NIGHTLIFE
An Evening of Intrigue & Mystery
Magic Kenny Bang Bang, Midnight Malanga, and Harold Garland. Photo by Andrew Brown
The Haunted Hotel Congress’ Voodoo & Black Magic show
“Oh Erzulie Freda, if you are here give us a sign,” yelled Kenny Stewart as he summoned the voodoo deity of love with a loteria card folded up and in between his gritted teeth.
I open the card I had placed in between my own teeth to find that my original card, which I had written my name on, is no longer the one I am unfolding. The card I unfold reads ‘Magic Kenny’ written in purple sharpie. At the same time, across the table, Kenny takes the card out from his mouth, unfolds it, and I see my name in my handwriting written diagonally on it. I stare wondering how the card that I had put between my teeth was now in his hands.
“I just can’t make this stuff up,” exclaimed Kenny as he opened his hand flashing his silver skull ring and putting my card next to the wood voodoo figure.
Chances are you may have already met Kenny Stewart in the line of one of his many other professions. Some may know him as Kenny the Sommelier, which he has been since growing a taste for wine in his twenties. Kenny the lively bartender who aims to please customers. Kenny the occasional Burlesque dancer. Kenny the salesman or even Kenny the ordained minister who will perform magic tricks at wedding ceremonies.
But as we sit in the dimly lit “Hidden Room” on the third floor of Hotel Congress at a table with tarot cards and a straw voodoo doll strewn across it, he is known as Magic Kenny Bang Bang a Macabre and Medium.
“I guess I have always had a connection to the macabre and sort of the occult. I’m also a performer and entertainer. They lend to each other very nicely,” he explains as we sit.
Kenny has put on magic shows since he was a thirteen-year-old boy growing up in New Jersey. Now into his 40s he continues to put on shows but with a twist, with the intent to thrill and intrigue the audience through fear and mystique.
“During this time of year people generally want to be scared,” said Kenny.
“What I am creating is live horror theater.”
Magic Kenny Bang Bang, Midnight Malanga, and Harold Garland. Photo by Andrew Brown
In 1934 the third floor of Hotel Congress mysteriously caught fire. The entire floor was destroyed, except for one room, “The Hidden Room” which also happened to be the site where notorious gangster, John Dillinger, and his gang had stayed. Today this room is the site where Kenny hosts his shows in October and has every October for the past three years.
The room is dark and eerie with a dusty bed stashed in the corner and random chairs spread throughout the clustered floor. The room gives off an uneasy feeling which is not surprising once you learn its history.
“It is perfect for a show every October. They [Hotel Congress] don’t use it anymore for anything except the show. You walk in here and it takes you back in time. It has this weird and creepy dark energy, which sets a premise for the show” said Kenny.
Last October Kenny had put on twelve shows in the room, with the theme being the conjuring. He described the show as “somber” and “serious”. This year Kenny is ready to go “full throttle” with new material centered around the mystique of Voodoo.
“Basically what I am doing for all of these shows is I am summoning the deities of Voodoo,” said Kenny. “The way Voodoo works is through, believe it or not, possession.”
Kenny explained that there will be different deities him and his partner, Lauren Malanga, will call upon to have possess them. The deities are spirits from the Haitian Voodoo culture, each deity has its own distinct personality, behavior, and style.
“You walk a fine line. We are summoning these deities and there are moments where I can truly go crazy, as a deity possesses me. It can be scary even for me,” he says.
Voodoo, an art that Kenny is perfecting, can also be a threat and a scary reality if it is not shown a true respect. Thus, he is traveling to New Orleans, a hub of Voodoo, before the show in hopes of becoming more educated on the Voodoo culture.
“I’m going to New Orleans to do my homework. Not only that but I want to bring that real authenticity to the show,” said Kenny who will be joining Voodoo rituals during his travels.
In today’s world, there are movies and stories about the terror of Voodoo. Many may shiver at the thought of white possessed eyes or needles being stabbed into Voodoo dolls, but Kenny sees this fear as entertainment.
