Zรณcalo
Tucson arts, culture, and desert living / may 2017 / no. 85
MetalArtsVillage.com
Ft. Lowell
Alvernon
N
Dodge
3230 N. Dodge Boulevard • Tucson, Arizona In the Ft. Lowell Furniture and Arts District
Loft Style Living OPEN HOUSE
May 20th | 10am-1pm
3609 E 3rd Street 3 beds, 2 bath Priced at $375,000
lofton3rd@gmail.com
www.lofton3rd.com
4 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
inside
May 2017
07. Community 09. What’s New 11. Events 22. Art Galleries & Exhibits 29. Culture 34. Performances 39. Food & Drink 44. Heritage 47. Tunes 52. Scene in Tucson 54. Poetry
On the Cover:
Tucson’s Barrio Viejo. Photo by Danita Delimont.
Zócalo is an independent, locally owned and printed magazine that reflects the heart and soul of Tucson.
PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Olsen CONTRIBUTORS Jefferson Carter, Nadia Hagen, Bill Hakanson, Carl Hanni, Jim Lipson, Jamie Manser, Danny Martin, Troy Martin, Gregory McNamee, Janelle Montenegro, Amanda Reed, Diane C. Taylor. LISTINGS Amanda Reed, amanda@zocalotucson.com PRODUCTION ARTISTS Troy Martin, David Olsen AD SALES: advertising@zocalotucson.com CONTACT US:
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May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 5
Two darling 1927 casitas, fully remodeled and totally turnkey! 327 & 329 N Santa Rita, just 2 blocks from UA main campus, 217k and 227k.
CALL: 520.977.8503 susan.denis@gmail.com
Wonderful 1947 bungalow just blocks to UA and UMC, Bikscore 97! 2117 N 1st, 159k. Perfect student rental.
Versatile 1960s house & studio GH, Jefferson Park, on the Mountain bikepath, 1104 E Hampton, 185k.
community Z
Sentinel Peak Park Improvements City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Seeks Public Input to Guide “A” Mountain Improvements. The Tucson Parks and Recreation department will hold a series of communitywide open houses to gather public input on how it can best prioritize master planned improvements to Sentinel Peak Park (“A” Mountain). The department has kicked off a process of information gathering that will result in a list of improvements to the park. “We encourage everyone to participate in this process,” said Vice Mayor Regina Romero. “Sentinel Peak Park is a regionally significant attraction, and hearing from residents about their priorities from the list of master planned improvements is essential.” In May, community-wide public open houses will be held at three locations within the City of Tucson. Please be sure to attend the most convenient public open house and share your ideas. All meetings will be held from 5:30-7 p.m.
Dates and locations are as follows: Wednesday, May 3, 2017 El Rio Center, 1390 W. Speedway Blvd. Wednesday, May 10, 2017 Archer Center, 1665 S. La Cholla Blvd. Wednesday, May 17, 2017 City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Administration, 900 S. Randolph Way An online community questionnaire is available through June 1, 2017. To complete the questionnaire, please visit: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2RBV6RF May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 7
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photo: Austen Diamond Photograhy
what’snew Z
Sandwich Shop With a Cause Opening May 10 downtown in the Julian Drew building at 118 S. 5th Ave., is Even Stevens, a craft-casual restaurant serving sandwiches, salads, bites, and a localized experience which is unique to every shop. By offering fresh perspectives on nostalgic recipes, the “anti-cookie cutter” brand honors tradition while leaving an open door for creativity. Beyond serving customers, Even Stevens is a sandwich shop with a cause. For every sandwich sold, they donate a sandwich to a local non-profit partner (Community Food Bank, Tucson Neighborhood Food Pantry, Interfaith Community Services, and St. Vincent De Paul.) The historic Julian Drew building, built in 1917, once housed the first Studebaker indoor showroom. According to the owners of the new restaurant, “vintage eclectic” was the design concept for the space, “with notes of distressed baroque wallpaper, a large faded Studebaker logo, and a custom mural depiction of the original showroom. Worn and welcoming exposed brick, with polished black leather tufted booth pads, and a custom velvet, carousel style seating island, done in an unexpected rectangle, are just some of the design features. Custom crown molding and penny tile restroom floors are accentuated with found vintage items of the past. A European settee, polished brass chandeliers, antique steamer trunk and industrial cart, mixed with nostalgic 1930/40s black and white photographs surround a custom vintage reproduction game table.” Their message—EAT to GIVE. More information about Even Stevens can be found online at evenstevens.com May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 9
events Z
Not Your Mama’s Concert and Art Show by Jamie Manser
Photo by Julius Schlosburg
Photo by Julius Schlosburg
Photo by Gigi Owen
Jillian and The Giants
Street Blues Family.
The vivacious Jillian Bessett – leader and singer/songwriter, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist of Tucson's beloved Jillian & The Giants – is spearheading a concert fundraiser for Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse on May 13 and you should go. Here are 10 reasons why. The incredible event line-up: • The Surfbroads: “Hot Broads Playing Cool Surf” • Jillian & The Giants: “Indie Rock with Soul” • Street Blues Family: “Neo-soul, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Hip-Hop, Gospel” • Tales From The Trash: “One Delightfully Trashy Mother's Day Themed Art Pop Up” • Emcee Extraordinaire: Stephen Boughton Five reasons for social justice: • One in four women and one in seven men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.1 • A portion of the proceeds benefit Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse. • Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse provides domestic abuse crisis intervention and housing, prevention, education, support, and advocacy services to anyone experiencing domestic abuse.2 • In Arizona, first- and second-time domestic violence offenders are not charged with domestic violence; only the third incident is charged as domestic violence. First and second offenders are charged with offenses that then have ‘domestic violence flags’ attached.3 • There were 109 domestic violence-related deaths in Arizona in 2014; in 2012, Arizona ranked eighth in the nation in femicides per capita.3 Zocalo conducted a quick Q&A with Jillian over email to find out more about the event.
What was the impetus to create this event fundraiser for Emerge? The greater impetus for this benefit is seeing women and female-identifying people lose a lot of support in our current political climate and wanting to contribute some good in some small way. During times when public funding is cut that supports our most vulnerable, nonprofit organizations like Emerge need to be prepared to help fill in the gaps. I love the idea of celebrating Mother's Day weekend by having an opportunity to be more nurturing, giving, and generous to our community.
Surfbroads.
How/why were these bands chosen? The bands on this bill aren't just incredible musicians but they're also incredible people, which is why they were pulled together for this event. Velvet Hammer, the drummer and founder of The Surfbroads quietly volunteers every week for The Lot on 22nd. Rey Murphy the frontman for Street Blues practices guerrilla style support for people on the street with blanket drives and cookouts at the park. Amy Mendoza is a licensed therapist. Gigi Owen is a social scientist and activist who we're all not so secretly hoping runs for office. These aren't just musicians but active involved members of our community who go the extra mile in support of the big picture. The other beautiful thing about this group of bands is how interconnected they are. A shortlist of all the other projects connected to these musicians: Loveland, Velvet Panthr, Sugar Stains, Katie Haverly and the Aviary, Amy Mendoza and the Strange Vacation, Copper and Congress, Three Kings, Shrimp Chaperone, Trees Speak, Leila Lopez Band, West Texas Intermediate, The Cloud Walls, Orkesta Mendoza, Keli and the Big Dream, etc. Long story short, a lot of the Tucson music scene is represented with these players and we're expecting a lot of surprise guests throughout the night.
How did Tales from the Trash get involved and what does “delightfully trashy” entail? Tales from the Trash is an art show curated by Steve Purdy and my friend Mark Bloom. The premise is found discarded art that's given a new lease on life in a cheeky art show format. The art is typically bad, odd, and peculiar in some form or another. But these unloved paintings and drawings get a frame and some space in the world to be looked at and appreciated – which is a pretty wonderful thing. If that's not a metaphor I don't know what is. n Not Your Mama's Concert and Art Show Benefit for Emerge! is Saturday, May 13 at Flycatcher, 340 E. 6th St. The event kicks off at 8 p.m. and there is a $7 suggested donation. More information is at Facebook.com/jandthegiants. References 1. Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse. (2017). Retrieved from www. emergecenter.org 2. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2015). Retrieved from www. ncadv.org/learn-more/statistics 3. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2015). Domestic violence Arizona statistics. Retrieved from www.ncadv.org/files/Arizona.pdf May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 11
photos by Meredith Amadee Photography
A Well-Crafted Vision
events Z
The ever so popular Cultivate Tucson “flash” market returns in May. Zócalo Q&A with photos by Meredith Amadee After successful pop-up markets during the last two holiday seasons, Cultivate Tucson has quickly become a go-to shopping sensation for those seeking a variety of products created by Tucson makers. With its first spring market scheduled for May 20, Zócalo was keen to learn about the inner workings of the event and who better to speak with than the organizers themselves, Claire Seizovic and Kristin Tovar. How did Cultivate Tucson get started? How did the two of you team up and what inspired you to start your own local pop-up market? Claire: A little over a year and a half ago, we noticed there was an opening and opportunity in Tucson for a pop-up market featuring local designers, makers, independent shops, and artists…and that’s right around the time that we first met. It all started with us meeting through a mutual friend, dreaming up this idea, and realizing that we could actually make it happen! Kristin: I saw pop-up markets in other cities use market sales to fund non-profits, and I dreamed of seeing that concept take root in our community here in Tucson. Initially I didn’t think I would personally be involved in making it happen, but then I met Claire! It’s hard to explain in words, but it was as if our parallel visions intersected at exactly the right moment in time. Together, we spent hours working on our branding, fine tuning our vision, and ultimately teamed up with our friends Brittany Pena and Kelsey Collins to begin planning the first pop-up. As Claire mentioned, the need for this type of market became clear very quickly once we got to planning. How is Cultivate different than other artisan/ craft markets we have here in Tucson? Kristin: We pop up in a new location every time! By curating a different experience for every market, you’ll always see a good mix of new faces, established vendors, and different product categories that keep it fresh. We really work tirelessly to market and spotlight the talented people and businesses that make up each market. Claire: We love to focus on emerging spaces, vendors, and non-profits when we plan our events. The emphasis is on community, collaboration, and making people aware of the talent in our city. What kind of response have you received from the local community of makers and shops that have participated? Claire: We’ve seen the positive impact on featured vendors and love to see them grow in their businesses and become known in the community. We’ve seen our market acting as a first step for many of the small businesses we feature to launch or grow their business, and encourage them to showcase their wares at other markets both locally and regionally (sometimes nationally.) It’s been fun to see the collaborations that have resulted out of people - both vendors and attendees - being introduced to one another at our markets. We’ve come to love our city even more as a result of starting CULTIVATE, and we hope the same is true for those that participate and attend. Your third market will be May 20. Who are some of the new or featured makers/ shops this time around? Kristin: This will be our biggest market yet. We will have coffee, food
trucks, and 50+ vendors with a variety of products including leather goods, jewelry, paper goods, vintage, signs, wooden goods, furniture, lighting, lifestyle goods. There are several new vendors we’re excited about including: Emma Gundlach Art & Design, an illustrator that recently relocated from Austin, TX; Diana Williams from Worst Western, who creates handmade garments, swimsuits, and lingerie; as well as Noel’s Restoratives, who creates all natural aftershave, beard oil, and other men’s products. The full list of new and returning vendors is available at CultivateTucson.com/2017-vendors. A percentage of profits from each event go to support local non-profits. Which non-profits have benefited in the past and how much money have you raised for them? Kristin: A percentage of profits from our events go to non-profits in Tucson. This is something we feel strongly about and is central to our market’s success. We choose one spotlight non-profit for each event we host to give an emerging non-profit not only financial support, but also social and relational capital to work with once the market is over. Our vendors are encouraged to give to the spotlight non-profit, but can also choose to donate to any local non-profit they want to support. Our previous spotlight non-profits were Free Ever After (2015) and Iskashitaa Refugee Network (2016). Between donations to those organizations and several others our vendors have personally chosen, we’ve raised almost $15,000.
Claire Seizovic and Kristin Tovar
Who is the spotlight nonprofit for the event in May? Claire: CommunityShare is a locally-based online network that connects the skills and experiences of passionate community partners—individual professionals, community leaders, organizations and businesses—in the greater Tucson region with the goals and needs of educators in schools and informal learning environments. Through re-imagining learning by revealing, connecting, and sharing the wisdom, passion, stories, and “realworld” expertise in local communities, they help cultivate an equitable and vital learning ecosystem. We’ve found many connections between CommunityShare and our vendors and partners, and we’re excited to highlight their work in practically answering the question: “And how do we build a sense of ownership and agency among the public to invest in the future of education?” Kristin: We’ll be giving away our classic “CULTIVATE” totes to the first 50 teachers who show their school ID. We really want to emphasize the important work the teachers in our community do and encourage them through supporting CommunityShare and by providing fun perks for them. continues...
