Pic Hits for the week

thursday
january 23
Tricky: The so-called "majesty of trip-hop" is an aural explorer, and he seems to have found the Northwest Passage connecting the strange-bedfellow forms of rap and new age--though not the new age of Windham Hill, not by a long shot. As the London-based musician/producer says, referencing the autobiographical song "Tricky Kid," it's a dangerous new age, in which "no one's the king of anything--hip-hop, jungle, trip-hop. We're really vulnerable. So we all have to keep moving." And that's Tricky's forte; as his nom de guerre implies, the cagey one's made himself a moving target on his two full-length discs for Island, 1995's Maxinquaye and the new Pre-Millennium Tension, obsessively piecing together an apocalyptic patchwork of dank, dark trance sounds. Dreamy but deadly. Tricky and his waiflike musical mate Martina are scheduled to perform on Thursday, January 23, at Gibson's, 410 South Mill in Tempe. Jeru the Damaja, and A Guy Called Gerald share the all-ages bill. Showtime is 9 p.m. Tickets are $12, available at the club and Ticketmaster; call 967-1234 or 784-4444.

Phoenix Open: Phil Mickelson defends his title in the 62nd annual Open, a 72-hole PGA Tour stop. The superpopular tourney tees off Thursday, January 23, on the Stadium Course at Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Second-, third- and final-round play is scheduled Friday, January 24; Saturday, January 25; and Sunday, January 26, respectively. The Fortis Invitational wraps up this year's festivities on Monday, January 27. For tickets and details, call 870-0163.

Ariadne auf Naxos: Arizona Opera continues its 26th season with Richard Strauss' lush and lovely farce about a production of the serious drama Ariadne by a clutch of circus clowns; see the related story on page 94. Performances, in German with English surtitles, are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 23; 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 24; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, January 25; and 2 p.m. Sunday, January 26, at Symphony Hall, 225 East Adams. Tickets range from $14 to $56, available at Dillard's. Call 266-7464 or 678-2222.

"Cynthia Connolly Photoshow": The rock photographer's work was compiled in the recent book Banned in D.C. A touring exhibit of her vehicular-themed pics of indie stalwarts like Fugazi, Mercurochrome, and Bratmobile continues through Friday, February 28, at Tempe's Stinkweeds Record Exchange, 1250 East Apache, Suite 109. Live shots by Pat Graham are also displayed. Viewing is free; hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. Call 968-9490.

"Native Voices: Reflecting Forward": Heard Museum Guild's annual lecture series continues through Thursday, February 13. Tewa-Hopi artist Dan Namingha discusses his work at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 23, at Carefree Inn, 37220 Mule Train Road in Carefree. Next up is Andy Garcia, director of the San Juan Pueblo Youth Dancers, who's joined by his grandson, Curt Garcia, for a program titled "Why Dancing Is Serious Business" at the same time Wednesday, January 29, at the Heard, 22 East Monte Vista. Tickets to each lecture are $11, $9 for members. Call 252-8840.

Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings: The hardworking band was known as Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows until heavyweight vocalist Twist (real name: Larry Nolan) passed away in 1990. New singer Billy "Mr. Shy" McGregor lends a soulful touch to the septet's horn-heavy arrangements. Showtime is 9 p.m. Thursday, January 23, at the Rhythm Room, 1019 East Indian School. The cover is $2.50. Call 265-4842.

friday
january 24
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged): Jess Borgeson, Adam Long and Daniel Singer penned this Pythonesque parody, brimming with pot shots at the Bard and performed by Actors Theatre of Phoenix's "Reduced Shakespeare Company"--i.e., three actors and a prop list that includes "1 butcher knife, 2 daggers, 1 dinosaur (inflatable), 1 head (severed), 1 skull (rubber), 1 vial poison and 1 vial potion." Act one features snippets from 36 Shakespearean pieces; act two is devoted to Hamlet--performed "three times forward and once backwards." The run opens with a preview at 8 p.m. Friday, January 24, in Stage West at Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe. The official opening is at the same time Saturday, January 25; more shows are scheduled at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, January 26. The production continues through Sunday, February 9. Tickets range from $16 to $26, available at Herberger and Dillard's; call 252-8497 or 503-5555.

Marilyn Manson: The fashionably repulsive group from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, comprises vocalist Manson, guitarist Daisy Berkowitz, keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy, drummer Sara Lee Lucas and bassist Twiggy Ramirez--all dudes, by the way, who appear to have been slowly tortured over a period of years. Though it claims a higher calling, the act plays shock rock, with some sleazy industrial shit thrown in for effect. Originally named Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids, it's sort of the late-'90s equivalent of the Alice Cooper Band of the early '70s--sort of. Showtime is 8 p.m. Friday, January 24, in Exhibit Hall A at Phoenix Civic Plaza, Second Street and Adams. Riot-grrrl band L7 shares the stage. Tickets are $18 in advance, $19 the day of the show, available at Civic Plaza and Dillard's box offices; call 262-7272 or 503-5555.

Beyond the Dream: Planet Earth Multi-Cultural Theatre's Peter Cirino and Mollie Kellogg Cirino are joined by Christopher Haines and Christine Hall for this multimedia production debating the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the American civil rights movement. The actors portray a variety of characters, including Cesar Chavez, Russell Means, Vilma Martinez, Henry Cisneros, Colin Powell and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Shows are scheduled at noon and 7 p.m. Friday, January 24, at Kiva Hall, located on the Arizona State University West campus, 4701 West Thunderbird in Glendale. Admission is free, but donations of canned-good items for Westside Food Bank are encouraged. Call 543-3421.