Zócalo TUCSON ARTS, CULTURE, AND DESERT LIVING / DECEMBER 2018 / NO. 102
• HOTEL CONGRESS CELEBRATES 100 YEARS •
DogLix Designs Studio K
Father and Son Metal Custom Metalworking Phone: 520.204.6104 www.doglix.com Ev@doglix.com
Shop for beads and wearable art Complete fun make-and-take projects all day Custom Gifts Unique Creations, and other Wonderful Oddities Listen to great music To become a festive sponsor contact Jean@BeadsofCourage.org Phone: 520.485.8871 Visit BeadsofCourage.org for more information Studio A www.BlackmerStudios.com
3230 N. Dodge Boulevard • Tucson, Arizona In the Ft. Lowell Furniture and Arts District MetalArtsVillage.com
N Ft. Lowell
Alvernon
• December 21 • January 19 • February 19 • March 20
Dodge
• • • • •
4 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
inside
December 2018
07. Events 13. History of Hotel Congress 14. Hotel Congress Timeline 23. Vincent Szuda 29. The Oserans 35. Tiger and His Tap Room 39. The Cup Cafe 41. Club Congress 45. David Slutes 47. Jamie Manser Reflects 49. Art Galleries and Exhibits 51. Performances 52. Tunes 54. Another Look at Hotel Congress ON THE COVER: Hotel Congress celebrates 100 years in downtown Tucson.
Zócalo Magazine is an independent, locally owned and locally printed publication that reflects the heart and soul of Tucson.
PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Olsen CONTRIBUTORS Abraham Cooper, Jeff Gardner, Carl Hanni, Jim Lipson, Jamie Manser, Troy Martin, Gregory McNamee, Janelle Montenegro, Hilary Stunda, Amanda Reed, Clif Taylor, Jacklyne R. Volpe. LISTINGS Amanda Reed, amanda@zocalomagazine.com PRODUCTION ARTISTS Troy Martin, David Olsen AD SALES: frontdesk@zocalotucson.com CONTACT US:
frontdesk@zocalotucson.com P.O. Box 1171, Tucson, AZ 85702-1171
SUBSCRIBE to Zocalo at www.zocalomagazine.com/subscriptions. Zocalo is available free of charge at newsstands in Tucson, limited to one copy per reader. Zocalo may only be distributed by the magazine’s authorized independent contractors. No person may, without prior written permission of the publisher, take more than one copy of each issue. The entire contents of Zocalo Magazine are copyright © 2009-2018 by Media Zoócalo, LLC. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Zocalo is published 11 times per year.
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 5
18th St Bungalows in the heart of Armory Park, 499k-519k Four gorgeous two story loft homes, 2 bedrooms/2 baths plus versatile loft spaces, designed by Rob Paulus Architects
IceHouse Loft studio 222k
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36 acre homestead in Dragoon Mountain Ranch, 490k
SUSAN DENIS 520.977.8503 susan.denis@gmail.com
habitation realty
™
Specializing in Tucson’s historic neighborhoods, vintage homes, and infill projects of exceptional design
photo: Tim Fuller
december
events Z
Luminaria Nights at Tucson Botanical Gardens.
FRI 7 - SUN 9
FRI 7
LUMINARIA NIGHTS Wind through the gardens
ART AS A WAY OF KNOWING THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER Learn how Art-Based Perceptual
decorated with 3,000 candlelit luminarias and 22 Korean lanterns on display. View snowfall in the Exhibit Garden next to a 10-foot tall Chirstmas tre made of 150 blooming poinsettias, along with storytelling with the Grinch and performances by local musicians. Tickets: $12 Members / $6 children, $18 Non-Members, $9 children. 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. 520-326-9686. TucsonBotanical.org
FRI 7 & SAT 8, FRI 14 & SAT 15 HOLIDAY NIGHTS
Enjoy twinkling gardens glowing with a million holiday lights and live music and performances, hot cocoa and telescope star viewing. Tickets: $12 Members, $16 Non-Members, $3 Kids 12 & under. 5:30 to 8:30 pm at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. 520-742-6455. TohonoChulPark.org
FRI 7 – SUN 9 FOURTH AVENUE WINTER STREET FAIR With over 500,000 people in attendance, this popular art fair hosts artists from around the world, along with a variety of food offerings and local entertainment. Pets not allowed. 10am to dusk. 316 N. Fourth Ave. 520624-5004. For more information visit: FourthAvenue.org
FRI 7 – SUN 9 THE NUTCRACKER Performed by Ballet Tucson, this holiday favorite is a must see performance. Dec 7 at 7:30pm, Dec 8 at 2pm and 7:30pm and Dec 9 at 1pm. Tucson Music Hall, 260 South Church Ave. 1-800-7453000. BalletTucson.org
Ecology methods taught by ABPE pioneer, Dr. Lee Ann Woolery are a way of knowing the ecology of place. 9am to 4pm. $114 includes lunch. Rancho Santa Cruz,1709 E Frontage Rd, Tumacácori, AZ 85640. EcoArtExpeditions.com
SAT 8 – WEDS 26 WINTERHAVEN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Tour the neighborhood lights by foot, bike, bus trolley or hayride and enjoy the annual holiday tradition that residents of Winterhaven host as a celebration for all. Begins at 6pm each day of the festival until 10pm. Free. For more information visit: WinterhavenFestival.org
SAT 8 2ND SATURDAYS DOWNTOWN
A free, family friendly urban block party! Winter Hours: 2pm to 9pm. Performances, vendors, food trucks, and more. Free family friendly movie at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum. Downtown Tucson. 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com
WINTER OPEN HOUSE
Explore the studios, gallery, and sculpture garden with friends and family, or shop for handmade glass art jewelry, housewares, and ornaments, or try your hand at creating your own glass art! Proceeds go to support glass art education in Southern Arizona. Free and open to the public. 10am 4pm. Sonoran Glass School, 633 W. 18th St. 520-8847814. SonoranGlass.org
SAT 8 & SUN 9 HOLIDAY BAZAAR
Fun activites all day include, Afrikana dance and drum circles, face painting, karate, yoga, henna designs, Shakere/Percussion workshops, games from Africa and African American traditions, dance games and more, along with a wide variety of fine art and handmade goods vendors. $5 entrance fee. Sat 9am to 5pm and Sun 11am to 5pm. Dunbar Pavilion, 325 W. 2nd St. 520-628-7785.
SUN 9 LA FIESTA DE GUADALUPE
This festival honors Mexico’s patron saint with music, dancing, and performances including mariachi bands, folklorico dancers, the Yaqui Deer Dancers, and Domingo DeGrazia’s Spanish guitar band. There will also be a procession with Carrillo Magnet School singers. Local food and art vendors. Free and open to the public. 10am to 4pm. DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan Rd. 520-299-9191. DeGrazia.org
MERCADO FLEA
is back on Sunday, December 9. Held the second Sunday of each month, this openair market features 35 + vendors selling antique, vintage and all sorts of used items. It runs 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., in the parking lot of Avenida Del Convento between the Mercado San Agustin and the MSA Annex, just under A Mountain.
MON 10 – THURS 13 PATRONATO’S CHRISTMAS AT SAN XAVIER Featuring the Sons of Orpheus and the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. The special concert on Dec 10th will also feature the Tucson Girls Chorus and special guests. See website for tickets and performance times. 1950 W. San Xavier Rd. PatronatoSanXavier.org
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 7
Casa Cantante 3 barrio-style homes, ready soon! Each is 3/2, 1433 sf and courtyard, on 5656 sf lots. 299k
Van Ark modern home on 5 ac, reduced to 425k! Meet the builders with expertise at the Mercado. Contact me for an appointment and tour.
Mercado District of Menlo Park: 9 lots left, priced 97k-219k
SUSAN DENIS 520.977.8503
habitation realty
susan.denis@gmail.com ™
Specializing in Tucson’s historic neighborhoods, vintage homes, and infill projects of exceptional design
december
events Z
Labyrinth New Year’s Eve Party & Masquerade Ball at the Loft Cinema.
FRI 14 - SUN 16 MERCADO DISTRICT HOLIDAY BAZAAR Making holiday shopping fun for all with 70+ of the best local shops, makers, and collectors, along with gourmet food, coffee, and artisan cocktails. Check out the newly expanded Mercado Annex with new shops and restaurants. Hours: Fri & Sat 10am – 6pm, Sun 10am – 4pm. Mercado San Agustin, 100 Avenida Del Convento. MercadoDistrict.com
SAT 15 ANNUAL DOWNTOWN PARADE OF LIGHTS Colorful floats, lights, snow, Baile Folkloriko, live entertainment, and a fantastic festival in Jacome Plaza brings holiday cheer to downtown. This year, the festival will proceed from the intersection of Church Ave and Alameda through the core of downtown. Free and open to the public. 520-268-9030. DowntownTucson.org
SAT 15 & SUN 16 HOLIDAY EXPRESS Meet Santa and take pictures together in front of Locomotive 1673, sing holiday music, write a letter to Santa with the Tucson Postal History Museum’s help, view the museum’s exhibits, enjoy an arts and crafts show, and more! Free. 10am to 4pm. 520623-2223. 400 N. Toole. TucsonHistoricDepot.org
A SOUTHWEST NUTCRACKER Join Tucson Regional Ballet and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for this holiday classic complete with coyotes, cavalry, and rattlesnakes. Sat at 2:00pm & 7:00pm, Sun at 2:00pm. See website for ticket information. Tucson Music Hall, 260 South Church Ave. TucsonRegionalBallet.org
SUN 16 THE NUTCRACKER PARTY PLUS
Arizona Ballet Theatre and Arizona Dance Theatre present a brand new version of the classic story The Nutcracker, plus previews of works for our spring concert. Potluck party on the plaza to follow. 2:00pm. Tickets $18, available at Tututix.com. Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd. 520-322-8019. ArizonaBalletTheatre.com
FRI 21 A HOLIDAY MUSIC SPECTACULAR
A revival of the spirit of Andy Williams holiday specials, featuring Crystal Stark, Brian Levario, the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, and Greg Curtis and Mrs. G from 94.9 MIXfm Morning Mix. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona and volunteers will be on hand to collect donations of diapers (all sizes). 7:30 pm. Fox Theatre, 17 West Congress St. 520-547-3040. FoxTucson.com
MON 31 THE LABYRINTH NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Prepare to Dance Magic Dance as The Loft rings in the New Year and celebrates the great David Bowie with a late night screening of Labyrinth, an interactive sing-and-quote-along edition, and a costume contest. Costume contest starts at 11:15pm, movie at 11:45pm. General admission: $15, Members: $12. Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. 520-795-7777. LoftCinema.org
ONGOING PLANETARIUM SHOWS
Explore the stars and beyond every Thu-Sun with a laser light show on Fridays and Saturdays. $5-$7, kids under 3 are free. See website for program times. Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University. 520-621-7827. Flandrau.org
MONDAYS MEET ME AT MAYNARDS
Southern Arizona Roadrunners’ Monday evening, non-competitive, social 3-mile run/walk, that begins and ends downtown at Hotel Congress, rain/shine/holidays included! Free. 5:15pm. Maynards Market, 400 E. Toole. 520-991-0733. MeetMeAtMaynards.com
THURSDAYS THIRD THURSDAYS
Every Third Thursday of the month, MOCA is open for free to the public from 6pm to 8pm. These themed nights feature different performances, music, hands-on art making activities, as well as a cash bar and food trucks. Free admission. 265 S. Church Ave. 520-624.5019. Moca-Tucson.org
SUNDAYS 5 POINTS FARMERS MARKET Every Sunday at Cesar Chavez Park. 10am to 2pm. 756 S. Stone Ave.
SECOND SUNDAZE
Every second Sunday, enjoy free admission and free family programming from 12-5pm. Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave. TucsonMuseumorArt.org.
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 9
Winter is enchanting in historic “OLDTOWN”...
SILVER CITY EST. 1878
ELEVATION 6000 FT.
S T AY
MURRAY HOTEL *
Historic Art Deco Hotel and Ballroom 200 W. Broadway / www.murray-hotel.com 575-956-9400 / frontdesk@murray-hotel.com
dine
TAPAS TREE GRILL *
Global Street Food Adventure 619 N. Bullard / www.tapastreegrill.com 575-597-8272 / info@tapastreegrill.com
PUB
LITTLE TOAD CREEK
Brewery & Distillery…food, music and fun 200 N. Bullard St. / www.littletoadcreek.com 575-956-6144 / info@littletoadcreek.com
S T AY
BEAR MOUNTAIN LODGE
Your home on the edge of the Gila 60 Bear Mtn. Ranch Rd. / www.bearmountainlodge.com 575-538-2538 / info@bearmountainlodge.com
dine
REVEL
Play with your food 304 N. Bullard / www.eatdrinkrevel.com 575-388-4920 / Info@EatDrinkRevel.com
tile
SYZYGY TILE
Handmade tile factory and showroom 106 N. Bullard St. / www.syzygytile.com 575-388-5472 / info@syzygytile.com
SILVER CITY, N.M.