As a teenager Kenny would sneak into abandoned houses and an abandoned asylum filled with underground catacombs, pursuing a moment of pure adrenaline that although scaring him made him return for more. This feeling of uneasiness yet intrigue is one that Kenny hopes to invoke in his audience.
“I want them to feel sort of bewildered. Like what just happened. I want them to have this feeling where they have been taken somewhere else for forty-five minutes. But once they go back downstairs it will almost feel like it had never happened- like a dream.”
Magic Kenny Bang Bang and Midnight Malanga will be hosting two shows every Thursday and Friday in October at 7pm and 9pm. Audience members must be twenty-one or older to attend. Shows run for forty-five minutes with an exclusive tour of the haunted and grim history of Hotel Congress. Tickets are $15 at the door or can be bought in advance online at HotelCongress.com/Events/October.
“It is truly a lost art horror theater,” said Kenny. “The audience will be taken out of their comfort zone. There will be moments were they are scared. There will be things they have no explanation for. And then at the end of it all, they will be safely brought back downstairs.”
Tucson Summer Nights
photo © David Olsen
When the temperature rises to the point that the plastic cups in your car begin melting into their cup holders, some Sonoran Desert dwellers experience a buildup of unfathomable rage. If you’ve lived here long enough, you may have been there yourself—at that point where you feel like you could lift and toss a small car, or at least a motorcycle, just to snag the only shady spot in the parking lot. We get it.
But there are a few other ways that we as Tucsonans can choose to deal with these feelings which fall comfortably short of literal or metaphorical combustion: 1) we can complain about it, making the lives of everyone else around us just a little more miserable; 2) we can lock ourselves indoors in the protection of those ever-sacred climate modification devices that keeps us from losing all motivation to live; or 3) we can find a way to shift our schedules ever-so-slightly so as to enjoy more of the cooler, more palatable moonlit hours of the day. Here are a few ideas for those of you who are looking to go nocturnal this summer…
Catch an outdoor flick
When: Every Thursday evening at 7:30pm through the end of August at La Placita, or 5:30 pm at Reid Park June 5 and 19, as well as alternating Fridays through August 14.
Where: La Placita Village downtown, 110 S. Church Ave; Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way.
What: The outdoor family-friendly film series, Cinema La Placita, has been running every summer since May 2000. Bring the kids, your (good) dogs, and $3 for admission, but popcorn is included for free! Check the Cinema La Placita Website for upcoming titles or to make movie suggestions at CinemaLaPlacita.com. Reid Park also runs a similar series for free every second Friday with a number of vendors and entertainers on site starting at 5:30, and shows starting at dusk. More info at SAACA.org/Cox_Movies_in_the_Park.html.
Wander the Desert Loop Trail
When: Every Saturday night from June 6-Sept 5 from 5pm-10pm.
Where: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum; 2021 N. Kinney Rd.
What: Each uniquely themed Saturday evening in the 14th Annual “Cool Summer Nights” series at ASDM will feature three live music venues (including one specifically for children), live animal demonstrations, activity stations run by the museum’s Junior Docents, and educational and entertaining programming related to each theme. Covering everything from the oceans, to astronomy, to comedy, ASDM promises something for everyone this summer, and at no additional charge on top of regular admission. ASDM’s Director of Marketing, Rosemary Prawdzik, says that the kids are especially fond of “Insect Insanity!” (July 18) and can even buy black lights at the gift shop to help in the hunt for scorpions. “Coming to the Desert Museum at night is a very different experience than during the day time,” says Prawdzik, pointing out that the low lighting on the grounds allows for easy stargazing, and that the animals on site tend to be more active after the sun goes down. No wonder this annual event has become a tradition for many local families. Watch in coming months for “Full Moon Festivals” which will shine a spotlight on the arts.
Celebrate the Solstice
When: Saturday, June 20 from 7pm-1am.
Where: Sky Bar; 536 N. 4th Ave.
What: What’s better than, pizza, beer, and fire spinning—at a safe distance, of course. Drop by Sky Bar to celebrate the summer solstice—the longest day of the year—with live music and an always-thrilling performance by the Cirque Roots crew.
