Cover Story
2011 Fall Club Crawl Lineup
Bud Light Music Stage 8 p.m.: Loren Dircks and Gila Bend with Ned Sutton 9 p.m.: Grams and Krieger 10 p.m.: The Van Dykes 11 p.m.: John “Juke” Logan (Los Angeles) Midnight: Kenneth Brian (Alabama) Things at the Bud Light Music Stage kick off at 8 p.m. with what promises to be a smokin’ collaboration…
Tiny British Princess Sings “Super Bass” Better Than You
Meet rising star, Sophia Grace Brownlee, rocking a princess outfit and enough swag to cover the entire British Isles. [HT: The Hairpin]
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Learn to Make a Bollywood
Tina from OM Asian Kitchen shows us how to make one of their signature cocktails, The Bollywood.
Food Conspiracy Co-op Increases Its Commitment to Sleeping Frog Farms
It’s interesting how much respect Sleeping Frog Farms has earned in a few short years. A construction worker mentioned his admiration for the farm yesterday. A week earlier a sommelier was going off about the work ethic of the people who run the operation, and a month before that a chef at a well-known restaurant…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Talking (Underwater) Comics
Eric really hates the new fish-eating Aquaman. Hates everything about it. Arnie doesn’t seem to feel quite as strongly. Eric and Arnie are from Best of Tucson winner Heroes and Villains. Check it out, but don’t make Eric sell you the Aquaman. That would be mean.
I Want This Robot for Christmas
The Japanese are amazing, but couldn’t they program this robot to keep on going past the Subway to get something actually edible? Seems like there are still some bugs to work out. [HT: Eater]
Giffords Traveling to Washington for Mark Kelly’s Retirement
Gabby is on the move today: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is traveling to Washington today to attend tomorrow’s military retirement ceremony for her husband, Capt. Mark Kelly of the U.S. Navy. Vice President Joe Biden will administer the retirement oath to Kelly and speak at the brief ceremony to be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow…
Time To Start Making Tucson Culinary Festival Plans!
It’s officially time to start making plans for this year’s Tucson Culinary Festival, which is offering a bit more this year than in years past. The Copper Chef Challenge, Margarita Championship and Reserve and Grand Tasting will take place like they do every year, but this time around there’s a great opportunity to enjoy special…
Sometimes I Hate the Internet
This ad for online aggregator of stuff Buzzfeed appeared on the sidebar of the national site for food blog Eater. It linked to a story on Buzzfeed with photos of both Knox and Anthony, complete with an actual poll. If you want to see it, good luck finding it yourself, because I’m certainly not linking…
TPD Offers a Glimpse of the Earth Opening to Swallow Tucson
I’m all in favor of the Tucson Police Department taking to the social media world to keep the public informed. In fact, I love TPD’s YouTube channel and its lineup of videos of people running red lights and causing crashes. TPD’s Facebook and Twitter feeds were alive with photos Thursday from the sinkhole that formed…
Finally, Rock Star Bandanas for Dogs
I don’t see anything in this story about hair extensions for dogs with accompanying cowboy hats, but I have to imagine those will be available at some point: “As a dedicated pet owner myself, this is a natural partnership for me, and I can’t wait to unveil the collection,” the singer said. “I know my…
Shuffling Beats at the Arizona Daily Star
As if eliminating 15 newsroom positions a couple of months ago wasn’t enough upheaval, the powers-that-be at the Arizona Daily Star have decided to make even more changes by shuffling a handful of major beats. Star veterans Carol Ann Alaimo, Rhonda Bodfield, Rob O’Dell and Becky Pallack have all been uprooted from their respective —…
Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan: Crazy Economics, Great GOP Politics
We here at TW spent a fair amount of time debunking GOP congressional candidate Jesse Kelly’s call for a 10 percent flat income tax on all Americans, which he based on his economic argument that “if 10 percent was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for the federal government.” Well, rising GOP contender Herman…
Guess What Jon Justice Thinks of Occupy Tucson?
