town and inflicting on other people’s careers came into high-beam focus one night at Plush when Joey Burns asked me if I wanted to do an album with him. I credit him for kicking me into gear. 40 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
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to Old Pueblo to Palermo, Sicily Do you have particular Tucson memories/projects that stand out? What I call my ‘community’ projects: shooting my Warhol-remake “Lonesome Cowgirls” in 2010, leading the Tucson Suffragettes through the 2004 Presidential election cycle, organizing the SXSW 2013 Tucson showcases, recording and touring my three studio albums with my Tucson crew. Sergio, Connor, Brian, Gabe, Naïm, Matt, Andrew, Vicky, Joey, Jon, Clay, Jim, John... those were the most successful and fulfilling projects I’ve ever done and I’ve done them all here. There are other quirky memories I’m very fond of. Quitting Janos after a week because the owner handed me a comb during a staff meeting and moving on to graveyard shift waitressing at Grill in 1995, strips after strips of photo booth shots at Red Room, my most powerful and fully naked - performance art piece at Downtown Performance Center in 1996, getting into a strip-fight during a Doo Rag reunion show held inside the women’s toilets of the Rialto during the first HoCo festivities in 2005, brunch at Crossroads with friends, walking to the top of A-Mountain from downtown, quickies in the desert, drunken sex in a classic gas-guzzler, nights and nights of walking up and down the Avenue and Congress Street with a basket of expensive roses to peddle to the romantically-inclined diner and the drunk hopeful. It’s all a jumble of images, like a favorite movie whose scenes you can run from memory or more precisely, a film whose scenes are shot but haven’t been edited in place yet.
Why are you moving to Palermo? After almost 20 years in Tucson, and 28 years in America…I miss Europe. Not particularly France but European mores and culture. I need to move on to the next step in my music-making and my life. I need to be challenged again, surrounded by a language I don’t understand but that gives me a lot of space to dream. I joke that Palermo is the Tucson of Europe, pre-downtown revitalization. Maybe I miss Grill and the Red Room. That was my time in Tucson, when UofA students were still a bit scared of crossing the underpass into downtown. Palermo is wild, uninhibited, cheap, dirty, glorious and crumbling, burning from hundreds and hundreds of year of invasions, customs and earthquakes. It’s a place where I dream every night the most elaborate dreams. I’ll come back to Tucson to visit my friends, maybe to record at Waterworks. I’m keeping property here but if I could, I’d also sell that. I suppose I’ve been away in my mind - and from touring so much these past few years - so it might just be the officialization of something that I’ve felt I should do a while back already. I’m glad I could recluse in Tucson whenever I’ve needed over the past twenty years to give time a chance to show me the way, to show me my way. There is space in the Western mentality for those maverick thoughts.
Marianne Dissard
Adieu Tucson, Part 1 is Saturday, March 9 at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. with Naïm Amor, Clay Koweek, Connor Gallaher, Gabriel Sullivan, Brian Lopez. Spain headlines, Ricky Tutaan opens at 6:30pm. $5. Adieu Tucson, Part 2 happens at La Cocina, 201 N. Court Ave., Tuesday, March 19 with Dissard & Budo and Tucson friends kicking in with their own bands, starting at 6:30pm. Free. Follow Dissard’s adventures at MarianneDissard. com, Facebook.com/mariannedissard. photo: Hanna Pribitzer
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photo by Rocky Yosek
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The Cordials by Jamie Manser
The Cordials Not Like Yesterday (Prophette Records) Left to right: Laura Kepner-Adney, Winston Watson, Courtney Robbins, Cristina Williams