J ava
JAVALINA COFFEE HOUSE
Oldest coffee house in Silver City-open every day 117 W. Market St. / javalinacoffeehouse.com 575-388-1350 / HOURS: 6am to 6pm
NEW MEXICO ...
JayHemphill.com
dine
DIANE’S *
Chose from fine or casual dining & live music 510 N. Bullard / www.dianesrestaurant.com 575-538-8722 / dianesrestaurant@gmail.com
dine
VICKI’S EATERY
Silver City’s hearty & healthy Italian restaurant 315 N. Texas St. at Market 575-388-5430 / vickiseatery.com
IMG
STEPHAN HOGLUND PHOTOGRAPHY
Wedding & portrait photographer 211 W. Yankee St. / stephanhogulandphotography.com 218-370-1314 / sh@stephanhoglund.com
BROWSE & SHOP the GALLERIES of “OLDTOWN”, YEAR-ROUND ! Watch for Gallery happenings at silvercityart.com Businesses with asterisks (*) offer a discount if you mention this ad
ART
WILD WEST WEAVING
Contemporary,traditional,Navajo & Spanish textiles 211D N. Texas / www.wildwestweaving.com 575-313-1032 / wildwestweaving@gmail.com
ART
MARIAH’S COPPER QUAIL GALLERY
Something for every audience 211A N. Texas 575-388-2646 / facebook.com/mariahscqg
ART
BORDERLANDS GALLERY
Fine art & Stephan Hogland Jewelry Design Studio 211 W. Yankee St. / stephanhoglund.com 218-370-1314 / sh@stephanhogland.com
ART
CREATIVE HANDS GALLERY *
Contemporary & abstract art, cigar box guitars 106 Yankee St. / www.creativeroadsart.com 303-916-5054 / creativehandsartstudio@comcast.net
ART
BLUE DOME GALLERY
Contemporary fine craft and art 307 N. Texas St. / www.bluedomegallery.com 575-538-2538 / info@bearmountainlodge.com
ART
FINN’S GALLERY
Enchanted gallery and garden…a must see 300 N. Arizona St. / 844-645-4213
art
TATIANA MARIA GALLERY
Fine furnishings, jewelry, textiles, pottery 305/307 N. Bullard... Authentic everything 575-388-4426 / tmkgallery3@gmail.com
ART
LIGHT ART SPACE
Fine Art Galley and Teaching Space 209 West Broadway / www.lightartspace.com 520-240-7075 / karen@lightartspace.com
ART
STERLING FINE ART
Connecting collectors with fine works of art 306 N. Bullard St. 505-699-5005 / www.sterlingnm.com
WHY SILVER CITY?
• Bright Winter days, clear starry nights • Walk from boutique hotels & lodging to dinner • Authentic “heirloom” (1800s) business district • Stroll the historic WNMU campus • Walk to the Boston Hill trail network from town • Shop at our Oldtown Food Co-op (est. 1974) • Watch first-run and current films at the Silco • Tour Syzygy & see how clay art-tile is made • Farmers Market Wed. morning at Ace Hardware • More info at silvercitymainstreet.com & gmcr.org
ART Monsoon Puppet Parade
GRANT COUNTY ART GUILD GALLERY
30 Artists-New downtown gallery-Open Every Day 316 N. Bullard St. / www.gcag.org See us at facebook.com/GrantCountyArtGuild/
hotelcongresscentennial Z
The Heart of Downtown Hotel Congress Celebrates 100 Years by Gregory McNamee
W
hen Arizona became a state in 1912, the population of Tucson was about 14,000. Most of the amenities available to the city’s residents were to be found downtown, with banks, restaurants, theaters, and stores clustering around Congress Street and Stone Avenue. The western and southern ends of the city, spreading outward from downtown, were marked by narrow streets and small plazas, while the eastern end of downtown was made up of warehouses, garages, a couple of printing plants and paint stores, a couple of apartment blocks, and a single Chinese restaurant. Joining that mix, in 1918, was the Congress Hotel (Hotel Congress), built to accommodate business travelers who arrived by train at the depot just across the street. The new hotel was as up to the minute as any such business in Arizona in the day: for one thing, it had bathrooms in 75 of its 100 rooms, rather than the usual lavatory at the end of the hall, as well as a restaurant in the space of what is now the Club Congress that soon drew customers from well beyond the hotel, serving dishes and treats like pineapple sundaes, filet mignon, and brined Arizona olives and boasting in advertisements, with more enthusiasm than grammatical accuracy, of its “cusine unequalled.” It had steam heat, and—most unusually—a telephone in every room. It even had an elevator. Offices and retail spaces ringed the perimeter three-story hotel, designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm of William and Alexander Curlett, one of them a barber shop that boasted, “where every sanitary measure is observed and where everything is done to please our patrons.” These spaces were rented out before the hotel had even opened—and before what was called “the flatiron building” had a name. The matter was crowdsourced, after a fashion, with a prize of $15 in savings bonds awarded to the winner. Several entrants suggested the obvious Congress, after the main thoroughfare onto which the building backed, while others proposed names ranging from the Hotel Pershing, after the famous general, and the Hotel Democratic. The Arizona Daily Star noted, “The committee rejected that one quickly, since Republicans will be welcomed at the new hotel.” Owner John Latz also wisely rejected names that incorporated his own, Latzona, Johnavier, and Latzuma among them. Latz had had something of a checkered career, making the news for, among other things, refusing to wear a “flu mask” during the 1918 outbreak of the socalled Spanish flu, which did not spare Tucson. When the flu faded away, the illness of tuberculosis drew ailing visitors to Tucson and the rest of Arizona, and some convalescents wound up taking residence in the hotel and elsewhere downtown until, toward the end of 1920s, the booming economy and decline in illness spurred the beginnings of the resort industry. The Hotel Congress was there to greet visitors who arrived from New York, Chicago, and especially
continues... December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 13
Photo from Arizona Historical Society, BN200434
Z hotelcongresscentennial
Hotel Congress fire, 1934.
Hotel Congress Through The Years by Abraham Cooper
JANUARY 22, 1910 - John Latz owns and operates Merchant’s Cafe at 5th Avenue and 10th Street, eight years before opening the Congress Hotel. It advertises “German home cooking,” selling “Meals, 25 cents and up.”
FEBRUARY 11, 1912 - John Latz operates the German Cafe at 40 S. 5th Avenue. which advertises “genuine German cooking.” The cafe is located opposite the train depot, in the general vicinity of the future Congress Hotel.
OCTOBER 25, 1913 - John Latz opens the Hotel San Xavier on Broadway, near 4th Avenue, Mr. Latz fills the new hotel with furniture purchased in Chicago. It advertises rooms with private baths, telephones and the only hotel in Tucson which uses a modern vacuum cleaning system.
14 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
NOVEMBER 8, 1913 - Just one month after its opening, the Hotel San Xavier is filled to capacity, demonstrating its profitability. John Latz expands his business by building an annex adjacent to the new hotel at Congress Street and Toole Avenue.
FEBRUARY 27, 1917 - Harry E. Bradley, a prominent hotel owner, purchases the San Xavier from John Latz with plans to improve the building. Latz retreats to the mountains of Arizona to look after mining interests. Otto W. Latz, John’s son, remains at the hotel to manage the cafe associated with it.
NOVEMBER 2, 1917 - John Latz returns to Tucson after seven months of rest and begins negotiations with Tucson pioneer Mose Drachman for the construction of a new hotel. The project is expected to cost $100,000 and is to be be built on the triangular parcel of land directly across from the Southern Pacific train depot.
hotelcongresscentennial Z Photo courtesy of Hotel Congress.
Hotel Congress with three floors.
continues... MARCH 18, 1918 - Bids to build the new hotel open. Prominent Tucsonans Judge William H. Sawtelle, Leo Goldschmidt and Mose Drachman agree to finance the project. The group plans to install “modern equipment” in every room. The new building is heralded as the first “flatiron” hotel in the southwest; a reference to other iconic buildings of the time resembling the shape of a flatiron. Most notably the Flatiron Building in New York City.
APRIL 2, 1918 - The bid is awarded to Edwards and Reilly, contractors from Flagstaff. John Latz wins the lease and plans to open the hotel the first week in October. He returns to Chicago for furniture and fittings. The hotel’s design includes three stories containing eighty-four rooms and a roof with thirty lockers and several baths.
APR 25, 1918 - A competition to name the new hotel is announced. Although presented as being open to the public, Latz encourages “Spanish-speaking people” to enter the competition. Excavation for the hotel’s basement nears completion and cement for the foundation is poured.
Photo from Arizona Historical Society, BN33,163b.
Hollywood, who then ventured off to more remote venues in the foothills and desert. Latz’s hotel did a thriving trade for a decade and a half, but even so it went into receivership in the grim years of the Depression—strange, since the money started to roll in when the Tap Room opened its doors practically the minute that Prohibition was repealed in 1933. It was the first bar to open in downtown when the law changed, though others followed, and it attracted bibulous crowds to rival those that frequent the Tap Room—now called Tiger’s Tap Room, after the legendary bartender Tom “Tiger” Ziegler, at work there since 1959—today. (See article on page 35.) In January 1934, the hotel, now under new ownership, suffered a fire that would enter it in the annals of modern crime. On the evening of the 23rd, the dining room manager, William Humason, was preparing to open for business when he noticed smoke, then licks of flame, coming up from behind a baseboard. A guest had already called the Fire Department, and when firefighters arrived they tried to put the fire out with a small extinguisher, thinking the fire was just the result of a carelessly discarded cigarette and easily contained. As it happened, the fire had built up in the basement owing to a malfunctioning furnace, and the whole of the understructure of the hotel was burning, the flames traveling up a chimney to the floors above. Humason gathered some of the hotel’s valuable records, then went up to his room on the third floor to retrieve a prized violin. He shouted the whole way up and back, noting that a few occupants seemed reluctant to leave. He got out of the hotel just in time for the stairs to catch fire, requiring the evacuation of a few guests by ladder, “having not been warned in time to escape through the hallway,” as the Arizona Daily Star reported. The Star added that one guest, having been told that the fire was out, returned to his room on the second floor and was never seen again. He may have added to the then
Hotel Congress, after the fire. The third floor was never rebuilt.
APRIL 30, 1918 - Dorit Dinkel is one of several contestants who submit the winning name “Congress,” admitting that her suggestion was an afterthought. Nevertheless, she wins the competition when her number is drawn from a hat. John’s Latz’s hotel officially becomes the Congress Hotel. NOVEMBER 18, 1918 - The Congress Hotel formally opens its doors to the public. It is described as Tucson’s “war bride” hotel since it is the only building of significant proportions built during war time. It proudly advertises “one hundred elegantly furnished rooms, all of them outside ones, single and en suite, and has seventy five bathrooms, tub and shower. It has a telephone in every room, steam heat and elevator service.” SEP 20, 1918 - Field and Parker Company mortgage one safe to Hotel Congress for $750.
1919 - Newspaper ads begin to refer to the newly founded business as Hotel Congress rather than the Congress Hotel.
continues...
Limited edition, custom & one of a kind fine art tiles.
Gallery & Studio Open to the Public 730 S. Russell Ave. In the alley behind 5 points restaurant
www.carlyquinndesigns.com info@carlyquinndesigns.com
16 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
hotelcongresscentennial Z small but now sizable roster of ghosts the Hotel Congress is said to house. But something else was going on: Those third-floor guests who were hesitant to leave were milling around just outside the hotel, pleading with the firefighters to retrieve their luggage. Finally two firefighters braved their way up a back staircase and pulled down several heavy traveling bags that were registered to a guest named Arthur Long, who, according to the register, was visiting from Florida. Long was actually Russell Clark, a member of a clutch of gangsters associated with the notorious bank robber and murderer John Dillinger. Clark was arrested a few days later after the firefighters who had brought his bags down recognized him from a picture in a true-crime tabloid, and the police discovered that the bags contained pistols, machine guns, bulletproof vests, ammunition, and other tools of the criminal trade. Detectives rounded up Clark, along with Charles “Fat Charlie” Makley and Harry Pierpont, two more members of Dillinger’s gang, the last of them credited as the “brains of the outfit.” And as for Dillinger himself, well, he eventually showed up at a house that Clark had rented near the corner of Second Avenue and First Street, less than a mile from the Hotel. Surrounded by police as he strolled up the sidewalk, Dillinger said only, “Well, I’ll be damned.” It was a big deal. Dillinger was wanted for killing a police officer in Indiana, among a long list of other crimes, and no one suspected that he’d be a snowbird—or that a cowtown police force would nab him. Tucson was on the map, and so was the Hotel Congress, a draw for true-crime buffs ever since. But then Dillinger was packed off on an airplane to Chicago. He escaped, more police officers died, and Dillinger himself, having tried to disguise himself with plastic surgery, was gunned down on Lincoln Avenue a few months later. He faded into history. So did the Hotel Congress. During World War II, it saw plenty of visitors, military personnel on the way to and from the coast on the way to fighting in the Pacific or training at nearby Davis Monthan and other bases. When the war
Old Hotel Congress matchbook.
continues...
