City Week

WHIRLING DERVISHES

Five musicians from northwest Ireland came together in 1989 to record an album of local music. They were so inspired by the project that they decided to birth a formal working band. Dervish was born, taking its name from poor but spiritual people who become enraptured by music, swirling and twirling and whirling themselves into a frenzy.

Dervish has six albums to date. The band has swelled to seven members playing a myriad of instruments you'd expect to hear Irish musicians tooting and strumming--from the mandola and flute and whistles to the accordion, bodhran, guitar and bouzouki.

Cathy Jordan's lilting vocals are warm and strong, like Irish sunlight breaking through the clouds. Nearly all their CDs have won accolades on the Irish folk music charts including awards from Hot Press magazine, Irish Music magazine and the Irish Times, the latter claiming the music of Dervish "makes the group a formidable heir to the throne abandoned by The Bothy Band, if not a serious contender for The Chieftains."

They swirl into town with jigs and reels this week. Tickets cost $16 in advance at Antigone Books, Brew & Vine, CD City, Enchanted Earthworks, Workshop Music, online at www.dotucson.com or by calling Rhythm & Roots concert series. Get them at the door for $18.

FABULOUS, DARLING

The folks at Antigone's tout tonight's reading as fabulous gay literature. Here's what's awaiting you.

Trebor Healey's short stories have been anthologized in Queer Dharma, M2M and Best Gay Erotica 2003. His poetry has slipped onto the pages of Long Shot and The James White Review, among others. Now he's debuting his new novel, Through It Came Bright Colors. It's a tale of crisis around a family illness, but also a bittersweet story of love and the search for honesty. It's one gay man's struggle to live openly, to love and to be loved, free from shame and guilt.

Joining Healey is Felice Picano, who's churned out 19 books. He reads from his newest work that includes the memoirs Ambidextrous and Men Who Loved Me, plus an expanded edition of The Joy of Gay Sex. Picano was a founding member of the legendary Violet Quill Club and co-founder of the Gay Presses of New York.

It doesn't stop there. On Saturday, Sept. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m., Healey teaches a free workshop on memoir writing--both fiction and nonfiction. Just how do you express those watershed moments of your life and get them on paper? Healey offers a few tips. The workshop is sponsored by the LGBT Committee of the Tucson-Pima Public Library and takes place at the main branch downtown on Stone Avenue at Pennington Street. On Sunday, Sept. 28, at 2 p.m., both authors show up again at the library to read and talk about their work. A reception follows, hosted by The Guys' Book Club.

GROOVY ACOUSTICS

Ever notice how resonant your voice sounds when you talk, yell, hum or sing your lungs out while walking through an underpass? It's a very cool phenomenon.

Try corralling an entire a capella group under there, and hear what happens. The UA-based group, Catacoustic Groove, performs their second outdoor concert of the year. No worries about last-minute monsoon activity drenching your fun. The group includes local software engineers, a high school physics teacher and a corporate manager. They perform standards like "Under the Boardwalk," "Moondance" and "For the Longest Time," as well as original songs.

Bring a comfy folding chair and water to stave off the lingering heat. The two-hour concert is free.

WAREHOUSED ART

The Warehouse Festival of the Arts promises to be extraordinary--oh, right, I'm not supposed to spew superlatives in print.

The Tucson Arts Coalition plans free performances, artist demonstrations and an information center to announce the group's reemergence. Former TAC successes included organizing the drive that saved the Temple of Music and Art, the development of the Shane House artist apartments and the Toole Shed Studios, plus they had a hand in developing the Julian Drew apartments and studios. You can sign up to become a member--it's free and open to all local artists and art lovers who want to ensure that Tucson continues to create a sustainable, mixed-use warehouse district in this town.

The lineup is stellar. At noon, check out the Virtual Quartet at MOCA (197 E. Toole Ave.), followed at 1 p.m. by Sugarbush at the Gloo Factory (101 E. Council St.). At Solar Culture (31 E. Toole Ave.), tap your feet to Molehill Orkestrah who amble on stage at 2 p.m. Over at the Mat Bevel Institute (530 N. Stone Ave.) at 3 p.m., Mat Bevel performs the way only he knows how, with assistance from his kinetic sculptures. Tucson Puppet Works pulls strings and dons costumes at 4 p.m. at Sixth Street Studios (44 W. Sixth St.) followed at 5 p.m. by dance grooves from Zuzi Move It Dance Company at Lucky Street Studios (520 N. Ninth Ave.). Rounding out the day at 7 p.m. is a collaborative performance by Flam Chen, Tucson Puppet Works, Capoeira Malandragem and Zuzi Move It at the railroad docks at Ninth Avenue and Sixth Street.

You're going to stay home and rent a video? No way.

The fest is a freebie. Don't miss it.

FILMIC FUSS

Jen Nowak is becoming the diva of bizarre films. I say that with a grin, as I've been known to sit through some of the strangest, most convoluted, even difficult films to their bitter end. There's always something to look at--a linear narrative arc isn't the only way to tell a story.

Moving Intervals is Nowak's avant-garde film series--a monthly barrage to the senses. She brings together hard-to-find films with the artists responsible for their production. October's screening features five shorts addressing the theme of place and landscape. Texan filmmaker Bill Brown explores Canada's historical conflict between English and French parties in Confederation Park, verbally and visually creating a metaphor between our own divided minds. The experimental film attempts to illustrate the meaning of images, to highlight the importance of their history and location.

For more of a Southwestern flare, Thomas Castillo's documentary Canoa explores family, memory and the idea of progress at the historically preserved Canoa Ranch. Thomas, who graduated from UA's Media Arts department, chooses to focus on minute details as opposed to the "bigger picture" theme of Bill Brown. Castillo can answer all your questions, as he'll be in person at the screening.

The series is sponsored by the Media Arts Visiting Filmmakers Program, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the Medici Scholarship. Admission is free as is parking after 5 p.m. on the lot just north and east of the AME building.