The Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Yeah, it's hot, but that is no excuse to not go outside. Instead, go see the weirdly awesome Eric Andre, revive your '80s nostalgia at The Breakfast Club screening, or reveal your true colors at this month's edition of Bar Flies. For more things to do, visit Phoenix New Times' calendar.

Vermouth Class
What is the nature and the makeup of the other clear, strange substance that lurks in martinis with your vodka or gin? It is vermouth. Like beer, like bourbon, this flavored wine has all kinds of nuances and can vary in quality, from chemical firewater to layered stuff you will happily sip. Learn all about vermouth at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 9, at ODV Wines 1325 West University Drive, Tempe.

This class, conducted by Iconic Cocktail Co., will laser in on how vermouth can and should be used in cocktails. You will get to sample vermouth in plain and cocktail forms. Desserts will be served by local dolce wizard Tracy Dempsey. Tickets are $10 at Eventbrite. Chris Malloy

Chris Redd
You may know Chris Redd as Hunter the Hungry from the hilarious Andy Samberg-starring Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, or as one of the newest cast members of SNL. Now, you can see him in person when he performs stand-up at Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy for $17.50 to $52.90 per ticket — depending on if you want the Dinner & Show package. At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 9, Redd will be making people laugh, showing people why he’s such a great fit for the long-running comedy sketch show that kicked off the careers of legends like Tina Fey and Will Ferrell. House of Comedy is located at 5350 East High Street. Shows continue through Sunday, August 12. For more info, visit the House of Comedy website. Dillon Rosenblatt

Beyoncé vs. Rihanna
Whether you think Beyonce is queen or that Rihanna is bae, you can dance the night away to the two R&B/pop divas at Beyoncé vs. Rihanna. Head to The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Friday, August 10, for a full night of bangers. No remixes. No covers. Just the two divas played on repeat. Ain’t that sweet?

Tickets are available at Ticketfly for $15. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the music starts at 9:30. Bonus points if you dress up like either of the icons. Lindsay Roberts

Game On Expo
Video games are a pursuit that spans generations. Need proof? Check out the wide-reaching age range of people geeking out with joysticks in hand during the annual Game On Expo this weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center’s South Building, 33 South Third Street. Activities ranging from e-sports competitions and arcade titles to a large lineup of retro and modern console available for free play will be hosted. If your interests are more lo-fi, the expo will also feature gaming opportunities of the tabletop, collectible card, and role-playing variety. Competitions, costume contests, and concerts are also planned.

The event takes place from Friday, August 10, to Sunday, August 12. Hours vary. Daily admission is $25 to $35, weekend passes are $55, and a “Level Up” VIP pass is $75. See the Game On Expo website for full details. Benjamin Leatherman

Eric Andre
The comedian who referred to himself a couple years back as an “elderly Jewish lesbian trapped in a 33-year-old nerd’s body,” the infamous Eric Andre, returns to Phoenix for a handful of stand-up shows. He’s appeared on a number of TV shows, including 2 Broke Girls and Curb Your Enthusiasm, but is best known for The Eric Andre Show. His [adult swim] talk show has so far lasted for four seasons of pranks, bizarre interviews, and the physical destruction of the set. See him once or get a double dose of the madman at back-to-back shows at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday, August 10, at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street. Admission is $27 for 21 and older. Attendance requires a two-drink minimum. Shows continue on August 11. Call 480-719-6100 or check out the Stand Up Live website. Amy Young

The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience
Playing Led Zeppelin music with authenticity means not just re-creating the band’s sound but also capturing its members’ movements, inflections, and styles. Founded in 1995, Zoso — The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience shows the different sides of the iconic band, with performances of its studio and live albums, BBC Sessions, and Earl’s Court and Albert Hall concerts. The tribute group will perform at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, on Friday, August 10, starting at 6:15 p.m. The band stays true to the original music while adding touches such elongating, shortening or bending notes. Matt Jernigan, the band’s lead singer/Robert Plant says, “We try to execute and try to bring people what it was like to see them live.” Jernigan adds that Led Zeppelin appeals to different audiences because of the folk, heavy metal, blues, Celtic, classical, and reggae sounds in its music.

Tickets cost $25 to $35. For more information, call 480-829-1300 or go to the Lucky Man website. Laura Latzko

The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is the standard by which all other teen movies are judged. Written and directed by John Hughes, the film focuses on five students from different cliques of the high school hierarchy confined in Saturday detention. With the help of a magical bag of weed, they let their guards down and realize they have more in common with each other than previously believed. After the screening, join hosts Shelly Grant and Brian Haas for a live taping of their BS Movies podcast. There will be trivia and prizes in store. Don’t you forget about the movie starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, August 10, at FilmBar, 815 North Second Street. Admission is $9.95. For more information, visit the FilmBar website. Jason Keil

Something Like Seduction and Flight of Ryan Release Party
If you believe the sentiment “support your scene,” now is the time to act on it. Local artists Something Like Seduction and Flight of Ryan are both releasing new CDs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 11, at Last Exit Live, 717 South Central Avenue. They will be performing with bands like Sunset Voodoo and songwriter Bob Rabbit.