FEBRUARY 1, 1922 - A nearly catastrophic fire occurs after a collection of rags and refuse fall in between a wall and an overheated steam pipe, just outside the elevator shaft. Disaster is averted due to the quick response of the fire department.
1959 - Thomas “Tiger” Zeigler is hired by the Kent family and begins bartending in the Tap Room at the age of 26. He becomes a fulltime employee by the late ‘60s.
1933 - The Tap Room opens.
JANUARY 22, 1934 - Infamous bank robber John H. Dillinger and his violent posse lay low in Tucson as they continue to evade the police. Mr. Dillinger has reached the status of Public Enemy No. 1. The Dillinger Gang hides out at Hotel Congress when, by coincidence a fire originates in the basement of the hotel, traveling up and consuming most of the third floor. The gang’s foolhardy attempt to bribe a firefighter for the retrieval of their possessions leads to their capture by Tucson Police a few days later.
1932 - 1940 - Pete Martinez, famous for depicting Arizona desert landscapes and cowboy culture, frequents The Taproom. He donates a series of original illustrations to the hotel.
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1965 - Vince Szuda, a World War II veteran, arrives in Tucson by train and checks into Hotel Congress. After forging a strong friendship with the owners, he resides in room 220 until his death in 2001. 1985 - Richard and Shana Oseran purchase the hotel establishing Club Congress that same year. Through their investment in the community and vision for the future, they gradually begin to restore the hotel to it former glory.
1989 - Muralist Larry Boyce journeys across the United States by bicycle. He stays at Hotel Congress during which time he persuades the owners to let him repaint the interior. His work captures a southwestern-art deco aesthetic. continues... December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 17
it’s so easy...
...to do good. DONATE TO GOODWILL.
THANK YOU SOUTHERN ARIZONA! Your donation of clothing or housewares to Goodwill® have gone a long way! Thanks to your support, Goodwill® was able to serve over 50,000 individuals in our community in the past 5 years! Together, we can do it again! So go on, clean out your closet and curios and do good! G O O D W I L L S O U T H E R N A Z .O R G / D O N AT E
18 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
hotelcongresscentennial Z
Left: Newspaper advertisement from 1936. Right: Present day sign on outside of Hotel Congress.
Photo from Arizona Historical Society, BN200438.
Hotel Congress lobby, ca. 1940. December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 19
Z hotelcongresscentennial
Bottom photos: Jeaninne Kauter
New carpet rolled out for the centennial.
Hotel Congress as it is today.
1990 - The Cup Cafe opens, eventually becoming one of Tucson’s most beloved restaurants.
2005 - The Cup Cafe’s iconic Penny Floor is installed. 1994 - Hotel Congress 2005 - Talk of the Town Bar Transported to Club Congress. celebrates its first DIllinger Days which becomes an annual tradition. The event centers around a re-enactment of John Dillinger’s stay at the hotel and subsequent capture.
2000 - The Copper Hall opens providing a space for large events. Countless weddings are held here. 1991 - Jenny Holzer’s Truisms, a collection of poetic observations, are donated to the hotel and displayed in the Cup Cafe. 20 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
2005 - Club Congress celebrates 20 years on Labor Day weekend and annual HOCO Music Festival is born.
hotelcongresscentennial Z ended, transcontinental passenger train traffic slowly lessened in importance as new highways linked American cities and Americans took to the road in cars. Hotels and motels out on what were then the edges of town—the Ghost Ranch Lodge, the Arizona Motel, and their kin—saw an increase in visitation, while downtown began its long, slow decline. The process was pretty much complete by the mid–1970s, and about the only things to draw a crowd on the eastern end of the city center—and not the most desirable crowd, by most accounts— were a couple of scruffy bars that were later scraped away. But then, in the mid–1980s, Richard and Shana Oseran (see page 29) came onto the scene, rescuing the Hotel Congress from a plan the city had long been contemplating: namely, tearing the building down and putting up a parking garage. That battle took years. Soon the Hotel began to see visitors of a different kind, becoming the locus for a bohemian scene that would branch off into many directions of art, music, and culture. They opened the Cup Cafe (see page 39) a few years later, at about the same time that the Club Congress (see page 41) opened its doors. The Hotel Congress became an anchor of a part of Tucson that, though still desolate in those early years, has definitively come back to life. It’s not far-fetched at all to say that without the Oserans and their far-seeing vision into the city’s future, downtown Tucson might still be a ghost town today. A century after its founding, the Hotel Congress retains some of the hallmark features of its deepest past. It still offers excellent cuisine. You won’t find a television on the premises, which is by design. The spirit of the Dillinger gang still hovers around the place, celebrated by an annual festival, and so do the spirits of a dozen-odd ghosts. The room phones still connect to a switchboard, and the place is still raucously noisy well past midnight. All that is by design, too, a fine testimonial to tradition as the Hotel Congress enters its second century. This past November, the Hotel Congress kicked off a year-long centennial celebration with the Copper Jubilee, a celebration of 100 years. The celebrations continue through December 2019 with events toasting the hotel’s dedication to serving the Tucson community and world travelers for the past century. There will be a variety of new events and revamped versions of signature events, art exhibits, lecture series, exciting historical and modern additions to the hotel, and more. For informaton, visit HotelCongress.com/centennial n
Hotel Congress lobby art as it has appeared since 1989.
2006 - Daniel Martin Diaz, native Tucsonan and distinguished artist, is commissioned to redesign the façade for the Club Congress main stage.
2011 - The Cactus Garden Lounge, a private upstairs patio for hotel guests, receives a makeover by the prolific painter Joe Pagac. In it he depicts Tucson’s iconic mountain ranges.
2010 - The hotel rooms are retrofitted with air conditioning units, replacing the original evaporative cooling system which once characterized Congress as the first luxury hotel in Tucson.
2013 - In honor of Tiger’s 80th birthday, the Tap Room bar is permanently renamed “Tiger’s Tap Room.”
2018 - Hotel Congress, beacon of Tucson, turns 100 years old. n December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 21
Historic & Unusual Homes TIM HAGYARD (520) 241-3123 • tim@timhagyard.com • timhagyard.com
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Room 220
Remembering Vincent Szuda - B. Jan 13, 1917, D. Feb. 18, 2001 by Clif Taylor VINCENT SZUDA’S room, 220, is now featured on the Halloween haunted tour at Hotel Congress. If Vince is haunting that room, or the hotel, good for him! I miss that old codger. More than likely he is well out of here. If he is around, he’s a friendly spirit keeping watch on his extended family. Vince got off the train in Tucson in either 1961 or 1965, moved into the Hotel Congress, then “checked out” Feb. 18, 2001. Tucson’s downtown went through a lot of hard times during the late 60s and 70s. The once culturally rich shopping and business center went east, and then to the north. As a kid I remember at least eight hotels downtown. Most had to go the way of the flop house or lowrent monthly housing, even government assisted housing. Most of the old hotels in downtown are long gone. Hotel Congress stayed a hotel, offering monthly affordable rates as well as nightly rates. To compete and keep the doors open, they had to reinvent themselves. They had to change with the times. Celebrating that evolution, the Hotel Congress is now 100 years old. When Congress’s current owners Richard and Shana Oseran took over, they had youthful energy and the vision to keep this iconic hotel alive. However, there were several long-term residents that had to stay by the request of the previous owner. Vince Szuda was the last long-term resident of the Hotel. Vince, God love him, outlived them all. I think his monthly rent was $80 a month, with maybe a hike to $89 at one point. That’s inflation for ya. I started working at the front desk at Hotel Congress in 1990. Just like today, it was the hub of Tucson’s music culture. Most action downtown either started there or ended up there. I’d see this cartoon like caricature of a man rooting around Vincent Szuda, a photo he carried the lobby, usually in the morning, but on occasion in the early evening. He had the appearance of a high school shop teacher, or a machinist in the 1950s. Nondescript slacks, short-sleeve button-up shirts, and usually a pocket protector with an angel pinned to it and of course, suspenders. On an odd occasion he’d sport a dirty t-shirt if the “recycling” was on the dirty side. His thick horned rimmed glasses were a mainstay, sometimes broken and taped up, but Dr. Weiss, the optometrist, would always set him up with a new pair. You could see him from a mile away. He had a severely misshapen spine from an old injury, and yes, he walked slow. To say that Vince was a creature of habit would be a ridiculous understatement. He lived for his routine. First thing in the morning, like clockwork he would walk down the stairs and check the phone booths for lost change. Then, get the Tap Room open and search the floor behind the bar,
under the mats, and behind the bottles, cuz ya never know if some tips might have fallen or ricocheted off the back bar. In those days there was a tolerance, even an encouragement, to throw your quarters into the brass tip cauldron. As you can imagine, there was a 50/50 chance to make a basket. Next, onto the club bar, looking for more lost change, shiny trinkets, jewelry, any number of interesting baubles that might have gotten loose. Finally, off to work breaking down the beer boxes. Vince was an early recyclist and repurposer. It was his calling. After all, he had lived through the generation of rationing and conservation. If he were still here – maybe he still is! – he would go crazy with all the waste we create today. Those beer boxes held a special interest to one Thermos Malling. Before Bob Log lll drank Boob Scotch he was part of the Tucson dou Doo Rag. Malling played an unusual drum kit consisting of found objects and a beer box as a bass drum. These old beer boxes were triple thick cardboard and had a coating of wax, making them particularly suited for the group. At first Mr. Malling asked for a few boxes and Vince grumbled a bit but complied. Malling would help himself after awhile... and Vince could tell someone had lifted the boxes. This was the most upset I think I ever saw him get. He survived a couple of wars. What’s a little rock and roll art damage! At 7 o’clock when the Cup Cafe opened, breakfast called. My desk clerk shift was from 11 pm to 7 am, three nights a week. At shifts end I would sit with Vince at the Cup Café counter and force him to chat. It took a long while to breach his silence but we did become friends. The Cup had a more diner-esque arrangement at that time, it had a six-seat counter that in his wallet. Date is unknown. faced the open kitchen to the west. He had the same thing everyday and often the cooks would have it ready just as he sat down. This did amuse him quite a lot. His routine and fierce commitment to recycling and repurposing lent itself to liberating some of the waiters tips left by guests on the counter and cafe tables. Mostly, to staff amusement, but not always. As time went on Vince would ask me if I could help him with things. Little stuff at first. For instance; taking him to the V.A., or to Dr. Weiss’ office. Dr. Weiss was an opthamologist downtown for maybe 100 years or so. He was on Broadway just west of 5th Avenue. Dr. Weiss was a sweetheart and perhaps the only person with a back issue to rival Vince. Quite something to see side by side. Vince, leaning to one side, and the good doctor folded at almost a 90 degree angle at the waist. I took him to a lot of doctors appointments towards
continues... December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 23
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Vince’s door, upstairs at Hotel Congress. the last year of his life. His eyesight was an obsession. He believed what he read and would consume what I referred to, as “The Larry King Pak.” He would purchase all of the remedies that Larry and Paul Harvey endorsed. Pills to cure gout, failing eyesight, joint pain, hair loss, and let’s not forget, the garlique pills - for that Hedy Lamar breath after a late evening at the Ritz. Needless to say, I became family, a favorite nephew I guess. The reality was that the Hotel’s staff, past and present, were his family. He didn’t want to be a burden or ask for help, but failing eyesight, deafness, and mobility issues made it a matter of health and safety. I had for years pursued a relationship with him and it seemed natural that I continue helping him as long as I could. We were both loners to some extent. I just did it around a lot more people. He started slowing down a bit but kept his routine pretty much the same. Including the evening vodka or two. Alex Skelton, the bar manager, kept a bottle of Relsky for him and religiously he would take an evening sip. Eventually I wasn’t working at the hotel as much so he would call, and sometimes in a panic, would ask “Where are you?” As if I was supposed to be there. So I’d answer, “I’m at home, you ok?” “Ya, but I need to be at the V.A. tomorrow,” he’d reply. I tried to be there as much as possible for him. It was a task. The week before he died I told him that I would be out of town for a week. If he needed anything, ask Roger Pallenes, the head of the hotel security. Or call the front desk, I urged him. He told me that he wished that I wouldn’t go, that he might not be there when I got back. A couple days into my trip I got a phone call late night from the front desk clerk. He said that Vince had died. He was gone. He was a devout Catholic but never judged me. I had gone from desk clerk to maintenance and eventually to doing design work at the hotel and across the street at Maynards, all the while performing at the club. Sometimes clothed sometimes not, I did a lot of crazy things at that time. Only once did he raise an eye. I had just gotten engaged to be married when he witnessed me in an embrace with Tasha Bundy (a Club Congress DJ and Hotel alum.) He pulled me aside and firmly asked what the hell I was doing!? I explained that we were old buddies –I don’t think he bought it.