A conglomeration of genres defines the 10-track debut album from Tucson power-pop super quartet The Cordials. From punk frivolity and dreamy yet blistering lose-yourself-in-the-driving-chords songs to bittersweet Americana anthems, Not Like Yesterday is a heterogeneous music mix of the highest take-no-prisoners quality. The line-up includes Laura Kepner-Adney (Silver Thread Trio), Courtney Robbins (Seashell Radio), Cristina Williams (The Modeens), and Winston Watson (Greyhound Soul, Talk to Strangers). The divergence of the members’ projects, married with the seemingly ingrained talent of the artists, creates something seriously special. It is a group more than the sum of its parts with a repertoire unique in this town. In theory, a Tucson super group cranking killer tunes should be easy to come by. This city has seen more cross-pollination of musicians swapped for different projects over the decades than broken windows in Chelyabinsk, Russia from last month’s meteorite hit. Unlike the crashing cacophony of Chelyabinsk’s exploding glass, members of The Cordials blow it up extraordinarily well. The band began in mid-2011, when Silver Thread Trio vocalist/musician and self-described “opera school (Oberlin Conservatory) drop-out” Laura Kepner-Adney said to herself: ‘I’m going to write a 2-chord song, and I’m not going to worry about form or depth of lyric or harmony, I’m just going to write it.’ “I had been playing in ST3 (Silver Thread Trio) for so long, working on delicate and carefully crafted songs… It was kind of a revelation, and I wrote four songs in four days that way. I guess I just needed an outlet for something that could be spontaneous and sloppy and loud and a little reckless.” Loud and spontaneous, yes! Sloppy and reckless, don’t think so. They are too good. Even live, if there is a slight misstep, their ability to musically 42 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013
dance around it is super tight. Plus, there really isn’t anything cooler than sexy rocker chicks harmonizing akin to the Sirens of Greek mythology, with an edge of course. Three-part harmonies are not easy to come by, but these ladies toss it off. “We’re all longtime singers,” Kepner-Adney explains, “and the harmonies all just come naturally.” Williams recalls working on the song “Roses Burn Blue” with the other gals, saying “Laura and Courtney are especially amazing vocal arrangers and it was exciting to hammer out intricate harmonies like that.” Beyond the gorgeous vocals, the instrumental interactions also come together seamlessly: Williams commands the bass lines, Kepner-Adney and Robbins take turns on lead electric guitar while Watson drives the drums. The band churns interesting, exhilarating, exciting music – befitting the name as, according to Dictionary.com, cordial as a noun is not just that sweet, aromatic liqueur but also a stimulating medicine, anything that invigorates or stimulates. This band is auditory ambrosia. Definitely check out the March 9 CD release party and pick up the disk. The album, recorded at Wavelab, not only features slick graphic design by Ryan Trayte, but guest appearances by Marco Rosano and Fen Ikner. Ikner also mixed and master the tunes, and will be on drums at the release show as Watson will be on tour with St. Maybe. Find out more at: facebook.com/thecordials and thecordialsmusic.com. The Whistle Stop Depot, 127 W. 5th St., hosts the album release on Sat., March 9 at 11pm. The $5 admission also includes performances by Sun Bones (9pm), Andrew Collberg Band (10pm).
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2ND SATURDAYS DOWNTOWN Congress Street, 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com Sat 9: Scott Ave Stage: Odaiko Sonora, Gertie N The T.O. Boyz, Gabriel Ayala, Santa Pachita
BORDERLANDS BREWING 119 E. Toole Ave. 261-8773, BorderlandsBrewing.com Fri 1: Hans Hutchinson Sat 2: Joe Novelli Thu 7: Al Foul Fri 8: The Swigs Sat 9: Tortolita Gutpluckers Thu 14: Catfish & Weezie Fri 15: Stefan George Fri 22: Stealing Thunder Sat 23: Andy See & His Swingin’ Jamboree Thu 28: Hank Topless Fri 29: The Bennu
BOONDOCKS LOUNGE 3306 N. 1st Ave. 690-0991, BoondocksLounge.com Mondays: The Bryan Dean Trio Tuesdays: Lonny’s Lucky Poker Night Fridays: Live Music with Neon Prophet
“Matt Costa” performs at Club Congress on Thu, Mar 14.
