Tag: nightlife

i’ll see you at: where i’ll be on election night!

November 5, 2012 |

So y’know how some people are all “the world’s gonna end if Romney gets elected!” and some people are all “the world’s gonna end on December 21st!” and people used to be all “Obama is the Messiah and will fix everything!” and other people still are all weirdly and endearingly optimistic about December 21st like are all, “there’s gonna be some chakra shift and feminine energy will flood the world and we’ll all move together to a higher plane” (no? Okay). Are you still with me? Did you have any idea that this post would turn into a plug for my favorite Tucson venue, Topaz?

Basically, I’ve decided that if Romney wins the election, then December 21st will spell death and destruction, and I’ll be one of the first to go because (a) I’ll be drunk when the apocolypse happens and (b—special three-in-one bonus) I don’t own a gun/have any survival skills/I’m basically blind without my glasses. BUT, if Obama wins… Maybe we’ll stand a chance.*

And now the plug: no matter who wins the election, I’ll see you at The Intelligence show at Topaz on election night, because um, no, I don’t want to sit in front of coroprate TV and watch the results come in. Because that’s boring, amirite?

* Okay, seriously. Politics in America are just so incredibly and pathetically messed up that the difference between Obama and Romney is at this point mostly symbolic, with a little bit of my reproductive rights thrown in. As I’ve said before, though, let’s get a beer and talk about politics in the USofA if you wanna hear my point of view, because in the public sphere I like to keep my opinions depoliticized to at least some degree. Oh, you want me to talk about Israel-Palestine? NO.

interview: krysta + joel of TOPAZ

October 25, 2012 |

OK. This might just be me, but y’know those sort of projects—be they restaurants, artistic creations, street festivals, zombie poodles, what have you—that make you think, Wow, who the hell was cool (or crazy) enough not only to come up with this idea but actually pull it off?  Now, I’m not claiming they’re up there with Calexico or equals to Christo and Jeanne-Claude (yet) or that they’re half as genius as whoever discovered that putting Mentos in Diet Coke makes the whole thing explode, but Krysta and Joel—the couple behind Topaz—are pretty damn awesome.

(Photo credit: http://www.topaz-tundra.com/sample-page/)

In case you haven’t stumbled across it yet, Topaz is the unassuming-yet-totally-rad arts venue situated on a bare stretch of St. Mary’s Road just east of the freeway. I covered one of Topaz’s shows a while back, and earlier that same day I was lucky enough to get to sit down with Krysta and Joel for an interview. I was curious to find out what inspired the creation of an arts venue as eclectic and unique as Topaz. How did it all come together? I ask them. Krysta and Joel exchange glances and then Krysta explains, almost sheepishly: “It happened by accident, pretty much.” So the story goes: Krysta was looking for a studio where she could work on her photography, and Joel needed space to store the vintage clothing he collects (and now sells—on Topaz’s second floor, known as Zia Vintage). “It was only once we’d found this particular spot that we realized, Hey, we could do shows here,” says Krysta. “It was very much the physical space itself that inspired us.” As Topaz illustrates in its very existence, a willingness to embrace instability, random strokes of insight, and fortuitous accidents can be a spectacular asset.

They were enthusiastic, but Krysta and Joel weren’t sure what sort of reception Topaz would get in the Tucson arts scene. Accordingly, they were thrilled when they found “a lot of respect, no drama, no pressure,” explains Joel. “If we’d done shows and no one’d come, we would’ve done something different. But there was support from the start,” and lots of people were eager to collaborate.

“We think of Topaz as a creative platform, so we love it when people approach us with ideas. We don’t have an overarching vision,” Krysta explains. “Or, rather, our vision is open-ended.” Topaz is primarily a music venue at the present moment (with 100% of profits going to the bands they host), but Krysta and Joel foresee an expansion into more polished art shows, poetry readings, literary events, and film screenings, among other projects.

