Cover Story
Eat This, Tucson
Although some may say it’s old news Tucson was recognized as an UNESCO-designated City of Gastronomy, others say food and drink in this desert town should always be celebrated along with its food-loving entrepreneurs.
Two New(ish) Businesses to Visit During the Street Fair
Isabella’s Ice Cream (210 N. Fourth Ave.) UA alumni Dominic and Kristel Johnson created Isabella’s in 2010, and opened their location on Fourth Avenue this past November. “I love how many people walk in and discover it,” Kristel says of Isabella’s. “We’ve been here a few months so everyone is starting to figure out where…
The Weekly List: 16 Things To Do In Tucson In The Next 10 Days
Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo. Cinema The Brain. Sure, watching television is probably “bad” for couch potatoes who have been known to binge an entire Netflix series in one weekend (Hello, Santa Clarita Diet)—but at least the risk is limited to bad eyesight and antisocial tendencies instead of, say, mind control.…
But I’m a Cheerleader is Screening at the Loft This Weekend
Natasha Lyonne is probably best known for her role as Nicky Nichols on Orange is the New Black, where she plays a heroin-addicted inmate known for her wild hair, mischievous smile and lady killer charms—be still, my heart. OITNB won’t have a new season out until June, but you get your lesbian cinema fix when…
Cinema Clips: Kong: Skull Island
The King Kong cinematic machine gets cranking again with Kong: Skull Island, an entertaining enough new take on the big ape that delivers the gorilla action but lags a bit when he isn’t on screen smashing things. Among Kong incarnations, this one has the most in common with the 1976 take on the classic story,…
Last Blast of Irish Music Thursday Night at St. Francis in the Foothills
Mick Moloney is a singer of songs, a teller of tales, a player of tenor banjo and guitar, and a scholarly folklorist who can tell you the meaning and origin of every note and word he sings. And he’s funny and charming to boot. That rare commodity, a folk musician with a Ph.D., Professor Moloney…
Win Tickets to ignite520: Tucson’s Premier Professional Development Conference
When it comes to setting goals for your professional aspirations, “Connect. Grow. Ignite!” probably sounds like your best case scenario to-do list. Enter ignite520, a local two day summit with that very motto. The conference, put on by Tucson Young Professions, aims to “catalyze personal and professional development, shake up connections, and celebrate awesome things happening in…
On the Theory and Practice of Bullshitting
Bullshit has become such a pervasive form of political speech in the Trump world, it deserves attention as a specific rhetorical style. Most of us use the word to mean something is incorrect: “That’s bullshit!” The first time I heard the term “bullshit artist” was in the 1971 film, Carnal Knowledge, where two college students,…
Does This Mean We Can Call It McSallyCare Now?
Congresswoman Martha McSally (R-AZ02) broke several weeks of silence on her position on the American Health Care Act, the GOP’s replacement of the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare), by announcing yesterday that she not only supports the AHCA, but is taking credit for several new elements in the bill. In a prepared statement released yesterday,…
Arizona ACA Enrollment Down 3.3 Percent. Cost For People With Subsidies Down 13.3 Percent.
This is one of those “All I know is what I read in the papers” (cowboy hat-tip to Will Rogers) posts. The AP has an article on current ACA/Obamacare enrollment in Arizona which is full of informative facts and figures. Unfortunately, the AP headline, which is factually true, leaves a skewed impression of what’s actually…
Liz Needs a Home
Hi, I’m Liz! I’m a beautiful 3 year old yellow lab mix and I need a new home! I was transferred to HSSA from a different shelter and am a very sweet girl! I have been getting along well with my kennel mate and love going out for daily walks with volunteers! Stop by HSSA…
Cinema Clips: The Belko Experiment
If this schlocky horror offering suffers from anything, it’s that it thinks it is deeper and cleverer than it actually is. Penned by James Gunn, this silly movie pits a bunch of office staff workers against one another after a voice comes over their intercom telling them to start killing each other off, or everybody…
Casa Video Top 10
Some nights all we want to do after a long, exhausting day is change into that worn-out sweatshirt, grab our favorite snacks and curl up next to our furry friends on the couch for a mindless Netflix marathon. When even Netflix runs out of binge-worthy shows for your tastes, have no fear—Casa Video is here!…
Arkansas Needs a Home
Hi, remember me? I’m Arkansas! I’m a unique 1-year-old boy and I need a new home. I was transferred to HSSA from a different shelter so they don’t know a lot about my previous living situation. My teeth look a little different, but I think that’s what makes me special and unique! I’ve been getting…
Bona Fide SX
South by Southwest is not just about music. It’s also about waiting in line. Waiting in line to maybe get in. To maybe be shoulder to shoulder behind the tallest man in Austin. To maybe strain to see a stage that’s a foot off the ground. To maybe – just maybe – find that sweet…
Streets of This Town: Cellphone Death Tag
“Streets of This Town” is a little daily photo series featuring random pics I take on long walks through Tucson—to sort of coincide with Tucson Salvage.
Future Islands on Fire at SXSW
The lead singer of Future Islands reveals his soul while he performs. The persona most of us wear when in public, guarding our emotion, our inner selves—front man Samuel T. Herring motions pulling off his mask while on stage at Thursday night’s Pandora showcase at SXSW. Under his mask, he’s crying unabashedly, in front of…
The Asterisk in Ducey’s Plan to Fund All-Day Kindergarten in ‘Lowest-Income Schools’
Need another reason to be wary of Ducey’s promises? Here’s one: his all-day kindergarten funding pledge. It’s not quite what he said it is. Here’s what Ducey said in his 2017 State of the State address: “My budget gives the lowest-income schools dollars to start or expand full-day kindergarten.” Note the word “schools” in the…
Sheriff Mark Napier Says His Deputies Won’t Be Taking Over the Work of Border Patrol
Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier laid out his thoughts on how he will interact with federal authorities on immigration matters in a prepared statement earlier today: The absence of a secure border presents a public safety concern for Pima County. We know significant quantities of illegal drugs are transported across the border for distribution throughout…
“Kiss Me, I’m the Descendant of Irish Immigrants!”