CLUB CONGRESS 311 E. Congress St. 622-8848, HotelCongress.com/club Fri 1: Tucson Fringe Theater Festival Tue 5: Kishi Bashi Wed 6: Burger Records Showcase and Human Behavior Tour Kickoff Thu 7: Spindrift, Gram Rabbit, Chicha Dust Sat 9: Au Revior Marianne!! Wed 13: The Reverend Horton Heat Thu 14: Matt Costa Tour Kickoff Show! Fri 15: Raw: Natural Born Artists Sat 16: Lariats “Our Native Tongue is Bad News” Album Release Party, St Patrick’s Day Great Guinness Midnight Toast with Jimmy Carr and the Mcawkward Moments Mon 18: Mod Sun Tue 19: Wavves Tue 26: White Folks Get Crunk Sat 30: Caveman
CUSHING STREET BAR & RESTAURANT 198 W. Cushing St. 622-7984, CushingStreet.com Saturdays: Jazz
LA COCINA 201 N. Court Ave. 622-0351, LaCocinaTucson.com Wednesdays: CS Open Trio Saturdays: DJ Herm, Ms. Lana Rebel and Kevin Michael Mayfield Sundays: DJ Herm, Catfish and Weezie Fri 1: Early Black, The Introverts,
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Photo courtesy of StaticGuim.com.uk
LIVE MUSIC
Photo courtesy of HotelCongress.com
Photo by Don Prichard.
“Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum” perform as part of the Live Acoustic Venue Association on Sat, Mar 23.
“Tech N9NE” performs at the Rialto Theatre on Tue, Mar 26.
The Greg Morton Band, Algae, Dream Sick Sat 2: Mighty Maxwells Tue 5: Andrew Collberg Thu 7: Stefan George, JMC and his Wood Fri 8: JMC and his Wood, Nighlands, The Greg Morton Band Sun 10: The Shivas Wed 13: CS Open Trio, Awkward Moments Thu 14: Awkward Moments, Stefan George, Hip Don’t Dance Fri, 15: The Greg Morton Band Sat 16: The Wayback Machine Tue 19: Marianne Dissard Wed 20: CS Open Trio, Ghost to Falco Thu, 21: Ghost to Falco, Run Boy Run, Daniel Bachman Fri 22: The Greg Morton Band Sat 23: Oscar Fuentes Wed 27: CS Open Trio, Blind Texas Marlin Thu 28: Blind Texas Marlin, Stefan George Fri 29: The Greg Morton Band, Coming Out: A Queer Dance Party! Sat 30: Coming Out: A Queer Dance Party!
DELECTABLES RESTAURANT & CATERING 533 N. 4th Ave. 884-9289, Delectables.com Sat 2: Tommy Tucker Fri 8: Tommy Tucker
FOX TUCSON THEATRE 17 W. Congress St. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org Sun 3: Ladysmith Black Mambazo Thu 7: Aaron Lewis Fri 15: Blues at the Crossroads Sat 16: Suzy Bogguss Sun 17: Barbara Cook Thu 21: The Mavericks Wed 27: Jesse Cook Fri 29: Booker T. Jones
THE HUT 305 N. 4th Ave. 623-3200, HutTucson.com Fri 1: Natty Vibes Sat 2: Beyond I Sight Sun 3: Jet West
LIVE ACOUSTIC VENUE ASSOCIATION (LAVA) Abounding Grace Sanctuary, 2450 S. Kolb. 647-3234, LavaMusic.org Sat 2: Salty Suites Sat 9: Arvel Bird Sat 16: The Dreadnutts Sat 23: Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Nathan McEuen, Mark RobertsonTessi
MONTEREY COURT 505 W. Miracle Mile, MontereyCourtAZ.com Tue 12: Tommy Tucker Sat 23: Solvei & ZumaSol Tue 26: Tommy Tucker
Photo courtesy of FoxTucsonTheatre.com
“The Mavericks” perform at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Thu, Mar 21.
