Cover Story
Alana Is Now Ready
When Alana Sweetwater was a kid growing up on the far westside of Tucson, she carved a star into the trunk of a tree in her backyard. She would come home from school and pray to it. Or with it, or maybe just near it. “I can’t explain it, really. Both of my parents were…
The ‘Tucson Hunger Games’ Are This Sunday
Want to watch a bunch of high school football players try to eat way more than they should? If so, the Tucson Hunger Games event taking place this Sunday, Aug. 19, might be right up your alley. From the press release announcing the event: Shlomo & Vito’s New York Delicatessen and Pizza Kitchen will host…
Talking Comics: Space Punisher Edition
This week, Marvel tests the theory that any comic is made better by putting the main character in space. All I needed to hear: “Like Steven Seagal with robot legs.” Also, fish porn and a Fritz Lang reference.
A Microbrewery Is Opening Just Off Fourth Avenue
The giant green placard that signals a place will soon be serving alcohol is hanging on the corrugated metal fence surrounding a piece of property at 417 Herbert Avenue, right next to Ordinary Bike Shop. For those unfamiliar with the area, that’s just a block west of Fourth Avenue and Seventh Street. Closer inspection shows…
Potted Gardens in the Desert Heat
The Contained Gardener Summer Potted Glory Monsoon Season in the desert can be a challenge – ** Some of our summer flowers are already tired. ** We deal with the torrential, sporadic rains hitting our potted gardens. ** We hear about other gardeners around the country harvesting luscious tomatoes We can make good use of…
Dan Gibson Says Goodbye to The Range
For some reason, I started my time here on The Range with a post about the Insane Clown Posse, so it seems to make as much sense as anything else to end my time here with an embedded video from one of the group’s thoroughly terrible cover tracks from the bonus album Smothered, Covered and…
Pueblo High Students Plan to Ask TUSD Board: ‘Where Are Our Buses?’
Late last week, Weekly World Central got a call from several Pueblo Magnet High School seniors regarding unexpected cancelled bus service they experienced the first two days of school. The students we talked to, as well as several parents and teachers, hope to be at tonight’s Tucson Unified School District governing board meeting to describe…
Peeking Behind the Paper at 50 E. Broadway Blvd.
We finally got a look inside the space at 50 E. Broadway Blvd., where paper signs have teased us for months with the promise that fine food and drink would soon be served there. I met Luke Anable there at noon today to talk about the new restaurant. He quickly introduced me to Patricia Schwabe,…
Tucson Company Crushes the Dreams of R. Kelly Fans
I wasn’t going to be able to cough up the money for the R. Kelly Love Letter Cruise, but somehow I felt better knowing that noted musical genius R. Kelly would be out there on the high seas entertaining a ship full of his fans. Sadly, that magical musical journey will sadly remain only a…
‘Political Forces vs. the People of Arizona’: Prop 204 on November Ballot
This just in from the Prop. 204 – Quality Education and Jobs campaign — the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett is wrong and the sale tax initiative to support public education is going on the November ballot. You can read the court’s decision here: Here’s the campaign’s press release: The…
Hibachi Super Buffet Opens This Wednesday
Tucson’s newest Asian buffet opens this Wednesday, Aug. 15, and it sounds like something fans of the all-you-can-eat style of dining will want to check out. Jay Zheng, manager of Hibachi Super Buffet at 4629 E. Speedway Blvd., near the corner of Speedway and Swan, says the restaurant has 11 buffet lines boasting fare from…
You Should Listen to the Divine Fits Record
Divine Fits – Trailer 4 from Divine Fits on Vimeo. Divine Fits are an indie-rock amalgamate, comprising of Britt Daniel from Spoon, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, and New Bomb Turks’ Sam Brown. People are going to call them a super-group, which seems sort of ridiculous, since 96% of America hasn’t heard of any of…
Here’s Julia Child (Sort of) Singing From Beyond the Grave
I don’t know exactly how I feel about these PBS remixes of their icons. No harm done to the reputations of Bob Ross, Fred Rogers or the subject of this video, Julia Child, but the novelty of each of these seems to wear off after a minute or so. It might be the general desire…
Mac-and-Cheese Alert: The Fix Opens Today
The Fix, a macaroni-and-cheese themed restaurant located in the former Sultan Palace spot at 943 E. University Blvd., opens today. The place serves numerous types of the classic American comfort food and you can pick between several types of noodles, including a gluten-free variety. There are all sorts of sandwiches and salads, too. We’ve been…
Apparently, We’re Getting Tattoos on Our Anuses Now
The strange thing is that, for some reason, the fact that a woman is getting a tattoo of her boyfriend’s name on her anus is not the strangest thing about this probably totally not safe for work video. It’s the moment around the 19 second mark of this journalistic masterwork by the Broward Palm Beach…
Here’s the KFMA Fall Ball Lineup
KFMA’s twice-yearly concert events (spring’s KFMA Day and the appropriate seasonally named Fall Ball) are well-organized, well-booked shows. Get a bunch of bands that the station plays, put them on a stage, serve some beer, have a good time. This year’s lineup is no exception, even if there are a few outliers to the loud,…
Want to Go See a Bunch of 80’s Bands for Free?