A month or so leading up to his death he had told some of us that we would be in his will. He insisted on taking my social security number and information for the executor at his bank to have on file. He had various pensions from the military and his job at the base. Indeed, he left a few of us, including Richard and Shana Oseran, some money. I never thought anything of his will until it was read by the executor. Beyond a sizeable check, he left me the entire contents of Room 220. His is so missed. He really was a great link to the Hotel Congress history. Everyone that met him was curious about his routines and why and how he came to be at this hotel for so long. Going through his room, I sorted through what seemed like millions of keys, combs, bibles, pills and health aides, and numerous jars and boxes of rare and not so rare coins. All kinds of coins, from walking silver dollars to common everyday pennies. I kept the personal stuff, his wallet with all his military things, as well as some photographs, his social security card, lots of St. Jude and other prayers cards. The most sentimental were his dog tags. His body went back to La Salle, Illinois, to be laid to rest. A week or so later, past and present Hotel employees met at the Tap Room to pay their respects and to talk about all things Vince. I brought most of the “collections.” Found objects, catholic relics, and a variety of ephemera. All were placed on the bar and whomever wanted a piece of Vince’s history could take what they wanted. Of course, there were a couple of bottles of Relsky well vodka to toast Vince Szuda of Room 220, the last long-term resident of Hotel Congress. Goodnight, buddy. Several years later I did a renovation of the Tap Room. Paying tribute to Vince, I had his dog tag embedded into the mahogany bar top. Next to Vince’s dog tag is the quarter that the colorful Tap Room patron, Mr. Benny Fleming, otherwise known as “Mr. Peppermint,” kept in his ear. Sadly, Vince’s dog tag was stolen. n December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 25
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Richard and Shana Oseran The Visionaries Behind the Rebirth of Hotel Congress In their fourth decade as owners of Tucson’s dining, arts, and entertainment hub, the Oseran’s reflect on the years transforming their hotel and downtown, and offer a glimpse of what’s to come.
by Gregory McNamee
photo: ©StevenMeckler2018
Hotel Congress owners, Richard and Shana Oseran in the second floor Cactus Garden Lounge.
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 29
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W
hen Richard Oseran moved to Tucson from his native Phoenix in 1963 to attend the University of Arizona, residents of the city went downtown to shop. “You had to go downtown to buy a pair of shoes,” he remembers. “You had to go downtown to get a haircut—practically to do anything.” But then a shopping center went up a few miles east on Broadway, the up-to-the-minute El Con Mall, and over the next decade downtown began to board up. Richard kept coming downtown, working as a public defender for Pima County after earning his law degree, but he and his wife Shana were among the few people who did. Then, when Ronald Reagan took office, even they left, trying on New Zealand for size for a couple of years. In time they returned to Tucson, and to downtown. “Many of our friends were moving there,” says Shana, who worked in educational publishing early in her career. “Artists were finding interesting places that had been abandoned, turning them into beautiful homes and galleries, planting seeds. We decided pretty quickly that we wanted to be part of it.” One day, along about 1985, after having visited cities where dead downtowns were being redeveloped as arts and entertainment districts in places like Denver and Los Angeles, they stopped in at the hulking red brick Hotel Congress at the entrance to downtown on the easternmost stretch of Congress Street. “There were a few old people sitting in the lobby, long-term residents,” says Richard. “There wasn’t much else going on.” Still, he and Shana saw potential for the place. “We thought of it as a place where creative people might come,” says Shana. “It looked like it could be fun, a way to bring more people back downtown. We really didn’t have any assets, but we saw a lot of promise, so we went ahead and did it anyway.” It was just before the savings and loan crisis hit, and local financial institutions were glad to lend to people who saw potential for commercial real estate. So, with a handful of partners and some development money and loans, they bought the place, and the money started gushing from their strained pockets as they refurbished the hotel practically brick by brick, restoring it to its onetime glory of half a century earlier. Their partners weren’t as optimistic as they were, and eventually Richard and Shana bought their shares out, one by one. The partners had a point, for the city of Tucson had plans for the site as the center for a parking complex to serve municipal workers. “There was one planner in the mayor’s office who really seemed to have it in for the place,” says Richard. Eventually, though, he and Shana were able to enfold some of the city’s leading political players in their vision for an arts district that would include refurbished theaters, restaurants, and other amenities. The city dropped its plans, and the planner moved on to work her dark magic in the Phoenix area, where she found better luck tearing old buildings down. “We spent money,” says Shana. “Oh, did we spend money. We were crazy, and we knew we were crazy. We thought of ourselves as urban street fighters.” Anyone who owns an old home knows how constant the job of maintaining it is. Keeping up with a 100-year-old hotel is no different. At the moment, for instance, Shana is looking at the big job of replacing water pipes that run through the ceiling of the first floor. “It’s going to be a mess,” she says, “but it needs to be done.” Richard smiles, remembering a big repair job of a similar nature that involved bringing a plumbing crew in to replace pipes in the Cup Cafe. “The crew got there at closing time,” he says. “They worked through the night. We were pouring concrete at 5:00 in the morning, and we opened the restaurant for breakfast right on time.” Recalls Shana, “We’ve always worked with great people. Most of the time they just showed up and said they wanted to work here, and we hired them. Some of them were here all along.” One of them was Vince, the legendary handyman and full-time resident who, like Jack Torrance, seems to have belonged to the Hotel Congress from the moment it opened. In fact, he moved in in about 1965, and he used a butter knife from the original restaurant as
his go-to tool for tightening doorknobs and the like. Vince died in 2001, but, a document from the Tucson Pima Public Library records, employees have been finding his butter knives all around the property in the years since. Curiously, when Vince left the planet, though he seemed not to have had two nickels to rub together—I bought him a drink from time to time, way back in the day—he left behind an estate approaching $200,000. (See page 23.) “He was a little strange, and now he’s one of our ghosts,” says Shana. “We have a bunch of them.” One night, she recalls, a guest felt a presence in a room and snapped a photo with her phone. The next day she took the photo down to the desk clerk and showed it to him. “There was a woman in the mirror,” Shana says, pausing for a moment to let the creepy implications settle in. “One of the things we did from the very beginning, besides hiring great people, was to highlight local art and artists,” says Richard. “We were the first place outside of the art galleries where local art could be found.” The original Tap Room, for instance, features art that predates the Hotel’s rebirth, while the lobby features an extensive set of murals painted by Larry Boyce, who bicycled to Tucson from San Francisco and decided that he needed to leave his mark on his adopted city. “He came in one day and asked if he could paint the lobby,” says Shana, “and we thought, why not?” The murals have been there ever since, a quarter-century on, and, Richard says, “They’re spectacular.” So have permanent artworks in the Cup Café, with its floor made of pennies, while the lobby is the site of a regularly changing art display, again by local artists. “We’re proud of our role in the local art scene,” says Richard, “and of our town’s history. There’s so much to work with. For instance, everybody knows the story of John Dillinger now, but it wasn’t so well known when we took over. One of the things we decided to do was organize an annual commemoration of the fire and arrest, and that gave birth to Dillinger Days, which people come from all over the world to see.” Over the four decades the Oserans have owned it, the Hotel Congress has been a family affair. Their eldest daughter began working at the Cup Café (see page 39) in the mid–1990s; she is now married to Todd Hanley, the manager of both the Hotel Congress and its cousin, Maynards Market & Kitchen across the street. Their youngest daughter has overseen several decorating and restoration projects and now works at Maynards, while their middle daughter grew up working in the Hotel—and, adds Shana, “had the best wedding ever in the plaza.” That plaza, now often the site for outdoor music venues, was once a parking lot, now put to much better use—even if parking does still pose a challenge at times on the eastern end of downtown. “And then there are the people who’ve worked with us over the years,” says Richard. “Dave Slutes, for instance, who does a great job managing the music that comes through the Club Congress.” (See page 44.) Adds Shana, “And Bill Roberts, our baker for so many years, who decided he wanted to get out of the kitchen—and now does our bookkeeping!” As the Hotel Congress enters its second century, the Oserans have big plans for it and the neighborhood. Shana, for one, dreams of restoring the little plazas and green spaces that used to dot downtown. “It’s hot out there,” she says. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place to rest in the shade while you’re walking around?” Says Richard, “We’re constantly working to make downtown even better. After all, nobody comes to Tucson these days wanting to see the foothills. It’s all about downtown.” A bigger plan involves a big piece of the Hotel’s history. In 1934, a fire consumed the third floor of the Hotel. (See page 13.) “You can still see where the fire burned up there,” says Richard. Tucson architect Ray Place redesigned the hotel without that third floor, and it was rebuilt and reopened in 1936. “We’re working on rebuilding the third floor as the next big thing we do,” says Richard. “Even though we’re both in our sunset years and having doing this for a long, long time, we’re not done yet. And there’s still a lot to do.” Adds Shana, “Just wait and see. It’s going to be wonderful.” n
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 31
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Tiger and His Tap Room Behind the Man Behind the Bar by Abraham Cooper AS HOTEL CONGRESS celebrates its centennial, we reflect on those who have kept it alive over the decades. There is perhaps no better embodiment of the hotel’s history and enduring legacy in modern times than Tiger, the 84-year-old bartender who has commanded the Tap Room (now “Tiger’s Tap Room”) – the hotel’s oldest bar – for almost 60 years. The following conversation is taken from a series of interviews with Tiger at his home. May his kind heartedness, tireless wit and perennial loyalty to the company and its customers live on in the annals of Tucson’s oldest surviving hotel. Obviously you go by Tiger. That’s your nickname, but what’s your given name? Tom James Ziegler. Actually, Thomas James but everybody called me Tom. Where were you born? Dubuque, Iowa. 1933. But I’m only 48 years old. Backwards, 84 (grins). How long did you live in Dubuque? Well I was born in ‘33 and come to Tucson in ‘52. What was it like growing up in Dubuque? Oh, it’s a small town. I really didn’t like it ‘cause it was cold in the winter and real muggy in the summertime. But Dubuque is a nice little town. I mean it’s 50,000 people. Very, very nice town. My 92 year old sister is still there. The other sister would have been two years older but she died two years ago. She would have been 94. And then my brother is 87, cause’ I’ll be 85 in May. Him and his wife live up in Gilbert Arizona. We were a close family. I don’t understand how people do not like their family. I know we have differences and we can always talk about things. We just... we’ve never had bad words. Maybe when we were younger of course. I was ornery. I was the baby. I’m the baby, and I was a spoiled brat. I love it. We’re very close. What were your parents like? Well, my father left home when I was 5 years old. Back in the ‘30s they didn’t believe in divorce so then my mother never divorced. So my mom raised four kids. But my dad was a truck driver and he did pay checks. There was no alimony. She got no food stamps. Her and her sister worked in a dress shop. But my dad did leave money for all four kids every week. There was no meanness. And he wanted divorce but my mother didn’t believe in it. Back then if a woman did that they were looked down on as a harlot or something pretty bad. But we had clothes. We never had to worry about nothin’. So did you still have the opportunity to see your dad occasionally? Not very frequent. I did go to his funeral but, you know, it was my father but I couldn’t cry a tear because I didn’t know him. And I brought my mom out here. She never had a house. And I had saved money and bought a house on 22nd Street and she died out here. She never owned a house. When did she move out here? Oh, a long time ago. I don’t remember. It’s been quite a while. She’s been dead for 20 years. What was here name? Eva.