I’m still a little unclear on the point of Occupy Tucson other than being an outlet for frustration with the financial industry (something I totally understand), but now that Jon Justice is making fun of it, sign me up. I thought for todays blog I would share with you the start of what I am…
Congressmen Who Complain About Spending Decide to Spend Money Stupidly
Things House Republicans don’t like spending money on: healthcare for poor people, protecting the environment, public broadcasting, anything Obama likes. Things they’re totally fine with spending money on: legal action to prevent same-sex marriage. House Republican leaders have tripled the amount allocated for a legal team arguing in support of the Defense of Marriage Act…
Love, #OccupyWallStreet Style
The anarchists might hate the exploitation of Wall Street-types, but they still can be in favor of love, reconnected via Craigslist’s Missing Connections: I fist spotted you at Zuccotti Park/Liberty Square right before the march started. You’re a few years younger than me with short, dark hair and you were wearing all black with leggings…
McCain: Obama Does Not Owe Bush or Cheney an Apology Over Torture Criticism
Former vice president Dick Cheney has been popping up in the media lately to defend the Bush administration’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques and other steps in the War on Terror. On Sunday, Cheney suggested President Barack Obama owed George Bush an apology for criticism how the Bush administration had undertaken the battle against terrorism in the…
Obligatory Post About the New iPhone
If you’re looking for a wrap-up of today’s iPhone press conference, the simplest and smartest explanation I’ve found is from Brian Lam at The Wirecutter, who goes through the new features and describes why they matter. Maybe I don’t really need a service to send people greeting cards through my phone, but even though the…
This Is What the Calexico Box Set Looks Like
Steve Seigel teased this box set in a September Soundbites, and now you can stare at it while listening to the wistful sounds of the desert for a minute and a half. Calexico is proud to announce, Road Atlas 1998-2011, which collects the band’s 8 self-released tour albums in vinyl format for the first time…
Laura Milkins Is Finally Home
After five months of walking, Laura Milkins has finally made it. The multimedia/performance artist reached her hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan after walking over 2000 miles from Tucson. Milkins’ project, Walking Home: stories from the desert to the Great Lakes, started in May as an artful project to focus on community, networking (both traditionally and…
Classic Cocktails, Molecular Mixology and the All-Around Awesome World of Aaron DeFeo
Aaron DeFeo is taking cocktails to brand new places. Aaron DeFeo is the man who took Hotel Congress’ cocktail program and refashioned it into something truly special last year. So special, indeed, that the cocktail menu took first place in last year’s Best of Tucson® awards. DeFeo left Congress recently (we also hear his cocktail…
Hey! Bears! Leave Our Pizzas Alone!
[I already used the one song I know about bears, so this will have to do. Sorry.] Listen, bears (the animal kingdom sort, not the human kind). We need to come to an understanding. You’re adorable when you’re playing, driving cars, or stuck with a bucket on your head. You cannot eat our pizzas. We…
Make Your Own Font! Really, It’s Easy.
Ever wondered what goes into making your own font? Or, are you looking for a fun new way to procrastinate? Check out fontstruct.com, a cool website that lets you build fonts. You get this neat little graph-paper-like window where you put shapes together to make letters. Then at the end, you can download your own…
Let’s Watch a Guy and a Dog Argue About Baths
The question remains: did the husky end up taking a bath? Is this supposed to be a cliffhanger, because I can’t stand the suspense. [Reddit]
If Maricopa County Gives You Hives … Occupy Tucson
If you want to go up to Phoenix for Occupy Phoenix go (correction, they are not meeting at the the state capitol, but Cesar Chavez Plaza, 201 W. Washington St.), but wouldn’t you rather stay home and Occupy Tucson? Tucson folks met Saturday, Oct. 1 to put in motion Occupy Tucson. If you didn’t have…
What Does It Mean to Be “Illegal” in America?