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 13
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2720 s kINNEY rD TUCSON, arizona
LODGE NEAR UA: 2001 E. Speedway ** Buffalo Outlet in Nogale•s,795-0508 441 N. Grand Ave. • 520-287-9 AZ ** 241 BUFFALOEXCHANGE.COM • 14 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
photo by Meredith Amadee Photography
events Z
Allegiant Brand Leather at Cultivate Tucson 2016. Not only is this your third event, but it’s the third location you have used. Tell us about the new venue for May. What will it look like? Claire: The new venue is “The Flash” (the former Flash TV Store) at 832 S. 6th Ave. “The “Flash” is a project from Central Barrio Development that aims to rehab and adapt an iconic 1965 building in the heart of Barrio Santa Rosa into ten (10) live/work units for creative professionals, artists, artisans and makers. The building is a classic example of Mid-Century Modern architecture with a historic neon sign that has stood the test of time, still standing proud, but waiting for a much-needed face lift. Kristin: The structure was home to a TV and appliance store formerly named “Flash TV & Appliance Store” for more than 40 years. The business catered to families in the area and served generations of Tucsonans since the mid 60s, selling televisions and appliances through memorable advertising, promotions and prizes. We will be incorporating the history of the building into the decor elements at the market. Without giving away too much, I’ll just say, “Be there!” How do you go about securing spaces for each event? Claire: The process has evolved as we’ve grown. Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to form relationships with developers and other businesses owners in the community that have access to unused or underutilized spaces, and are looking to highlight their spaces. We provide the perfect opportunity for property owners to market a new location, and also create foot traffic in the thousands at each of our events. Kristin: It’s been wonderful working with Central Barrio Development to plan this upcoming project. Hector and his firm focus on adaptive reuse of buildings through transforming spaces to contribute to the formation and growth of vibrant communities, which aligns with our hopes for the city as well. How are makers/shops chosen to be a vendor and what is your selection process? Claire: We have a rigorous application period where makers and shops are encouraged to share their name, websites, social media handles, etc. Once
we have all the applications, we take a look at the categories of goods we’d like to represent and curate a tight group of vendors that mesh well together and foster collaboration. We want to set every vendor up for success, so we aim to bring business and products we feel would do well with our audience. We also look to create a well-rounded group of established and emerging businesses through offering both booth spaces down to shared tables for those who are just starting out or want to take a risk and test the market. Any insider tips for shoppers who haven’t attended a previous Cultivate Tucson? Kristin: Come early. At our last market, several of our vendors sold out before the end of the morning. To help with the demand, we’ve created special early bird hours for this next market. For $5 in advance and $10 at the door, you can get into the market before the public and shop from 8-10am before the crowds arrive (limited tickets available). This provides a chance to have more personal interactions with those you are buying from and enhance the experience of shopping locally. You can purchase tickets to the early bird hours at cultivatetucson.com/earlybirdhours. Also, most vendors take credit cards, but we recommend bringing cash to be on the safe side. Where do you see Cultivate headed in the next few years? Claire: Online content! We have just started our CULTIVATE Conversation series where we share the multifaceted stories, processes, and inspirations of Tucson’s makers, creatives, and small business owners via long-form interviews. We’re excited to reveal our upcoming conversations leading up to the market, and feature Tucsonans in these detailed informational interviews year-round. We’ve also just begun an email newsletter called CULTIVATE Correspondence: the place we share our content, events, and projects before they’re officially announced. People on our list are the first to know about: our latest content, before we announce it to the public; upcoming markets, events & project announcements; and other collaborations & exclusive discounts. Kristin: We want to continue hosting our large-scale markets, as well as introduce several smaller niche events. Basically, you can expect to see more of us year-round both in-person and online. n Cultivate Tucson takes place Saturday, May 20, at “The Flash TV” building, 832 S. 6th Ave., starting at 8am. More information at cultivatetucson.com May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 15
Z events
may Photos top to bottom - Found Footage Festival hosts Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher got booked on three local morning news shows by claiming to be a strongman duo called Chop & Steele; Joe Pickett (left) and Nick Prueher (right) introduce a found video clip at the Found Footage Festival; Dark Lord Blood, the featured guest on a local New York talk show, terrifies people during the height of “satanic panic” in the 80s; North Dakota News anchor.
sat 27 Found Footage Festival The Found Footage Festival, the acclaimed touring showcase of odd and hilarious found videos, will bring its new 2017 show to Tucson next month. Hosts Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, veterans of The Onion and the Late Show with David Letterman, are excited to debut their new show at the Rialto Theater (318 E Congress St.) on May 27th at 8 pm. Co-presented by The Loft Cinema, the show is $12 ($10 for Loft members) and tickets are available at foundfootagefest.com. The Found Footage Festival is a one-of-a-kind event showcasing videos found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters throughout North America. Curators Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher take audiences on a guided tour of their latest and greatest VHS finds, providing live commentary and where-are-they-now updates on the people in these videotaped obscurities. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in a lively celebration of all things found. The Found Footage Festival debuted its first show in New York City in 2004 and has gone on to sell out hundreds of shows each year across the U.S. and Canada, including the HBO Comedy Festival, Bonnaroo and the Just For Laughs Festival. The festival has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and National Public Radio and has been named a critic’s pick in dozens of publications, including The New York Times,. The FFF can also be seen on the TruTV series, “Late Night Snack,” in the hit documentary “Winnebago Man,” and in their book, “VHS: Absurd, Odd and Ridiculous Relics from the Videotape Era.” 16 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
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SUN MAY 21
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THE LAST HALLWAY SALE
SAT $2 or $4
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Your Secret Source 6TH & 6TH
FRI • SAT 11-6, SUN 11-5
AMANDA IVY REED UPCOMING MARKETS MERCADO SAN AGUSTIN SPRING BAZAAR MAY 6 & 7 CULTIVATE TUCSON MAY 20
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May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 17
may
Z events Through May 7 AGAVE HERITAGE FESTIVAL
The 9th Annual festival celebrates the cultural significance of agave on our region through educational experiences, garden tours, and culinary festivities such as the mezcal and chocolate pairing seminar. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. 520-622-8848. HotelCongress.com
TUCSON AUDUBON’S 30TH ANNUAL BIRDATHON Host a birding challenge to see if you can beat last year’s record of 174 species or simply sit and record birds at your favorite park. More information at: 520-629-0510 or TucsonAudubon.org.
Thursdays in May CINEMA LA PLACITA MOVIES AT TMA Beginning May 4, every Thursday Cinema La Placita will host a movie night at TMA. $3 admission, includes popcorn. Beer, wine, and food available to purchase. 7:30 pm. Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave. 520-3265282.
SANTA CRUZ RIVER FARMERS’ MARKET Source locally grown food, flowers, honey, and more, every Thursday in May. 4 to 7pm. Free admission. Mercado San Agustin, 100 S. Avenida Del Convento. MercadoSanAgustin.com
Fri 5 COX MOVIES IN THE PARK Beginning at 6:00 pm, spread out a blanket, peruse food vendors, and once it gets dark, enjoy the movie Wall-E on the big screen at Demeester Outdoor Performance Center, Reid Park, 920 S. Concert Pl. Free admission. 520-797-3959.
Fri 5 & Sat 6 FC TUCSON VS. BYU COUGARS
Tucson’s very own semi pro soccer league plays a 2 day match against BYU. Adults: $11 online, $12 box office; kids ages 5-12: $7.70 online, $8 box office. 7:30 pm. Kino North Stadium, 2500 E. Ajo Way. 520-334-1115 x.1. FCTucson.com.
Sat 6 & Sun 7 FOLK FESTIVAL An annual favorite event, with over 20 hours of acoustic music on 5 stages performed. With The Black Lillies as the national headliner and Ryanhood as the local headliner this year. Additionally, music workshops, children’s program, open mic, beer garden and food vendors. Free admission. See website for lineup and times. El Presidio Park, the Presidio, Tucson Museum of Art and La Cocina. Free. TKMA.org
SPRING BAZAAR The perfect place to find Mother’s Day gifts, with over 40 handpicked makers and artists offering a range of goods from art, leather goods, ceramics, plants and more. Free admission. Mercado San Agustin, 100 S. Avenida del Convento. MercadoSanAgustin.com
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Fri 12 MT. LEMMON HILL CLIMB Considered to be one of the most challenging hill climbs in the States, join others in this cycling event sponsored by the Greater Arizona Bicycling Association with fluids, snacks, and vehicle support if needed, provided along the way. Check in at McDonald District Park. Register online. 6am - 2pm. 520-241-5556. BikeGaba.org
NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAY
Held the Friday before Mother’s Day, this annual event is an opportunity to enjoy one of the many public gardens in town. Participating gardens in Tucson include Tohono Chul and Tucson Botanical Gardens. See website for more information. PublicGardens.org
Sat 13 IMAGINE ROCKETS
Experience the power of rockets at this event geared towards kids age 8 and older with an adult. Hands on activities allow opportunities to experiment and build your own take home rocket. Free with paid admission. 1pm - 2:30pm. Pima Air & Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Rd. 520- 574-0462. PimaAir. org
NATIONAL TRAIN DAY Southern Arizona Transportation Museum presents a celebration with craft making, diesel simulator, music, train rides, and a free viewing of the movie, The Little Mermaid at 7pm. 10am - 7pm. 520-623-2223. 414 N. Toole Ave. TucsonHistoricDepot. org
SECOND SATURDAYS Held every second Saturday of the month in downtown Tucson with street vendors, performances, and specials at local businesses. Free admission. 5pm - 10:30pm. Congress Street from Toole Avenue to Church Avenue. 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com
Fri 12 & Sat 13 WEIRD PLANT SALE
Showcasing rare and unique plants and pottery. Members only preview Friday from 4:30pm - 7:30pm. Open to the public Saturday 8am - 1pm. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 520-884-5033. TucsonBotanical.org
Sat 13 & Sun 14 MOTHER’S DAY AT OLD TUCSON Friends and families can spend the day enjoying live stunt, comedy, and musical shows, living history presentations, taking a ride on an antique car or carousel, enjoying a prime rib meal or wine tasting. Free for girls and women on both days. Adults: $18.95, Kids ages 4-11 $10.95, Kids under 4 free. 10am - 5pm. 201 Kinney Rd. 520-883-0100. OldTucson.com
Sun 14 MOTHER’S DAY AT THE ZOO
Start the day with breakfast and a mimosa, then watch zoo animal
moms get special treats, or make a card for your mom at the card station. As a special gift, you can Adopt a Zoo Animal for $30. 8:30am - 10am. Tickets: $40 adult or $35 members, $15 kids, kids under 2 are free. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. 520-791-4022. ReidParkZoo.org
MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH Cafe Botanica hosts a Mother’s Day Brunch at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. After brunch stroll around the gardens, view the current Frida Khalo exhibit, or see the Butterfly Magic greenhouse. 9am - 3pm. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 520-884-5033. TucsonGardens.org
MUSIC UNDER THE STARS Celebrate Mother’s Day with a special free evening concert by the Tucson Pops Orchestra. 7pm. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, Reid Park, 920 S. Concert Pl. 520-721-2068. TucsonPops.org
Sat 20 CULTIVATE TUCSON The first spring market for this annual, one day only, pop-up with plenty of fresh picks by local makers and artists. Food and coffee vendors on site. 9am - 4pm. The FLASH, 832 S. 6th Ave. CultivateTucson.com
ARIZONA’S NIGHT SKIES: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE Join Dr. John Barantine of the International Dark Sky Association for a presentation followed by a star party. Free with park admission. Oracle State Park, 3820, Wildlife Dr. Oracle, AZ. 520-896-2425. AZStateParks.com
Sat 20 - Sun 21 WILCOX WINE COUNTRY SPRING FESTIVAL Taste wines from 16 wineries, listen to live music or enjoy food from Dante’s Fire at this event presented by the Arizona Wine Growers Association. Ranked top 10 wine festivals in North America by Fodor’s. Tickets: $15-$45. Railroad Park, 157 N. Railroad Ave, Wilcox, AZ. 11am - 5pm. 1-800-200-2272. WilcoxWineCountry.org
Fri 26 - Sat 27 MEET ME DOWNTOWN 5K MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND The 11th annual block party weekend event features races Friday and Saturday night, such as the Tucson Tutu Mile, the FitKidz Children’s Mile, and the TMC 5K Night Run and Walk with over $4,000 in prize money, beer gardens, live music along the course, giveaways, and perks like free admission to the Children’s Museum. See website for more information and to register. 520-326-9383. AZRoadrunners.org
Sat 27 - Mon 29 WYATT EARP DAYS Celebrate the legend of Wyatt Earp with costumed performances, gunfights, a chili cook-off, stagecoach rides, and more. 10am - 4pm. Tombstone, AZ. 520-866-5266. WyattEarpDays.com
n
OPEN HOUSE Saturday, May 13 11am to 2pm
2406 E Hawthorne
A unique opportunity in Sam Hughes. This 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1936 streamline moderne home with the largest existing Ted DeGrazia mural also features: • Corner windows • Original oak floors • Courtyard design • Fireplace • Festive exterior paint • Large swimming pool • Large .3 acre lot
Priced at $537,500.