Eva. Mmm Hmm. Eva. Eva Zeigler. Sounds like she worked pretty hard to take care of you guys. Oh yeah. She was a good lady. Her troubles are over. Oh yeah. As hard as it is to lose a parent, it’s a wonderful thing to look back and to say that you were close with them. Oh sure, I look at her every day. Here’s her picture. Tiger points to a framed picture hanging in the hallway. In it he is standing beside his mother sometime during the 1970s. He has a thick head of hair and a short beard. What do you remember most about your childhood? Regular childhood. Went to school. I was… well… I really don’t like to go into things but I was tiny. I was bullied. I’d have to cross the street and bullies would want to beat me up because I was real thin. I had a feminine voice and they made fun of me and all that crap, which I don’t dwell on because that’s all in the past. And kids tend to do stupid things. Yeah. Yes. Hopefully they change when they get older. Well sure. I wasn’t the only one. There were other kids bullied. You gotta forget that stuff and progress on and think the good, not the bad. I was going to ask you a later question about what challenges or obstacles you had growing up. Well, I had lot there. They called me queer and other names. Yeah, really mean stuff. Oh yeah sure. I went all through that. And I’d answer the phone and they’d, say “Yes ma’am.” They’d think I was a [woman] ‘cause my voice was real highpitched. And they didn’t know it. And it’s embarrassing. But certainly, you had your group of friends and people you related to and everything. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I did have some friends but sometimes I didn’t pick the good ones. You know, when you’re... you gotta like yourself. When you don’t like yourself you do stupid stuff. I’ve done it. I can certainly relate to that. Personality. Like, how would you describe yourself? I don’t know how you describe yourself. I don’t know. I’m just me (chuckles). How did you wind up in Tucson? I had an aunt and uncle. That’s why I come out here. My aunt told my mother for me to come to Tucson for a week since I had a week’s vacation so that’s what I did. In fact they picked me up at the train station. It wasn’t AMTRAK then. It was… I can’t remember.
continues... December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 35
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hotelcongresscentennial Z Southern Pacific? Southern Pacific, yeah. And they took me across the street to the Congress for a coke. First time I got to tucson. You were about 19? 19, yeah. What was your first impression of Tucson? Loved it. Loved it. Had you ever been out this way before? No, never ever. Nope. I just loved the desert. I loved the mountains. I loved the people. Everybody was friendly. And I got a job with a trucking company, and I worked in the office ‘cause I had taken shorthand in highschool so I could do teletype. I understood teletype and did the office work at the Western Truck Lights and I enjoyed it. It was called OSD- -over, short and damaged. That means freight come in I had to investigate it. It was fun. As I grew up, as I stayed here, then when I got off work I’d go to the Congress, when I was 21 and drinking there. That’s how I got affiliated with Congress. So it was the same drinking age as it is now? 21. Mmm hmm. Oh I couldn’t drink for three years of course but I’m talking about when I became of age. That was the place I would go. That’s interesting. It’s like so many people’s stories who ended up working there, including myself. Yeah! Then I met the Kents. Very nice people. Their son was a desk clerk. Later on they asked me to work part time. And so I helped them out on my days off or vacations. That was in ‘59 when I started, you know, but I still worked for the trucking company off and on for about ten more years and then I got laid off from the trucking company because they got bought out by another trucking company and they laid off all the people. And Mr. Kent put me on full-time about in the late ‘60s. So you learned how to bartend at Congress? Yes, but Congress then was more a beer thing. Draught beer and bottled beer. Not all these complicated drinks that they got nowadays, ‘cause I’m not as fancy as these new bartenders. They know everything. Back then, what was Congress like? The Hotel. Well it was marvelous. When the Kents had it they catered to the guests upstairs. Primarily, the bar was for the guests upstairs, you see? I see. Ok. It was centered around the hotel more than it was the bar. That is right. There were a lot of hotels back then. They would be full and their guests were number one. Looking back on all of your experiences, do you feel like there are things you wished you would have done? Well yeah, I wished I would’ve been able to adjust my life to… I never thought I was good enough for a gal. I never had looks or nothin’ ‘cause when you’re put down a lot when you’re young, called different names, psychologically it sticks with you. I love ladies and I love gentlemen. I mean, love everybody. But sometimes life is like that and you have to go with the flow because I’m happy now. I’ve got nice people.
Yeah, I suppose you’re wealthy with friends. Yeah, I try. Because if it wasn’t for them, I’m nothing. They put my name on the bar and this friend says, “oh you got your name up there.” I says, “That may say Tiger but that’s for every customer that’s come in there. If it wasn’t for my customers, Tiger is nothing.” And that’s the truth. I really enjoy it. It’s interesting that you kind of felt insecure growing up and now there’s a lot of attention surrounding you and your reputation at Congress. How do you feel about that? Yeah, I don’t like it. See, I don’t think it’s fair. I’m no better than any other bartender in that bar. In fact, some of those younger people can outdo me anytime. They’re faster, see? You mean the younger bartenders? The younger bartenders. Sure, yeah. Male or female, I don’t care which. But one thing I will say, I will not have any of the single ladies bothered. That’s how I got the name Tiger. And I won’t. Yeah, can you tell me that story again? Of course I will. 1965 I think it was. I was working days and the boss says, “Would you work Saturday night for me?” I says, “Sure.” But in my mind I says, “I wonder why?” And so I asked him and he says, “I want to take my wife out for dinner.” Well it’s a good reason. So it’s Saturday night and the bar is completely full. They [patrons] were standing out in the lobby. You know, the main entrance. And this beautiful lady comes in the bar, so this guy in the middle of the bar got up and gave her a seat, which was nice. Then I’m pouring a beer. We had draught beer at the time. Coors and Bud, 15 cents a mug, a quarter a pint. And I was pouring a pint of Coors I think and this big dude come photo: Jeaninne Kauter in through the door about 250 pounds and I acknowledge him ‘cause I was waiting on somebody else and I said, “Be right with you.” Well, as I’m pouring the beer I hear a scream. I turn around and the guy that just came in had his hands on the lady’s breast that just sat down. So I dropped the beer and I went over and said, “Mister, there’s two doors. There’s one there by the Congress Street and there’s one there by the lobby entrance and I suggest you get out and I mean now. So he immediately walks out the bar. Well unbeknownst to me, my boss and his wife had gotten back from dinner and they were way in the back and they yelled, “Go get ‘em tiger!” Well, moral of the story is, any single lady coming in that bar has got as much right as a single man and they’re not going to be bothered. That’s a great story. Well I’ve told that to every person that has asked me. You know, I’m not ashamed of it, I’m proud of it. It sends a good message. You probably still see that behavior from time to time. Well, very infrequently now ‘cause I guess the words gotten around that Tiger’s not one that you want to argue with ‘cause I might be small but I won’t tolerate misbehavior. Of course, and that’s how you run your bar. Thank you. Yessir. n December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 37
LAST DAYS TO EXPERIENCE LIVE GLASSBLOWING!
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Every Wednesday through Saturday in December
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38 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
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The Cup Cafe
Wellspring of Memories (and Eggs in Hell) by Gregory McNamee MARCEL PROUST, the French novelist, was thrown into involuntary reveries— big-time good vibes, I mean to say—by a madeleine, a little sponge cake that took him into his youth and better times whenever he smelled or tasted one of the things. “An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin,” he writes in his multivolume book In Search of Lost Time, and we’re with him with every bite. Proust had his madeleine. As for me, the search for lost time takes me a quarter of a century back, to the eastern edge of downtown, when the Hotel Congress was about the only thing apart from the bus station that saw visitors and its Cup Cafe busily served up, well into the afternoon, a breakfast concoction called eggs in hell: Eggs up or over easy smothered in a fiery hot sauce with beans and turkey chorizo on the side. It was the good kind of hell, and no amount of heat could dissuade me from what became my go-to meal for years. The Cup was a new thing when I started to frequent it in the early 1990s. It wasn’t crowded, not usually, not at the beginning. In time, though, the word got out, just as word began to spread about what a good thing the Hotel Congress was in the then-desert of downtown. And a deserted desert at that: I was once walking along Broadway from my home in Barrio San Antonio when an RV pulled up alongside and its weathered driver asked me how to find the Congress. I said I’d show him and hopped in, and within fifteen minutes I was having eggs in hell with, improbably, Dick Dale, king of the surf guitar, usually sighted within 15 feet of the nearest ocean and not far from Annette Funicello and Harvey Lembeck. That was the whole key to the Cup: You never knew who you’d see there. With the resigned permission of the legendary headwaiter named Snappy, I came to treat the Cup as an auxiliary office. When Luis Urrea lived here in the mid–90s, we’d while away a couple of hours every day, plotting the literary
takeover of the world. Jim Harrison would show and take command. Barbara Kingsolver, too, and Rainer Ptacek, and Diane Keaton, and Alex Cox, and a French journalist or two, to say nothing of French musicians like Marianne Dissard and the newly arrived Naim Amor. Oh, and the guy who played Q on the reboot of Star Trek. Everyone would talk with everyone else, desperate plans were hatched, empires founded, affairs begun and ended, books written and unwritten and songs composed and decomposed, while over the counter from grill to bar would come endless plates of eggs in hell, and buckwheat pancakes, and BLTs, and that wonder-spinning baker Bill Roberts’s almond-cinnamon cake and, now that I think of it, a lemon poppyseed concoction that would guarantee anyone who ate it would fail a drug test for months to come. But the stars of the show, always, were not the clientele but the staff: cooks who would go on to become chefs and open restaurants of their own, masters of the grill who would become painters and photographers, servers and bartenders who became lawyers, opened advertising agencies and studios and offices. The Cup was their grad school, and no matter what we may have thought at the time, they were the true cool kids in the cafeteria, urban waifs and punk rockers to the core. Some are dead and some are living, but all are immortal. Alas, eggs in hell are no more to be found on the Cup’s menu, nor the Gila monster (a wonderfully tangy meatloaf concoction), nor the curried cauliflower and mushrooms, nor the Boom Boom (eggs and potatoes on a baguette), nor many another dish of old. Chefs come and go, servers move on, menus change: Now the Cup features more refined but still magnificent fare, such as eggs Benedict on smoked trout and a Thai fish stew that, laced with peppers, stirs up plenty of endorphins all its own. So the world changes, leaving us mortals with the ache of nostalgia—and the fond memory of burning lips. n December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 39
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Poster from first event, Counter Club, at Club Congress, August, 1985.
Poster form the first HOCO Fest.
Vegas Kids Poster from first live music performance at Club Congress, ca. early 1986. 40 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
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Acts of Congress
The old Club Congress stage directly above the bar, in 1989.
by Jim Lipson
WHILE THE RICH HISTORY of the Congress dates back to the early 20th Century, it is the mid-1980s, an incredibly fertile time for any number of creative and new local endeavors, where we find the legend of Club Congress being born. This was the time that gave birth to KXCI Community Radio, Access Tucson and the Tucson Weekly, all breathing new life into the local arts and culture scene while organizations such as Wingspan, the Tucson Aids Project, the Sanctuary Movement and the Tucson Peace Center were sowing seeds for a network of non-profits devoted to promoting social justice, that still very much resonates with the granola-lefty nature of how many of us still view this town. These were heady times and in the midst of it all, a guy named Gary Patch was hired by the hotel for the specific purpose of breathing some of this new life into the Congress so it might reflect this new scene, while also serving as a hub for local performing arts. At the time, performing arts for Patch, really meant performance art. And why not? Although a visual artist by trade (the club’s martini graphic is his design) he was a lover of the art form who knew how to promote. Dan Buckley, who was between days jobs (then freelancing for the fledgling Tucson Weekly and still a couple of years out from working as a columnist for the Tucson Citizen), remembers this time with great fondness and many stories, most of which remain unsuitable for print. It was in the guise of his character, Blind Lemon Pledge, that officially opened what was called the Counter-Club on Labor Day weekend, 1985. It was
a ten-minute piece, “Nestled in Narcotics,” he had specifically written for the club’s grand opening. “Between the spilled drinks at my feet (I was on the bar), and the growing anxiety of the crowd,” he recently recalled, “I didn’t know if I’d die of electrocution or being pummeled to death. It was the most terrifying 10 minutes of my life.” Fortunately, the combination of “bad Cassio drones and slide banjo” gave way to some fierce dance rhythms which excited and delighted the crowd which actually led to him being carried away in triumph upon people’s shoulders. For almost 9 months then, weekend nights were dominated by performance artists like Karen Finley, Dennis Williams, Robert Bray, Buckley and Imo Baird, to name but a few of the many characters who permeated the club, which was basically a small dirty room with marginal acoustics and no semblance of a stage. Patch was also big on creating and staging various theme nights. Buckley recalls doing a Batman & Robin night as well as the first of a couple of Life in Hell Night’s. Life in Hell was the syndicated and wildly popular smart ass cartoon strip being run in the Weekly. Buckley remembers being in a room with its creator, Matt Groening, with Groening talking about being in negotiations to do an animated cartoon project—something to be called The Simpsons. Buckley wistfully recalls thinking, “But how could anything possibly be better than Life in Hell?” continues... December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 41
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First guitarist to play Club Congress stage.