The new issue of GQ has a great article by Jeanne Marie Laskas about the immigrants who pick blueberries in Maine, which is seemingly a million miles away from Tucson, but does raise some issues about the people caught up in our arguments about citizenship, immigration, and humanity in general: Wash the apple before you…
The FDA and Dr. Oz Face Off
In case you haven’t been watching TV’s Dr. Oz pontificate about what foods are good and bad for you, here’s an update on his latest health craze (no, you don’t need to go buy a different label of Acai berry smoothie packs or start taking some weird herbal supplement). After Dr. Oz broke startling news…
Watch the “Arrested Development: A Bluth Family Reunion” Event
While we might still be somewhat skeptical here at the Tucson Weekly offices that the new season/movie of our much beloved Arrested Development will actually happen (Jimmy Boegle’s comment via text yesterday: “I will believe ArrDev when it is taped and scheduled”), I will definitely find time to watch video of the New Yorker’s panel…
The Navajo Taco Isn’t Arizona’s Best Sandwich, Is It?
While we have no one to blame but ourselves, I suppose, since GOOD Magazine accepted nominations for their United States of GOOD Sandwiches project, but they seem to have some confusion about what a sandwich is. For example, they considered huevos rancheros and fish tacos as finalists? I love both menu items, but they’re neither…
Glenn Beck’s Super Fun Time Playhouse Coming Soon
How imagine at least one segment of Glenn Beck’s forthcoming show for kids: HOST: “Hey kids, what did Thomas Jefferson say powers the Liberty Treehouse?”KIDS: “Refreshing it from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants!” It’s not Nick News, The Electric Company or even the Magic Treehouse. Starting next Monday, talk show…
The “BUI” is a Myth
Have you ever found yourself downtown on the weekend, seen people on their bikes, and wondered, can you get cited for biking under the influence? Well the City of Tucson has spoken, and NO, they say, you can’t get a DUI on a bike, or a BUI, if you will. “We do not have, and…
City Hall Brawl: Democrats Have Huge Financial Advantage Over Republicans in Tucson Mayor & Council Races
With just over five weeks to go before the Nov. 8 election, the Democrats in this year’s Tucson City Council races continue to hold a huge fundraising advantage over their GOP opponents, according to campaign finance reports filed late last week. In the mayoral race, Democrat Jonathan Rothschild has raised 12 times as much money…
Idiot Boksen – Post-“Modern Family”
“…Modern Family nearly swept the [Emmys’] comedy categories and the backlash is in full swing (especially since Louie was shut out of its few nominations). It would be too bad if a show with this much potential and accomplishment became a catchphrase for populist mediocrity because it won a bunch of awards.” – Donna Bowman…
Political Roundtable: Rick Perry’s Chances in AZ, Fast & Furious Gun Scandal, Rosemont Mine & More!
This week’s edition of Political Roundtable from Arizona Illustrated: Everything from the GOP presidential debate to the impact of health-care cuts, all in one short half hour.
Councilman Kozachik: Rio Nuevo Suit “Reflects a Total Disregard of the Greater Good of our Community”
Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik responds to the news that the Rio Nuevo Board is suing the city of Tucson for $47 million: Late Friday afternoon, the Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District filed a notice of intent to sue the taxpayers of this area. The name on the suit is the City of Tucson. The…
At Chili’s, Apparently the Word “Bold” Has Lost All Meaning
I’ve always thought of Chili’s as more of a “I give up, this appears to be the best place to eat in this airport” sort of place, but I guess if they want to convince people that they’re somehow “bold” for suggesting to eat at a place that could be best described as “not quite…
Occupy Phoenix? The Weather is Agreeable and the Bastards Need a Kick in the Ass
The Occupy Wall Street protest shows no signs of slowing down, and the spark that started the protest is spreading across the country with other Occupy events, including Phoenix. Some Baja Arizona folks are planning a trip up on Oct. 15 to occupy the Cesar Chavez Plaza, 201 West Washington Street. Organizers have a spot…
Political Roundtable: GOP Prez Candidates Visit AZ, Fast & Furious Gun Scandal, Carmona Mulls Senate Run & More!