23rd Annual Summer Art Cruise, image: Naoto Hattori, Recollection 029, 3.8 x 5.8, acrylic on board, 2015, at Baker + Hesseldenz Fine Art, June 6.
Gallery hop
When: Saturday, June 6 from 6pm-9pm.
Where: Central Tucson Gallery Association (CTGA) Galleries downtown and on University Blvd.
What: What: The 23rd Annual Summer Art Cruise is the biggest night of the year for the seven member galleries (Baker+Hesseldenz, Conrad Wilde, Contreras, Davis Dominguez, Moen Mason, Philabaum, and Raices Taller 222) that extend their hours for this single evening of connecting art fans, collectors, and artists—and the best part is, it’s free to you. Each gallery curates its own events (of course) and co-owner of Davis Dominguez Gallery, Mike Dominguez, says that many offer hors d’oeuvres and live music. Dominguez says that, for their part, the Davis Dominguez Gallery will be holding a reception for the 80+ artists featured in the Small Works show that will close the following week. “There will be plenty of people out,” says Dominguez, “and a lot of the artists will come together to fill the streets here.” The question is will you be there with them?
Take a flashlight hike
When: Saturday, June 6 from 6:30pm-9:30pm.
Where: Catalina State Park; 11570 N. Oracle Rd.
What: Take a moonlit hike in Catalina State Park with the Town of Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Department to celebrate National Trails Day. Snacks will be provided and an expert guide will be on hand, but be sure and bring plenty of water and your own flashlight. More info available at OroValleyAZ.gov.
Take your clothes off
When: Night of Saturday, June 13 until 2am.
Where: Club Congress; 311 E. Congress St.
What: The annual Underwear Party at Club Congress has been known to draw more than 1200 nearly-naked alcohol-consuming individuals of both sexes for an evening of good-natured debauchery unlike any other. Any questions? If so, check out HotelCongress.com… I wash my hands of this one.
Check out Second Saturdays
When: Saturday, June 13 from 6:30pm-10pm .
Where: Congress St., Downtown Tucson.
What: If you haven’t been to a Second Saturdays Downtown event yet, take advantage of the quiet, cool summer evenings to do so this month. As always, there promises to be plenty of entertainment, music, street performances, vendors, and all of that fair food nobody can seem to get enough of. Grab a bite to eat and a drink or just make a free night of it by catching a live show or two—you’ve got nothing to lose with this regular crowd-pleaser.
Have a “Brew at the Zoo”
When: “Brew at the Zoo” is on Saturday, June 20 from 6pm-9:30pm; Summer Safari Nights run every Friday through July 10 from 6pm-8pm.
Where: Reid Park Zoo; 3400 Zoo Court.
What: The third annual iteration of this highly-anticipated event combines two of everyone’s favorite things—alcohol and animals. Craft Tucson provides plenty of sudsy drink for the event, the admission cost of which covers the beer. Tucsonans come out in droves, so make sure to get your tickets in advance. This year’s Brew event, themed “Healthy and Hoppy”, will help support the construction of a new medical facility on the zoo’s grounds, so drinking to excess here is actually for a good cause. You’ll have to leave the little ones at home for this night of frivolity, though, as it is strictly 21+. For a more family friendly atmosphere, check out the zoo’s Summer Safari Nights program, in which the zoo reopens between 6pm and 8pm every Friday for a cooler trip down the Tanzania Trail. Tickets to the Brew event are $40 general admission, $35 for zoo members, and $20 for designated drivers if purchased in advance. Admission to Summer Safari Nights is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $5 for kids ages 2-14—zoo members get $2 off. More info available at ReidParkZoo.org.
Catch a soccer game at Kino Sports Complex
When: Every weekend in June (various dates).
Where: Kino North Stadium; 3400 S. Country Club Rd.
What: With the addition of a women’s team to the FC Tucson family, there will be a lot more competitive soccer in Tucson this summer, and you can bet the Cactus Pricks are ready for the action. For a full schedule for both the men’s and women’s teams, tickets, or more information, visit FCTucson.com. Also, check out the article on FC Tucson in this issue.
Learn some history and celebrate freedom
When: Saturday, June 20 from 10am-9pm
Where: The Donna Liggins Center/Mansfield Park; 2160 N. 6th Ave.