In time the performance artists would eventually give way to the bands that would come through. But it was not until Dan Vinik came in to manage the club in 1987, that this aspect of the Congress would really take off. “I was moving to LA from New York when I was brought here by my sister, said Vinik in a recent phone interview. “I remember walking into the hotel, and seeing her—Maryanne Brazil—and immediately falling in love.” Brazil was one of the managers and she hired Vinik for what he described as the least desirable weekend bartending shifts available. It wasn’t long before he started making his mark by hiring transvestite go-go dancers for the Tap Room. Tim Gassen, a member of the band Marshmallow Overcoat, who had been booking bands, was on his way out and so it was Vinik, who would also eventually marry Brazil, who was asked to start booking the bands. “I had some experience in New York,” he recalls. “And I was also doing sound. I was the world’s worst sound man,” he laughs. “Everyone hated me!” But he worked hard and in time Club Congress as it was now known, had a reputation for bringing in edgy acts touring small rooms throughout the country. Performers like the band No Doubt featuring Gwen Stefani, the Reverend Horton Heat, Mojo Nixon, The Feelies, Afghan Whigs and a slew of bands from Seattle, grunge and otherwise, all made regular stops in Tucson at Congress. Vinik is quick to point out the music focus was primarily on bringing in out of town acts. But under his watch Congress was also a place for strong local bands like the Sidewinders (later renamed Sand Rubies), River Roses, Phantom Limbs, Al Perry and the Cattle, Fish Karma, El Pollo Elastico, Giant Sand and Black Sun Ensemble, having opportunities to shine. He also remembers the Wednesday night house band known as “The Representatives,” which along with Gene Ruley (River Roses) and Jefferson Keenan (Phantom Limbs) featured a young Kate Walsh, who years later would go on to great fame starring in ABC hospital dramas Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. It was also under Vinik’s direction that the Congress began knocking out walls, one after another creating more square footage for the club as well as new and interesting places for the placement of the stage, including one which, directly above the bar, could be a very scary place to play. As a carryover from the Patch era, Vinik also maintained the idea of occasional but well timed theme nights including Nightmare on Congress St., Palindrome New Years, the infamous water melon drops from the hotel roof (“one of which went through a window,” says Vinik) and something fondly remembered as Poetry O’rama. It was during this time that the Congress also began to make itself available for any number of different community benefit events.
“Eventually (in ’99),” Vinik says, “I was fired by my wife.” But from the tone of his voice it was clearly a good run. In the midst of his tenure, he also brought in David Slutes to help run different aspects of the club. Slutes initially ran the Cyber Café which may well have been the first of its kind in Tucson. He also had input on the various placements of the stage with each new knocking down of a wall. On tour with the Sand Rubies, Slutes was in and out of town but eventually he succeeded Vinik in managing the club. While he doubtless booked many great shows in his early tenure as manager, it was the concept and near flawless execution of the first HOCO Fest, a Labor Day weekend extravaganza in 2005, that changed the trajectory of the Club, bringing it to the new millennium as a player to be reckoned with. “The idea was to celebrate 20 years of Club Congress by also celebrating the music of Tucson by bringing back as many bands as we possibly could,” said Slutes. With so many groups no longer together or even in Tucson, this meant convincing dozens of musicians, many of whom may no longer have been speaking to one another, to come together and play one more time. In all, 40 acts were booked for the inaugural HOCO Fest, many of which were genuine reunion shows. Not initially intended to be an annual event, Slutes recalls, “It was such a hit and such a success, how could we not do it again?” Now an annual Labor Day tradition, the event has only grown in size and stature. Slutes estimates the club books close to 400 shows a year including many that are performed on the hotel’s back patio which often features performances on a big stage. These past few years Slutes and Congress have been partnering with the Rhythm & Roots concert series co-producing many shows, including its fall and spring outdoor concert series, many of which are free. Under Slute’s watch, shows are also starting and ending earlier. Where some bands in the old days might not go on until 10 or 11 pm, shows are often ending by 10 with DJ music to follow. In keeping with the tradition of the Hotel’s various theme nights there are also annual events such as Dillinger Days, an Agave Fest, and of course its signature Halloween and New Years shows among many other specialty nights. The current stage inside the club is also the nicest and most user friendly in its history. The stage is deep, and with lots of soft fabric and a built in sound system, can be a great place to both perform and enjoy a show. With the revitalization of downtown, when it comes to music, the Hotel Congress remains an integral part of the scene. n December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 43
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The Music Changes Everything Open Daily Bar + Bottleshop at the MSA Annex
David Slutes Talks Twenty-Two Years of Hotel & Club Congress by Carl Hanni
267 S. AVENIDA DEL CONVENTO
DAVID SLUTES: if you’ve spent any time at all in local entertainment circles you likely already know him, you’ve definitely seen him, and he’s probably seen you, too. As Tucson local as Tucson gets, born and raised here in the Old Pueblo and a graduate of Salpointe Catholic High, Slutes has been working at Hotel Congress for a full twenty-two years, since 1996. Initially running the Cyber Cafe, then working as Hotel Manager, he has been the Entertainment Director for the Hotel and Club Congress for the last fifteen years, booking music and other events, spearheading the long running annual HOCO Fest, and generally setting the template that’s made Congress a destination spot for touring acts and locals alike. The changes Slutes has been a front row witness to and player in, at both the Hotel and in downtown Tucson in general during that time are rather staggering, as downtown transformed from a relatively sleepy, somewhat shabby and under-utilized (but an awful lot of fun, let’s be honest) hangout for artists, musicians and those on the margins to the totally rocking, bright and shiny downtown of 2018. Through it all Hotel Congress has been the center piece of downtown, and David has been at the center of the Hotel. David Slutes has his own long and considerable history on the stage, as well as booking others onto the multiple stages at Congress. As the front man for The Sidewinders (later the Sand Rubies) from the mid 1980s through the mid 90s (and occasional reunions shows over several years), he has had more than a brushing relationship with rock & roll glory - a young Pearl Jam opened up for them on tour once. Having someone who was a touring musician booking other touring musicians was a good call for the Hotel, and the steady stream of local, national and international acts vying for gigs in Club Congress and the Hotel patio attest to that. Slutes has also done stage time with many other bands as well, from early ones like Vegas Kids, Little Sisters of the Poor and the Zsa Zsas (still occasionally playing after almost 30 years) to more recent ones like the glammy Silverfox. David Slutes recently answered a few questions from Zócalo about his time at Hotel Congress. 44 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
photo: Andrew Brown
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David Slutes
How did you come to work at Hotel/Club Congress? “Danny Vinik knew I was an early adopter of the computers/internet world and asked if I wanted to run the new Cyber Café he was putting together. Thought it would be a fun side project to my music career which was still actually happening at the time. I haven’t left.” Did you originate the HOCO Fest? What was the original idea/concept behind HOCO, and how has it grown/evolved over the years? “Yep. HOCO Fest grew out of the Club Congress 20th Anniversary party. I had dreamed of bringing all of the acts back that played Congress over those year. And who I felt made an impact on the Tucson music community. We had like 40 reunions! It was incredible, a true family reunion for the Tucson music scene. We then just continued doing it every Labor Day weekend” What’s the working philosophy/criteria for who you book at Club Congress? “Originally it solely celebrated the breadth and diversity of Tucson music community. It has evolved now to honor not only that, but now chiefly focuses on the cutting edge sounds from here and beyond, while recognizing our communities role in that. We reset two years ago with this new focus.” Any thoughts on the current state of live music in Tucson? “Oh, it appears to be in a transitional phase right now. But really, our scene (maybe all scenes?) ebb and flow. We have some incredibly talented acts right now, but no cohesive ‘scene’ really at the moment. Could be different by the time this goes to press, however!” How does the local music scene of late 2018 differ/stack up to previous eras in Tucson music? “See above. But that’s a slightly unfair question in that I can cherry pick ‘eras.’ We just aren’t in one now!”
Who was big in town when you first started booking music in Hotel Congress? How about when you started playing music in Tucson? “When I started booking music, we were in a similar phase. The Stunning Tonto groups were beginning to emerge – Chango Malo, Good Talk Russ, etc. Red Switch, The Deludes. Calexico was big! Clarissa’s Weird (which became Band of Horses) was around but didn’t have much traction. When I started playing, the scene was in a real up swing. The entire Tucson garage scene was ramping up with the River Roses, Johnnies, my band, The Host etc. Thai Pink (later the Super Suckers) and other great acts were all feeding off of one another. Giant Sand had just been born from the Giant Sandworm ashes…there was a lot of action.” What would be your dream bill to book at Club Congress? “That is an impossible question. I’ve had different versions of that I’ve actually been able to pull off over the years…for example Dream Syndicate, Robyn Hitchcock and Giant Sand was almost a perfect bill at this past HOCO Fest.” Any memorable fiascos at the Club you would care to share? Or any story you can share of any rock & roll debauchery or craziness? “SO MANY. But I’m saving them for my book.” Any shows that particularly stand out? “Feelies 1987, Sidewinders record release show 1988, No Doubt 1994, Zsa Zsas NYE 2000, Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2003, Hank Williams III 2006, Monotonix 2009, Devotchka 2011. There have been COUNTLESS amazing performances here, but these shows are a few that stand out to me because of the stories behind each. A couple are personal, but they were still great shows.” n
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 45
photos: Jamie Manser
hotelcongresscentennial Z Gentlemen After Dark lead singer Brian Smith at a HoCo fest outdoor stage.
Maggie Golston performs for Songs for Susan on Aug. 24, 2005 at Club Congress, with Mark Matos (left). Al Perry performing at a HoCo Fest.
Neal Bonser, left, and Jim Cox, right, of Fourkiller Flats performing at Club Congress for Songs for Susan on Aug. 24, 2005.
It’s OK, I’m with The Band by Jamie Manser
“Can you deny/There’s nothing greater/Nothing more/Than the traveling hands of time” - Jay Farrar/Son Volt IN THE LATE ‘90s, I was a young twenty-something aspiring music journalist and Club Congress was the place to be. The Club was where I learned to shoot rock bands and how to navigate the scene of crowds, door people, guest lists, bartenders, backstages, musicians, local DJs, securing interviews, and after hours parties – along with the fun and the trouble that came pre, during, and post those customarily debauched nights. Between 1998 and 2008, I spent more money and spirited nights than I can recall at the Club. Those were my salad days, between 23 and 33, gainfully employed and untethered. Able to drink until the wee hours and still get up to be at work by 9 a.m. Living downtown, working downtown, playing downtown. Tucson’s downtown music scene was my life. Peering through the haze of two decades, it’s hard to remember who all I saw perform at the Club, so I refer to my photo albums. Photos shot with 35mm film, both color and black & white. National acts like The Reverend Horton Heat, Sally Taylor, Drive By Truckers; and lots of local bands – many became my friends – such as: Fourkiller Flats, Greyhound Soul, Creosote, La Cerca, Al Perry & The Cattle, The Sand Rubies, Topless Opry, The Zsa Zsas, Calexico, Cathy Rivers, Al Foul & The Shakes, Maggie Golston, Mitzi Cowell, The Carnivaleros, The Last Call Brawlers, Rich Hopkins & The Luminarios, Gentlemen After Dark, The Deludes, Tom Walbank, Spacefish, The Solace Bros., Howe Gelb, Crawdaddy-O, Blind Divine, Truck, Camp Courageous, Chango Malo, Manifold, Lovemound, The Beating, Sassy Star X, Annie Hawkins, Michael P., Kate Becker, The Dusty Buskers, The Tryst, Carlos Arzate & The Kind Souls, Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl, Salvador Duran, and tons more I am forgetting... plus countless Cover Ups, Club Crawls, a few BMI showcases, myriad fundraisers, dance nights, Halloweens, New Year’s Eves, Christmases in July, HoCo Fests, 2nd Saturdays. I never did take part in those underwear parties. The concept creeped me out.