Tune in tonight for another edition of the Arizona Illustrated Political Roundtable, featuring Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel, Arizona Public Media reporter Andrea Kelly, Republican strategist Jonathan Paton and Democratic strategist Rodd McLeod. Tonight, we talk about Rick Perry’s problems with Arizona Republicans, Richard Carmona’s potential U.S. Senate run and the Independent Redistricting Commission.…
Now Open: Apple Farm Bakery Diner
The new restaurant Apple Farm Bakery Diner in the old 5 and Diner building at 4520 N. Stone Ave. is open. We tried contacting the owners of the Apple Farm Bakery Restaurant in Benson to get some more information on this restaurant, but never got a response. That restaurant is known for homemade American food…
Jonathan Rothschild Has a Campaign Video
Jonathan Rothschild has an ad available on YouTube promoting his candidacy for mayor, and I guess it’s fine. It doesn’t really say anything other than pitch the idea that he’s a nice guy who loves Tucson and would appreciate it if you voted for him. You’d almost think there’s an iMovie setting for banal campaign…
What to Listen to This Week: Friday ‘Back & Forth’ Edition
Following up on the tracks from yesterday, here are five songs hand-selected by our music writers for your enjoyment, including tracks by Zombi, Wooden Shjips, Roy Head, Timber Timbre, and Wilco. Casey DeweyZombi, “Night Rhythms”: From the Pittsburgh instrumental outfit Zombi, “Night Rhythms” is the closing track on their prog/space/drone sophomore album, Surface to Air.…
Tom Prezelski: ‘The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission Needs to Hear from You’
Former State Representative Tom Prezelski started a new righteous Facebook open group page today, Tucson Should be Represented By Tucsonans, and included an equally righteous comment by Prezelski on the latest maps issued by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission this week: Udall, Kolbe, Grijalva, Giffords. We in Southern Arizona are proud of our history of…
Mr. An’s Frozen Yogurt Store Opens Saturday
Kwang C. An, the local restaurateur more commonly known as Mr. An, will open his new frozen-yogurt store FrozAn this Saturday at Casino Del Sol. I stopped at the casino for other business this week and found An putting finishing touches on the store. The place will sell frozen margaritas, daquiris and other drinks, too.…
Online Poker Site Full Tilt Poker Might Finally Pay Up
If you’re an online poker player, odds are you’ve been a little short on cash since April 15, when a federal indictment against the world’s three largest poker sites shut down access to players’ bankrolls. Most of PokerStars’ players have gotten their money back, but those who had a ton of dough stored on Full…
Illegal or Not Illegal: Some Newspaper Folks Have a Preference
Last year, we brought up the use of the term “illegal immigrant” on the Range and it’s been a discussion, albeit short and sweet, during Weekly World Central staff meetings. While typically when it comes to newspaper style we refer to the AP Stylebook, but like almost every other newspaper on the planet, sometimes we…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
The Regional Transportation Authority stepped in to prevent the county from spending RTA funds on a project it wasn’t originally approved for. Learn more about what the county wanted to use the money for. Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com Signs along the roadway alert motorists to expect both bicycles and pedestrians in the crossing. The City of Tucson…
Now Open: Check It Out Hamburgers
Think this hamburger joint resembles any other burger places? Maybe a national chain that uses the same color scheme, a similar logo and a name that sounds a lot like Check It Out? “Wow, it looks a lot like In-N-Out,” I said to the girl working at this new burger place in the old Taco…
Help Wanted Searches Reveal Sneaky Little Employment Ads and Even Sneakier Online Tactics
Illustration Ryn Gargulinski Singles ads are notorious for their sneaky little phrases that mask reality. We all may have learned — perhaps the hard way — that “big boned” generally means obese, “homebody” means couch potato and “mature male” often translates to a guy who is roughly 103. Those seeking “adventuresome” men or women are…