Full disclosure: I don’t have a drop of Irish blood in me that I know of. I don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, or drink green beer. I don’t kiss people because they’re Irish. But that doesn’t stop me from recommending a terrific op ed in today’s New York Times by Fintan O’Toole, a columnist for…
Streets of This Town: Smoke It If You Got It.
“Streets of This Town” is a little daily photo series featuring random pics I take on long walks through Tucson—to sort of coincide with Tucson Salvage.
Secret Sisters and Other Indie Heartbreakers
The Secret Sisters are as joyful on stage as their songs are depressing. Laura and Lydia Rogers love the dark days. “We sell antidepressants at our shows,” Laura jokes on stage at Cooper’s BBQ’s Americana Music Association showcase, which became Americana Ladies’ Night when the organizers realized all their headliners were women. In front of…
SXSW Day 4: Nogales-Bred Lights On Ceres Comes Up
Last night I decided to check out the closest thing to a local band South by Southwest has to offer those from Southern Arizona. Hailing from the Mexico side of Nogales, Lights on Ceres is a three-piece band self-described as “space wave,” which must be in reference to their heavy use of electronic components and…
Laughing Stock: Frank Powers’ Life in the Funnies
Frank Powers is a high-energy, action packed cartoon super hero of his own making. Tucson’s top comic strippers, David Fitzsimmons and Max Cannon, are joining Powers’ plot for WORLD DOMINATION, with help from stand-up comic Jacob Breckenridge and jack-of-all-trades Mark Zepezauer. The four are guests for the launch of Powers’ first live talk show, “After…
Noise Annoys Blog: Tucson Star Emcee Cash Lansky Bridges Bridges Regional Styles With Vastly Different Musical Approaches and Lyrical Stances
By the time hardcore hip hop cemented its worldwide cultural dominance in the early ’90s—Dr. Dre’s epochal LP The Chronic being its undisputed moment of coronation—its ethos was dizzying in complexity and magnitude. Call this coincidental or contradictory or, probably most accurately, multi-dimensional. Twenty-five years later, pulling the layers of infinity apart is, as with…
In the Flesh: Kinky Boots at Centennial Hall Delivers Sweet Heart
These boots are made for dancing. And singing. And for delivering rip-roaring entertainment liable to leave you breathless. Kinky Boots, winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical, has landed in Centennial Hall this week, courtesy of Broadway in Tucson, the group that makes sure Tucsonans can go about their lives humming plenty of…
Southern AZ Pols React to Rep. Steve King’s Celebration of Whiteness
Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO — Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017 Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) made the headlines this week with a tweet that celebrated the philosophy of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom got knocked down…
The Skinny
Ducey is delighted, McSally is carefully reading, Grijalva and O’Halleran say no way
Battle Acts: Elton John vs. Kinky Boots
If you know anything about the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, which won a half-dozen of the Tonys it was nominated for back in ’13, its storyline centers on a failing shoe factory’s attempt to cater to an “under-serviced niche market,” in this case, quality footwear for transvestites.
Know Your Product: Miss Olivia
Olivia Reardon’s sound could be called a mix of Erykah Badu soul and the gospel-tinged blues of The Black Crowes. “Jazzy, funky, r&b, rock, blues, country,” she calls it.
Like a Sport, Only Harder
On International Women’s Day last week, a single female dancer stepped out onto Ballet Tucson’s dance floor.
Editors Note
This past week I had the opportunity to hang out with an old friend and colleague from my days in Seattle who now works for The Seattle Times after a long tenure with the Associated Press. I loved catching up with her on her family life, but work was part of the talk too. I…
Police Dispatch
Honey, I’m Going to My Whore Meeting
Cash Call
I reckon no matter where you come from or how sophisticated your taste in music, songs born from the heart, soul and great personal charisma of Johnny Cash have a way of wheedlin’ themselves into you. You’d pretty much have to be dead if you didn’t find yourself tapping your foot in appreciation. The troubadour…
Noise Annoys
Modern funk has taken off and luckily I’m in the middle of it.
Police Dispatch
A woman’s live-in adult son got suddenly, strangely angry after possibly scoring drugs at an auto-parts shop
Dignity for Desconocidos
A white-haired man pulls a cart full of crosses.
Retooled
A humble suggestion to all who want to open a comfortable yet highly effective, and successful eatery here in Tucson: If you build a patio, they will come.
Remembrancing
The debut release from Tucson’s Lowlife is a concept album about memory and the self, essentially a one-sided, internal conversation that looks back in time.
Danehy
Forty or so years ago, Rocky became the first sports movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
Energy is Anger
Otep Shamaya—frontwoman, songwriter and concept-creator with the band that bears her name—is fired up.
Dust Devil
I opened the door to the freezing rain, We haven’t seen sun since the autumn came.
Kong Smash
As for Hiddleston and Larson, one gets the sense their parts were supposed to be bigger, but director Jordan Vogt-Roberts looked at a first cut and realized they sucked, so he replaced a lot of their screen time with Kong action.
