Calendar of Events in Phoenix

Saturday, May 25
• 
  DJ Sander van Doorn
  El Santo Cantina y Mas

  Club promoter Thomas Turner of Relentless Beats fame will be plenty busy over the Memorial Day Weekend as he's planning back-to-back editions of the ongoing Relentless Beach pool party series at this North Scottsdale summertime haven. El Santo's bartending staff likely will have plenty of beers and booze on hand to slake the thirst of all the beefcakes and bikini-clad sirens who will pack all... Read more about this event >>

• 
  "Where Cantilever Meets Coyote"
  Burton Barr Central Library

  If you find yourself perusing Seventh Avenue vintage stores dreaming of owning an Eames chair, then you've probably heard of Alison King, founder of the website Modern Phoenix.King presents “Where Cantilever Meets Coyote,” a sort-of Midcentury 101 that aims to give audience members a better snapshot of this city's rich history. She'll highlight architectural frontrunners including... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Arizona Rattlers vs. Iowa Barnstormers
  US Airways Center

  The choice of mascot says a lot about your team. Take the Arizona Rattlers, for instance. With a devastating plus-16 turnover margin earned from posting eight sacks, five fumble recoveries, and 15 interceptions in seven games, Arizona's champion arena football squad lives up to its venomous namesake. Plus, the Rattlers have won six of their games by double digits -- like our native snake,... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Fetish Prom 2013
  910 Live

  The Teutonic overtones of Hanzel und Gretyl might be worrisome if there weren't knowing winks served up along with their crunchy-riff-heavy electro-clanging. The Gotham-based industrial rock duo headlines the grand ball for party-minded BDSM aficionados, Fetish Prom 2013, on Saturday, May 25.Whereas the visiting rockers are a tad tongue-in-cheek, Life Suspended goes hook-in-flesh to create... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Enormodome
  Stray Cat Bar & Grill

  Jeff Lusby-Breault and Mike Seitz of Enormodome never really thought their collaborations would go past entertaining themselves. The longtime friends — one in Flagstaff and one in Phoenix — took a quick-and-dirty approach when they started writing songs together, and they were surprised to find that their gritty rock songs resonated on stage. Now they're on their way to releasing... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Trapfest
  The Monarch Theatre

  Bragging seems to be as natural a biological process to Adolfo Salazar as breathing. Ask the outspoken local EDM/hip-hop producer about some of his life experiences or the recent exploits of Trapzillas, the two-person trap music act he founded with L.A.'s Logic Ali, and you'll be submerged by waves of stories involving the duo's collaborations with eccentric white boy rapper (and Pitchfork... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Midnite Movie Mamacita: Ms. Behaving Presents Sister Street Fighter
  FilmBar

  Quentin Tarantino has received flack for stealing scenes from other movies. Take the show-down in Kill Bill -- it looks an awful lot like the fight scene in Noribumi Suzuki's Sex and Fury. Sure, everything's been done before but that's why we love him (or hate him).No doubt Quinten gets inspiration from other vintage martial arts films, and Sister Street Fighter is no exception. The tagline... Read more about this event >>

• 
  “From Above: Aerial Photography from the Center for Creative Photography”
  Phoenix Art Museum

  There’s nothing quite like a bird’s eye view. Before humans had the ability to see their own environment from an elevated perspective, we drew maps to the best of our ability, navigated tough terrain with little warning, and had a single perspective on the world around us.The aerial view was introduced with the invention of the airplane in the early 20th century. And while the... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Childsplay: A Wrinkle in Time
  Tempe Center for the Arts

  Just about the favoritest 20th-century children’s book (meaning it’s really for the most savvy of adults, as well), Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is held fiercely in the hearts of its fans. Since those devotees approve of John Glore’s recent stage version, you can safely truck on over to see Childsplay’s production, continuing through Sunday, May... Read more about this event >>

• More Saturday Events >>

Sunday, May 26
• 
  The Rose Garden Tour
  Mesa Community College

  Roses are... Well, you know, they aren't always red. They come in all sorts of shades. For empirical evidence, head to The Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, where consulting rosarians and master gardeners lead tours through the spectrum of reds, yellows, pinks, and more.The garden was established in 1997, thanks to members of the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society, an organization that... Read more about this event >>

• 
  DJ Steve Aoki
  Maya Day and Nightclub

  You won't have to head to Las Vegas to attend an epic pool party starring Steve Aoki, who recently reigned over a crowd of thousands at Sin City's popular Wet Republic joint at the MGM Grand, as Maya will host the hipster party czar on Sunday, May 26, during an afternoon affair that goes from noon until 6 p.m. General admission is $60 and VIP access is $150. Read more about this event >>