Bank of America Goes Through With Stupid Consumer-Hating Idea
My money isn’t tied up with Bank of America thankfully, but it’s crap like this, corporate banking world, that’s causing people to camp out on Wall Street. “Thanks for floating us with your taxes after we made all those stupid decisions, now let’s pay America back by screwing you when you want to actually have…
Changes Atop City Hall
Interim City Manager Richard Miranda is making some big changes to the city staff. The biggest ones: Miranda is bringing back Liz Rodriguez Miller, a former assistant city manager who left when Mike Hein was atop the city’s bureaucracy, as an interim assistant city manager to oversee public safety and neighborhood services. He’s also elevating…
Come Win Money Other People Have Lost at Casino Del Sol
Whoever likes free money, raise your (virtual) hand! Okay, for the four of you that didn’t comply, please click on another link. Everyone else, read on. Casino del Sol’s renovated poker room finally opened last week after several months of work. The upgraded, expanded room boasts 13 poker tables, nearly as many flat screen TVs…
What to Listen to This Week: Not Just for Wednesdays Edition
Clearly, getting this feature on Wednesdays hasn’t really been working all that well, so it looks while I’ll break up the stellar recommendations of our music writers into posts for Thursday and Friday. Then again, I might change my mind next week. It’s the surprises that make life worth living, right? In this segment, tracks…
Catching Up With 47 Scott
I remember when 47 Scott was getting ready to open and murmurs rippled through the local food scene that the location was cursed, that no eatery could succeed there. Boy were they wrong. The last time I sauntered into 47 Scott it was packed, and I mean PACKED. Deciding to wait out the storm, I…
Jeff Biggers: “At What Point Will the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice Be Summoned for an Investigation?”
In writer Jeff Biggers’ latest article, he points out not just how disgusting John Huppenthal’s recent remarks were in front of the Pima County GOP comparing Tucson Unified School District’s Mexican American Studies program to Hitler’s Nazi Jugend paramilitary organization, but the continuing error Huppenthal and his supporters make attacking Mexican Americans. One of the…
Now Open: The Polish Cottage
The Polish Cottage at 4520 E. Broadway Blvd. is open and serving up a nice menu of traditional Polish food. I spoke with owner Robert Stawicki this morning and he says he’s serving up five kinds of pierogi, stuffed cabbage, Polish sausages, potato pancakes and all sort of other great Polish eats. He’s also brought…
Major League Soccer to Return to Tucson
The panel at the Desert Cup announcement at Kino Sports Complex. It’s definitely nice to see Kino Sports Complex in use (even if I still grumble that it should be located downtown), and as part of what looks to be a busy 2012 for the facility, FC Tucson announced that four Major League Soccer teams…
Pima County Denies Permit to Rosemont Mine
A win for the anti-Rosemont Mine crowd as Pima County denies the Rosemont Copper Company a air quality permit, although they can appeal or reapply: Pima County, Ariz. (Sept. 29, 2011) — Pima County’s Department of Environmental Quality has denied Rosemont Copper Company’s air quality permit application. The company was notified by messenger on Sept.…
Portugal. The Man = Awesome
Maybe I’m biased… well I know I’m biased, but Portugal. The Man could possibly be one of the coolest bands making music today. Something about the psychedelic/experimental combination of John Gourley’s pitchy vocals and hollow-body guitar paired with a keyboard and catchy beats… well it’s hard not to like. My favorite thing about these guys…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com: Talking (Batman) Comics
I don’t personally see a lot of comic criticism and discussion, but I suspect that this video has one of the rare mentions of NAMBLA regarding the genre. Also, Eric and Arnie talk about the new Batman comic, which they like. So there’s that, too.