What: Did you know that it took a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation for all of the slaves in the United States to finally obtain their freedom? June 19th—or Juneteenth—of this year marks 150 years since the last slaves were set free in Galveston, Texas. It also marks the 45th anniversary of Tucson’s own annual Juneteenth Festival. Indoor educational activities end at three and give way to the evening celebration, which will feature guest speakers, free hotdogs for the kids at 5:30pm, historical exhibits, as well as live entertainment. More info available on the “Tucson Juneteenth Celebration” Facebook page.
Do some stargazing
When: Every night through July 14.
Where: Kitt Peak National Observatory.
What: This stargazing program is so popular in the winter months that Visitor Center Manager Bill Buckingham says that Kitt Peak has to turn away more than 1000 people each day during high season. And it’s easy to see why the nightly observation program is such a hot ticket (wrong phrasing?)—Kitt Peak can be a full 25 degrees cooler than Tucson in the evenings. Reservations are $49 per person, but there’s actually a good chance of landing one during the slower summers. Also, be on the lookout for the Kitt Peak-sponsored binocular stargazing program to return to Saguaro National Park West for an out-of-this-world experience that’s a little bit closer to home.
R Bar Set to Open
One of the main features of the new R Bar is a LED backlit metal silhouette mural, covering the entire back wall, created by Patch & Clark Design.
Rialto Theatre Expands Operations With New Bar
The Rialto Theatre is opening a new bar, adding top-quality beverages to the live music experience.
Slated for an opening in mid-July, the R Bar across Herbert Avenue from the theater will add craft cocktails and draft beer and wine to the Rialto’s options. The 1,100 square-foot bar will be open daily – not just during shows.
“I wanted it to always be open, even when there was a show, to the public. You don’t have to buy a ticket to the show to come to the bar. But if you’re at the show you can come into the bar and go back into the show freely,” says Rialto Theatre Foundation’s Executive Director Curtis McCrary. “For theatre-goers, it’s going to mean a whole lot broader options for beverages, things we just don’t have now, new bathrooms, more space and seating and a good place for meet-and-greets with artists. It will be a great enhancement of patron amenities at the shows.”
McCrary says that after struggling during the recession, the foundation began looking at ways to increase revenue and mitigate slow periods, like the middle of summer.
“When it gets to be certain times of year, when there is nobody who is Rialto-sized touring, it was a really difficult situation for us to navigate because our cash flow would dry up and there was nothing we could do about it. Over the years, we’ve tried everything you could think of to make something happen in that space, but it’s big and it has sloped floors and it’s just not a hang out place. It’s all very focused on what’s happening on stage,” he says.
The Rialto has limited space that’s not in the auditorium and similarly sized theaters around the country have larger lobbies and patios. To expand, the Rialto began looking at spaces contiguous to the bar, but the Plaza Centro development, now the Cadence student housing complex, ultimately offered the best solution.
“This gives us more breathing room. The key outcome is when we have shows, people will be able to flow from the bar into the theatre and vice versa,” McCrary says. The planning centered on the question of how best to meet a variety of needs.
“What kind of bar does it want to be? It was a tricky thing to determine because it has to be several different bars, depending on the circumstances,” McCrary says.
“We have certain beverages we offer in the theatre, but like all larger venues, the service is more limited. There are a lot of restrictions. It’s about quick and simple service and we can’t get very elaborate,” he says. “So we knew we wanted to have more interesting options available to people. We want that craft component, that finely curated component of the beverages we offer.”
To design the space, the Rialto turned to the team of Gary Patch and Darren Clark. The bar is at the front of the glass-fronted space to enable bartenders to serve outside to the patio as well as inside. The mezzanine directly above the bar offers a more intimate space for patrons, or a prime spot for artist meet-and-greets. The bar menu is designed by manager Rory O’Rear, whose past experience running beverage programs at the Red Room and Wilko is the ideal fit for giving R Bar the versatility it needs, McCrary says.
The R Bar enhances both halves of the Rialto’s mission – improving the live music experience for patrons as well as the stewardship of the theater itself. Revenue generated by the R Bar will be put back into Rialto improvements, like a modern green room below the stage and other upgrades.