8440 N Romero Ave
Coming Soon!
1958 midcentury modern brick ranch. • 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms • Horse property • Swimming pool • 1.81 acres • 1652 square feet
Priced at $299,000.
T BER G RO DIN RED 1
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events Z
sat 6 THE FOLK FEST EXPRESS
KXCI Community Radio and the Sun Link streetcar partner to host this festive and fun concert with local musical talent Mik and Scott on the way to the Tucson Folk Festival. Board the air conditioned streetcar at 2 p.m. sharp at the Helen and Warren streetcar stop with parking available at the Highland Parking Garage and surface lots (1224 N. Martin Ave, 1735 E. Helen St, 1740 E. Helen St.), and disembark at the Church and Broadway Stop. Festival goers can follow the musical parade on the way over to the festival.
Mik and Scott
All passengers must have a valid SunGO card or ticket to board Sun Link and enjoy the concert. Riders are encouraged to purchase a SunGO 1-Day Ticket before the event to help avoid wait times. The 1-Day SunGO Ticket can be purchased for $4 at any one of the streetcar stops. To pay-by-the-ride, riders can purchase a SunGO Card and load cash value online, at any sales outlet or at the transit centers. Passengers can also purchase a pass or pay-by-the-ride on their mobile phone by downloading the GO Tucson Mobile App. Plan ahead when making online purchases. Cash fares are not accepted once on the streetcar. Children ages 5 and under ride free. Specific concert streetcar number will be announced on Sun Link’s Twitter, @TucsonStreetcar, and Facebook page, www.facebook. com/TucsonStreetcar. More information is available at KXCI.org or SunLinkStreetcar.com n
FRI 19 Animaniacs LIVE! Just in from Pittsburgh, “Animaniacs Live!” comes to the Rialto Theatre, featuring live original songs that were the signature of the TV show “Animaniacs.” Rob Paulsen, who voiced Yakko Warner, Pinky and Dr. Otto Scratchansniff, has assembled “Animaniacs Live!” alongside series songwriter Randy Rogel, fine-tuning it around Los Angeles and at conventions. “‘Animaniacs’ and ‘Pinky and The Brain’ have really stood the test of time. A big part of that is the music,” said Paulsen. “Our deal with Warner Bros. Licensing, has allowed us to go on the road using animation and songs.” Paulsen and Rogel designed the show to be flexible, accommodating venues of different sizes. When the duo hit Tucson, attendees will get around two hours of music, stories of how ‘Animaniacs’ was put together, how the songs were written, segments and songs that didn’t make the original cut. “We’ve done the show with symphonies. We’d like to do that more. Usually 600-800 people to come out, and they have a lot of fun. That makes in-roads to open the doors to come back. We did 2,400 people with the symphony in La Mirada. Hopefully we’ll come back and do it with the Tucson Symphony. “The one song that I get asked to do more than any other is ‘Yakko’s World.’ It’s a great two-minute cartoon that still holds up really well, but the world has changed. We include in our show a new lyric that numerates all the countries
that have sprung up since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the song was written in 1993.” The show includes Q & A sessions. Fans are treated to songs that didn’t make it into the original episodes. Paulsen’s prolific career has seen him also be the voice of Raphael in the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series, play Donatello in the current series, Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron” and PJ in “Goof Troop,” among many others. Connecting with fans gives a better scope of his work’s impact. “What’s crazy is I could be in any social situation. When people find out who I am and what I do, all it does is make everybody smile. Whether they know ‘Animaniacs’ or ‘Turtles’ or ‘Jimmy Neutron’, they know something I’ve worked on. If I say, ‘Narf!’ or ‘Hello, Nurse!’ or ‘Turtle Power,’ it’s the most beautiful response, and I love it.” With a 30 year career and still going, Paulsen has played hundreds of characters in over 400 series and films. Even from the start, he knew ‘Animaniacs’ was something special. Still relevant many years later, nothing proves the point like time. “Animaniacs Live!” with Rob Paulsen and composer Randy Rogel comes to the Rialto Theatre, May 19th, 7pm. Visit Rialto box office or Ticketfly.com n
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 21
photo: Karoliina Paatos
Z art galleries & exhibits
Cowboy Girls - Karoliina Paatos, at Lionel Romback Gallery
ARIZONA HISTORY MUSEUM Currently on view: Wall of Faces: A Grateful
EVERYBODY On view to May 7: good boy - Sterling Hedges. Hours by appointment.
Nation Thanks and Honors You on view through July 4. Hours: Mon & Fri 9am-6pm; Tues-Thurs 9am-4pm; Sat & Sun 11am-4pm. 949 E. 2nd Street. 520-628-5774. ArizonaHistoricalSociety.org
101 W. 6th St. Studio Q. Everybody.Gallery
ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM Snaketown: Hohokam Defined is on view through Sep 23. Long term exhibitions include, Woven Through Time: American Treasures of Native Basketry and Fiber Art; The Pottery Project; and Paths of Life. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am5pm. 520-621-6302. 1013 E. University Blvd. StateMuseum.Arizona.Edu
CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
Wynn Bullock: Revelations opens May 13 through Nov 25. On May 4, a free screening of Infiltrators by Khaled Jarrar is at 7pm. Hours: Tue-Fri 9am-4pm; Sat 1-4pm. 1030 N. Olive Rd. 520-621-7968. CreativePhotography.org
CONRAD WILDE GALLERY Elemental
featuring work by Rebecca Crowell, Victoria May, Avery Wilde and more runs May 6 to 27, with a reception May 6 from 6-9pm. Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-4pm. 101 W. 6th St., #121. 520-622-8997. ConradWildeGallery.org
GALLERY AZUL Truth: The Breast Project by artist Andrea Mendola, opens May 6 with an opening from 6-9pm. Hours: Sat 12-4pm. 439 N. 6th Ave. Suite 179. ArtistStudioCoop.com
IRONWOOD GALLERY The Annual Art Institute Student Exhibition continues to May 28. Cory Trepanier, Into the Arctic opens June 10 through Aug 20. Hours: Daily 10am-4pm. 2021 N. Kinney Rd. 520-883-3024. DesertMuseum.org
JOSEPH GROSS GALLERY Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition is on view to May 12. Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 520-626-4215. CFA.Arizona.edu/ Galleries
LIONEL ROMBACH GALLERY Cowboy Girls - Karoliina Paatos is on view May 2 - 10. Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 520-624-4215. CFA.Arizona.edu/ Galleries
CONTRERAS GALLERY What’s the Big Idea, featuring 21 artists opens May 6
LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL GALLERY The Annual Student Juried Art Exhibi-
with a reception from 6-9pm. Hours: Weds-Sat 10am-4pm. 110 E. 6th St. 520-3986557. ContrerasHouseFineArt.com
tion featuring artists from all the PCC campuses closes May 5. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am5pm, Fri 10am-3pm. PCC 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 520-206-6942. Pima.Edu/CFA
DAVIS DOMINGUEZ GALLERY Small Things Considered - 25th Small Works
MADARAS GALLERY The Margaritas and Moms First Thursday bash is on May 4
Invitational opens May 5 to June 24 with a reception Jun 3 from 6 to 8pm. Tues-Fri 11am5pm; Sat 11am-4pm. 154 E. 6th St. 520-629-9759. DavisDominguez.com
from 5-7pm. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm. 3035 N. Swan Rd. 520-6153001. Madaras.com
DEGRAZIA GALLERY IN THE SUN
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Exhibitions continuing through May
The Way of the Cross continues through Aug 30. Hours: 10am-4pm daily. 6300 N. Swan Rd. 520-299-9191. DeGrazia.org
DESERT ARTISANS GALLERY Desert Dazzle and Kitchen Crazy Miniatures opens May 2 with a reception on May 5 from 5-7pm. A Trunk Show with work by Gretchen Huff & Leonor Pisano is May 6 from 10am to 1pm. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 10am-1:30pm. 6536 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 520-722-4412. DesertArtisansGallery.com
DRAWING STUDIO
Members Show closes May 5. 2760 N. Tucson Blvd. 520620-0947. TheDrawingStudiotds.org
ETHERTON GALLERY
In the main gallery, Color Theory with work by Kate Breakey, Gail Marcus-Orien, Andy Burgess and Albert Chamillard is on view to May 31. In the Temple Gallery, Dinnerware: Artists Today Part 2: 1990-2003 is on view to May 5. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm or by appointment. Main Gallery: 135 S. 6th Ave. Temple Gallery: 330 S. Scott Ave. 520-624-7370. EthertonGallery.com
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28: If You Stay Busy You Have No Time to be Unhappy; Andy Steinbrink | How to Make and Mend Cast Nets; Dennis Jeffy | From Antelope Springs and John Kilduff | The Joy of Multitasking. Hours: Weds-Sun 12-5pm. 265 S. Church Ave. 520-624-5019. MOCATucson.org
MAT BEVEL’S MUSEUM OF KINETIC ART Kinetic Saturdays is May 6 from 5-8pm with character demonstrations by the artist throughout the evening. $5 admission, 12 years and under $3. 2855 E. Broadway Blvd. 520-604-6273. MatBevelCompany.org
MEDICINE MAN GALLERY Howard Post - New Works closes May 15. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-4pm. 6872 E. Sunrise Dr., Suite 130. 520-722-7798. MedicineManGallery.com
MINI TIME MACHINE Rudy Flores and Teresa Estrella: Cultural Army of Tucson featuring more than 200 green plastic miniature figurines, opens May 9 and continues through Aug 27. Hours: Tues-Sat 9am-4pm and Sun 12-4pm. 4455 E. Camp Lowell Dr. 520-881-0606. TheMiniTimeMachine.org
PHILABAUM GLASS GALLERY & STUDIO North Carolina Perspectives featuring work by Shane Fero, Robert Gardner, John Littleton, Kenny Pieper ad Kate Vogel is on view to May 27. Tues-Sat 11am-4pm. Call for glassblowing viewing. 711 S. 6th Ave. 520-884-7404. PhilabaumGlass.com
PORTER HALL GALLERY Frida: Portraits by Nickolas Muray, presented by Porter Hall Gallery and Etherton Gallery continues through May 31. Hours: Daily 8:30am4:30pm. 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 520-326-9686. TucsonBotanical.org
SETTLERS WEST GALLERY Summer Show opens May 6 with a reception at 5:30pm. Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-5pm. 6420 N. Campbell Ave. 520-299-2607. SettlersWest.com.