Tucson Police Arrest Owner Of ‘Suspicious’ Vehicle That Tied Up Downtown
We now have a name attached to the “suspicious” box truck parked downtown that had Tucson police all aflutter on Wednesday. We also have an arrest of said vehicle owner. Sahuarita resident David J. Mitchell, 50, has been booked on a misdemeanor charge related to his violating a court order that said he couldn’t be…
Tucson Police Nab Woman Wanted For Child Porn Possession
The land of child pornography possession is no longer an exclusive boys’ club, at least as far as the Tucson Police Department is concerned. TPD announced Thursday the arrest of Carolina Portugal, whom it believes is the first woman the department has ever investigated for possession of child pornography. Portugal, 27, had been under investigation…
That’s Amore!
Michelangelo Ristorante Italiano will be donating the proceeds from all desserts sold in October to the the Southern Arizona chapter of breast-cancer-awareness group Susan G. Komen For the Cure. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. For more information on what that entails – which, put succinctly, is saving a whole lot of lives – you…
Blocking Good Science
When the feds last week blocked a University of Arizona doctor’s attempt to launch the nation’s first clinical trial of marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, they didn’t end anything. They started it. “Hopefully, this is just the first round,” said Dr. Sue Sisley, an assistant professor in telemedicine in Phoenix whose study was rejected…
The Skinny
Meet the new boss at City Hall … A big problem for Republican mayoral candidate Rick Grinnell’s plan to cut back trash service … Don Bivens wants to be your next U.S. senator … and so much more!
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I hear that at the last Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors hearing about redistricting, some lady accused Supervisor Gloria Molina of Reconquista. What is that—and what on earth is going on over there? I don’t get what all the fuss is about. The U.S. Census says that Latinos make up half of…
Media Watch
New options on the local HD channels; IMG’s issues
Top Ten in Movies
1. Bridesmaids Universal 2. Hanna Universal 3. Thor Paramount 4. X-Men: First Class 20th Century Fox 5. Everything Must Go Lionsgate 6. Hesher Lionsgate 7. Set Up Lionsgate 8. Meek’s Cutoff Oscilloscope 9. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop Magnolia 10. Incendies Sony
All for One
Running a small literacy/arts organization like Stories that Soar! can be lonely work. But over the summer, Sharon O’Brien realized that it does not need to be. In July, O’Brien and other literacy-organization directors—from the Literacy for Life Coalition, Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona, and Reading Seed—began meeting to discuss…
A Real Winner
Moneyball is one of the best baseball movies ever made—even though very little of the physical game is played within it. It’s the story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, and how he used computers instead of money to build a championship-level baseball team while teams in bigger markets outspent him … really outspent…
Police Dispatch
Dirty deeds; Did William Tell?
Now Showing at Home
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Blu-ray); Modern Family: The Complete Second Season; The Tempest (Blu-ray); Dumbo: 70th Anniversary (Blu-ray + DVD)
Weekly Wide Web
Last week, for some reason, I noticed a run of people (OK, three, but still …) who used Facebook statuses to express some sort of dissatisfaction with the Tucson Weekly. In each case, one of my “friends” pointed out the complaining post by one of their “friends.” (I think people I know enjoy seeing me…
Asian Excellence
Bushi sits in a nondescript building at the intersection of Swan Road and Speedway Boulevard that could easily be missed. However, it would be a mistake to miss out on what’s inside. A smiling hostess seats you, and within minutes, a generous portion of edamame is at the table, along with the menus. Earth tones…
Judging Life
For The Love Me Nots, it’s all in the Farfisa and the fuzz. It’s hard to ignore, of course, lead singer Nicole Laurenne’s commanding presence. Behind the microphone, she’s the embodiment of female power and assertive sexuality, barely controlling her punky frenzy. When she performs, she sounds as if she’s 10 feet tall. But the…
Beware of Wolves
America’s national forests belong to everyone, and all Americans deserve and rightfully demand access to this national birthright. Such access is like oxygen for hunters and anglers, but beware: Industry barracudas and their pals in Congress are trying to hoodwink sportsmen into supporting bad legislation by promising more-lenient access. Today’s case in point is HR…
Top Ten in Music
