Rocket’s Rad '80s Party
When life knocks you down, you should get up, dust yourself off, and try again. It’s an important life lesson to learn and one that can be found at the heart of the 2014 comic book flick Guardians of the Galaxy. And, fittingly enough, it also applies to what promoters of the Rocket’s Rad '80s Party went through last month.
The Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired party, which is being put on by local geek group Blue Ribbon Army, was originally supposed to take place during Phoenix Comic Fest in late May. An emergency evacuation of Comic Fest forced the affair to be canceled, leaving organizers in a lurch. They’ve bounced back, however, and rescheduled the party for this weekend.
Version 2.0 will now take place on Friday, June 29, at The Park, 3 South Second Street. The event, which benefits the Kids Need to Read charity, will feature ’80s dance hits from local DJs Ash 10 and Noah’s Arcade, prizes, giveaways, cosplay, and other geeky fun. The party goes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. A donation of $20 is suggested. See the Facebook event page. Benjamin Leatherman
Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine are two bad bitches.
JuHef
Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine have revolutionized drag by bringing raunchy, thoughtful humor to parodies and social commentary. Both multitalented performers who sing, act and do comedy, they have inspired other entertainers to want to be different. They will visit Phoenix on Friday, June 29, with their show Battle of the Bitches. During the performance, Beat and Vine will go up against each other, coming up with parodies based on audience suggestions. They will also perform tongue-in-cheek numbers together.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $20 for VIP, which includes a meet-and-greet with the stars. The show starts at 8 p.m. at The Rock Phoenix, 4129 North Seventh Avenue. To find out more, call 602-248-8559 or go to the Rock Phoenix website. Laura Latzko
Arizona Craft Rave
If you prefer scissors and glue to glow sticks and thumping EDM, the Arizona Craft Rave is for you. Changing Hands’ First Draft Book Bar, 300 West Camelback Road, will be hosting five hours of nonstop crafting from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 29. Learn to make fresh flower crowns, mini-terrariums, origami earrings, and more with one-on-one lessons from local artisans.
Unlike most raves, this one ends at a reasonable hour, but you’ll be able to purchase coffee, wine, and craft beer to keep you going. Admission starts at $4. Visit the Changing Hands website. Antonia Farzan
Tough as Nails
Inspired by the resilience of a young California couple who experienced brain cancer, infertility treatment, and miscarriage before having their daughter Sophia, choreographer Bridgette Borzillo created her latest work, titled Tough as Nails. CaZo Dance Company performs the piece at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29, at Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street.
Tickets are $23, and $3 from each ticket will go to the National Brain Cancer Society. Stay after the show for a free Q & A with Phil and Stacy Bacigalupi. Visit the CaZo Dance Company website. Lynn Trimble
DJ Tristan Iseult will be spinning.
Benjamin Leatherman
If you’ve ever attended a dance party put on by DJ Tristan Iseult, a few things are a given. First, there will be a cacophonous cannonade of dark and noisy dance tracks blasting from the sound system, not to mention a doomy vibe and plenty of folks in attendance dressed in black. True to form, such a scene will unfold inside The Rebel Lounge, 2303 East Indian School Road, on Saturday, June 30, during his latest affair, Häxan v Warlok.
The event is a hybrid of Tristan Iseult’s monthly Häxan parties, which are the stuff of local goth scene legend, and renowned L.A. club night Warlok, which is described as a “cult ritual discotheque.” The result is a night filled with gloomy grooves with Tristan Iseult and Warlok’s Xian Vox spinning industrial tracks and harsh sounds, as patrons “writhe with joy through the impending darkness.” The 21-and-over night starts at 9 p.m. Admission is $5. See the Facebook event page. Benjamin Leatherman
Checking out Kyllan Maney's work.
Lynn Trimble
Witness the wonders of shrink art with artist Kyllan Maney, who won’t giggle when she learns you’ve never really outgrown the joy of coloring on clear crafting plastics then using heat to make them shrink. You won’t need a store-bought Shrinky Dinks kit to make your creations during Maney’s Shrink Art Jewelry workshop at Practical Art, 5070 North Central Avenue. It’s happening from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 30.
Maney will bring designs from her own silk-screen pieces for you to work with, and share her techniques for making charming jewelry works. The workshop costs $25. Visit the Practical Art website. Lynn Trimble
Feeling the summertime food truck love.
AZ Feastivals
They’re hardly at the top of the foodie culture food chain, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with food trucks. They roll into Pioneer Park, 526 East Main Street in Mesa, every Saturday night for the Mesa Feastival Forest. That’s where you’ll find them from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. Last we heard, that night’s lineup included more than 10 trucks, with offerings that include tacos, ribs, Cajun fare, fry bread, sliders, wings, and more. The event is free and includes live music, but you’ll need money for eats and drinks. Visit the Facebook event page. Lynn Trimble
Make America Cleveland Again.
Courtesy of Stand Up Live
Yes, Kevin Hart is in Phoenix in July, but it’s almost impossible to escape him these days between his movies, his commercials, and his front-row seats at major sporting events. If you’re looking for a different sort of comedy, Ramon Rivas, a laid-back Latino comic from Cleveland (“Make America Cleveland Again”), will be headlining at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street, on Sunday, July 1. Rivas was one of Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch in 2015 and was a semifinalist in NBC’s StandUp talent search.
Showtime is at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 with a two-drink minimum. Visit the Phoenix Stand Up Live website. Stuart Warner
Canada Day
Did you know that Phoenix has a sister city in Calgary? There are plenty of people from our neighbor to the north who visit Phoenix to escape the frozen tundra. You probably won’t find as many Canadians here during the summer, but those who stayed behind can celebrate Canada Day, the country’s national holiday, on Sunday, July 1, at the Musical Instrument Museum. Between 1 and 4 p.m. you can tag along on Canadian exhibit tours — one tour is at 1:30 and the other is at 3:30.
There will be a Canadian-themed menu at the museum’s Café Allegro. You can also look forward to what will undoubtedly be a raucous singing of “O Canada” that will take place in between the tours. Admission is $20 for adults, and the museum is located at 4725 East Mayo Boulevard. Joe Flaherty
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is the funniest cinematic May-December romance of all time, but it is much more than a droll depiction of the coupling of a rich, morbid teenager (Bud Cort) and an eccentric 79-year-old woman (Ruth Gordon). The quirky 1971 film, accompanied by a great Cat Stevens soundtrack, was a reflection on conformity and the preciousness of life at a time when young men were dying needlessly in service to their country. The film is coming to Chandler, and one of the film’s producers, Charles Mulvehill, and his wife, Shari, who played Edith, will be participating in a meet-and-greet after the screening.
The screening begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 1, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Chandler, 4955 South Arizona Avenue. Admission is $8.62. For more information, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website. Jason Keil
