Cover Story
Local Heroes
Eduardo Baca This folklórico-group founder says he was inspired by his daughter At Eduardo Baca’s upholstery shop on South Fourth Avenue in South Tucson, the sounds of children’s voices and the rhythms of Mexican folklórico music drift through the doorway. You might think such sounds are what inspired Baca and his wife, Josefina, to start…
Writer’s Block: Arthur Naiman
Local author Arthur Naiman has written about the events of Sept. 11 in his book, 9/11: The Simple Facts: Why the Official Story Can’t Possibly Be True. Released this summer, the book is published by Soft Skull Press. (112 pages, $12) Book summary from the publisher: Books on 9/11 tend to get dismissed as “conspiracy…
Jalopy’s Grillville Opens New Year’s Weekend
The owner of the new restaurant Jalopy’s Grillville at 4230 N. Oracle Road says he’s shooting for a grand opening over New Year’s weekend. It’s a pizza and burger sort of place that will eventually serve and deliver its own beer. Regarding that beer: So far the line-up includes cream ale, brown ale, an “aggressively…
Talking Comics: Justice League Dark Edition
Hey, Cynthia’s back and Eric let her pick the comic! Justice League Dark is apparently the Hot Topic version of the the normal JLA, so that certain appeals to someone.
Writer’s Block: Paula Frighetti
Local author Paula Frighetti recently published 2012: Transition and Transformation. (88 pages, $12.95) For more information, click here. Book summary: A recent Internet search for ‘December 21, 2012’, produced over a hundred million hits. In addition to the sites on the Internet, there are thousands of books on it as well. It is clear that…
Ron Paul Thinks a Lot of Stuff Is Unconstitutional
I don’t think I want to hear political news without a bubbling dance beat in the background from now on. Otherwise, it’s mostly just dudes talking, right?
A New Question to Ask Project White House Candidates
One nine year old has been asking the Republican candidates for president what super-hero they would be. In other news, Republican candidates for president give boring answers to kids asking super-hero questions. Well, sure, who wouldn’t want to be Superman? At very least, it seems like Captain America should be the default dull answer for…
In Case You Missed It: Highlights (?) From Kim Jong Il’s Funeral
Surprising no one, it was a strange occasion with a lot of weeping involved. If you ever wanted to see Orwell’s vision for 1984 in real life (and I’m not sure why you would), this is remarkably close. [ShortFormBlog]
Right Now, There’s a Tucson Dog Running for Glory
Meet Fritz, a Tucson Dachshund that won the local qualifying race for Wienerschnitzel’s 2011 Annual Wiener National Finals back in March. Right now (!!!) in San Diego, Fritz is running his tiny little dog heart out to try to win the quite prestigious title, $1,000 and the opportunity to ride on Wienerschnitzel’s float in the…
With Fifth TUSD Board Member Still Needed, Admin Ruling Not the Best Timing
State Administrative Law Judge Lewis D. Kowal’s ruling today that Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican-American studies classes violate the state’s anti-ethnic studies law comes at an interesting time. But hey, this is Arizona, so is there ever a good time for our state’s convoluted laws? The TUSD governing board remains without a fifth member. On…
Your 2011 Year-End Euro-Pop Update
I definitely could have lived without hearing “the Italian Bruno Mars”, but I am still quite appreciative of the Hollywood Reporter’s year-end wrap-up of Eurodance hits, broken down by county, which is even more exciting. My personal favorite, “Brad Pitt” by Severina (above): Similarly, Croatian pop star Severina managed to snare around 5 million views…
It’s a Movie About a Newspaper Tycoon
The Loft announced today that they will be screening (for free!) Orson Welles’ classic Citizen Kane as part of their Essential Cinema series on Sunday, January 29th at 11 am and Tuesday, January 31st at 7 am, which is great news for people who enjoy movies, but even better news for a web producer looking…
Santorum Goes Hunting
Rick Santorum’s hunting trip in Iowa yesterday was likely more for votes than the actual shooting of pheasant, but he did have the requisite orange safety gear.