The most poignant memory I have of live music at Club Congress was on August 24, 2005. Congress, along with six other venues in the downtown/4th Avenue area, graciously hosted an event I co-organized called Songs for Susan. It was meant to be a fundraiser for my friend Susan Sykes, who was fighting breast cancer, but it turned into a memorial tribute as she passed three weeks before the event on August 2, 2005. The line-up on the Club’s stage that night was Maggie Golston, Campo Bravo, Al Perry and the Cattle, Fourkiller Flats. My good friend Dan Rylander, who was Susan’s boyfriend at the time, joined Fourkiller Flats at the end of the night to guest sing on their cover of Son Volt’s “Tear Stained Eye.” It was powerfully moving, and there were a lot of tears. Through our friendship and shared grief, Dan and I later fell in love and got hitched (thanks Cathy Rivers!) in 2010. It was through our love of music, and our friends in the music scene, that brought us – and is part of the glue that keeps us – together. I have deep appreciation for all of the wonderful times I’ve had at Congress, centered on the powerful uniting force that is music. For all of the friends I’ve made, both those I’ve lost contact with and those who are still in touch, and for all of the beautiful souls who were a part of this music scene and have since passed. We still think about you and love you so much. Kudos to everyone who established the Hotel and Club as a driving force downtown, and those who keep it rockin’ and evolving. Congratulations on 100 years Hotel Congress! Jamie Manser cut her teeth on the Tucson music scene while working for the Tucson Weekly between 1997-2002, and later while working at the Downtown Tucson Partnership from 2003-2008. She was the co-founder of Zócalo Magazine – where she still occasionally contributes writing and photography – and is currently the Public Relations Manager for Watershed Management Group. December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 47
Z art galleries & exhibits ARIZONA HISTORY MUSEUM Facing Work is
ETHERTON GALLERY
on view through February 16. John Slaughter’s Changing West: Tombstone, Bullets, and Longhorns is on view to August 2019. Permanent Exhibits include: History Lab, Mining Hall, and Treasures of the Arizona History Museum. Hours: Mon & Fri 9am-6pm; Tues-Thurs 9am-4pm; Sat & Sun 11am-4pm. 949 E. 2nd Street. 520-628-5774. ArizonaHistoricalSociety.org
FOOTHILLS ARTISTS Artwork in a variety of me-
ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM
One World, Many Voices is open through March. Long term exhibitions include, The Resiliency of Hopi Agriculture: 2000 Years of Planting; Life Along the River: Ancestral Hopi at Homol’ovi; Hopi Katsina Dolls; Woven Through Time; The Pottery Project; Paths of Life. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am5pm. 520-621-6302. 1013 E. University Blvd. StateMuseum.Arizona.Edu
ART HOUSE CENTRO
Phantasma! opens December 6 with a reception from 6pm to 8pm and is on view to January 4. Hours: Mon-Weds 10am-5:30pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-9pm; Sun 11am-5pm. 520-620-1725. 186 N. Meyer Ave. OldTownArtisans.com
CACTUS WREN GALLERY
Holiday Art Show December 2 from 9am to 2pm. Gallery hours: Everyday from 9am to 4pm. 2740 S. Kinney Rd. 520-437-9103. CactusWrenArtisans.net
CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY Richard Avedon: Relationships opens December 15 and is on view to May 15. The Heritage Gallery is on view to January 12. Hours: Tue-Fri 9am-4pm; Sat 1-4pm. 1030 N. Olive Rd. 520-621-7968. CreativePhotography.org
CONRAD WILDE GALLERY Studio Equipment & Art Supply sale is December 8 – 15. Final Exhibition closes on December 1. Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-4pm. 101 W. 6th St #121. 520-784-8617. ConradWildeGallery.com CONTRERAS GALLERY Milagros opens December 1 with a reception from 6pm to 9pm and is on view to January 26. Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-3:30pm. 110 E. 6th St. 520-398-6557. ContrerasHouseFineArt.com DAVIS DOMINGUEZ GALLERY Alternate View is on view to December 29. Hours: Tues-Fri 11am-5pm; Sat 11am-4pm. 154 E. 6th St. 520-629-9759. DavisDominguez. com
DEGRAZIA GALLERY IN THE SUN
DeGrazia’s Chickens and Desert Dwellings are on display through January 30. La Fiesta de Guadalupe is on December 9. Hours: Daily 10am-4pm. 6300 N. Swan Rd. 520-299-9191. DeGrazia.org
DESERT ARTISANS GALLERY La Plaza Shoppes Holiday Open House is December 1 from 10am to 5pm. The exhibitions, Mini Masterpieces: An 8 x 8 Fine Art Show and Color Reflection continue through February 3. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 10am-1:30pm. 6536 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 520-722-4412. DesertArtisansGallery.com
48 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
Danny Lyon: Photographs of The American Southwest and Mexico is on view through January 5. Weegee with a side of Eegee, is December 8 from 3pm to 5pm. Hours: Tues-Sat 11am5pm or by appointment. 135 S. 6th Ave. 520-624-7370. EthertonGallery.com
dia will be on display and for sale. 1pm to 4pm. Free admission. 520-578-4118. 5700 W. Lone Star Drive.
IRONWOOD GALLERY
H2Oh! Juried Exhibition from the Studio Art Quilt Association opens December 1 and is on view through February 10. Hours: Daily 10am4pm. 2021 N. Kinney Rd. 520-883-3024. DesertMuseum.org
JOSEPH GROSS GALLERY
50 Years of the Photographic Artists’ Book, 1968-2018, Curated by Philip Zimmermann is on view through January 14. Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 520-626-4215. CFA.arizona.edu/galleries
LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL GALLERY
Sustained Visions closes December 7. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm and Fri 10am-3pm. Pima Community College, 2202 West Anklam Rd. 520-206-6942. Pima.Edu
MINI TIME MACHINE Power: A Closer Look at Queens Throughout History is on view to January 13; Connie Sauve: Miniatures from the IGMA Guild School is on view to December 16. Automata: Miniature Mechanized Narrative is on view to January 27. Tues-Sat 9am4pm and Sun 12-4pm. 4455 E. Camp Lowell Dr. 520881-0606. TheMiniTimeMachine.org
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Blessed Be: Mysticism, Spirituality, and the Occult in Contemporary Art is on view through December 30. Hours: Weds-Sun 12-5pm. 265 S. Church Ave. 520-6245019. MOCA-Tucson.org
PHILABAUM GLASS GALLERY & STUDIO Alchemy, an up-close look at Philabaum’s extraordinary fused glass paintings is on view through January 26. Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-4pm. Call for glassblowing viewing. 711 S. 6th Ave. 520-884-7404. PhilabaumGlass.com
PORTER HALL GALLERY Year of the Tree is on view to January 13; Drawing on Nature is on view to January 15. Hours: Daily 8:30am-4:30pm. 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 520-326-9686. TucsonBotanical.org SOUTHERN ARIZONA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM Dinner in the Diner is currently on display featuring original china and silver service from the named first class Pullman trains. 414 N. Toole Ave. 520623-2223. TucsonHistoricDepot.org
art galleries & exhibits Z SOUTHERN ARIZONA WATERCOLOR GUILD Holiday Show opens December 4 with a reception on December 6 from 5 to 7pm and is on view to January 6. Color My World is on view to December 2. Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-4pm. Williams Centre 5420 East Broadway Blvd #240. 520-299-7294. SouthernAzWatercolorGuild.com
TOHONO CHUL PARK Copper State is on view in the Main Gallery through February 6. Featured Artist: William Lesch is on view through February 6 in the Welcome Gallery. 10x10 | A Fundraiser is on view to December 16 in the Entry Gallery. Hours: Daily 9am-5pm. 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. 520-742-6455. TohonoChulPark.org
TUCSON DESERT ART MUSEUM
Joseph Labate – The Sawmill Fire is on view to December 9. Ongoing exhibitions include: Desert Hollywood and The Dawn of American Landscape. Hours: Weds-Sun 10am4pm. 7000 E Tanque Verde Rd. 520-202-3888. TucsonDArt.Org
TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART
30 Americans is on view through January 13. Ongoing exhibits include Selections from the Kasser Mochary Art Foundation; Asian Art; Native American Culture and Arts; European Art; PreColumbian and Spanish Colonial Art, Art of the American West; Art of the American Southwest; J. Knox Corbett House, and the La Casa Cordova. Hours: Tues-Wed & FriSat 10am-5pm; Thurs 10am-8pm; Sun 12-5pm. 140 N. Main Ave. 520-624-2333. TucsonMuseumofArt.org
UA MUSEUM OF ART
Current exhibitions include: What is the Color, When Black is Burned? The Gold War. Part 1. on view to March 24; Picture the World: Burhan Dogancay As Photographer on view to December 9; Encountering Death: Our Responses and Reconciliations on view to January 6; Mapping Q on view to January 13 and Renaissance Prints from the Permanent Collection: A Selection, on view to February 17. Ongoing exhibitions include, The Altarpiece From Ciudad Rodrigo and Renaissance Prints from the Permanent Collection: A Selection. Hours: Tues-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 12-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 520-621-7567. ArtMuseum.Arizona.Edu
UA POETRY CENTER
Artists’ Books: Focus on Photography is on view December 3 to February 16. Hours: Mon & Thurs 9am-8pm; Tues, Weds, Fri 9am5pm. 1508 E. Helen St. 520-626-3765. Poetry.Arizona.Edu
WILDE MEYER GALLERY
Multimedia opens December 6 with a reception from 5pm to 7pm and closes December 31. Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5:30pm; Thurs 10am-7pm; Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12-5pm. 2890 E. Skyline Dr. Ste. 170. 520-615-5222, WildeMeyer.com
Jim Nelson, I am Teton Lakota, 48” x 32”, acrylic on panel at Wilde Meyer Gallery.
WOMANKRAFT ART GALLERY
Holiday Bazaar is on view to December 22 with a reception on December 1 from 7pm to 9pm. Hours: Weds-Sat 1-5pm. 388 S. Stone Ave. 520-629-9976. WomanKraft.org
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 49
foxtucson.com
December Highlights
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
box office: 17 west congress 520-547-3040
SEASON SPONSOR
E FRE ert! c n Co
Trace Bundy
7 DEC acoustic ninja 8 DEC 7:30pm 7:00pm
Ryanhood
musings & songs
Alan Cumming
DEC 2nd saturday 11 DEC 7:30pm Legal Immigrant 13 7:00pm
holiday rock opera tales beneath a northern star
Wizards of Winter
Holiday Films!
14
DEC 7:30pm
featuring liz story , will ackerman & barbara higbie Windaham Hill’s Winter Solstice
21 DEC 7:30pm
holiday musical spectacular
In the Christmas Mood
sat., dec. 22 & sun., dec 23 2:00pm
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings!
Hot Sardines New Year’s Eve Party! GNE MPA CHAOAST & RS T FAVO H IT TY PAR UDED WICE! L INC KET PR TIC
50 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
french fries & champagne tour
31 DEC 8:30pm
sat., dec. 22 & sun., dec 23 6:30pm
photo: Tim Fuller
performances Z
SCOUNDREL AND SCAMP THEATRE Cloud Soup, December 6 to 9 and January 10 to 13. 738 N 5th Ave. 520-448-3300. ScoundrelandScamp.org
ARIZONA BALLET THEATRE
The Nutcracker Party Plus, new version of the holiday classic with a potluck party on the plaza to follow, December 16 at 2:00 pm. Tickets: $18. 520-322-8019. ArizonaBalletTheatre.com
ARIZONA FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC Juilliard String Quartet, December 5, 7:30 pm. Daniel Hsu Piano, December 16 3:00 pm. Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. 520-577-3769. ArizonaChamberMusic.org
ARIZONA REPERTORY SINGERS
Carols of Triumphant Joy! December 7, 9, 14 & 16. See website for more information. 520-329-7175. ARSingers.org
ARIZONA REPERTORY THEATRE
The Cripple of Inishmaan, through December 3. 1025 N. Olive Rd. 520-621-1162. Theatre.Arizona.edu
ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY
CIVIC ORCHESTRA OF TUCSON
Made in America, December 1 at 3:00pm, Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino Del Sol, Green Valley. December 2 at 3:00pm, Christ Church United Methodist, 655 N. Craycroft Rd. Free. 520-730-3371. COTMusic.org
FOX TUCSON
Under the Street Lamp – Hip to the Holidays, December 3, 7:30pm; An Irish Christmas, December 4, 7:00pm; Trace Bundy | Acoustic Ninja, December 7, 7:30pm; Ryanhood, December 8, 7:00pm; Alan Cumming: Legal Immigrant, December 11, 7:30pm; Wizards of Winter – Tales Beneath the Northern Star, December 13, 7:00pm; Windham Hill’s Winter Solstice, December 14, 7:30pm; John Prine, December 15, 8:00pm; Tommy Emmanuel, December 16, 8:00pm; In the Christmas Mood: A Holiday Music Spectacular, December 21, 7:30pm. Fox Theatre, 17 W Congress St. 520-547-3040. FoxTucson.com
The Music Man, December 1 to 30. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 520-884-8210. ArizonaTheatre.org
THE GASLIGHT THEATRE Scrooge: A Gaslight
BALLET TUCSON
LAFFS COMEDY CAFFE Chris Martin, December
BROADWAY IN TUCSON
1; Jason Russell, December 7 & 8; Sam Fedele, December 14 & 15; John Novosad, December 21 & 22; Quinn Dahle, December 28 & 29. 2900 E. Broadway. 520-32-Funny. LaffsTucson.com
Nutcracker, December 7 to 9. See website for halls. Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. 520-901-3194. BalletTucson.org Waitress, December 4 to 9. Centennial Hall, 1020 East University Blvd. 9032929, BroadwayInTucson.com
CARNIVAL OF ILLUSION
December 15, 4:30 pm & 7:30 pm. Grand Parlour, 160 S. Scott Ave. 520615-5299. CarnivalOfIllusion.com
CATHEDRAL CONCERTS
Christmas at the Cathedral with tenor Carlos Zapien and members of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and church choirs. December 9 at 3:00pm. St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave. 520-623-6351. TucsonCathedralConcerts.org
Musical, through January 6. 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. 520-886-9428. TheGaslightTheatre.com
ODYSSEY
STORYTELLING
SERIES
Mortified, December 6, doors at 6:30pm, show at 7:00pm, The Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. 7th St. 520-730-4112. OdysseyStorytelling.com
PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Tartuffe, November 8 to 18. Black Box Theatre, PCC West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 520-206-6986. Pima.edu
PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE CHORALE & COLLEGE SINGERS Holiday Concert,
SOMETHING SOMETHING THEATRE COMPANY Constellations by Nick Payne, December 6 to 23. The Community Playhouse, 1881 N. Oracle Rd. 520-468-6111. SomethingSomethingTheatre.com
TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER
Grace Ballet Presents A Night of Wonder, December 8; A Southwest Nutcracker, December 15 & 16. Dancing in the Streets Arizona and the Civic Orchestra of Tucson Present The Nutcracker, December 29 & 30. TucsonConventionCenter.com
TUCSON REGIONAL BALLET
A Southwest Nutcracker, December 15, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, December 16, 2:00 pm. Tucson Music Hall, 260 S Church Ave. TucsonRegionalBallet.org
TUCSON
SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3, through December 2; Messiah, December 15 & 16; A Cirque Holiday with Troupe Vertigo, December 22 & 23. See website for locations. 520-882-8585. TucsonSymphony.org
UA OPERA THEATRE Amahl and the Night Visitors, December 16 at 3:00 pm. University of Arizona, Bryant-Jordan Hall. 520-621-1162. Opera.Music.UA.Edu UA PRESENTS Waitress (Presented by Broadway in Tucson), December 4 to 9; . Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. 520-621-3364. UAPresents.org UNSCREWED THEATER
Settle This Thing, December 29 at 9:00pm. $15 individual, $25 couple. 4500 E. Speedway Blvd #39. 520-289-8076. SettleThisThing.com
ZUZI DANCE
Solstice Showcase Performance, December 11 to 15. Scoundrel & Scamp Theater, 738 N. 5th Avenue. 520-629-0237. ZuziMoveIt.or
December 2 at 3:00 pm. PCC Center for the Arts, West Campus, 2202 West Anklam Rd. 520-206-6986. Pima.Edu/CFA
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 51
Photo courtesy metalachi.com.