PLUSH 340 E. 6th St. 798-1298, PlushTucson.com Sat 2: Martin Sexton Wed 6: Myshkin, Michelle McAfee Thu 7: Altered Thursdays with Kyle Bronsdon Mon 18: The Sam Chase, Cosmic Suckerpunch, Japhy’s Descent Thu 21: The Silver Thread Trio, Run Boy Run, Nowhere Man & Whiskey Girl Sat 23: The Weeks, Jonny Fritz
RHYTHM & ROOTS Plaza Palamino, 2970 N. Swan Rd. 319-9966, RhythmandRoots.org Sat 2: Country Rock Pioneers Sun 3: Sons of the Pioneers
RIALTO THEATRE 318 E. Congress St. 740-1000, RialtoTheatre.com Fri 1: Pauly Shore Sat 2: The Devil Wears Prada/ As I Lay Dying Tue 5: Mickey Hart Band Fri 8: Sambada and Batucaxe Carnival Extravaganza Sat 9: YG Sun 10: Why?/Baths Wed 13: Bruce Cockburn Thu 14: Pierce The Veil Sat 16: Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band Tue 19: All That Remains/ Hellyeah Thu 21: Lotus Sun 24: Festival en el Barrio with Calexico Tue 26: Tech N9ne
Thu 28: Mix Madness DJ Battle Fri 29: Jeff Mangum Sat 30: Blackalicious
SKY BAR 536 N. 4th Ave. 622-4300, SkyBarTucson.com Mondays: Team Trivia Tuesdays: Jazz Wednesdays: Open Mic Thursdays: Live Music
SOLAR CULTURE 31 E. Toole Ave. 884-0874, SolarCulture.org Thu 7: Alcvin Ryuzen Ramos Fri 8: Book Launch Party- GigFund Raiser Fri 15: Author & Punisher Sat 16: MaeDea Thu 21: Celebration of Hassan Falack
KXCI’s 5
tunes Z
Tucson’s community radio station, at 91.3FM and KXCI.org, spins tracks from the following new albums in March.
Josh Rouse, The Happiness Waltz (Yep Roc) His last few releases were disappointingly sparse; this new release finds Josh back to the indie-pop music that first made him a KXCI favorite a decade ago.
David Bowie, The Next Day (Iso/Columbia) Only a fool would dare predict Bowie’s sound on this new album, his 30th studio album and first in a decade. We’ll only predict that it will be worth the wait.
Son Volt, Honky Tonk (Rounder) Jay Farrar and the band are back with a disc full of new tracks that pay homage to the Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens.
Emmylou Harris/Rodney Crowell, Old Yellow Moon (Nonesuch) This first official collaboration between Emmylou and Rodney also brings together other members of the original Hot Band and guests like Vince Gill.
Josh Ritter, The Beast In Its Tracks (Pytheas) Written entirely in response to his own divorce, Ritter’s first album in three years still manages a certain joyfulness, in no small part from his biting wit.** Plays the Rialto Theatre March 16th
SURLY WENCH PUB 424 N. 4th Ave., 882-0009, SurlyWenchPub.com Mondays: Black Mondays with Matt McCoy and weekly guest Fri 1: Black Cherry Burlesque Sat 2: Justin Valdez, Tom Walbank Fri 8: Tucson Roller Derby Partaaay Sat 9: Fineline Revisited Fri 15: Black Cherry Raw Sat 16: Sanctuary Sun 17: St. Patrick’s Day Thu 21: GiGi & Pop Fri 22: Spasmfest Sat 23: Last Call Brawlers, High Rollers, Sons of Providence Sat 30: Fineline Revisited
March 2013 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 45
Z lifeintucson by Andrew Brown
Left to right, top to bottom: Josh DeWall at Sonoran Glass Flame Off 2013; Jonathan Russel at the Sonoran Glass Flame Off 2013; Winter Fresh Graffiti Expo; Sonoran Glass Flame Off 2013; Stunning Tonto show at Plush; Stunning Tonto show at Plush; Winter Fresh Graffiti Expo.
46 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | March 2013