So, The Drive to Phoenix Just Got a Little More … Kinky
There’s not really been much to look at when driving the lonely stretch of Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix, unless you’re like me and your eyes are always drawn to the LED screens that show the difference in price between paying cash and credit for diesel gas at truck stops. But then came the…
Why We Don’t Publish Recipes
I would love to share with the Weekly’s audience my magnificent recipe for churros, but then a measurement goes awry and people are sent to the hospital with oil burns. You’re on your own, Tucson cooks! The publisher of La Tercera must pay individual damages to 11 women and two men ranging from as little…
Writer’s Block: Cathy Hufault
A notable release from last year: Death Clouds on Mt Baldy: Tucson’s Lost Tragedy by Cathy Hufault. (290 pages, Arizona Mountain Publications, $19.95) For more information, click here. Book summary: On a lovely November day in 1958, six boy scouts set out to climb Mount Baldy in the Santa Rita Mountains. A freak snow storm…
Talking Comics: Fables Edition
This week, in the first of two videos from the guys at Heroes and Villains, Eric and Arnie discuss Fables 112 and wish you a belated Merry Christmas. Fans of Eric and comics will want to stop by Heroes and Villains tomorrow between noon and 2 pm as he (along with Jason Pedersen and Ken…
New Italian: Gusto Osteria
With a menu written by legendary Italian food guy Joe Scordato, the newish Gusto Osteria at 7153 E. Tanque Verde Road definitely steps out on the right foot. And for those who freaked when Scordato took the braciole off the menu at Guiseppe’s (it’s back now, by the way) it’s available at Gusto Osteria. Meraviglioso!…
It’s Not a Van Halen Reunion Without Michael Anthony
Van Halen announced today that they would reunite for the first time since 1986 to tour, put out a new album, etc. (although it’s not like we haven’t been down this road before), and while I would consider myself a fan of the band’s material, including “Panama”, which might be one of the best songs…
Interesting Writing From 2011: “On Pseudonymity…”
There has been some discussion [here and here] on The Range about anonymous commenting, so this piece by Kee Hinckeley (which appeared on Google+, of all places) seems worth revisiting. Here lies the huge irony in this discussion. Persistent pseudonyms aren’t ways to hide who you are. They provide a way to be who you…
One Video (I Think) I Forgot to Post in 2011
I’m terrible at compiling year-end lists of anything. Either I have wildly incomplete knowledge on a subject (I don’t have HBO or Showtime at home and I keep forgetting to watch Breaking Bad, so take anything I say about the “best” anything on TV with a grain of salt) or I tend to forget what…
Songs From Sleep Driver: Week 4
Sleep Driver, “Signals” by TucsonWeeklySleepDriver The guys from local instrumental rock outfit Sleep Driver were nice enough to share with The Range four tracks from their new EP “Signals”, available January 2nd online and in limited edition physical form. We’ll post a track each Monday in December [week 1; week 2; <a href="http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2011/12/19/songs-from-sleep-driver-week-3″>week 3]. This…
Writer’s Block: Amari Magdalena
Amari Magdalena has released Beyond the Four Agreements: Mastering the Inner Shields of Transformation. (168 pages, $22.99 hardcover, $13.95 paperback.) For more information, visit here. Book summary: Arizona writer, Amari Magdalena has released a new self-awareness book on utilizing ancient wisdom to achieve inner-healing and outer happiness. In a world where outer relationships fracture and…
Funny Formerly-Fake Rating App Is Now Real
I don’t know if there’s ever been a better example of how useless/wonderful the internet can be at times than this, but Jotly, a fake app that was once just the subject of an amusing YouTube app, is now real and available on the App Store. There’s no real point to Jotly that I can…
Listen to All of the 2011 Songs
DJ Earworm’s annual mix of the year in pop music hit the internet yesterday, so if you’d like to hear a clever blend of the entire KRQ playlist into a five minute dance jam, here you go. Plus, it takes two minutes for “Rolling in the Deep” to appear, so that’s a plus.
Why So Secretive, Rio Nuevo?
There’s a bit of professional bias involved here, since Patrick McNamara works across the office from me and I also handle the web stuff for Inside Tucson Business, but his reporting on the Rio Nuevo board lately has been must-read stuff, if live in Tucson and care about where your money is going. Turns out…
Merry Christmas!
Jim Nintzel Wilco (The Dog) celebrates a white Christmas in Flagstaff, 2010. Happy Holidays to All!
Political Roundtable: Year in Review, Year in Preview
A look back at 2011 and a look ahead to 2012, courtesy of Arizona Public Media reporters Andrea Kelly and Christopher and your Political Roundtable host, Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel.