Photo © Eugene Iglesias.
Z tunes
Metalachi performs at 191 Toole on Saturday, December 15.
The English Beat performs at 191 Toole on Tuesday, December 4.
LIVE MUSIC
Fri 28: Rendezvous
FINI’S LANDING
LA COCINA
5689 N. Swan Rd. 299-1010 finislanding.com Sat 1: After 7 Fri 7: The Merge Sat 8: Skitn
Schedules accurate as of press time. Visit the web sites or call for current/detailed information.
191 TOOLE 191 E. Toole Ave. rialtotheatre.com Mon 3: Mac Demarco Tue 4: The English Beat Fri 7: The White Buffalo Sat 8: Chill: A Celebration of Winter Tue 11: Ramirez Fri 14: Advance Base, Lisa/Liza, Karima Walker, Dieselboy Sat 15: Metalachi, Miss Olivia & The Interlopers Fri 21: The Bennu
2ND SATURDAYS DOWNTOWN Congress Street, 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com Sat 8: See web site for more information
BORDERLANDS BREWING 119 E. Toole Ave. 261-8773, BorderlandsBrewing.com Sat 15: The Quarter Band
CANS DELI 340 N. 4th Ave. 775-0226 cansdeli.com Sat 1: Vista Kicks Wed 5: Uada, Suicide Forest, Shadows of Algol Fri 7: Alter Der Ruine, Not
Breathing, Trees Speak Wed 12: Downtown Brown, Divy, Demonyms
CHE’S LOUNGE 350 N. 4th Ave. 623-2088, ChesLounge.com Sat 1: The Resonars Sun 2: Golden BooTs
CLUB CONGRESS 311 E. Congress St. 622-8848, HotelCongress.com/club Sat 1: Janee Starr, The David Clark Band, The Jons, Paul Jenkins, Armando Moreno & The Southern Revival, Juju Fontaine, Seanloui Sun 2: Eyedress, The Trees, Oolalong Tue 4: Toke, Hist, Kryge Wed 5: Stephen Steinbrink, Sean Bonnette, Lano Thu 6: J-Calvin, Mesquite Fri 7: Lil Ugly Mane, Gatecreeper, Sex Prisoner, Bloodlust, Jock Club Sat 8: Holiday Horns with the UA Horn Studio, Single Lash, Mute Swan Tue 11: Skating Polly, Potty Mouth, Creating The Scene Fri 14: Decker Sun 16: Salem The Bear’s Annual Food Drive, Top Dead Center, Heather Hardy Wed 19: Street Blues Family Thu 20: The Trees, Rough Draft Wed 26: The Giant Sand Holiday Clustermuck, Patsy’s Rats
52 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
201 N. Court Ave. 622-0351, LaCocinaTucson.com Sat 1: Nathaniel Burnside Sun 2: Mik and the Funky Brunch Wed 5: Miss Lana Rebel & Kevin Michael Mayfield Thu 6: Freddy Parish Fri 7: Greg Morton & Friends, Oscar Fuentes Sun 9: Mik and the Funky Brunch Wed 12: Miss Lana Rebel & Kevin Michael Mayfield Fri 14: Greg Morton & Friends Sun 16: Mik and the Funky Brunch Wed 19: Miss Lana Rebel & Kevin Michael Mayfield Thu 20: Mitzi Cowell Fri 21: Greg Morton & Friends Sun 23: Mik and the Funky Brunch Wed 26: Miss Lana Rebel & Kevin Michael Mayfield Thu 27: Hank Topless Fri 28: Greg Morton & Friends, Eugene Boronow Sun 30: Mik and the Funky Brunch
CULINARY DROPOUT 2543 E. Grant Rd. 203-0934 culinarydropout.com/locations/ tucson-az/ Fri 28: Tiny House of Funk
FOX TUCSON THEATRE 17 W. Congress St. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org Tue 4: An Irish Christmas Fri 7: Trace Bundy Sat 8: Ryanhood Sun 9: Tucson Girls Chorus Thu 13: Wizards of Winter Fri 14: Windham Hill’s A Winter’s Solstice Sat 15: John Prine Sun 16: Tommy Emmanuel Fri 21: In The Christmas Mood: A Holiday Music Spectacular, with Crystal Stark, Brian Levarino Mon 31: The Hot Sardines
HACIENDA DEL SOL 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol. 2991501, HaciendaDelSol.com Nightly: Live Music on the Patio Sun 16: Mr Bing’s Supper Club Experience with Crystal Stark
THE HUT 305 N. 4th Ave., 623-3200 www.facebook.com/TheHutTucson Saturdays: Mike & Randy’s 420 Show with Top Dead Center
tunes Z Photo courtesy lacocinatucson.com.
Photo courtesy foxtucson.com.
Mitzi Cowell performs a solo set at La Cocina on Thursday, December 20.
Ryanhood play a free show at Fox Theatre on Saturday, December 8.
MONTEREY COURT
THE PARISH
505 W. Miracle Mile, 207-2429 MontereyCourtAZ.com Sat 1: Frank n’ Friends Sun 2: Sunday Brunch with Nancy Elliott and Friends, Frank n’ Steel Tue 4: Sleepspent Wed 5: Nick McBlaine & Log Train Thu 6: Paul Green & The Midnight Blue Fri 7: Baracutanga Sat 8: Mitzi Cowell Band Sun 9: Sunday Brunch with Nancy Elliott and Friends, Keith Greeninger Tue 11: Sleepwalkers Station Wed 12: Carnivaleros Thu 13: Touch of Gray Fri 14: Baba Marimba Sat 15: The Coolers — The Final Hurrah! Sun 16: Wild Women Tue 18: The Tucsonics Wed 19: Eric Schaffer & The Other Troublemakers Thu 20: Virginia Cannon Presents Thursday Night Live Fri 21: RoadHouse Sat 22: Giant Blue Sun 23: Wally Lawder Thu 27: Titan Valley Warheads Fri 28: Heather Hardy Band Sat 29: Key Ingredients of African Soul Sun 30: P.D. Ronstadt & The Company Mon 31: Little House of Funk
6453 N. Oracle Rd. 797-1233 theparishtucson.com Mondays: jazz & blues Fridays: live local music Sundays: Andy Hersey
PLAZA PALOMINO 2990 N. Swan Rd., 907-7325 plazapalomino.com See web site for information
PUBLIC BREWHOUSE 209 N. Hoff Ave. 775-2337 publicbrewhouse.com Wed 5: Kevin Pakulis Sun 16: TwoDoorHatchback Sun 23: Tiny House of Funk
RIALTO THEATRE 318 E. Congress St. 740-1000, RialtoTheatre.com Wed 5: Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore w/The Guilty Ones, Jon Langford Duo Thu 6: The Smashing Pumpkins, Drab Majesty Sat 8: Squirrel Nut Zippers Sun 9: Estas Tonne Thu 13: John Butler Trio, Dustin Thomas Sat 15: OK GO Sat 22: Black Cat Bones, Los Streetlight Curb Players, Funky Bonz, The Endless Pursuit, Desert Fish, Creating The Scene, Nocturnal Theory Sat 29: Madame Ozzy, The Jack,
Wicked Sister Mon 31: Xixa
SEA OF GLASS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
THE ROCK
330 E. 7th St., 398-2542 TheSeaOfGlass.org Fri 14: Noche De Flamenco Sat 22: TaliasVan’s Bright & Morning Star Choir & Orchestra
136 N. Park Ave. rocktucson.com Fri 7: Los Nawdy Dawgs Sat 8: Rilen’Out Sun 9: Whitechapel, Chelsea Grin
ROYAL SUN LOUNGE 1003 N Stone Ave (520) 622-8872 BWRoyalSun.com Sun-Tue: Happy Hour Live Music
SAINT CHARLES TAVERN 1632 S. 4th Ave (520) 888-5925 facebook.com/pg/ SaintCharlesTavern Sat 8: Still Life Telescope, Smallvox, Miller’s Planet Fri 14: Pygmy Death-Ray, The Paris Accord
SAND-RECKONER TASTING ROOM 510 N. 7th Ave., #170, 833-0121 sand-reckoner.com/tasting-room Sat 1: Heather Hardy & Alvin Blaine Fri 7: Eugene Boronow Fri 14: Naim Amor Fri 21: Emilie Marchand Fri 28: Sam & Dante Sat 29: Joyce Luna
SKY BAR TUCSON 536 N. 4th Ave, 622-4300. SkyBarTucson.com Tue 4: Tom Walbank, Dos Muñoz Wed 5: Open Mic Fri 7: Still Life Telescope, Eric Underwood Band, The Time Being Tue 11: Tom Walbank, Steff Koeppen Wed 12: Open Mic Thu 13: Nail Polish Sat 15: Gila Byte, Heroes Reunion, Ovesic Tue 18: Tom Walbank, Dos Muñoz Wed 19: Open Mic Thu 20: Cass’ Holiday Revue Spectacular Wed 26: Open Mic Fri 28: Cirque Roots
TAP & BOTTLE 403 N. 6th Ave. 344-8999 TheTapandBottle.com All Thursdays 830-1030 Thu 6: Billy Sedlmayr, Rich Hopkins and Lisa Novak Thu 13: Golden Boots Thu 20: The Cloud Walls Thu 27: Big Grin
December 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 53
Photo from Arizona Historical Society, BN34507.
Z anotherlook
Joe Pagacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mural on the 2nd floor patio, Hotel Congress.
Hotel Congress Tap Room, date unknown. Congress Hotel fire, 1934. Hotel Congress neon sign through a window at One North Fifth.
Bob Log III at Club Congress.
photo: Andrew Brown
54 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | December 2018
The heart of downtown.
FOR SALE
331-349 S Convent Ave, 69-91 W Simpson St, $1,450,000.
602-612 S Convent Ave, $224,000- $292,000.
315 N. Indian House Rd, 4 Acres, $785,000
520.977.6272 • BethJones.com • bethj5@yahoo.com