Here’s the thing about these nostalgia shows: you may not know every act by name, but you know the songs and as cool as you’d like to pretend you are, if you’re of a certain age, the minute you hear “The Promise,” you’ll shriek with reminiscent glee. If you’d like to win free tickets to…
Let’s Watch the New Video by The Jons
I think I would have to create an elaborate series of charts and graphs to definitively determine my favorite local band, but for certain, The Jons would be in the running. While somehow I have apparently managed to miss that they have several albums out already, the group is planning to release a new studio…
National GOP Group Spending Big on Tucson Dem’s Race
A national group of uber rich Republicans recently dished out more than $19,000 in one of Tucson’s legislative races to defeat a longtime Democratic incumbent — by funding her Democratic challenger in the primary election. An independent expenditure committee called the American Federation for Children sent out a mailer supporting Maria De La Luz Garcia,…
A Five Guys Burgers and Fries Is Opening in Marana
Five Guys Burgers and Fries is opening a location near the corner of Ina and Thornydale roads, in Marana. That area has been bombarded with burger joints over the past year or so. Culver’s opened a location just south of Ina and Thornydale almost exactly a year ago and Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers was…
TucsonWeekly.com Contributor Bills KOLD for Ripping Off His Work
For some reason, some people believe that once something is posted on the internet, it can be taken and repurposed in any manner whatsoever. Unfortunately, that mistaken premise is apparently held by KOLD, since Michael McKisson, who runs TucsonVelo.com (and contributes two blog posts a week for The Range), caught the station stealing footage from…
Safehouse Espresso Bar Closes
Another long-time Tucson business bites the dust, as Safehouse on Speedway closes after fifteen years in business:
If This News Is True, The Wrong Person Survived
It’s hard to find much that shocks me about the world we live in, especially when it comes to the kind of cruel things people can somehow do to each other. But this one might take the cake. Tucson police have arrested a 25-year-old woman for allegedly shooting both of her young children to death,…
Political Roundtable: Hellon & McDaniel Talk About County Issues
A special Your Vote 2012 edition of the Political Roundtable as two of the Republicans who want to replace the retiring Pima County Supervisor Ann Day talk about street repair, the Rosemont Mine, future bond packages, economic development, the fight between Marana and Pima County over a sewer plant, park and library funding and more.…
I Am Excited About the New Umi Star Restaurant
I can’t wait for Jason Anderson’s new Umi Star restaurant to open. I’m a sucker for slick and sensible restaurant design, which is one of his specialties. Anderson designed the new Cartel Coffee Lab space – a smooth, open room with clean lines, great lighting and a very comfortable feel – and worked on Union…
MAS Through the Lens of Time: A Photography Exhibit at Fluxx
I remember the first time I saw Chris Summitt at a Tucson Unified School District board meeting. It was April 26, 2011, and a group of students from UNIDOS had just taken over the dais and prevented the school board meeting from continuing. It was standing room only, and the crowd that filled the board…
Yes, Everyone Thinks Arizona’s Hot, Racist and Crazy
What four words would you guess the English speaking world most often uses to complete this question? Why is Arizona so…? Yep, according to a super-scientific survey of Google’s auto-complete feature, blogger Renee DiResta developed a map compiling the top responses for the question “Why is [state] so…?” and of course, the top responses for…
Let’s Talk About Our “Six Songs”
In this era, the world probably doesn’t need another opportunity for people to share music they like (as said by everyone in my Facebook friends list who has probably blocked the stream of information coming from Spotify regarding every song I listen to during the day), but it’s Friday, so why not engage in a…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Tucson will soon have a new bicycle and pedestrian planner. See how soon they will announce who is filling the position. Why on earth would you throw things at people from cars just because they are riding their bikes? Be sure to read the comments. Ever wonder how to ride bikes with a toddler? How…