Digital Gift Guide (For those of you still needing to get presents)
Christmas shopping is seldom an enjoyable experience, especially when you’re still frantically searching for that perfect gift this late in the game. Luckily, the magic of the Internet allows you to skip the need to even step outside of your home to make up for your gift-shopping procrastination habits. Digital subscription services have made a…
Steve Kozachik on the Rialto-Rio Nuevo Dispute
From City Councilman Steve Kozachik: I’m on my honor with the City Attorney not to mess with our mediation effort with respect to the City and Rio (Nuevo). So I won’t mention that, except to say that some of the dynamics appear similar to what is happening over at the Rialto. Should the Rialto get…
What to Listen to This Week: Friday Edition
Six songs this week in one installment, hand selected by our music writers, including tracks by The Roches, The Who, Explone, Bright Eyes, Azealia Banks, and Murs. Linda RayThe Roches, “We Three Kings” John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over) has played frequently in the Jukebox O’ the Mind (TM) the last…
Do You Need Some Ugly, Celebrity Endorsed Jewelry?
While I suppose the Guy Fieri line of jewelry is a bargain at $69 a piece, it’s still jewelry designed by Guy Fieri, the chef whose public image is somewhat similar to a guy passed out on the lawn at a Jimmy Buffett concert. Don’t worry, however, it does have this ringing endorsement from its…
Pima County GOP Chair Opposes Tax Break That Her Party Caved In On
Pima County Republican Party Chairwoman Carolyn Cox sent out a missive blasting the payroll tax cut yesterday: The Main Stream Media, now, has shown that they are simply an arm of the Democrat Party. They see nothing wrong with Obama’s plan to remove 2% of wages from a retirement preparation program so people will be…
Santa Is From Tucson
Here’s a bit of interesting trivia. The famous Santa portrait pictured above was created in Tucson. Read on for more details: You see his smiling face every holiday season: the jolly, rosy-cheeked, red-suited Coca-Cola Santa. This classic representation of Santa is as much a fixture of Christmas as the famous ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas…
Three Cookbooks Perfect for Your Last Minute Gift Giving Needs
I really like cookbooks. This passion for recipes in bound, tangible form is somewhat distressing to my wife, since I only end up cooking on some weekends and then I usually end up buying a bunch of extra food to honor the depth of my culinary genius, but yet, I have a giant stack of…
Presidential Candidate Tommy Hough Promises To Have Jan Brewer Declared an Illegal Immigrant
Dave Maass, the Project White House 2012 campaign coordinator for the great state of California, had a recruitment party for Project White House 2012 this week in San Diego. He found four new candidates, including Tommy Hough, an environmental activist in those parts who has a number of campaign promises we can get behind, including…
Finally, Gay People Apologize for Ruining Heterosexual Marriages
Well, it’s really only one gay person and he’s only apologizing for ruining one heterosexual marriage, that of Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, who cheated on her husband with a married (male) lobbyist. Coincidentally, both Koch and her partner in adultery campaigned to amend the state’s constitution to define marriage as the union between…
You Should Thank the Baby Jesus for America
I suppose if you spent any time actually thinking about it, the idea might occur to you that any sort of change in the fabric of time might change whether there would be an America today, not just the birth of Jesus. Or, if you had any sense of church history, you might consider that…
Fighting Fire
Tucson firefighters extinguish a small blaze at a shuttered gas station on First Avenue south of Grant Road on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
WSJ Gets to the Bottom of Why the Olive Garden Sucks
It’s not so much that Olive Garden sucks by its very nature, since they apparently try to make changes on the menu incorporating actual Italian dishes, but the people who eat there don’t want anything other than overcooked pasta with cheese sauce dumped on top: At Olive Garden, pasta is served soft, not al dente…
A Preview of Amos Lee’s “Artist Den” Performance
The full episode won’t air until March 2, but you can watch an extended preview of Amos Lee’s performance featuring Calexico for the PBS show The Artists Den from the Fox Theatre above.
Thinking of Quitting Your Job? Here’s Some Celebrity Advice
I actually enjoy my employment here at the Tucson Weekly, so this isn’t entirely helpful for me, but if you’re thinking of starting 2012 anew without the oppressive yoke of your crappy job, perhaps this montage of bombastic exits from work might be of some assistance.