SOUTHERN ARIZONA WATERCOLOR GUILD Small Wonders is on view May 2 to June 11 with a reception May 4 from 5 to 7pm. Fiesta Sonora closes Apr 2. Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-4pm. Williams Centre 5420 East Broadway Blvd #240. 520-2997294. SouthernAzWatercolorGuild.com
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. 520-623-2223. TucsonHistoricDepot.org
TOHONO CHUL PARK In the Main Gallery, Jeffrey DaCosta / Parcel opens May 5 and continues to June 4. In the Garden Bistro, Art du Jour / Amanda Rohrbach opens May 18 with a reception from 5:30-8pm and continues to Sep 7. Hours: Daily 9am-5pm. 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. (520) 742-6455. TohonoChulPark.org
TUCSON DESERT ART MUSEUM The Dazzled Eye: Navajo Textiles from the Getzwiller Collection is on view to May 28. Hours: Weds-Sun 10am-4pm. 7000 E Tanque Verde Rd. 520-202-3888. TucsonDArt.Org
TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART Continuing exhibitions include: Body Language: Figuration in Modern and Contemporary Art; Poetic Minimalism; Henry C. Balink: Native American Portraits; On the Cusp: Modern Art From the Permanent Collection; and From Modern Into the Now: Masterworks from the Kasser Mochary Art Foundation, all on view to July 9. Hours: Tues-Wed & Fri-Sat 10am-5pm; Thurs 10am-8pm; Sun 12-5pm. 140 N. Main Ave. 520-624-2333. TucsonMuseumofArt.org
UA MUSEUM OF ART Continuing exhibitions include, Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition on view to May 12; Exposed: The Art and Science of Conservation on view to May 13; Our Stories: Politeia on view to July 30; Fame: Paintings By Robert Priseman on view to Aug 27. Hours: Tues-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 12-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 520-6217567. ArtMuseum.Arizona.Edu
UA POETRY CENTER UA Student Contests Broadside Exhibition is on view May 1 to 26. Hours: Mon & Thurs 9am-8pm; Tues, Weds, Fri 9am-5pm. 1508 E. Helen St. 520-626-3765. Poetry.Arizona.Edu
WEE GALLERY Doing What I Can - Ruben Urrea Moreno opens May 6 with a reception from 6 to 11pm and closes June 3. Hours: Fri-Sat 11am-6pm; Sun 11am-5pm. 439 N. 6th Ave, Suite #171. 520-360-6024. GalleryWee.com
WOMANKRAFT ART GALLERY Drawing Down the Muse is on view to May 27 with a reception May 6 from 7-10pm. Hours: Weds-Sat 1-5pm. 388 S. Stone Ave. 520629-9976. WomanKraft.org
WILDE MEYER GALLERY
Multimedia Group Show opens May 7 to 31 with a reception May 7 from 1-4pm. Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5:30pm; Thurs 10am-7pm; Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12-5pm. 3001 E. Skyline Dr. 520-615-5222, WildeMeyer.com
YWCA GALLERIA The History of Here and There featuring work by Robin Savage and Alex Jimenez is on view through June 1. Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. 525 N. Bonita Ave. 520-884-7810. YWCATucson.org
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M E M O R I A L DAY W E E K E N D
MAY 26, 27, 28, 2017 GHOST TOWN BLUES BAND BRANDON PERRAULT & FRIENDS JOHNNY LONG | MILLER & THE OTHER SINNERS | DELGADO BROTHERS MARKUS JAMES & WASSONRAI WALKER SHELLIST DUO | PAT ‘GUITAR SLIM’ CHASE | CHASE WALKER BAND
S I LV E R C I T Y B L U E S F E S T I VA L .ORG
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May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 25
Z events
may
sat 6, through June 24 SMALL THINGS CONSIDERED – 25TH SMALL WORKS INVITATIONAL,
in conjunction with SUMMER ART CRUISE (Central Tucson Gallery Association) at Davis Dominguez Gallery featuring artists from the area including Davis Dominguez Gallery regulars, guest artists courtesy of other Tucson galleries and a host of independent artists. This popular summer season expo features over 80 works, one work by each artist, sized 12” x 12” (hanging) or 18” tall (standing). Paintings, drawings, photographs, original prints, watercolors, collage, and other 2-dimensional media are displayed with steel, bronze, copper, glass, wood, clay and fiber sculpture Retuning invitees will show off their skills in reduced format and the exhibit is always a surprise from the unexpected participants selected off the evolving “wild card” list of less well known personalities. Reception, Saturday, June 6, 6-8pm. n
Left to right - Stickler by Barbara Jo McLaughlin; Little Blue Ball by Doug Shelton; Black Canyon Totem #5 by Tom Philabaum; Redstart #2 by Jim Waid; Tucson Mountain Wash by Don West
26 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
While you’re shopping for some new duds this Spring, don’t forget that your gently used clothing can still DO GOOD. Your donation can help someone in southern Arizona get a fresh start on a new career! And thanks to people like you, Goodwill was able to serve over 12,000 people in our community last year! THANK YOU! LEARN MORE AT GOODWILLSOUTHERNAZ.ORG May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 27
Z culture Photographs by JosĂŠ Galvez
Man sitting on a windowsill in Barrio Viejo on Meyer Avenue between 17th Street and Kennedy Street, late 1960s.
Boys playing on Convent Avenue in Barrio Viejo, with downtown to the north in the background, 1978.
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culture Z
The Old Barrio Remembering the Ghost of Tucson’s Downtown by Gregory McNamee Photographs by José Galvez
J
immy Cocio, a jovial man of mixed Yaqui, Opata, and Hispano heritage, grew up in the shadow of Sentinel Peak, or “A” Mountain, in a part of Tucson called Menlo Park. He enlisted in the military after high school, choosing the Navy because, he says, “I knew the mountains and I knew the desert, but I didn’t know the ocean, and I wanted to see it.” He got his wish, shipping out in 1969 for a four-year tour, and fortunately avoiding a post to Vietnam in the bargain. Then he returned. “When I got home, I didn’t recognize Tucson,” he says. “Nothing seemed right about this downtown. It still doesn’t. One thing: I never go to the Convention Center. I never will. There’s too much of our past buried under it.” Unveiled in 1971, the Tucson Convention Center stood at the heart of a project of urban renewal that had been unfolding for the previous three decades. The roots of controversy extend even deeper into the past, for whereas in the 19th century Mexican immigrants such as Mariano Samaniego and Estevan Ochoa were politically prominent in Tucson, by the mid–20th century almost all power had come into the
hands of Anglo businessmen. It was these men, with names like Roy Drachman and James Corbett, who put into motion and carried out a plan to carve out the heart of Tucson’s historic, predominantly Mexican American downtown and replace it with a new model of the city, one in which poor and minority people would be moved to the periphery and people from the suburbs would come in to work and shop. One part of that program was to declare places such as the western ends of Ochoa, McCormick, and Cushing Streets, all places familiar to well-traveled Tucsonans, to be “slums.” The language was important, because well-funded federal programs had been in place ever since the New Deal to condemn substandard housing and remove inhabitants to public projects elsewhere. The Chamber of Commerce cited Scottsdale as the model it wanted to emulate, conveniently omitting to note that Scottsdale had always been an affluent place with few minority inhabitants, and one with far less history than Tucson’s downtown. A few spots in those areas, admittedly, were known for sub rosa activities—gambling, prostitution, drugs, the usual vices of any downtown. But most of continues...
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 29
Z culture Photograph by José Galvez
Graffiti on wall in Barrio Hollywood. The building is on the corner of Melrose Avenue and St. Mary’s Road; it later became a law office.
the historic barrios were made up of family dwellings, predominantly Mexican American, thick-walled houses of mud brick lining streets that until recently had been dirt, with the setback-less buildings and trees providing shade from the desert sun throughout even the hottest day. Some streets harbored the homes of African Americans, some of whom operated barbershops, clubs, pool halls, and other small businesses in the neighborhood, while on strategic corners throughout downtown Chinese groceries kept residents fed and provided a gathering place in a maze of narrow streets that rarely met at right angles, an enemy to cars but a boon to people who had time to visit. Some of the planners of urban renewal had grand visions. Don Hummel, who served as Tucson’s mayor in the 1950s, wanted more than 400 acres of downtown cleared. He was thwarted, but he came back with a plan that took in most of the city center. In the end, the master plan, finished in late 1965, settled on 52 acres, and Tucson voters—most from the suburbs—approved the funding scheme for it in a 30 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
special election early the following year. The bulldozers went to work, removing whole blocks of housing and small shops. Historian C. L. Sonnichsen estimated that 900 people were resettled, while other figures are higher, ranging up to about 1,200 people. The sources agree, however, that at least 320 buildings came down, to be replaced by fewer but much larger ones: apartment towers, offices, and commercial buildings that took up whole blocks and rose much higher than the one, two, or three stories of the past. The Convention Center alone devoured 14 full blocks previously occupied by long-established neighborhoods. And when the wrecking ball descended, beginning half a century ago, in 1967, the loss of Tucson’s historic downtown was near total. Whereas the old downtown had three major plazas and many smaller ones to provide public gathering spaces, only a part of the old Plaza de la Mesilla was spared, its kiosko now part of La Placita across the street from the government complex. Even that small mercy was
culture Z Photograph by José Galvez
Man riding a horse down St. Clair Street west of Grande Avenue in Barrio Hollywood, late 1960s. The streets were still unpaved then.
accidental, in a way: La Placita had been deeded to the city as a public space under condition that it revert back to its original owners and their descendants if the city ever changed that usage. Dozens of small businesses that could not be relocated were razed: Chinese grocers, African American barbershops, Tito Flores’s farmacia, the famed Cine Plaza, which brought Spanish-language films to Tucson audiences and provided a focal point across several generations. The accompanying suite of photographs by José Galvez, who grew up in downtown in the 1950s and ’60s and went on to work as a prizewinning staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times, painfully captures what has been lost: a place where many hundreds of people lived, raised families, and made their lives. In the place of all that rubble, we now have a Convention Center that, well meaning as it might be in its design, reverses the old pattern of public spaces ringed by buildings and instead places the buildings as an island surrounded by a sea of parking spaces.
We have a parking garage, some architecturally undistinguished government buildings, and a hotel that has changed hands several times while filling up only now and again. If only from an aesthetic point of view, then, the renewal was no improvement—and that’s without even taking into account all those lives, all those people bought out at prices well below market value and moved off to neighborhoods miles away, their original homes condemned for not being up to building codes enacted decades after the structures were first built. One positive development of the urban renewal project was that it gave Tucson activists a reference point around which to declare that it would never happen again. Even the conservative editor of the Arizona Daily Star, William R. Matthews, had editorialized against the “complete destruction of what is called the Mexican district of Tucson,” noting that areas designated as slums were full of active homes and businesses, far from being deserted, far from irreparable. Now Elva Torres, Gilbert Ronstadt, continues...
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 31
Z culture Photographs by JosĂŠ Galvez
Girls on the porch of a home on Anita Avenue between Oury Street and Williams Street in Barrio Anita, early 1970s.
Man hanging laundry behind a home on Granada Avenue and 6th Street, on the edge of Barrio Anita, late 1960s. The home was later bulldozed for street widening.
32 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
culture Z Photograph by José Galvez
Woman looking through screen door. Her home was on the corner of Cushing Street and El Paso Avenue in Barrio Hollywood, looking out across the street to the Tucson Community Center. and other downtowners were able to organize to save other areas of downtown, including El Tiradito Shrine, protected by virtue of being declared a National Historic Site. For their part, Armory Park residents organized to have that section of downtown declared a historic district, and many remaining buildings downtown were enrolled in historic registers. And in the years since, the entire barrio between Cushing Street and 22nd Street, south of the Convention Center and, in Hummel’s original plan, once slated to be razed to the ground, has become some of Tucson’s most desirable real estate. One irony of the urban renewal project was that, instead of making downtown into a shopping mecca and workplace, the Convention Center effectively killed it for decades. When I moved to Tucson in 1975, downtown had a few small shops and a few decidedly rough-edged bars, but for the most part it folded up at sundown. It has taken decades of effort on the part of entrepreneurs such as Richard and Shana Oseran, owners of the Hotel Congress, and political leaders such as Steve Farley, champion of the modern streetcar, to bring downtown Tucson back to life—though even now, as a place dominated by high-end housing and expensive shops and restaurants, it’s pretty clear that the poor need not apply.