• 
  Sunshine Underground
  Lustre Bar

  It's official: Pool party season is upon us. And that means some of the Valley's top DJs will be seen poolside once again. This summer, Sean Watson, William Reed, and Stateside Presents team up for their latest venture, Sunshine Underground, a weekly rooftop pool party at The Hotel Palomar’s Lustre Bar. The kick-off party includes a guest appearance from Los Angeles recording artist,... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Limp Bizkit
  Marquee Theatre

  Ask him what he wishes someone had told him 30 years ago, when he began his music career, and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst's answer might surprise you. "To remain." Long pause. "Silent." For a man who once was as much in the public eye for his controversial statements and bragged-about sexual dalliances, it's an unusual answer. But his band hasn't felt much love from the media over the... Read more about this event >>

• 
  "Da Vinci - The Genius"
  Arizona Science Center

  Between keeping up with a Twitter feed, dreaming up new, creative, and offensive roles for Emojis, and constantly refreshing Instagram to check how many likes that pic of our pup has, it's pretty tough to imagine squeezing two or three of Leonardo da Vinci's hobbies into our Netflix-packed schedules.Perhaps a trip to check out "Da Vinci – The Genius" will inspire us to actually do... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Childsplay: A Wrinkle in Time
  Tempe Center for the Arts

  Just about the favoritest 20th-century children’s book (meaning it’s really for the most savvy of adults, as well), Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is held fiercely in the hearts of its fans. Since those devotees approve of John Glore’s recent stage version, you can safely truck on over to see Childsplay’s production, continuing through Sunday, May... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Black Moth Super Rainbow
  Crescent Ballroom

  It would be overly simplistic to imagine a chasm between the haves and have-nots in today's psych-rock landscape, even between the ones with huge production values and the ones sticking it out with streamers and bubblegum. The reason: All the best bands these days carry some degree of scrappiness, no matter how gigantic their approach. Reigning acid champions The Flaming Lips still hold on to... Read more about this event >>

• More Sunday Events >>

Monday, May 27
• 
  Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers
  Chase Field

  We’re willing to bet our lower-level seats that there have been a few moments this season when certain Arizona Diamondbacks players wish they could’ve called a “do-over." Like reliever David Hernandez, closer J.J. Putz, or most of the team’s loathsome bullpen this year, who’ve offered many regrettable, game-changing pitches to the San Francisco Giants, the New... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Joyce Manor
  Yucca Tap Room

  L.A. punk-pop band Joyce Manor have gone from house parties to festival shows pretty damn quick, but what can you do? They have charisma, hooks, the decorum you need to keep going even when your fans get obsessive, and of course they've got the songs, too. Recent album Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired is the kind of smart, suburban punk you'd be proud to rep with a sticker on the back... Read more about this event >>

• 
  "Chocolate, Chili & Cochineal"
  Heard Museum

  News flash: You probably eat bugs a few times a week without realizing it. It sounds kinda gross, we know, but the cochineal bug has been used as a red dye for centuries. The Spanish conquistadors were so impressed with the bug’s crimson hue that the insects were one of the first exports from the Americas. European explorers also discovered an array of more appetizing foods that are now... Read more about this event >>

• 
  LOOPS PHX
  Downtown Civic Space Park

  Anyone who has seen Premium Rush, the New York City-based film about a fixie-riding bike messenger, knows just how sick it can be jamming along without brakes or the ability to coast in traffic. Our hero -- for he is that -- performs amazing skid turns and jumps while challenging taxis and police during his day-in-the-life saga. It’s a rush to watch. However, it’s not what the... Read more about this event >>

• More Monday Events >>

Tuesday, May 28
• 
  !!! (Chk Chk Chk)
  Crescent Ballroom

  Over the past decade, "hipster" has re-emerged as the insult du jour — an increasingly vague, increasingly common label placed on elitists and enthusiasts of all stripes. No one's really working to take the word back, but if such a movement existed, !!! would be an ideal torchbearer. This dance-punk outfit represents "hipster" ideals at their purest. The band's recordings and aura... Read more about this event >>

• 
  "Learning to See"
  Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

  Artist Josef Albers was obsessed with two things: abstract art and color. The latter is the focus of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art's exhibition "Learning to See."Albers wrote The Interaction of Color, and in it he proposed that the only way to truly understand colors was in relation to other colors. The book is a staple in art classes for decades. The show, on view through Sunday,... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Books and Beakers Science Café
  Lawn Gnome