1. 17th Street Band Positively 17th Street (17th Street) 2. The Tryst Truth Be Told (self-released) 3. BK Special Hope Springs (self-released) 4. Silver Thread Trio Silver Thread Trio (Old Bisbee) 5. Más o Menos String Band Scratches in the Wax (self-released) 6. Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl Children of Fortune (self-released) 7. Stefan…
Meet the Visitors
Kicking Harold is part of an elite group: It includes musicians from Tucson who actually released a record on a major label. A move to Los Angeles in the early ’90s was just what the doctor ordered for these three friends from Tucson, because what started as a “jam session” quickly turned into an indie…
Reality Trumps Ideology
The state of Arizona is collecting private donations to build more pedestrian fencing along the border. It won’t work. It sounds doable on paper, but that’s where this misguided idea will largely stay, an effort driven more by ideology than the hard reality of the borderlands. In April, Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1406, sponsored…
Nine Questions
Louise Le Hir is a singer-songwriter whose music incorporates country, folk, psychedelic, rock and French pop. She has lived in Tucson for the past two years. Her next gig is next Saturday, Oct. 8, at Solar Culture Gallery, where she’ll open for Spindrift and Young Hunter. She’ll be accompanied, as usual, by drummer Benjamin Blake.…
Some Fresh Blood
There has been a breakout at the zombie penitentiary! That’s happening in one alleyway off of the main Town Square. Another side street holds Carnival Caverns—where sadistic clowns are running rampant—and straight for you! These flesh-eating zombies and chainsaw-wielding clowns only come out at night. In the daytime, this town features quite a different look…
Noshing Around
A beer for the Food Conspiracy; Oktoberfests; Tucson Tamale Company goes breakfasty; Tako Burger opens; Other places close
Tips for Crawlers
How do I get into Club Crawl®—and how do I avoid lines? There are two main entrances into Club Crawl®. The east entrance is at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Congress Street, and the west entrance is at Sixth Avenue and Congress Street. Our last three Club Crawl® events have been our biggest ever,…
City Week
The words of Emily Dickinson; Biketoberfest; Art and booze; Funny Muslims
On the Verge
Opening a second album with a dense, bombastic, 8 1/2-minute song is certainly bold, but Cymbals Eat Guitars treat such a move as a calling card. Lenses Alien is a big, loud alternative-rock album that showcases the multitude of strengths of a band on the verge of breaking big. Both catchy and complex, with big…
Musical Meals
Any great downtown has plentiful restaurants, cafés and bars, and is a place where one can stroll the streets and take in the city’s ambience. Tucson now has such a downtown—and if you haven’t visited in a while, then the night of Club Crawl® would be a perfect time to reacquaint yourself. To illustrate this…
TQ&A
Danielle Duarte is on a mission—not just to honor the memory of her late father, Benny Alvarez Casarez Jr., but to prevent someone else in Tucson from needlessly dying due to road rage. Casarez was shot Aug. 1 in a parking lot at Fort Lowell Road and Campbell Avenue by a man who was reportedly…
Live
There she was—the peerless Emmylou Harris, one of the most influential musical performers to bridge rock and country music during the 1970s, and the possessor of a legendary, otherworldly soprano, onstage in front of a sold-out crowd in Tucson. With her lush mane now fully silver at 64, she looked positively luminous. Backed by a…
Editor’s Note
A lot of planning goes into each and every action-packed issue of the Tucson Weekly. For example, we plan cover stories about six weeks in advance (while leaving wiggle room for breaking news, changes of plans, etc.). Our arts folks plan out a basic framework of coverage for each season. We even make schedules for…
Killer Show
Folks who say there’s nothing to distinguish the arrival of fall in our desert home must not be devotees of the performing arts. If they were, they would certainly realize that while fall’s arrival is not characterized here by crisp air and falling leaves, it is recognizable by the explosion of plays, concerts and dance…
Monster Pussy: Tails of the City (Bloat)
After a handful of cassette-only releases and a 7-inch single, Tucson Area Music Awards honoree Monster Pussy has finally unleashed its debut album, and Tails of the City is chock-full of quirky odes to various U.S. cities, good friends and activities in the Old Pueblo. The album kicks off with the punchy “Buffalo! Roam!,” a…
Danehy
College isn’t for everybody. According to a friend of mine who is a reading specialist, someone with a seventh-grade reading level would struggle with that sentence. “College” is a word that isn’t easily sounded out; “isn’t” is a contraction; “for” has multiple homonyms; and “everybody” is a compound word. However, for someone at, say, a…
Local Ruins!