“Downtown was the center of everything,” Tucson community activist Liz Rodriguez Miller recalls in an archival film about Barrio Viejo made by videographer Daniel Buckley in 2010. A weekend trip into downtown from South Tucson, where she lived, with her mother and grandmother might involve a stop at a bakery, a shoe or clothing store, a restaurant, a furniture store, a drugstore, and the Spanishlanguage Cine Plaza—all located within just a couple of blocks in a thriving city center. “That sense of community,” she continues, “that feeling we got from going to the bakery or the Cine Plaza, of Independence Day celebrations at La Placita, knowing the names of all the merchants downtown and having them know our names of our families—that’s what Tucson has been and maybe can be again. Let’s see if we can recapture some of that.” But the past is a moment of lightning that resists being trapped in a bottle. For all the change that has come to downtown Tucson, the Old Pueblo will never have the vibrancy that it enjoyed half a century ago. “You might find pockets of it, the closeness, the entrepreneurship, the diversity, in El Hoyo and the South Side,” says José Galvez. “It was a great place to grow up, and to explore. But now, it’s dead and gone.” n May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 33
Z performances ARIZONA FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC
TUCSON BOYS CHORUS Pops Concert, May 6
UA Graduate String Quartet, May 3 at 7:00 pm. Sea of Glass, 332 E 7th St. 520-577-3769. ArizonaChamberMusic.org
at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Catalina Foothills HS Auditorium, 4300 E. Sunrise Dr. 520-296-6277. BoysChorus.org
ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY Holmes and Watson, continues through May 6, Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 520-884-8210, ArizonaTheatre. org
6 from 10am to 11:30am at Foothills Park, 4020 E. River Rd.; Sounds of Spring Concert, May 14 at 3:30 pm. Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. 520-577-6064. TucsonGirlsChorus.org
BALLET TUCSON Ballet in Bloom, May 7 at 1:00
TUCSON JAZZ SOCIETY
pm, Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. St. Andrews Dr. Ballet Tucson 2, May 20 at 7:00 pm and May 21 at 2:00 pm at Steve Eller Dance Theater, 1737 E. University Blvd. 9013194, BalletTucson.org
THE DINNER DETECTIVE
Interactive Murder Mystery Show, May 13. 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Hilton Tucson East, 7600 E. Broadway Blvd. 866-496-0535. TheDinnerDetective.com
FOX THEATRE
An Evening with David Sedaris, 7:30pm on May 8; Magic Hour - Short Fiction Films, 7pm on May 10; American Graffiti, 7:30pm on May 13; Bill Engvall, at 7:30pm on May 20. 17 W. Congress St. 520624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org
THE GASLIGHT THEATRE
TUCSON GIRLS CHORUS Open House on May
Sunday Jam, Every Sunday from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. Brother John’s Beer, Bourbon & BBQ, 1801 N. Stone Ave. 520-903-1265, TucsonJazz.org
TUCSON POPS ORCHESTRA Stars of the Future, May 14 at 7:00 pm; Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, May 21 at 7:00 pm; John Philip Sousa In the Park, May 28 at 7:00 pm. Reid Park DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, 920 S. Concert Pl. 520-722-5853. TucsonPops.org
TUCSON REGIONAL BALLET
Peter and the Wolf and Swan Lake Act II, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, April 8 and 2:00 pm, April 9. Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. 520-886-1222. TucsonRegionalBallet.org
The Curse of the Pirate’s Gold through June 4. 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. 520-886-9428, TheGaslightTheatre.com
UNSCREWED THEATER Family friendly shows
LAFFS COMEDY CAFFE
WINDING ROAD THEATER ENSEMBLE
Trenton Davis May 5 & 6; B.T. May 12 & 13; Samuel J. Comroe May 19 & 20; Warren B. Hall May 26, 27 & 28. 2900 E. Broadway. 520-32-Funny. LaffsTucson.com
every Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 pm. 3244 E. Speedway Blvd. 520-289-8076. UnscrewedTheater.org
The Language Archive, by Julia Cho, through April 9 at the RoadRunner Theater, 8892 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 520401-3626. WindingRoadTheater.org n
LIVE THEATRE WORKSHOP
Below the Belt continues to May 6, Mainstage. A Swashbuckling Adventure with the Itty-Bitty Buccaneer continues to June 4, Family Theatre. 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. 520-327-4242, LiveTheatreWorkshop.org
NOT BURNT OUT JUST UNSCREWED Every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm. 3244 E. Speedway. 520-861-2986. UnscrewedComedy.com
ODYSSEY STORYTELLING SERIES Only In Tucson curated by Adam Hostetter and Penelope Starr, May 4, doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7:00 pm. The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress. 520-730-4112. OdysseyStorytelling.com
PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Dance Fusion, 7:30 pm on May 5; 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm May 6. Proscenium Theater. PCC West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 520-206-6986. Pima.edu
THE ROGUE THEATRE
Macbeth by William Shakespeare continues to May 14. The Historic Y, 300 E. University Blvd. 520-551-2053. TheRogueTheatre.org
SONS OF ORPHEUS Memorial Day Veterans’ Service, May 29 at 9:00 am. East Lawn Palms Mortuary and Cemetery, 5801 E. Grant Rd. 520-484-3743. SonsOfOrpheus.org
34 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
Bill Engvall performs at Fox Tucson Theatre, on Saturday May 20.
Armory Park 705 S. 6th Ave. c.1902 Adobe Bungalow 1,954 sq ft currently 2 separate living spaces!! Soaring 11’+ ceilings, wood floors, claw foot tub newer electrical, mechanical and plumbing. MLS#: 21710183
Barrio Santa Rosa 851 S. Meyer Ave. c. 1996 Rammed Earth 1400 sqft, 2 bd, 2 ba, Garage. ARE YOU READY TO BE PART OF THE NEW HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN? MLS#: 21710450
Tim Hagyard Susie Deconcini 520.241.3123
Menlo Park c.1957 Red Brick Ranch Urban Farming, Water Harvesting Cistern, Workshop 2 bdrm, 1 ba, 936 sqft. Walk to Mercado, Streetcar, and Downtown. COMING SOON !!!
Carlos Terrace Mid-Century c. 1958 Burnt Adobe Ranch Remodeled 3 bd, 2ba, 1637 sqft. Conveniently located near Historic Fort Lowell, TMC, and Shopping. COMING SOON !!!
Z performances
A Journey Through Consciousness The Tale of The Fishers Wish by Nadia Hagen
Flam Chen has been based in Tucson for over 20 years, creating dazzling public spectacle, merging daredevil acrobatics, pyrotechnics and a mastery of air and fire arts. They explore themes that roam from the fantastic to the satirical with elaborate costuming, tightly woven choreography and new circus skills, and are the performance engine and mentors of the Annual All Souls Procession, all while touring all over the US and Mexico. Their newest work is The Fisher’s Wish, a pyrotechnic fantastical fish tale, replete with cinematic visuals, hypnotic Drum ‘n Bass soundscape and new circus physicality – is a cross cultural story of ambition, the true meaning of personal power and the dynamism of human will. Here, artistic director, Nadia Hagen writes about the deeper narrative of the tale and Flam Chen’s unique re-crafting of the story. The Wife and her Fisherman
In the land of theater, we are voyeurs on a journey with the main characters, and in this lovely folktale told all over the world with slight derivations, the usual roles of man as Yang and woman as Ying are pleasingly swapped. The Wife journeys through the material world of possessions and power, while her husband, The Fisherman, journeys through an internal ocean of consciousness to manifest his wife’s desires. In the original tale, the end is a moral about the danger of greed and ambition, especially in women with Lady Macbethian undertones. A Modern Debate
But in a more modern view their relationship mirrors the internal conversations that we all engage in, in our efforts to live fulfilled and balanced lives. To be unscientific—a kind of debate between the hemispheres of our brains—to manifest what we want in the material world, we must investigate “why do we want, what we want?”and “how much are we willing to sacrifice to achieve our goals?” On one end of the spectrum are world leaders and historic dictators who are willing to sacrifice the lives of millions of people to achieve their destinies. On the other end are the monks and sadhus that sacrifice their own lives, or use of certain limbs or the power to speak, to find enlightenment. Multiple Journeys
The Wife is very much dedicated to the realm of external power while her husband inhabits a Zen space of contentment enveloped in his relationship with the sea. This sets up the relational sort of seesaw we all find ourselves on. The Great Angler Fish is the Terrifying yet Benevolent Bestowing Power of the Universe. So great is she that her Yang, or male force, has been subsumed by her own body, as anglers do. All things are one to her 36 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
photos Warren Van Nest
and all gifts available, to all beings who ask. The Fisherman encounters her by chance and initially asks for nothing. But to face her and ask for validation on earth forces the Fisherman to summon up all his courage. The Fisherman embodies the bind of the artist. In a somewhat spiritual relationship with the “work” which is an end in itself, the artist is forced (certainly in American culture) to ask, to beg, to be validated by the world at large to survive. Initially he returns to his familiar spot on the sea and calls to the fish and is rewarded. While we are witness to a dance of the mermaids, a place of naked hunger and carnal desire that lurks just below The Fisherman’s little boat. Or for us, in our animal brain just below our civilized surface. The Fisherman is saved the “knowledge” of what lurks below until he returns for the second wish. Now he must leave his little boat and dive into the open sea of emotional consciousness. He is, as they say,“out of his depth”. He struggles until eventually he sinks down to the deep realm of the mermaids and is magically resurrected onto the shore. He has been ripped apart and put back together. Certainly, like any rite of passage or journey to the underworld, he is changed. This change lands him in the midst of a “grand carnival,” the manifestation of a magical realm on earth. As carnival traditions all over the world allow participants transcendence through dance and abandon, so here The Fisherman finds himself in a place where the desires of his wife have come very close to his own. They have reached an equilibrium on the seesaw. But in the journey to harmony, we can’t stay here. This is also a dangerous place where we can drown in sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, or in this case, cumbia. In Jodowrowsky’s cinematic masterpiece The Holy Mountain, the realms just below the pinnacle of the mountaintop are varied and seductive traps for the spiritual traveler—venomous gurus. The ability to perform miraculous superhuman feats, all misguide the traveler into tantric stagnation. The Fisherman would happily stay here, but his wife shows the level of her determination and even selflessness in her last wish. We are immersed in her mind now—her visions of what it means to be Master of all Destinies and omnipotent. This vision begins with psychedelic new age mandalas of light and then within minute morphs into the goo and miasma of the organic stuffs of creation. Here we dive again, from the epic largess of light and stars to cellular matrices. Here, we feel a kinship with Van Gogh’s studies of the roots of plants, the tangled muddy webs of the natural world, echoed in the mysterious interior of women. And so we go into the interior of The Wife as she contemplates the ultimate creatrix. In the ambivalence of the last wish, we as westerners, are asked to re-evaluate our ideas about power and ambition and dominion of the earth. As The Fisherman doggy paddles about in the Pacific garbage patch and a dolphin swims off screen with a plastic bag in its snout, we must certainly see the error of our current logics about our internal and external relations. The Fishers Wish is an old, old story, told in many countries with small twists and variations and its wisdom and sweetness present to us the Hero’s journey in the guise of a quirky and humble little rhyme of the sea. n Flam Chen’s The Fishers Wish will perform next at Arcosanti, June 2 & 3, 2017. Originally a Flam Chen film project (based at Arcosanti) and now adapted for live theater, this site specific installation features the media artwork of Adam Cooper-Terán and Heather Gray, original mix by DJ Dirty Verbs, aerial work by Jennifer Coughlan and Monica Boccio and the Flam Chen core cast with special guest To-Ra-Nee Kaier Wolf, as “The Wife.” Tickets and more information at FlamChen.com May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 37
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food&drink Z
Discovering the Taco A Tucson Standby That Now Travels the World by Gregory McNamee, illustration by Danny Martin
B
arrow, Alaska, is about as far from anywhere in North America as it’s possible to get: about 1100 miles from the North Pole, 3200 miles from Tucson, 4250 miles from the Valley of Mexico. Yet, until just a few years ago, it was possible to tumble across taiga and tundra and find, there in the heart of the town, a Mexican restaurant. In 2013 Pepe’s North of the Border, which billed itself as the northernmost Mexican restaurant in the world, burned to the ground. The owners plan to rebuild, they say, and even if Pepe’s wasn’t much, by all accounts, at least it was something. (One review kindly remarked only that it was “better than whale blubber.”) There was a time, and within living memory, when the thought of a Mexican eatery so far from Mexico and the American Southwest would have seemed improbable at best. Fast-forward five decades years, and all that has changed. Today, to name just one faraway region, Northern Virginia, where I grew up, is ringed with Mexican restaurants—and supremely authentic ones at that, representing many of the regions of Mexico. The same is true just about everywhere in the United States. You can now get a taco, even celebrate a Taco Tuesday, almost anywhere you go, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Montpelier, Idaho—and, yes, in the farthest reaches of Alaska. Call it the Southwesternization, even the Tucsonization, of the American palate. Some of this has to do with the demographics of Mexican and Central American immigration. Some has to do with the movement of American military personnel stationed at places like Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or Fort Bliss, places where taco stands and inexpensive Mexican diners lined the roads leading to the gates. Soldiers, airmen, and sailors who had been posted along the borderlands found themselves missing the fire, and when they returned home they took the taste with them. It’s no surprise that after the Second World War, a major growth sector within the fast-food industry was canned and frozen
Mexican food, from Arizona’s own Rosarita to San Antonio’s Patio Foods. The result of all that is that Mexican cuisine, if a kind of generic one, has become commonplace, so much so that you can hardly find a town in America where it is not possible to get some approximation of it. Put another way: All of America is eating in the Southwestern style these days, and especially in the Tex-Mex and Sonoran iterations, heavy on the beef that is produced in abundance in the border states of Chihuahua and Sonora, heavy on the flour tortillas that speak to the Sonoran breadbasket, vast wheat fields flanking the Gulf of California and the western flank of the Sierra Madre. We can track many of the food items on that menu far back in history. If there is a generic representative of the world-embracing Mexican food that we’re talking about, then it’s the taco. Now, the word taco turns up early on in the journals of the conqueror Hernán Cortés, who recorded that he’d been served something by that name in the palace of the Emperor Montezuma. The standard Spanish etymological dictionary calls that word de origen incierto, of uncertain origin. It may be that Cortés was misrendering the word tlacoyo, which is more kin to the tamale than what we think of as a taco. And, in fact, we have many more testimonials to tamales as a basic foodstuff of the Southwest than to tacos as such, though both are variations on a theme: a bread of some kind encasing or topped by some sort of filling, often but not always meat. In the case of the classic taco, that bread comes from Mesoamerican corn, a grass already cultivated in the Tucson area millennia ago, along with beans and gourd plants. We can imagine that something like a taco might have graced a Hohokam table, though it would have been different from our fare today in many particulars—cooked in animal fat rather than corn oil, absent our usual animal proteins, the beef and pork and chicken that arrived with the Spanish. Not that the ancient peoples of this place lacked animal protein, of course; the eminent archaeologist Emil Haury, who excavated a site on the Tohono O’odham Reservation west of Tucson called Ventana Cave, found there and at related continues...