  Science certainly has its enemies: Creationists still conjure up fantasies of Jesus palling around with dinosaurs, climate-change-deniers turn a blind eye to mild winters and numerous natural disasters, and even Bill Nye the Science Guy was killed by Twitter rumors last fall. Thankfully, it’s not yet illegal for fans of scientific progress to gather, and Lawn Gnome Publishing’s... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Taylor Swift
  Jobing.com Arena

  It is impossible to ignore Taylor Swift, which makes it incredibly easy for music fans to dislike her — people just don't like to have their attention monopolized, whether they enjoy somebody's music or not. Her music is explicitly autobiographical, which means that every new song about never getting back together with somebody is examined in excruciating detail until every last... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Topia
  Desert Botanical Garden

  When nature plays the muse of the artist, the results are often stunning. We’ve seen landscapes captured by photographer Ansel Adams and botanicals portrayed by painter Georgia O’Keefe that are iconic images in the art world.This summer, nature inspires Topia, a ballet created by Ballet Arizona’s artistic director Ib Andersen. From Tuesday, May 14, through Saturday, June 1,... Read more about this event >>

• More Tuesday Events >>

Wednesday, May 29
• 
  "Changing Landscapes: A Closer Look at Baby Canyon Pueblo"
  Deer Valley Rock Art Center

  Reading the bevy of freak-out tweets about cranes dangling, power outages, and blown-off building facades during hashtag Sandy brought us to a simple conclusion: Let’s get the eff out of cities and go all Christopher McCandless (minus that whole dying in a bus in Alaska thing). Since our mom would never allow such a thing (to this day, we fear dyeing our hair because she'd disapprove),... Read more about this event >>

• 
  "The Dogs of Ron Burns"
  Mesa Contemporary Arts

  Arizona artist Ron Burns doesn’t paint dogs in bowler hats playing cards -- that would be too easy. Focusing on man’s best friend at his best, worst, and when working hardest, Burns’ use of bright, Day-Glo-esque colors amazingly captures Fido’s personality and expression. Burns happened into this second career by chance. As an outlet from his corporate lifestyle, Burns... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Lost in Bonkers
  Herberger Theater Center

  The hectic 40-hour workweek provides minimal solace, aside from an eagerly anticipated lunch break or stealing away a few rounds of Angry Birds while on the toilet. An hour away from coworkers can make you wonder if you actually have anxiety issues, or if your state of mind is just a product of your environment.Lost in Bonkers takes a comedic look at psychoses during lunchtime, as Shana and... Read more about this event >>

• More Wednesday Events >>

Thursday, May 30
• 
  FunHouse Fashion Workshop
  Scottsdale Civic Center Library

  "Luster Kaboom’s FunHouse" summer installation at Scottsdale Civic Center Library is an eye-popping, interactive environment inspired by the excess of carnivals. (It also makes tangible the rapturous anticipation we felt about library visits when we were young nerds.) Former Valley resident Kaboom, who has cartooned for New Times’ Jackalope Ranch culture blog, drew on his... Read more about this event >>

• 
  "The Most of" Lit Lounge
  Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

  Wanna know Tania Katan's solution to consistently selling out Lit Lounge, her monthly storytelling sesh? Simple: Make it bigger. That's why May's installment of the series, dubbed "The Most of" Lit Lounge, will feature more writers and performers than ever before and, instead of packing th 100-person SMoCA Lounge, will take place in the 853-seat Virginia G. Piper Theater.Attendees will true... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Bike Night
  Westgate City Center

  It takes a different kind of animal to ride a motorcycle. Probably everyone has entertained the thought of riding one, but, for most people, the call of the open road gets drowned out by the allure of air-conditioning, longer life expectancy, and not ever needing skin grafts. Where this puts motorcyclists on the societal spectrum we can't say, but they have certainly chosen a distinct... Read more about this event >>

• More Thursday Events >>

Friday, May 31
• 
  2013 Mrs. Arizona America Pageant
  Tempe Center for the Arts

  Jamming out to “Single Ladies” up in the club can be fun -- but just because he put a ring on it doesn’t mean that it’s time to go into hiding. The 2013 Mrs. Arizona America Pageant brings all the hitched ladies out to put their hands up Friday, May 31.Married women focused on changing the world for the better will get down for the crown by lighting up the personal... Read more about this event >>

• More Friday Events >>