To compensate for the swelling First Friday crowds, some downtown art venues are adding a second evening of events each month. "[First Friday has] become a big party in downtown, which is great," says JRC, owner of The Trunk Space, "but, for serious collectors or people who are looking for a more relaxed or art-focused evening, it gets to be a bit difficult." Art lovers can thank JRC, along with the folks at the Paper Heart, 750 Grand Avenue, and the Cone Gallery, 1324 Grand Avenue, for this month's admission- and poseur-free "Third Friday" event, May 21. Paper Heart (602-262-2020) features its Pop Art exhibition "Icons," with music from Verigated at 7 p.m. Starting at 8 p.m., Cone (602-258-3455) shares "Phobo," a series of avant-garde installations. And The Trunk Space (1506 Grand Avenue, 602-258-5079) displays the works of local artists Jeff Falk and Doug Oland, with a live performance by Jabon at 8 p.m. -- Ashlea Deahl
Get Your Rock Off
Half-naked ladies strut their stuff at Chasers
Sat 5/22
Fran Scianna is a realist. So don't expect any apologies from the bassist of local "happy drunk" band The Sciannas for its overt sexploitation on Saturday, May 22, when it headlines the "Rock Naughty" lingerie/rock 'n' roll show at Scottsdale's Chasers Nightclub, 8005 East Roosevelt. "I'm proactively selling out. If you do that, you're punk rock, right?" Scianna says. Call it whatever you want as six beauties from AZ Models strip down to their skivvies, courtesy of The Parlor Lingerie Shop. Admission to the 9 p.m. show is $7 for guys, $3 for ladies. Call 480-945-4985. -- Joe Watson
Hed's First
Come out for TinselTown Tavern's new production
5/21-5/30
Don't get angry. Get fierce -- fabulously fierce -- as Artists' Theatre Project cuts loose with its first production, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, opening Friday, May 21, at TinselTown Tavern, 2017 North Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale.
True, ATP is up and coming (read: broke). But resident producer Russell Beyer insists that TinselTown, formerly Hamburger Mary's, isn't playing host to ATP and Hedwig out of necessity, but rather because of its small and intimate charm.
"We thought that it would be perfect to have wait staff serving cocktails as the show sort of breaks down that fourth wall," Beyer explains. "It allows Hedwig [played by ATP artistic director James Asimenios] to interact with the audience." So drag your asses -- including the straight ones -- to TinselTown for the 8 p.m. première, $20 at the door ($15 in advance). Hedwig runs through May 30. Call 480-945-6279. -- Joe Watson