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 39
Funded by Silver City Lodger’s Tax
photo: Joshua Resnick
food&drink Z
sites the bones of prairie dogs, bears, deer, badgers, wolves, jaguars, otters, and even bison, testimonial to a prehistoric barbecue of epic proportions. Still, the Spanish made a great contribution when they introduced those animals—as well as cheese, which, unlikely as it may seem, was the invention of nomadic herders in the Sahara, who discovered thousands of years ago that goat milk kept well in that solid, portable form. A cheese you’ll find in every Mexican restaurant and market is queso blanco, or white cheese, a variety of which is sold as queso Chihuahua, or Chihuahua cheese. Big Jim Griffith, the great Tucson folklorist, reminds us that this is pretty miraculous stuff. One day, he recounts, a cowboy, a vaquero, in Chihuahua was out riding fences one day when lightning blew a leg off his horse. The horse keeled over, so the cowboy rummaged around in his saddlebag, held up a slab of white cheese, and waited for the next stroke of lightning, which immediately followed—because lightning, of course, always strikes twice. The lightning melted the cheese, which the cowboy rubbed on the horse’s leg, gluing it back onto its body, and off the two rode, proof positive of the salutary effects of cheese, however applied. Cheese made a perfect accompaniment to the chile peppers and tomatoes that originated in the Andean lowlands and made their way into Mexico long before the Spanish arrived. So, too, did the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and radishes that were part of the Mediterranean diet long before anyone ever thought to sail west across the ocean, all of which turn up alongside or atop tacos in restaurants and home kitchens today. The modern taco is a rebuke to anyone who seeks to separate people with walls and identity papers: It’s international through and through, a native of Mexico long since become fully at home north of the border. And if it’s true that we are what we eat, as the German philosopher Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach said, then those of us who eat tacos are part of the world, part of every continent and countless peoples over many centuries—not a bad way at all to connect our plates to world history. My old friend Arturo Carrillo Strong, a former sheriff’s deputy turned writer, liked nothing better than to sit in the kitchen while his wife, Josie, made tacos the old-fashioned way: You smear a ball of hamburger across a corn tortilla,
then fry it in oil or lard until the tortilla just starts to harden but before it becomes brittle. Remove it from the oil, fold it in half with tongs, and return it to the skillet, cooking it through on both sides. A cardiologist might not approve, but I angled for invitations shamelessly, and the results were delicious. If you leave about a couple of inches of meatless space around the edges of the tortilla, you’ll have plenty of room to add vegetables, cheese, and salsa. Tucson abounds in excellent Mexican restaurants, and it’s hard not to find a good taco in any part of town. Here are a few of my favorite haunts—well, apart from Lloyd’s, a ghost restaurant that only old-timers will recall. Tacos Apson (3501 South 12th Avenue), whose name is a shortened form of Agua Prieta, Sonora, is as auténtico as auténtico gets. The best of their tacos come with various meats not often eaten elsewhere—cheek, head, tongue, intestine. But the more usual choices of carne asada and barbacoa are fine, too, and they may just have the best tacos al pastor in town. Seis (100 South Avenida del Convento) opened its storefront in the Mercado San Agustín a couple of years ago, and I don’t think the walkup line has been short ever since. Seis takes its name from six Mexican regional cuisines on which it draws, from the tinga of Puebla to the poc chuc of Yucatan. Not even a purist would mind if you mixed and matched from among the regions. Birrieria Guadalajara (304 East 22nd Street) anchors the north end of South Tucson’s Fourth Avenue, where one good restaurant borders another. This Jalisco-style diner specializes in the stewed meat called birria, served on small corn tortillas with slices of radish and lime. For the unfaint of heart, the red menudo is great, too. The Crossroads (2602 South 4th Avenue) lies at the far southern reach of that same Fourth Avenue, and it’s the place to go when you want an unpretentious, crunchy taco done in the old-fashioned way. The rolled tacos, another variation on a theme, are good, too. And as for El Minuto (354 South Main Avenue), well, even a relentless seeker of new food experiences needs a standby, a place to go to that is tried and true. For me, that place is El Minuto, which has been in business since the dawn of time and never fails to please. On weekdays, El Minuto serves ground beef or chicken tacos with rice and beans as a lunch special. Enough said. n May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 41
saturday, may 20, 2017 10am
to
4pm • 832 S. 6th AVE. TUCSON, AZ
more details at cultivatetucson.com
food&drink Z
Mother’s Day Brunch
Enjoy brunch with your mother on her special day at one of these great Tucson brunch spots. Reservations are strongly recommended (seats fill up very fast!) and note that prices below may not include tax or gratuity. Call for information. AGUSTIN KITCHEN - 100 South Avenida del Convento Offering a special brunch menu with items such as, Maryland crab cakes, tea sandwich trio, mussels, braised brisket benedict, duck bibimbap, spring vegetables, and more. Brunch is from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Prices vary with menu choices. 520-398-5382. AgustinKitchen.com ARIZONA INN - 2200 E. Elm Street A three course champagne brunch will be offered with choices such as, pork belly benedict, beef bourguignon, butternut squash cannelloni, and desert. Brunch is from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. Price: $65 per adult (includes a glass of champagne or sparkling cider), $35 children under age 12, 520-325-1541. ArizonaInn.com BLUE WILLOW - 2616 N. Campbell Avenue In addition to their regular menu, specials like quiche lorraine and blueberry scones will be offered. Brunch is from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. Prices vary according to menu choices. 520-327-7577. BlueWillowTucson.com CAFÉ A LA C’ART - 150 North Main Avenue (inside the TMA courtyard) A special menu will be offered featuring delicious options such as shrimp florentine crepes, lemon poppy seed waffles with homemade ricotta, genoise cake, and more. Brunch is from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Prices vary according to menu choices. 520-628-8533. CafeaLaCartTucson.com HACIENDA DEL SOL - 5601 N Hacienda Del Sol Full brunch buffet set with scenic desert views. Omelet bar, carving and salad stations, cheese blintzes, seafood station with sushi, antipasti platters and larger entrees such as salmon en croute with lemon beurre blanc, finished off with an array of decadent desserts. Brunch is from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Price: $68 per adult, $34 kids age 6-14, free for under age 6. 520-529-3500. HaciendaDelSol.com HILTON TUCSON EL CONQUISTADOR - 10000 North Oracle Road Held in the Turquoise Ballroom, treat your mother to bottomless mimosas, fresh market salads, tapas, Peruvian ceviche, smoked salmon, carne aside, pork belly sliders, apple crepes, fruit pies, tiramisu, and plenty more. Brunch is from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. Price: $74 inclusive per adult, $28 inclusive per child age 6-12, kids under 5 free. 520-544-1244. HiltonElConquistador.com
MAYNARDS KITCHEN - 400 N Toole Avenue A three course brunch with choices of melon soup, oysters, lobster frittata, steak and eggs, croquet madame, bananas foster pavlova, rosewater torte, and more. Vegetarian options will be available upon request. Brunch is from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Price: $55 per adult, $15 kids 10 & under. 520-545-0577. MaynardsTucson.com RITZ-CARLTON DOVE MOUNTAIN - 15000 North Secret Springs Drive Brunch with an award winning culinary team featuring a menu with breakfast favorites, carving station, sushi, raw bar, and selection of deserts. Brunch is from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Price: $90 per adult, $36 per child 12 and under. 520-572-3401. RitzCarlton.com/DoveMountain. TOHONO CHUL - 7366 North Paseo del Norte Dine among butterflies in one of the garden patios with a menu of breakfast favorites such as an omelet station, crepes, scones, quiche bar, carving station, amaranth polenta, blood orange salmon, and desert selections. Brunch is from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Price: $47.50 per adult, $15.50 per child age 11 & under. 520-742-6455 x 501. TohonoChulPark.org. WELCOME DINER - 902 E. Broadway New to the scene but already a brunch favorite with locals, a special three course menu will be offered featuring ensalada de frutas, chicken or vegetable chilaquiles, flan, and optional alcohol pairing. Brunch is from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. $30 for three course menu, prices vary for regular menu. 520-622-5100. WelcomeDiner.net WESTWARD LOOK - 245 East Ina Road With tempting starters like pine nut praline warm brie and pink peppercorn gulf shrimp, this buffet is sure to delight your mom and family. Entrees include options like eggs benedict, pork loin, and grilled mahi-mahi, with an assortment of deserts. Brunch is from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.Price: $61 per adult, $29.95 kids age 6-11, free for kids under 5. 520-917-2970. WestwardLook.com. n
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 43
Z heritage
The Nature of Red
photo: Jim West
by Bill Hakanson
The natural red dye that is obtained by crushing the cochineal insect that lives on cactus.
44 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
heritage Z
photo: Jim West
Red is the hottest color of all—aptly located at the far end of the visible spectrum. With the longest wavelength and the color of blood, red is associated with heat, passion, sacrifice, danger, and love. The Spanish embraced red long before they conquered America and established a presidio in Tucson, but their European source was not plentiful or stable. It’s no surprise when they saw how the Sonoran natives revered crimson and found vast resources of red textiles and objects, they felt they hit the mother lode. Desperate to make a return on their exploratory venture, it didn’t take them long to capitalize on their discovery. Shrouded in mystery for three hundred years, red in the new world comes from the female cochineal; a scale insect the size of a pea. It’s the carminic acid in her body that produces a deep crimson dye. The small cochineal females, also called tuna, exist in the wild but can be easily cultivated. On a drive through Tucson you can see many nopals with white spots. It’s the female who settles on the pads of the prickly pear cactus and builds a waxy white shield. Once landed on the prickly pear, the bug’s proboscis stabs into the leaf to access the moisture she needs to survive. For the cochineal, it’s a man’s world; with 200 females for every male insect. The winged male flitters among the multitude of flightless females planting his seed, with masses of eggs being produced soon after. Upon hatch, the males fly off looking for mates while the fledgling females seek their own site on the cactus. When the bugs are gathered and crushed, a red dye is produced. It takes 70,000 dried insects to produce one pound of cochineal and the best time to harvest is May, July, and October when the population is greatest. The Oaxaca Valley in Mexico was once the most productive region of all. Now eighty-five percent of cochineal is produced in Peru. For controlled, mass production they are cultivated in farms called nopalerias. Nopaleros are the skilled folks who attend to the cochineals. Harvesting cochineals is a labor intensive, time consuming enterprise.