“It’s designed so that it can work as a great place to go before and after a show, but also something that can function alongside the theatre during a show,” McCrary says. “There are lots of people who do great stuff all over downtown and we wanted to do something that was different than everywhere else. We’re trying to do our own thing, tied in very specifically to the Rialto. It’s under the umbrella of everything we do here and it’s a place that we’ll welcome all of our patrons.”
McCrary expects the bar to open the second week in July, with a formal grand opening to come this fall. The forthcoming website will be RBarTucson.com.
Crafting AZ Libations & Pub Fare
Good Oak Bar, opening night
The Good Oak Bar Opens on Congress Street.
The Good Oak Bar is now a reality. Up until a few days ago, the space on Congress – between the new Diablo Burger and the established Rialto Theatre – was still being completed, and was gloriously punctuated by the scent of oak dust. Fittingly, since the name Good Oak bar comes from Gary Nabhan’s interpretation of Arizona’s namesake: the Basque words “aritz onac,” for “place of the good oak,” which became garbled into “Arizona,” and in like fashion you too can garble your words at the Good Oak Bar.
The cozy corners have taken shape and the bar front and vestibule are fashioned from reclaimed wood, roughly 70-years-old, saved from some buildings previously on the Northern Arizona University campus. Derrick Widmark brought the Diablo Burger concept from Flagstaff to Tucson this summer to expand the connections between the local culture and the local foodsheds in Arizona, and with the Good Oak Bar he’s ready to take that idea a step further with what he calls “local foods based pub fare.
“The idea is to broaden our local food footprint and use the palate of pub fare to open up our relationships with local farmers and ranchers,” Widmark explains. With a tight but variable menu based off pub standards like shepherd’s pie or a classic pulled pork sandwich, Good Oak can accommodate the variety of meats and heirloom foods that producers bring to the table. “And maybe some folks will have to come in and sip a pint while they look at the blackboard specials,” Widmark quips.
At the heart of Good Oak is a rotating selection of Arizona beers curated by Blake Collins, the home-brew prodigy turned master brewer for Borderlands. The wine cellar is commanded by Kassie Killebrew, who also concocts beer and wine based cocktails for the more spirit-inclined. As an example, Widmark describes a dream in a glass: imagine fresh peaches from Sleeping Frog Farms, muddled in a light summer beer with a spritz of seltzer.
“Refreshing and local,” Widmark describes, “that’s what we’ll try to do. I think the idea is to give people an option who wouldn’t normally drink just beer or wine, but it also further defines the craftiness of the bar.”
Good Oak Bar, opening night
Widmark says that “with the narrowness of its focus, Good Oak has an opportunity to create a craft wine destination that’s bold and unique,” and parenthetically he adds, “without trying too hard to be either of those things.” The hardest thing Widmark is trying to do, it turns out, is create the kind of bar that deserves to be on Congress, next to the historic Rialto Theatre.
In the interceding time between opening Diablo Burger this summer and now following it with Good Oak, “it’s given me more time to think about, ‘what kind of bar does Tucson want in that space?’” In the light of a tongue-in-cheek discussion to “Keep Tucson Shitty,” Widmark says that “I was drawn to Tucson because of the same qualities of authenticity and character that are being discussed there. I value that sense of place, and I’m committed to trying to deliver that in a heartfelt and unpretentious way.”
And so, here it is: comfort food and libations with a Tucson and Arizona focus. The finishing touches to the bar include an original section of Old Pueblo Trolly track salvaged during Tucson’s streetcar construction, and a giant “Tucson” mural, spelled backwards as if you were standing behind a classic building sign. As for an authentic sense of place, Widmark says that he’s discovered one of the original tenants of the space he’s inherited, the Sunshine Climate Club of Tucson. He’s created a homage to the club that you’ll see as soon as you walk in the door.
Good Oak Bar is now open at 4pm everyday at 316 E. Congress St. Find Good Oak Bar under the locations tab at DiabloBurger.com.
Sunshine Climate Club, Tucson, Arizona
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