The Fat Greek Restaurant by The University of Arizona Is Temporarily Closed
A water pipe broke in the space above the Fat Greek on the corner of Park Avenue and University Boulevard a couple of weeks ago, forcing owner George Markou to close the place and undertake a complete rebuild of the interior. The windows of the restaurant are currently boarded up as construction workers begin repairing…
Go See This Band So They Don’t Have to Play In Front of (Another) Empty Room
One of the more enjoyable (for me) and embarrassing (for them) concerts I’ve ever been to was in May 2010, when I got a chance to see an up-and-coming rock band fronted by the singer from one of my all-time favorite groups. Sadly, my brother and I were one of maybe 15 people still there…
The Total Wine and More Store Going In at Park Place Mall
The opening of the new Total Wine and More store at Park Place Mall is not exactly what I call hot food-and-drink news, but some of the services the store will offer turn out to be quite interesting. For starters, the new store will feature a growler-filling station like the one Dan Gibson told you…
Sunflower Farmers Market Is Now Sprouts Farmers Market
I stopped in at Sunflower Farmers Market out on Orange Grove Road the other day only to find a new sign indicating that Sprouts Farmers Market now runs the place. It looks like the other Sunflower locations in Tucson are following suit as well. Inside, everything seemed calm and like it’s always been, but signs…
Beer, Bacon, Wine, Chocolate, Cheese: Made Any Bad Decisions Lately?
Newish Sonoita winery Hops and Vines is holding the best drinking and/or eating event we’ve heard of lately. It happens at 4 p.m., Friday, Aug. 10. From the winery’s website: Beer Bacon Wine Chocolate Cheese!A great night full of Bad Decisions! Bacon cupcakes, chocolate fountain, artisan cheese, craft beer, amazing wine! Did I mention The…
ADOC Looks at Final Private-Prison Bids at Public Hearings
The American Friends Service Committee, also known at Weekly World Central as anti-private prison champions, are getting the word out about another round of Arizona Department of Corrections private prison public hearings scheduled in Coolidge, Eloy, Florence, San Luis/Yuma, and Winslow. People are needed to attend the meetings and speak out against private prisons. Carpools…
Not to Give Crazy Arizona Lawmakers Any Ideas, But Here You Go
Now that Arizona allows Bible classes in public schools, maybe it’s a good idea to think about what that curriculum could look like. Let’s hope that no one takes an interest in any of the textbooks used in Louisiana voucher schools. The folks at Mother Jones looked at those schools and their textbooks from such…
Check Out Ten Fifty-Five Brewing
We’ve all heard of microbreweries, but nanobreweries are a concept you don’t hear as much about. In fact, the up-and-coming Tucson operation Ten Fifty-Five Brewing is the first local operation we’ve seen that classify itself as a nanobrewery, describing its mission thusly via its Facebook page: We want to make beer for beer drinkers like…
OCD Rhymes
Since the final years of the 20th century, Aesop Rock has helped redefine the parameters of underground hip-hop. Aesop Rock took the early millennium hip-hop scene by storm with innovative sensibilities on albums such as Float (2000), Labor Days (2001) and Bazooka Tooth (2003). His dark, densely packed arrangements are built on samples from jazz,…
Dancing With the Locals
Local professional and amateur ballroom-dancers will demonstrate the sizzle and the elegance of their craft at Summer Dance Expo 2012. The expo, sponsored by the Studio West School of Dance, is an all-day event that brings dancers from local studios around the city to the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, where the dance styles will range…
Sedona Slaughter
Arizona has its share of good places to set murder mysteries—and its share of murder-mystery writers. Tucson magazine writer Matthew Marine (a veteran of Arizona Highways) has just joined the fraternity with his Sedona-set Devil’s Moon. The book opens with pretty, young, dark-haired Amanda Pearce stumbling barefoot, beaten and terrified through the high desert. It’s…
Soundbites
Blues at El Casino; Somewhat less hungry, but still like the wolf; And more!