After being carefully scraped from the nopals, the insects are dried, crushed, and boiled with different ingredients in a long and complicated process, which produces a brilliant scarlet. The intensity of the color can be controlled by thinning. The dye is usually shipped in powder form to market. From the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, cochineal was the second most important exported item—after metals (silver and gold). From New Spain cultivation and processing centers, cochineal traveled in horse, mule, or oxen drawn carts to the port of Veracruz on the Gulf coast, then by ship to Seville, Spain. From there it went to the great markets of Madrid where it then found its way to textile industries in Belgium, Holland, Italy, Britain, France, and Spain. Producers in New Spain hid the source of the dye suggesting it came from grain so they could maintain their hold on the market. It wasn’t until the microscope was invented that others realized the source was insects. Cochineal—also referred to a carmine on ingredient labels—is the most heat and light-stable, oxidationresistant of all the natural colorants now commonly used in lipstick, rouge, candy, foods, and paints. So now when you see red in native rugs, tapestries, uniforms, symbols, and art, you may have a renewed appreciation for its meaning and history. For more information, the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson gift shop has a special display of cochineal information including several books on the subject. And while visiting the Presidio, ask the docent to show you the cochineal demonstration kit. n The Presidio Museum is managed by the Tucson Presidio Trust for Historic Preservation, a not-for-profit entity whose mission is to guide and aid in the interpretation of history at the Presidio San Agustín through research, education and living history experiences. The Presidio is located at 196 N. Court Avenue. More information at TucsonPresidio.com
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 45
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tunes Z
Sound Alternatives by Jim Lipson
Heather “Lil Mama” Hardy Live Tucson
Mason Midnight Road Look up “power trio” on your google machine and you’ll find yourself in some interesting company. While Cream, Mountain, Rush and Primus were all bands that helped to define the three-piece experience and approach, it was of course Jimi Hendrix, with his two bands, the Experience (Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding) and Band of Gypsies (Buddy Miles, Billy Cox) that really showed how less could be so much more. And yet the power trio not is necessarily to everyone’s liking with over achieving guitarists and virtuoso rhythm sections all too often getting caught up in their own super powers and abilities to overwhelm. And how many self-respecting power trios do you know that wouldn’t think twice about turning it up to 11? Fortunately, this is not the case with Mason, Jacob Acosta’s spirited, hard driving trio with Jason Allen on bass and Andre Gressieux on drums. Actually, while Acosta is the front man, doing all the vocals and playing some amazing guitar with licks and an approach that somehow manage to give each track a different tone and feel, the writing credits are listed as “written collectively,” which may have a lot to do with how well balanced this record sounds, given that it is such a guitar driven project. And speaking of Hendrix, “Rockstar Paperboy,” which opens the album, has Acosta, intending to or not, delivering a strong vocal that is so Hendrix-like in its affect that you have to marvel at how easily this seems to come to him. Other tunes feature guitar strains that are reminiscent of late 60s/early 70s blues-rock bands while other arrangements, both nuanced and precise, are refreshingly original. “Give it to Me Now” with its half-time groove is straight out of the ‘70s while “In or Out” and to a slightly lesser degree, the title track, are tunes that feel like they could succeed within any format, folk, rock or blues. While not necessarily date night material, these are compositions that will do quite well behind the wheel of a hot car, with the windows down, and the promise of the open road yours for the taking. OK, now you can turn it up. n Mason plays a CD release show at Flycatcher on May 26 with Tom Walbank and the Bryan Dean Trio also on the bill.
Since the beginning of time, or at least the late 1960s, working bands that like to record, have forever gone on about the need for that one great live album that can truly capture the essence of who they are and what they do. Studio albums, while neat and clean can also be over-thought and too produced leading to a finished product that can lose more than a bit of an artist’s authenticity and sizzle. Just ask the Grateful Dead. And yet live albums can also be tricky business. Performances that at the time may have felt great, are often more ragged and sloppy on tape than one likes to remember, with out of breath or slightly off key vocals and/or lackluster solos begging for a good studio overdub. Well none of that is the case here as Hardy, who has grown in leaps and bounds as a songwriter, vocalist and complete master of the electric violin, has pulled out all the stops on these 16 mostly original tunes, recorded on a chilly and blustery two night stand at Monterey Court in early November of last year. In terms of capturing all that energy and authenticity, one need not go any farther than the opening cut, a cover of Sam Taylor’s “Devil in Your Eyes” which practically jumps off the stereo. Taken in by the late Taylor as a self-described “classical, subway playing punk rock violinist” and mentored by and featured in his band, Hardy could pretty much claim mission accomplished with this one tune. The energy is electric with everyone in her band so clearly rising to the occasion, and all of it topped off with Hardy’s extended solo and expert use of the wah-wah peddle. But, oh, there’s more including no fewer than five previously unreleased originals along with some select covers, including the Jimi Hendrix classic “If 6 Was 9, but in a blues arrangement that recalls Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightening.” Supporting Hardy is an all-star band of top shelf, “first call” players including Larry Lee Lerma on bass, Alvin Blaine on guitar and Ralph Gilmore on drums, all of whom add their distinctive voices to the mix of dance numbers, ballads and medium tempo jams. Blaine in particular adds some great solos to the set while Gilmore’s drums are the beneficiary of a great live mix which is far from a given in this kind of setting. Don Nottingham and Lane Harmon (formerly Merle of Street Pajama) add flourishes throughout on well-placed background vocals, while Petie Ronstadt’s live tracks could and should serve as a how-to on what a great performance, captured live should sound like. n In addition to fronting her own band, Hardy regularly collaborates with any number of other musicians in town (when she’s not gigging in New York City). For a list of dates, her schedule can be found at heatherlilmamahardy.com. May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 47
Z tunes
What’s Live by Jim Lipson
Of a Certain Age… It’s been a few years since TNT quietly ran a brilliant but dark dramedy on its network called “Men of a Certain Age.” It starred Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) as a slightly down on his luck owner of a novelty shop with a gambling problem, and Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, NCIS: New Orleans) as a mostly benign womanizer and perpetually out of work D-list actor. There were many great things about this show, not the least of which was its title. Men (and women) of a certain age is now a euphemism for middle age, and with so many of us now finding ourselves living within a reality we were always certain would be reserved for anyone but ourselves—our parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, etc., we continue to be confronted with the stark nature of our own mortality, now more than ever. There is one individual, neither performer or musician, who will not be with us at this month’s Tucson Folk Festival. Ray Sierra was keeper of the Green Room, a small 10x20 tent that stood some 50 feet behind the Plaza Stage just in front of City Hall. Although he could sort of hear what was going on on-stage, Ray rarely got to actually see much of the festival. But that mattered little because what he loved most was being in service to all of the musicians—from the most famous of headliners playing late in the day to the unknowns who may have driven hundreds of miles for their mid-afternoon 25 minutes of fame. It mattered not to Ray as they were all equals in his eyes, and more important, his heart. His death, sudden and unexpected, will come as a shock to many festival musicians, most of whom will not learn of this until they look for him outside the green room. And his passing will be but one more poignant reminder for all of us to love and appreciate and never take for granted all those who are near and dear to us, as we are all, or will eventually be, of that certain age. There will be a musical memorial and celebration of Ray’s life on Sunday, May 21 at Monterey Court. Details, with the rest of this month’s other selected highlights, below.
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Dweezil Zappa: 50 Years of Frank – May 5, Rialto Theatre – Frank Zappa may well have been one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated artists of the 20th century. There are many who will only remember him for his potty mouth, thanks to the work he did with Flo & Eddy (The Turtles) while others will see him is nothing more than a lyrical novelty (Watch out where the Huskies Go/ Don’t you eat that yellow snow.”) Truth is Frank was a serious guitarist/arranger/ composer who was left us with a canon of work that may take generations to fully digest and appreciate. His son Dweezil however is doing his best to keep that family flame burning both hot and bright. A virtuoso guitarist who very much inherited his father’s genes in this area, Zappa has been no less brilliant in interpreting his father’s work for much of the past ten years. While his own story is fascinating and available on the Rialto website (http://www.rialtotheatre. com/event/1396290-dweezil-zappa-50-years-frank-tucson/) this night will be all about Frank. Dave Riley, Bob Corritore and the Juke Joint Blues Band – May 6, Monterey Court – While I’m not familiar with blues guitarist Dave Riley, Bob Corritore is a great blues harp player who has been tearing it up for years, albeit mostly in Phoenix where he also runs the Rhythm Room, arguably the valley’s finest room for live music. In this, their 7th visit to the Monty, they’ll be delivering delta based blues with a Chicago style edge.
photo: courtesy LiveLoud Media
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Leftover Salmon performs May 20 at the Rialto Theatre. 32nd Annual Tucson Folk Festival – May 6/7, El Presidio Park/Tucson Museum of Art, La Cocina@Old Town Artisans Courtyard/El Presidio Museum San Augustin – Ten hours of music each day, 120 different acts, family friendly and free. Full schedule available at www.tucsonfolkfest.org. An Evening with David Sedaris – May 8, Fox Theatre – Some people love to make fun of Public Radio with its sometime oh so serious affect and the liberal elites it allegedly caters too. But that’s probably just fine with Sedaris whose semi-regular appearances on public radio have elevated him from endearing cult status to legitimate star in the book and publishing world. Best known for his wickedly funny take on Christmas via his essay the Santaland Diaries, detailing his exploits as a Macy’s Department Store elf, Sedaris has parlayed this into a number of bestselling books. His dry and sardonic observations filled with much wit and humor continues to play well in rooms like the Fox and the elite who will come to see him. Robin Trower, Rialto Theatre, May 11 – There was a time when Trower, in the 1970s, was actually being touted as the white Jimi Hendrix. Seriously. A great student of the guitar, he first endeared himself to me through his earlier work with Procol Harem, the Broken Barricades album in particular. Ronstadt Generations – May 13 – Hotel Congress Back Patio – While Petie Ronstadt and Alex Flores have been carrying on locally since the passing of band patriarch Michael J, they have been reluctant to employ the full Ronstadt name without the presence of transplants Michael G (Cincinnati) or Aaron Emery (LA). So one should assume there will be a full complement of Ronstadts on hand for this free outdoor show on the back patio with doors opening at 7 PM Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds (The Final Performances) – May 19, Centennial Hall – It’s an old story…Rubber Soul and Revolver and begat Pet Sounds which begat Sergeant Pepper which begat the ill-fated Smile album
which begat the beginning of the end for the Beach Boys Brian Wilson. While some of that may in fact be true, Brian, the lone surviving Wilson brother, has in fact re-emerged for some years now, as a musical force. With a killer band that for this tour will also include original BB Al Jardine and early ‘70s BB Blondie Chaplin, expect this show to be worthy of the legend/genius status that he so uncomfortably wears. The last time Wilson was in town was for the BB’s 50 anniversary tour which kicked off at the Ava Amphitheatre in 2012, and did not disappoint. Leftover Salmon – May 20, Rialto Theatre – Take the very best elements of electric bluegrass, country rock, long hair, beards and jam bands, throw them into a musical blender and this is what you might end up with. Sometimes playing at dizzying speed and sometimes not, Leftover Salmon continues to do what it does, seemingly unaffected by the passing of time or commercial sensibilities. This is still a great band and perfect for the open dance floor that is the Rialto. Ray Sierra Memorial – May 21, Monterey Court – a musical tribute and celebration with Lisa Otey and Diane Van Deurzen, Kevin Pakulis Band, the Mitzi Cowell Band featuring Sabra Faulk and Gary Mackender, the Determined Luddites and others TBA. From 5-10 PM. MarchFourth – June 1, Rialto Theatre – I had the pleasure of seeing this group a few years ago just passing through town and playing a show at Club Congress for about 20 or so lucky souls in the room. Now up to 17 musicians and dancers they combine funk, rock, jazz, Afro-beat, Gypsy brass, and Big Band in a way that cannot be adequately defined in these pages. Must be seen to be believed. n
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 49
Photo courtesy rialtotheatre.com.
Dweezil Zappa appears at The Rialto Theatre on Friday, May 5.
Heartbeat appears at Monterey Court on Friday, May 12.
Z tunes
LIVE MUSIC Schedules accurate as of press time. Visit the web sites or call for current/detailed information.
