Cover Story
Remastering the Tucson Sound
Ever since locals began fusing folk, mariachi, rock and Tejano music onto tapes and vinyl records, that same dust has had the chance to (quite literally) become part of the music.
Laughing Stock: Of Stoners and Superheroes
“I’m high right now, by the way.” High Times named Doug Benson Stoner of the Year in 2006. In 2007, he starred in Super High Me, a documentary about marijuana use. He hosts multiple long-running YouTube series and-podcasts that revolve around his being stoned, yet his lists of movies, albums, TV specials and ad hoc…
Last Chance: See Painter Rachel Nelson’s Studio at Saturday’s Art Walk
Painter Rachel Nelson works with acrylic paints and encaustic, or hot wax painting. Her paintings are emotive and human, stories told through texture and color. They are sometimes bubbly or dimpled, shattered or scratched. Since June 2017, Nelson has had a studio in the Steinfeld building where she has created many of her pieces, and…
Why the Common Wisdom About TUSD’s Declining Enrollment Is Wrong
Two men I admire, Jim Nintzel, the editor here at the Weekly, and talk show host John C. Scott, have frustrated the hell out of me recently. Both men know more about Tucson and Arizona than I would if I lived another lifetime. Both are intelligent, perceptive analysts of the political scene. Neither accepts the…
XOXO: Where to Rock Thursday, July 4
While the fireworks on A-Mountain once again threaten to ignite invasive plant species ablaze, DJ Herm spins pool-side at Hotel McCoy. Details here. This innovative trio’s repertoire fuses traditional with unconventional elements—Radiohead and Pink Floyd interpretations—into a modern jazz format. Phoenix’s What’s The Big Idea perform as part of the Lookout Tucson Jazz Concert Series.…
XOXO: Where to Rock Wednesday, July 3
With their newest album Born of the Sun, Oakland’s Faun Fables are crushing mysticism and psychedelia into fine powder with an apothecary’s mortar and pestle. These theatrical art/folk rockers heed the Light of a Vaster Dark (Drag City, 2010) at Exo Bar. Hannah Yeun opens. Details here.
Supervisors’ Approval Allows Eastside Bike Ranch To Get Into Gear
A 45-acre development for cyclists in Saguaro National Park East received the green light from the Pima County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning. The Bike Ranch development, which is the brainchild of Tucson-based developers Kelley Matthews and her husband, Peter Lasher, was approved by a 3-2 margin. Supervisors Steve Christy, Ally Miller and Ramón Valadez…
XOXO: Where to Rock, Monday, July 1
Classic and modern soul and R&B being their forte, Soul Essential are at Elliott’s on Congress. Details here.
The Privatization Movement is Losing Support From Democrats and the Occasional Billionaire
Vouchers have never been very popular with a majority of Democrats. But charter schools? Plenty of Democrats, voters and politicians alike, have supported them with the same enthusiasm as Republicans. President Obama, Vice President Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan were big charter boosters, creating policies which led to an increase in the number and distribution of the…
Live Theatre Workshop Family Season Preview
In the theatre business, you hear a lot about doing it for the love of art or as a passion project. For Amanda Gremel, the Live Theatre Workshop Family Theatre is certainly a passion project, but isn’t just a love for the art; rather, it’s a calling and an obligation to future generations that she…
All Bets Are On: Women’s World Cup, Megan Rapinoe and NBA Free Agency
Co-hosts Christopher Boan and Tyler Vondrak return after a week off to break down the latest in sports information. The duo cover the United States’ women’s soccer team and its quest to win a second straight Women’s World Cup. They then break down the latest news regarding the University of Arizona’s mens basketball roster, including…
Learn to Cook at the Garden Kitchen
The Garden Kitchen in South Tucson is a “seed-to-table” community program that provides education on growing and cooking food for better health and wellness on any budget. They partner with the City of South Tucson, Pima County, and the University of Arizona to focus on food security. The Garden Kitchen offers cooking classes, and this…
Supreme Court Rejects, For Now, Citizenship Question on 2020 Census
The Supreme Court handed a temporary victory Thursday to opponents of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, saying the government will have to go back and make a better case in lower courts if it wants to include the question. That could be difficult for the Census Bureau, which had said that it needed…
Claytoon of the Day: Disenfranchise Now, Take Names Later
Find more Claytoonz here.
