A Tuesday Night w/ Monique Suede Wallis

Monique Suede Wallis is a local promoter with a whole lot of chutzpah. Lets just say, being one of very few up and coming female promoters in Phoenix, takes some serious girl power-- and it's pretty clear this dynamic diva doesn't have a problem with that. At 23 years old,...

By Nicole Smith

October 5, 2011

Audio By Carbonatix

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Monique Suede Wallis is a local promoter with a whole lot of chutzpah. Lets just say, being one of very few up and coming female promoters in Phoenix, takes some serious girl power-- and it's pretty clear this dynamic diva doesn't have a problem with that.

At 23 years old, Miss Wallis is fairly new to the promoting game but that doesn't mean she's any less capable than a veteran promoter to come up with a killer creative idea for a kick ass party in Downtown Phoenix.

Case in point, her new Tuesday night gig at Bar Smith called Memoriam, a bi-monthly event themed ironically but cleverly around a funeral for our favorite undead rock stars.

We caught up with Wallis last Tuesday at her third Memoriam event, which just so happened to be themed around favorite undead rock star, or better yet, undead diva of all divas, Madonna.

Get the full Wingman rundown, after the jump.

The Meet Up: Bar Smith to drink and dance clad in black with a themed out Wallis rockin Madonna-centric lace and an adorable new bob.

After being hell bent on buying anyone and everyone drinks to get the dance party started, we make our way to the downstairs area of the venue to watch local musician, Charles Barth, perform a few original acoustic versions of Madonna classics.

In between sets, Wallis credits big-time promoter William Reed and Marquee Music Venue owner, Tom Lapenna as the people she's learned the most from, going on to describe them as her promoting mentors. She also explains the difficulty in arranging a popular night, especially on a Tuesday night in downtown Phoenix, though it doesn't stop her from hoping to soon land a Friday night someplace downtown.

The Company: In attendance are fellow fantastic locals including Eddie Navarro, Julio "HoneyCut" Hawthorne, Ben Linsenmeyer and Ron DMC of electronic tribute act Daft Punk'd, and Ben "Swookie Monster" Andersen, who is also guest DJing tonight.

Favorite Spots: Bar Smith, Lux Central, Bikini Lounge, and Film Bar are just a few of Wallis' faves, and very much reliant on the night's company.

Heading over to The Lost Leaf for an off-the-clock alcoholic beverage to end the night, Wallis tells me that the idea for Memoriam came to her in a dream.

Call it dramatic, or just call it the Wallis way, we applaud her originality just as long as we can applaud along to the music of our favorite undead rock stars in the heart of downtown Phoenix.

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