Play Poker, Give to Charity, Meet a Former Local Star Baseball Player
There are many levels of celebrity status for athletes, ranging from the ‘even your mother knows who they are’ names such as Barry Bonds and Derek Jeter, all the way down to those that are only considered big-time to the community they hail from. Where Shelley Duncan falls is a matter of debate. But regardless,…
Editor’s Note
By the time this issue hits the streets, I’ll be off doing the family Christmas thing. However, this particular Christmas around the Boegle household will have a melancholy tinge to it, due to death, illness and other inevitabilities of life. I lost an aunt who was very dear to me earlier this year, and her…
Season’s Last ‘Nutcracker’
‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the shop, The dancers were prancing, and the sewing couldn’t stop. Finished costumes were hung in the wardrobes with care; All knew that The Nutcracker soon would be there. Lynn Lewis, a costumer and seamstress for Ballet Tucson, looked up from her work one day last week,…
Nine Questions
Katherine Byrnes, 28, grew up in Tucson, earned a music degree from the UA and has appeared in at least a dozen musical comedies at the Gaslight Theatre, including the current Christmas in the Big Apple. She sings blues, jazz, Latin and rock music with Tucson acts such as Michael P.’s Big Band, Backbeat, Sergio…
Danehy
We’re now one year into the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s draconian “reorganization” plan, and the results thus far are even worse than many of those who actually care about high school athletics had feared: blowout losses involving badly mismatched teams; an increase in rules violations involving recruiting and illegal transfers as teams scramble for scarce playoff…
Phoenix’s Future
I walked past the Occupy Tucson camp the other day and stopped for while to watch a hacky-sack game. I read a few of the cardboard slogans, talked to a guy with booze on his breath, and left wishing that I could buy the group a few copies of Andrew Ross’ new book to pass…
Tipping Point
Back in the day, there was a game called Tip It. It had this 4-inch-tall plastic man perched precariously on his nose, with his arms and legs extended, atop a foot-tall frame balanced on a tabletop base. Players took turns carefully placing little plastic discs on the teetering frame, tipping it back and forth, tilting…
Serraglio
With one high-profile recruit in and out of the doghouse, and another already gone for good, fans of the Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team are understandably anxious about this season’s fortunes. Shedding talent for no good reason is not generally a recipe for success in the intensely competitive world of high-end college basketball. But in…
Top Ten in Books
1. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 2. State of Wonder Ann Patchett, Harper ($21.56, sale) 3. Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher, Razorbill ($10.99) 4. Inheritance Christopher Paolini, Knopf ($22.39, sale) 5. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 6. Back of Beyond C.J. Box, Minotaur ($25.99) 7. Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope…
Mailbag
Memories of President Taft; Regulate recreational marijuana use; Boot the Express Flooring woman, not Chris Edwards
International Stunt-Fest
In some circles, it’s called the Scrappy-Doo syndrome. Perhaps you know it by another name—the Chachi, the Mutt Williams, the Shemp—but in essence, the rule is the same: When your main character(s) can no longer sustain or inspire the big storylines, don’t add fresh new faces to the mix. Just stop. Word has it Mission:…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Readers: In between your 15th tamale and sixth spiked cup of ponche, you’re going to need to buy regalos for Christmas or whatever pinche holiday you celebrate. OK, you don’t need to, but you should, to support all those great indie businesses suffering during this Great Recession. Behold, then, your ¡Ask a Mexican! Xmas…
Guest Commentary
When I first heard about Occupy Wall Street, I was reminded of the student protests of yesteryear when they occupied, some by force of arms, administration buildings of elite universities. I imagined young revolutionaries swarming onto the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, filling offices and bringing the workings of the great institution…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes 20th Century Fox 2. The Hangover Part II Warner Bros. 3. Cowboys and Aliens Universal 4. The Help Touchstone 5. The Debt Miramax 6. Kung Fu Panda 2 DreamWorks 7. Our Idiot Brother Weinstein 8. Fright Night DreamWorks 9. Super 8 Paramount 10. Friends With Benefits Screen…
Do-Good Buddies
For the past 13 years, Roy Aros has gotten together with his two closest friends to barbecue at Santa Rita Park on Christmas Day. Anyone who happens to be at the park can join them. These buddies have dished out 300 to 700 meals at a time to people who are homeless or hungry. When…
Now Showing at Home
Dolphin Tale; Rise of the Planet of the Apes; Final Destination 5
The Skinny
AHCCCS emergency; Places you can spread holiday cheer this season
Magnificent Joey
Steven Spielberg is such a lazy bastard. I mean, come on; He’s only directed two big-budget movies released within a week of each other! War Horse is one those films. (The CGI-animated The Adventures of Tintin, is also in theaters.) As for Spielberg’s 2011 live-action offering, it’s a mixed bag, albeit a bag with more…
Media Watch
Dave Silver leaves KGUN; Mark Evans bounces a Citizen blogger
East Coast Goodness
One of the great mysteries of the food world is New York-style pizza: How do pizzerias in the Big Apple manage to get their pies so thin and yummy? Theories abound. Some people claim it’s the mineral-rich New York water; in fact, pizza-makers outside of New York have been known to have the water shipped…
A Trainer’s Tale
When Ray Ryan decamped back to Illinois, little did he know that three elephants he’d tended at the San Diego Zoo would be following him there. Or that their appearance would bode catastrophe. Elephant advocates were already outraged that the animals had been shipped from balmy California, where they had lived for years, to the…
Noshing Around
Winter beers; Downtown lunch specials; A new food truck; and more!