City Week
Flashlights and stuffed animals; Films about the environment; Blues at the El Casino; Meteors on the mountain
Top Ten in Music
1. 17th Street Band Positively 17th Street (17th Street) 2. Stefan George and Tom Walbank My Old Friend the Blues (self-released) 3. Bryan Dean Trio Sobriety Checkpoint (self-released) 4. Gabriel Sullivan and Taraf de Tucson None of This Is Mine (Fell City) 5. Kevin Pakulis Band Shadesville (self-released) 6. The Outlaw Rebels The Outlaw Rebels…
Nine Questions
A former booker at Club Congress, Dan Hernandez is a talent buyer at Stateside Presents. He spends his Tuesday nights hosting bingo at the Auld Dubliner, and his Thursday nights hosting Opti Club at Club Congress. What was the first concert you attended? I saw Menudo when I was, like, 4 years old, and my…
Fictional Romance
Calvin (Paul Dano) peaked early. Really early. He was the toast of the literary world while a teenager, but he’s only been able to muster short stories for magazines in the decade since his debut novel. The obvious comparison is J.D. Salinger; that’s probably made so apparent to provide us with the context that Calvin…
Live
It had to be a thrill for Tucson Americana favorites Tierra del Fuego to play the steel guitar and harmonies for a crowd of producers and sound-heads from across the country. Likewise, hometown rock-royalty the Modeens got the opportunity to receive some much-deserved attention for their amped-up scramble through the best music ideas of the…
Worlds Without Us
In his wonderfully titled 2007 best-seller, The World Without Us, author Alan Weisman pondered what would happen to Earth without humans. If we were not around to maintain them, how soon would our buildings crumble? When would the forest creep back in and obliterate our cities? Would all traces of human life vanish? Painter Josh…
Donnie and Joe Emerson: Dreamin’ Wild (Light in the Attic)
One of the best things about a culture obsessed with anthologizing every bit of its construction is the occasional discovery of a truly hidden gem. With a back story that serves as its own PR copy—in 1979, a farmer father builds an extravagant home-studio-cabin to house his teen sons’ grand (and ultimately unsuccessful) ambitions—Dreamin’ Wild…
Fang Island: Major (Sargent House)
Considering that this Brooklyn-based rock trio’s 2010 debut album relied so much on muscular guitar-flexing, listeners may be taken aback by the opening track, “Kindergarten,” on which a bouncy piano figure shares space with wheedling synthesizer tones. Still intact, though, are the upbeat lyrics and gather-around-the-campfire vocal melodies for which Fang Island has become known.…
Now Showing at Home
Jaws (Universal 100th Anniversary) (Blu-ray); Grimm (Blu-ray); Hatfields and McCoys (Blu-ray)
The El Camino Royales: Boogie Royale (Self-released)
This group has helped keep alive the spirit and flavor of early rock ‘n’ roll and American roots music on Tucson stages. On their terrific latest album, guitarist Michael P. Nordberg, upright bassist Andrew See and drummer Mighty Joel Ford (all three sing) make everything old seem new again. The album begins with stylistic nods…
Pop Rocks
Although the band’s musical output has been relentlessly upbeat for more than 30 years, Japan’s Shonen Knife is no stranger to turmoil. Only founding member Naoko Yamano (vocals, guitar), of the original trio that included her sister Atsuko Yamano (drums, vocals), remains; Atsuko left in 2006 after her marriage relocated her to Los Angeles. Tragedy…
The Price Is Right
I get emails and comments on my column from people railing about the price of medical marijuana. They think it costs WAY too much to go to a collective for meds, and they plan to shun dispensaries for the same reason. The messages usually go something like this: Get a clue, you stupid motherfucker!! You…
Weekly Wide Web
After 672 days at the Web Producer desk here at the Tucson Weekly, I’ll be moving on to a new opportunity as of Aug. 14. If you’re stifling a yawn right now, I don’t blame you. In the online age, people come and go from media positions all the time, and while there will probably…
Editor’s Note
Every year around the time when voting in the Tucson Area Music Awards comes to an end, someone points out to me a rant that some musician has made online, in which he or she complains about the lack of attention that he or she has received from the Tucson Weekly. These rants almost always…
Police Dispatch
No one wants your old receipts; Cutting bras in spite
Media Watch
Radio ratings galore!; KXCI raises money, KLTU gets louder
Top Ten in Books