So if you’re one of the many people in Tucson who would love to see the art scene of this city thrive, check out Topaz. It’s one of those crazy/cool ideas come to fruition that can inspire and enrich us all. And don’t forget to check the Zocalo Hannah blog for more Topaz updates—I’ll be keeping them on my radar, for sure!

in pictures: show @ topaz

October 12, 2012 |

This past Tuesday, the venue Topaz hosted band Dream Salon (of the Pacific Northwest) and rounded out the night with performances by locals Ohioan, Sam Christopher, and Death Moth Family Band. Pictures below (in no particular order, sorry—and I’m also sorry that I’m such a shitty photographer). Also, check out the exclusive mix posted on Topaz’s website, featuring songs by Dream Salon and Death Moth Family Band, as well as other performers at Topaz, both past & to come. Finally, stay tuned for an even-more-exclusive-than-Topaz’s-exclusive-mix-interview (in other words, an interview) with Krysta & Joel, the stupid cool (that’s a compliment) founders/creative directors/artistes extraordinaires/brains behind Topaz. Chyeah!

P.S. Lots of photos of June, of Death Moth Family Band, who is super rad! Hopefully gonna be interviewing her, too, at some point in the near future… Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

street style: outside che’s lounge

October 2, 2012 |

Brianna & Rose.

debauched: wilko happy hour

October 1, 2012 |

Mixin’ drank at ze Wilko.

I looooove happy hours. What a great idea! Start drinking too early = getting to bed at a reasonable hour because you’re too tired by 10 PM to stay out any longer = bright eyed and bushy-tailed at 8 AM for work the next morning… AND the drinks are cheap. Beautiful in so many ways.

Ever since I moved to Tucson I’d had my eye on Wilko as somewhere I wanted to check out, but with my rather meager food budget I’d figured I’d have to put it off ’til mis padres came to town. Enter: happy hour! About a week ago, my coworkers and I found out that Wilko has happy hour every single day from three ’til seven PM. “Whhhhat?” we said, collectively, in a moment of eerie groupthink. (That never happened.) So, of course, we decided we had to go.

Between the three of us, my coworkers and I sampled several draft beers ($2 off each), which were all fantastic. But Wilko’s strength lies with its cocktails. My friends and I tasted the Hoodoo bash, which combines red wine with sherry, cinnamon, cucumber, and citrus for a flavor that’s both warm and crisp; the Whiskey Ginger Vinegar, an updated take on, duh, the whiskey ginger, served with raw ginger and a raspberry balsamic syrup; and the Pisco Sour, which comes off of the New “Classics” section of the Wilko drink menu. We were not disappointed, and we’ll be back (for happy hour, that is. Still can’t afford the food!).

For more info about the drink scene at Wilko, keep an eye out for an interview with Rory O’Rear, one of two head bartenders at Wilko, which you’ll find in Zocalo’s October print issue and online. Yeeeeeeeh.

i’ll see you at… RAW showcase

September 26, 2012 |

Headed to the RAW showcase tomorrow at Plush to check out some budding artistic talent of Tucson. From the RAW website:

“RAW’s mission is to provide up-and-coming artists of all creative realms with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity so that they might be seen, heard and loved. RAW educates, connects and exposes emerging artists in 54 artistic communities across the United States and Australia, through monthly showcase events. Join us in celebrating the work of these artists…

RAW events are multi-faceted artistic showcases. Each event features a film screening, musical performance, fashion show, art gallery, performance art and a featured hairstylist and makeup artist. These artists are all local, hand-picked talent who have been chosen to feature at RAW.

RAW events feature a cash bar for cocktails while you enjoy the night. Dress code is cocktail attire, so dress the occasion and get ready for an artistic circus of creativity!”

See you there!

 

música: tom walbank @ che’s

September 23, 2012 |

L to R: Connor, Jake, and Tom at Che’s Lounge on Saturday, September 22nd.

I’ve seen Tom Walbank play at Café Passé a few times — he does a solo show every Friday evening for “Blues Under the Trees” on the Passé Patio (the opening act is Roman Barton Sherman, a kid — literally, like, nine years old — who frickin’ busts out some old man blues music. It’s nuts!). But it was really fun to see him play at Che’s Lounge last night, where he drew a fatty crowd and rounded out his sound with the addition of drumz (Jake Sullivan) and gee-tar (Connor Gallaher). Wherever he happens to be singing and guitar-ing and harmonica-ing his heart out, Tom — an Englishman who calls Tucson his real home for real — can blues it up like no other, and I highly recommend checking him out. More about the spectacular Mister Tom Walbank at ze MySpace and his website. Peep it, yo.