191 Toole 191 E. Toole Ave. rialtotheatre.com Fri 5: Sir Richard Bishop Sat 6: Nick Thune Tue 9: La Santa Cecilia Thu 11: Balance and Composure, From Indian Lakes, Queen Of Jeans Fri 12: Hot Buttered Rum Thu 18: Xavier Wulf, Idontknowjeffrey, Gnealz Fri 19: Tucson Libertine League Launch Party Sat 20: Michael Ian Black Tue 23: Shonen Knife’s 2017 USA Ramen Adventure Wed 24: Run River North, Cobi Sat 27: Saved By The 90s
BORDERLANDS BREWING 119 E. Toole Ave. 261-8773, BorderlandsBrewing.com Sun 7: Kevin Pakulis Fri 12: Rusty Chops Sat 13: Tortolita Gutpluckers Sun 14: Kevin Pakulis Sat 20: Tommy Tucker Sun 21: Kevin Pakulis Fri 26: The Guilty Bystanders Sun 28: Kevin Pakulis
CAFE PASSE 415 N. 4th Ave. 624-4411, CafePasse.com See web site for information
CLUB CONGRESS
LA COCINA
FLYCATCHER
311 E. Congress St. 622-8848, HotelCongress.com/club Tue 2: Southwest Songwriter Showcase, Ex-Cowboy, Dadisman Wed 3: Cool Ghouls, Mute Swan, Casey Golden Thu 4: Pleather, Hikikomori and Middle Part Fri 5: Foxx Bodies Farewell Show, Lando Chill Sun 7: Princess Nokia, Sui Blue, Chezale and Bank Notes Mon 8: Marianne Dissard, Annie Dolan, Brittany Katter, Connor Gallaher Tue 9: Molly Burch, June West Band, Jess Matsen Wed 10: Grite-Leon, Ultra-Maroon, Shit Knife Thu 11: Handsome Ghost, Frances Cone Fri 12: Metalachi, Los Guapos Sat 13: Ronstadt Generations, Taylor Pearlstein Tue 16: Amped Up! Open Mic Wed 17: Benefit for Addie The Bulldog, Lando Chill, Sui Blue, Rough Night, Trench, Upstart Fri 19: Tow’rs Sun 21: Pro Teens, Mute Swan, Herbert Walker, Not Ideal Wed 24: Meatbodies Fri 26: Drug Church, Help Me Sleep, Bloodnoise, Sin Luz Mon 29: La Luna, Hikikomori and Her Mana Tue 30: Crown Larks and Mommy Long Legs, Miss Abysmal, Gamma Like Very Ultra
201 N. Court Ave. 622-0351, LaCocinaTucson.com Wed 3: Miss Lana Rebel & Kevin Michael Mayfield Thu 4: Freddy Parish Fri 5: Greg Morton & Friends, Freddy Parish’s Country Club Sat 6: Tucson Folk Festival Sun 7: Tucson Folk Festival Wed 10: Miss Lana Rebel & Kevin Michael Mayfield Thu 11: Louise Le Hir Fri 12: Greg Morton & Friends, Freddy Parish’s Country Club Sat 13: Nick Stanley Sun 14: Mik and the Funky Brunch Fri 19: Greg Morton & Friends Sun 21: Mik and the Funky Brunch Fri 26: Greg Morton & Friends, Freddy Parish’s Country Club Sat 27: Oscar Fuentes Sun 28: Mik and the Funky Brunch
340 E. 6th St. 798-1298, TheFlycatcherTucson.com Mon 1: Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, The Cowboys, Lenguas Largas, Flight Thirteen Wed 3: Xetas, Jurro, Wet Marble Wed 10: Ladytown Wed 17: Matthew Logan Vasquez Wed 24: Kikagaku Moyo, Sugar Candy Mountain
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CUSHING STREET BAR & RESTAURANT 198 W. Cushing St. 622-7984, CushingStreet.com Saturdays: Cool Jazz
DELECTABLES RESTAURANT 533 N. 4th Ave. 884-9289, Delectables.com Sat 6: Kindred Spirits Fri 12: Stephen Budd Fri 26: Puca Sat 27: Wally Lawder
Ermanos 220 N 4th Ave, 445-6625 ermanosbrew.com See web site for more info.
FOX TUCSON THEATRE 17 W. Congress St. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org See web site for information
HACIENDA DEL SOL 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol. 2991501, HaciendaDelSol.com Nightly: Live Music on the Patio
The Hut 305 N. 4th Ave., 623-3200 huttucson.com Sundays: Acoustic Open Mic, with Cadillac Mountain Thursdays: Mockingbirds Saturdays: Mike & Randy’s 420 Show with Top Dead Center
The Loudhouse 915 W. Prince Rd., 393-3598 loudhousetucson.com Thu 4: Redneck Nosferatu, Bleach Party USA, The Distortionists Fri 5: Isenordal Fri 12: Thought Crime, Lost For Concern, Dirty Magic, The Distorionists Sat 13: The Division Men Wed 17: Witchaven, Deathblow, Napalm Strike, Warhead, Bloodtrail
Photo courtesy Delectables
Photo courtesy bandsintown.com.
Shonen Knife appears at 191 Toole on Tuesday, May 23.
Stephen Budd appears at Delectables on Friday, May 12.
Fri 19: The Freakbillyz, Corky’s Leather Jacket, The Shivers Sat 20: Benefit for Renegade Rollergirls of Tucson Thu 25: The Mentors, Flying Donkey Punch, Xerox and the DT’s, OPU. Fri 26: Venckman’s Ghost, ESE, Whiskey Knuckles Sat 27: Tonight We Rise, The Coast Is Ours, The Abstract, Help Me Sleep, Her Name Echoes Wed 31: Pan Complex
Sunday Brunch Performances, Wally Lawder & Acoustic Sky Tue 16 : The Tucsonics—Western Swing Thu 18: Craig Plotner Fri 19: The Jits Sat 20: Little House of Funk Sun 21: Nancy Elliott & Friends— Sunday Brunch Performances Tue 23: Nancy & Neil McCallion Thu 25: The Titan Valley Warheads Fri 26: Kiko & the Stone Avenue Band Sat 27: Key Ingredients of African Soul Sun 28: Nancy Elliott & Friends— Sunday Brunch Performances, Peter Dalton Ronstadt y El Tucsonense
Thu 11: Robin Trower, Billy Sedlmeyer, Leo Schwamm Fri 12: Local Love-a-Palooza Sun 14: E-40, Kool John, Clyde Carson Tue 16: Conor Oberst, Phoebe Bridgers Fri 19: Animaniacs Live! Sat 20: Leftover Salmon Tue 23: Band of Horses
PLAYGROUND TUCSON
Royal Sun Lounge
MONTEREY COURT 505 W. Miracle Mile, MontereyCourtAZ.com Tue 2: Nancy McCallion & Danny Krieger w/Heather Hardy Wed 3: Nick McBlaine & Log Train Thu 4: Sabra Faulk & Heather Hardy - CD Release Fri 5: Oscar Fuentes, Johnnie & the Rumblers—Cinco de Mayo Fundraiser for Cochise County Canine Rescue Sat 6: Bob Corritore & Dave Riley Juke Joint Blues Band Sun 7: Nancy Elliott & Friends— Sunday Brunch Performances, King Stones w/Mustang Corners Tue 9: Eb Eberlein & Kathleen Williamson with special guest ArleneWow Wed 10: The New Tucson Songwriters Showcase & Concert Thu 11: Michael Batdorf & Don Armstrong Fri 12: Tommy Tucker Blues Fri 12: Heartbeat Sat 13: Baba Marimba—World Beat Sun 14: Nancy Elliott & Friends—
278 E. Congress. 396-3691, PlaygroundTucson.com Thu 4: Embodying Soundscapes— Explorations in Palestinian Hip-Hop Sat 6: Heart and Soul May 13: Belinda Esquer Fri 19: Heart and Soul Sat 27: Zona Libre
Plaza Palomino 2990 N. Swan Rd., 907-7325 plazapalomino.com Sat 20: Cochise County All-Stars
RIALTO THEATRE 318 E. Congress St. 740-1000, RialtoTheatre.com Thu 4: Straight Outa OZ Fri 5: Dweezil Zappa Sat 6: Hip Hop Dance Final Explosion Tue 9: Marcia Ball, Tom Walbank
SKY BAR TUCSON
The Rock 136 N. Park Ave. rocktucson.com Fri 12: KnuckleHeadz Sun 14: Upon A Burning Body Wed 17: Icon For Hire, Assuming We Survive Sat 20: Never Say Never Mon 29: Exmortus 1003 N Stone Ave (520) 622-8872 BWRoyalSun.com Sun-Tue: Happy Hour Live Music See web site for information
The Screening Room
536 N. 4th Ave, 622-4300. SkyBarTucson.com Tue 2: Tom Walbank Wed 3: Open Mic Fri 5: Diluvio, Lights on Ceres Sat 6: Lillie Lemon, Shiny Penny, Un:ited States, PIPELiGHTS Tue 9: Tom Walbank Wed 10: Open Mic Fri 12: Cirque Roots Tue 16: Tom Walbank Wed 17: Open Mic Tue 23: Tom Walbank, Silver Ships, Belinda Esquer, Steff Koeppen Wed 24: Open Mic Fri 26: Cirque Roots, Dutch Holly, Marching Powder Sat 27: Scorpion vs. Tarantula, The Mission Creeps Tue 30: Tom Walbank Wed 31: Open Mic
SOLAR CULTURE 31 E. Toole Ave. 884-0874, SolarCulture.org See web site for information
Tap & Bottle
127 E. Congress (520) 882-0204 screeningroomtucson.com Fri 12: Live music
Sea Of Glass--Center For The Arts 330 E. 7th St., 398-2542 TheSeaOfGlass.org Wed 3: University of Arizona Graduate String Quartet Fri 5: Nathan & Jessie
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403 N. 6th Ave. 344-8999 TheTapandBottle.com Thu 4: Tiffany Christopher Thu 11: Little Cloud Thu 18: The Jim Howell Band Thu 25: La Cerca n
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 51
Zhyping Hodge, Owner of Seven Cups Fine Chinese Tea
Z sceneintucson
by Janelle Montenegro instagram / @janellemmontenegro
Artwork on the wall at the Nasty Woman Art exhibit at Borderlands Brewery
Genesis working the Planned Parenthood booth at Borderlands brewery Nasty Woman Exbt.
Ferris Wheel at a fair at Plumber and Broadway
52 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | May 2017
Buffet Bar
The Nasty woman art exhibit
Downtown Tucson Sunset
Full moon hike at 7 falls
Ayla, Bartender at Public Brewhouse
Full moon hike at 7 falls
May 2017 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 53
Z poetry
The Shearwaters of the Adriatic
by Giovanni Pascoli, trans. by Geoffrey Brock
Sky and sea, and somewhere between the two Note on Representational Art
(a line of crimson edging the marbled water) they speak. It is an azure dawn in summer
by Geoffrey Brock
and not a sail in sight in all that blue. Yet the libeccio blows in bearing speech:
Dear Ellipsis
by Geoffrey Brock
I love your variability: how sometimes you trail off (uncertain, forgetful, coy), never coming to the real point; how other times you’re all business, cutting the fatty phrases, leaving just meat. And I love too
On the left, the famous pipe
voices and, with them, lazy wisps of laughter.
of Magritte, painted
It’s the shearwaters’ raucous morning chatter
in such a fashion and so like one
skittering over swells to the hushed beach.
that he had to write
It sounds, amid that calm, like the faint shouts
in childish cursive beneath it:
of fishermen that sometimes reach the shore
Ceci n’est pas une pipe.
(above the tide’s own whispered ins and outs)
On the right, the not-so-famous rooster
when a long line of distant trawlers, blacker
of Orbaneja, painted
than night against the gold and the far fire,
(as Don Quixote explains)
sits rocking on a glossy sea of lacquer.
“in such a fashion and so unlike one that he had to write in capital letters beside it: THIS IS A ROOSTER.”
the unlikely places I find you: those dots mounted like heads over Beijing, or that trio of Palo Verde reactors, or these pills strung like rope-floats on my lifeline…
Geoffrey Brock is the author of two collections of poetry, Voices Bright Flags and Weighing Light, the editor of The FSG Book of 20th-Century Italian Poetry, and the translator of several volumes of Italian poetry and prose. A former resident of Tucson, he now lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he teaches in the Arkansas MFA program and edits a new literary magazine, The Arkansas International (arkint.org).
Zócalo invites poets with Tucson connections to submit up to three original, previously unpublished (including online) poems, any style, 40 line limit per poem. Our only criterion is excellence. Simultaneous submissions ok if you notify ASAP of acceptance elsewhere. Email your submission to poetry@zocalotucson.com. Please include contact information: phone number and email address. Notification of acceptance or rejection by email. Zócalo has first North American rights; author may re-publish with acknowledgment to Zócalo. Payment is a one year subscription. The poetry editor is Jefferson Carter.
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For Sale
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118 W. 20th St, $355,000
18 W. 18th St, $359,500 & 28 W. 18th St, $589,000 C3, over 24,500 sq ft of land
OPEN HOUSE, May 21,11-4pm
D L SO 5 Points Building, $1,400,000 10398 W. Ina Rd, $348,000 Strawbale
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