1. Barack Obama: The Story David Maraniss, Simon and Schuster ($32.50) 2. Catching Fire: A Novel Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 3. Broken Harbor Tana French, Viking ($27.95) 4. Big Nate: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Lincoln Peirce, HarperCollins ($9.99) 5. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: So often when we see Mexican bands perform in the U.S. and Mexico, the crowd at some point starts chanting, “¡Cu-le-ro!” (“Ass-hole!”) Why does the crowd yell “Cu-le-ro” at a band that they seemingly adore and paid a lot of money to see perform? Even fellow Latinos are really confused by this one!…
After Speaking Out
Tom Horne has acknowledged that he’s never visited a Tucson Unified School District Mexican-American studies class, even though he championed the law that made the classes illegal. Instead, the state attorney general and former superintendent of public instruction has had former TUSD teacher John Ward by his side during press conferences, to provide a glimpse…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Sony 2. American Reunion Universal 3. Lockout Sony 4. Casa de Mi Padre Lionsgate 5. Silent House Universal 6. Friends With Kids Lionsgate 7. Get the Gringo 20th Century Fox 8. Hatfields and McCoys Sony 9. The Flowers of War Lionsgate 10. Being Flynn Universal
Danehy
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the encroachment of Stupidity (with a capital “S”) into our society. My main target was the fact that a local grocery-store chain has changed the signs at the express lane from “15 Items” to “Around 15 Items.” I was stunned that the chain appeared to be siding…
The Skinny
Arizona’s new abortion laws are blocked by federal courts … A new survey of the U.S. Senate race shows Democrat Richard Carmona in a dead heat with Republican Jeff Flake … The most-unwanted endorsement of 2012? … and so much more!
Not Worth Recalling
Just when I was starting to really like Colin Farrell, he became the poster child for pointless remakes of great films. Granted, his turn as a sexy-nasty vampire in the Fright Night remake was fun to watch, but that movie still didn’t live up to the original. Now we get Total Recall, with Farrell occupying…
Gargulinski
With the click of a mouse, you can buy a blouse, a shed or even a motorcycle—but make sure you don’t end up with a disposable hotel shower cap from China. As Internet shopping becomes more sophisticated and more popular, scams are evolving right along with it. The usual flurry of rip-offs still exists, such…
Marist Maneuvers
Resurrection inched closer last week for the beleaguered Marist College, as the city wrangled with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson over restoring a property the church hasn’t used in years—one which preservationists and the City Council hope to rescue with federal blight-abatement funds. (See “Marist Tempest,” Currents, July 26.) Possibilities include transferring ownership of…
Special Potential
I was recently having a conversation with a restaurant-industry friend, and I asked him a question: What was the last truly special Tucson restaurant to open? It was disappointing that neither of us could come up with a restaurant that’s opened within the last couple of years. That’s not to say that good restaurants haven’t…
Mailbag
Grimm shouldn’t care so much about Bane’s voice; Arguing with Danehy about coffee; Cops should interview gun buyers
Dupnik Doubters
Five men have thrown their names into the ring in hopes of claiming the Republican nomination for Pima County sheriff and ending Democrat Clarence Dupnik’s 32-year reign. With such a crowded field—there are more GOP candidates on the ballot this year than in the previous four elections combined—and only a few weeks remaining before the…
Noshing Around
Shakes, a new owner for Daggwood Cafe, sour beer and heavy metal pizza.
Congressional Challenge
When Democrat Ron Barber first announced he was running to finish Gabrielle Giffords’ congressional term, a pack of Democrats—including state lawmakers Matt Heinz and Paula Aboud—decided to drop out of the special election and instead support him. At the time, they expected that Barber, 66, would only serve out the remainder of Giffords’ term in…
T Q&A
Shirley Sandelands is co-chair of Running and Winning, an interactive workshop for female juniors and seniors at high schools throughout the Tucson area. The program introduces the students to politics, including information on how to run for office and manage a campaign. The students also get to meet women politicians who serve the Tucson area.…