Police Dispatch
Taking showers in a bathroom sink; Adventures in highlighters
Ho Ho Ho!
Admit it: You’re sick of Christmas music, aren’t you? I know, I know. We get pummeled over the head with it starting on Black Friday, if not before, each year. But even though I don’t celebrate the birth of Jesus (secular Jew, thank you very much), I happen to love the stuff. Still, as with…
Weekly Wide Web
Welcome to a wildly self-serving article celebrating the blog for which I write much of the content! This is the first installment of the Rangies! First up, while the first two posts landed in late December 2010, special recognition goes to Adam Borowitz for his Food Truck Diaries series, as he visited 26 trucks and…
Soundbites
The Commodores (minus Lionel); Celebrating the 23rd of December; Arizona has the blues; and more!
Officers Online
The Tucson Police Department wants you to be its friend, but isn’t necessarily looking to swap party stories with you. It wants to be followed by you, too—but don’t expect to be mentioned or retweeted. And while TPD officials wouldn’t mind you enjoying its lineup of online video clips, the intent is meant to be…
Top Ten in Music
1. Stefan George and Tom Walbank My Old Friend the Blues (self-released) 2. Kevin Pakulis Mockingbird Radio (San Jacinto) 3. Más o Menos String Band Scratches in the Wax (self-released) 4. The Modeens Take a Ride With the Modeens (self-released) 5. The Missing Parts Folk Music From an Undiscovered Country (self-released) 6. Los Changuitos Feos…
Not-So-Silent Night
It’s that time of year when many Tucson musicians who have been out on the road decide to head home for some holiday fun and sun. With so much talent in town, the folks at Club Congress have decided it’s the perfect time for a hootenanny—more specifically, the Xmas Eve EVE Holiday Hootenanny. (The extra…
Live
Yes, they’re aware of the Be Good Tanyas song, “The Littlest Birds.” Cellist David Huebner said Tuesday night, “When we first heard the song, we thought it would be a good name. We tried to think of something else, but we kept coming back to it.” The music Huebner made with banjo-player Sharon Martinson sounded…
City Week
Learning about Leibovitz; Power imagery; Santa and Jesus, hanging out; Mars!
The Black Keys: El Camino (Nonesuch)
After the ear-opening artistic breakthrough of Attack and Release (2008) and last year’s commercial success with the Grammy-winning Brothers, it wouldn’t have been surprising if this primal-rock duo from Akron, Ohio, had slumped and slacked a bit. Ain’t gonna happen: Drummer Patrick Carney and guitarist-singer Dan Auerbach seem to be pushing the envelope more than…
TQ&A
Gary Bachman is the program manager for the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership, a Pima County program that brings together the city of Tucson and seven area nonprofits to stabilize neighborhoods affected by the foreclosure crisis. The project is turning vacant and foreclosed properties into owner- or tenant-occupied, energy-efficient homes in areas that have been hardest-hit.…
The Roots: Undun (Def Jam)
The Roots’ Undun is a character study and album-length epitaph of the fictional Redford Stephens, whose short inner-city life of crime and consequence yields a meditation on fate, mortality and karmic justice. The band’s first concept album arrives with vivid narrative details, moody instrumentals and a documentary-style detachment. Stephens’ tragic arc (1974-1999) is presented through…
Help Kids Learn
On Jan. 12, opera singer Dennis Tamblyn sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” for President Obama, Michelle Obama, an overflow crowd at the UA’s McKale Center and an estimated 31 million viewers watching him live on television. On Jan. 13, Tamblyn was back in a TUSD classroom, singing full-throated German opera to a passel of first-graders. His…
Bloodcocks UK: Bloodcocks UK (Wood Shampoo)
Here’s some fucked-up shit for the nonfamily. Bloodcocks UK is a Las Vegas porno-punk band that refuses to play in the U.S. Instead, the trio (or quartet, if you count blow-up doll/stage dancer Annie Bloodcock) tours Japan, playing sold-out shows and basking in overseas stardom. Frontman Bloody Bloodcock (like The Ramones, everyone has the same…
Border Crossers: New Legislative Lines Scramble the Southern Arizona Delegation
After months of argument, a lot of name-calling and several lawsuits, Arizona’s political boundaries are set—or at least darn close to set. And for many politicians, that means it’s time to move. The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission on Tuesday finalized—pending a legal and technical analysis by consultants, a final vote, and United States Department of…