Arizona Opera may have moved to Phoenix, but the sets for the company’s 41st season opener were designed and built by people right here in the Old Pueblo. For the double-bill of one-acts, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, Tucson set designer Sally Day created variations on the theme of ancient Roman ruins. “Pagliacci is set in…
Soundbites
Club Crawl; Kris Kristofferson; Portugal, the Man; and more!
Serraglio
After the sustained media frenzy of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, most people are probably ready to move on. I offer this question as a starting point for the next 10 years: “Sure, but move on to what?” Based on the past 10 years, we can expect more wars that have little…
The Built Environment
When architect Rob Paulus was a kid growing up in Tucson in a house stuffed with his parents and six siblings, he had an electric train set. He loved the trains, he says, but he “liked the houses I built alongside the tracks even more.” Now 46, the architect lives with his wife and daughter…
St. Vincent: Strange Mercy (4AD)
Annie Clark’s music is a beautiful hybrid of folk, electronica and art rock—a tough combination to get right. But the multi-instrumentalist with the haunting voice has made waves with her pristine execution on Marry Me and Actor, two acclaimed albums that actually lose some luster in comparison to the new Strange Mercy. Clark drops the…
Guest Commentary
Hunter S. Thompson once said, “The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason. There is…
Kin Care
The memoir trend continues, with no signs of abating, despite a high-profile outing of James Frey’s fraud. Just as un-reality TV corrodes traditional television narratives, memoir is a literary plague, threatening to wipe out everything, including the reason people picked up books in the first place—to escape reality, or to at least confirm that people,…
A Lucky Man
Over the last 20-plus years, local journeyman musician Michael P. Nordberg has played punk, garage rock, jazz, rockabilly, blues, country, funk, old-time rock ‘n’ roll and polkas with dozens of groups. “There’s no way I can count how many bands I’ve played in or projects I was with,” said Nordberg recently over brunch at a…
Mailbag
Don’t pick up artifacts; Access Tucson; Visit the local businesses you claim to love; Something unexplainable
Top Ten in Books
1. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 2. That Used to Be Us: How American Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ($28) 3. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 4. Mockingjay Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 5. The…
Ape Machine: War to Head (Self-released)
Better-known for its indie bands, Portland, Ore., also possesses a powerful hard-rock and metal scene. (See Toxic Holocaust, Across the Sun, etc.) PDX quartet Ape Machine, as its name suggests (adding a “T” gives you “tape machine,” a nod to heavy music’s analog origins), offers organic, bong-worthy bliss for those of us who don’t own…
Last-Minute Reprieve
It’s long been argued that the Pima Animal Care Center is far too quick with the needle—that animals are euthanized when the county facility runs short on space, or when the animals suffer the slightest sneeze or cough. Whatever the reason, PACC killed approximately 17,000 animals last year—or more 60 percent of those arriving at…
Huh?
One of the pillars of storytelling—whether in film, prose or even character-driven folk songs—is creating a compelling protagonist. He or she doesn’t have to be moral or lawful, but a protagonist should be interesting enough that an audience wants to find out where the story goes, as opposed to just wishing the story would end.…
Loughner Headed Back To Prison Hospital for More Treatment
Jared Loughner is headed back to a federal prison hospital in Missouri for another four months of mental treatment in an effort to make him competent to stand trial on charges related to Tucson’s Jan. 8 shooting rampage. Loughner, who was wearing a white T-shirt and khaki pants and sporting short brown hair, sat shackled…