29 Great Things to Do in Tucson This Weekend: June 28 to 30
Pride Night and Queer Bazaar at Tucson Hop Shop. Although the words are synonymous, there’s a big difference between a bizarre bazaar and a queer bazaar. Tucson Hop Shop is hosting the latter to benefit Reveille Men’s Chorus and THEM Youth Ensemble. The prideful night includes $1 off your first beer and food by Molecular…
XOXO: Where to Rock This Weekend, June 28 to 30
Friday, June 28 Like the nail-biting scene in Pulp Fiction when Vincent Vega revived an overdosing Mia Wallace, this Mexican singer-songwriter’s career received an intracardiac injection of epinephrine with the release of Me Déje Llevar (Universal Latin, 2017), a major label debut that yielded four smash hits on both U.S. Latin and Mexican charts. As…
It’s Here! Vote Now in the Final Round of Best of Tucson
Our annual competition seeking to find the best of the best in the Old Pueblo is at it again. The first round of voting closed last week, a huge thank you to the almost 3,000 people who voted, and the finalist round is live now. So, if you voted in the first round, check in…
Claytoon of the Day: Soc It To Him
Find more Claytoonz here.
XOXO
Music events around Tucson this week.
Police Dispatch
A University of Arizona professor was rather bizarrely unbothered when he received an extremely unpleasant email.
Danehy
“This week, my longtime online friendly nemesis, Al (CW13), snarkily asked me what branch of the military I had been in.”
Reel Indie
These films are playing at Indie theaters this week.
Meet and Greet
Divine Bovine is a local joint launched by chef and owner Benjamin Rine, who launched Brushfire BBQ in 2007 and ran it for a decade before selling it.
Corn and Cacao
All it took to inspire Tucson’s newest distillery was an attorney who “flamed out brilliantly” and an archeologist whose passion for craft practices was ignited while on assignment in Madagascar.
Sonic Jockeys
This week our writers tour three of Tucson’s recording studios, look at why the Pima County Board of Supervisors went back to the budget drawing board and more.
Know Your Product: La Mera Candelaria
La Mera Candelaria, seeks to bring the sounds of cumbia and son music to whoever will listen (and hopefully dance along).
Balancing Act
Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller is calling the shots this budget season, with supervisors Steve Christy, Sharon Bronson and Ramón Valadez
Galactic Goofballs
Gaslight Theatre writer/director Peter Van Slyke found plenty of inspiration in the adventures of James Tiberius Kirk when he wrote Space Trek.
Quick Bites
Fun and food around Tucson this week.
Sunsets and Structures
This gathering of storm chasers, lightning photographers, meteorologists and anyone else fascinated by what happens to the Southwest in late summer was in Tucson for the first time this year.
Test Case Scenario
After eight years, big changes are coming to Arizona’s medical marijuana program because of SB 1494, a new law signed by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey earlier this month.
Childcare crisis
Arizona scrapes along the bottom of the nation in children’s wellbeing, ranking 46th in 2019 Kids Count data released last week.
Check, Please
Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords joined Democratic congressional leaders last Thursday to demand that the Senate allow a vote on a bill that toughens background checks for gun purchasers.
City Week
Events to fill your week.
Police Dispatch
A thrifty-but-shifty drug user was arrested at a Safeway he’d been hanging out at for the last seven hours, according to a Pima County Sheriff’s Department report.
Toy Wonder
Pixar and director Josh Cooley have chosen to mess with perfection and extend the story of Woody and friends.