Tickets for the event are $10 at Eventbrite. For more information, visit the Facebook event page. Lindsay Roberts

National Farmers Market Week
It might be the dog days of summer, when the most appealing activity is waiting out the heat in a dark, air-conditioned room. But local farmers are still hard at work in sweltering temperatures to bring food to your table.

This Saturday, August 11, show local producers your appreciation at a celebration of National Farmers Market Week at the Phoenix Public Market. From 8 a.m. to noon, the Public Market will feature a special edition of the market: Loyal shoppers can win gift certificates and prizes from local businesses in a raffle, and kids can participate in a scavenger hunt. There will also be a cooking demonstration and a pottery wheel. “It’s kind of a fun excuse to remind people that we’re still open in the summer,” says Sara Matlin, the manager of the public market. She expects approximately 70 vendors and a dozen farmers to show up. Join other dedicated locavores at 721 North Central Avenue, and visit the Phoenix Public Market website for more information. Joe Flaherty

Our Spirits Don’t Speak English
Maybe you’re horrified that families have been torn apart through Trump’s “no tolerance” border policies. It’s an echo of an earlier period of American history, when the U.S. government sent Native American children to boarding schools meant to strip their indigenous culture and replace it with Western ways. It happened here in Arizona, plus other parts of the country. Explore Native American perspectives on the practice when the Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue, presents the film Our Spirits Don’t Speak English at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 11. The free screening is part of the Heard Museum’s Boarding School Film Series, taking place as the museum prepares to open its new “Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories” exhibit in February 2019. Visit the Heard Museum website. Lynn Trimble

Space Jam
Thanks to home video and its ubiquity on cable television, Space Jam is cinematic comfort food for a generation. You can relive those Saturday mornings watching Michael Jordan, the greatest NBA stars of the ’90s (and Shawn Bradley), and Bugs Bunny play the ultimate game of intergalactic hoops against a race of space aliens by watching the 1996 movie on the big screen with a big bowl of cereal in front of you.

Take it to the hole at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 11, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Chandler, 4955 South Arizona Avenue. Admission is $10.78 and includes the cereal and milk. There is an additional screening on Sunday, August 12. For more information, visit the Alamo Drafthouse website. Jason Keil

“AZ Modernists”
Sometimes great art turns up in unexpected places, including the resorts we typically associate with fancy spas or swimming pools. Head to The Gallery at Mountain Shadows, 5445 East Lincoln Drive in Scottsdale, anytime on Sunday, August 12, to see what we mean. That’s where Reyes Contemporary Art is presenting the free “AZ Modernists” exhibit featuring works by Lew Davis, Frank Patania, Jr., and Raymond Phillips Sanderson. It’s a chance to explore how Arizona-based artists working in the 20th century used color, form, and line in their paintings, sculpture, and jewelry pieces. The exhibition continues through Friday, August 31. Visit the Mountain Shadows website. Lynn Trimble

Don’t Torture A Duckling
Don’t Torture A Duckling may sound like an absurd title for a movie, but the tense horror film is anything but. When the murders of adolescent men begin to plague a small Italian village, the town’s residents are eager to suspect the town witch or the seductive and scandal-plagued daughter of a millionaire. The film, directed by Lucio Fulci (The Beyond), is significant for its use of violent gore effects, its unflattering portrayal of the Catholic Church, and its incorporation of taboo subjects such as pedophilia. The film will be introduced by Monte Yazzie of the Phoenix Critics Circle. Hide your eyes from the screen at 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 12, at FilmBar, 815 North Second Street. Admission is $9.95. For more information, visit the FilmBar website. Jason Keil

“Works of Art on Paper”
John Burridge has been creating quite the paper trail. He’s part of a Surprise-based arts organization called WHAM, which promotes artists working in the Northwest Valley. And he’s been collecting works of art by local, national, and international artists with diverse styles for more than four decades. Now a selection of those works is featured in a free group show called “Works of Art on Paper,” which you can explore between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, August 13, at Surprise City Hall, 16000 North Civic Center Plaza. The exhibit continues through Thursday, August 23. Visit the West Valley Arts website. Lynn Trimble

Us the Duo
If you remember Vine, then you may remember the adorable videos from the account known as Us the Duo.

The singing couple was famous for their six-second covers of popular songs in which they only filmed their mouths singing in harmony. Now, they’ve upgraded to using their full faces and are performing at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue. Go see the couple sing their way into your heart on Tuesday, August 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $20. Visit the Crescent Ballroom website for more information. Lindsay Roberts

Laura Spalding Best
For years, Phoenix-based artist Laura Spalding Best has been exploring the fine line between reality and perception, primarily through oil paintings on found objects. But her work holds even richer meaning now, during the age of so-called “fake news.” She’s created a whole new body of work, comprising paintings on domestic objects such as tea cups and irons. And she’s showing them at Practical Art, 5070 North Central Avenue, where you can see her “Vanity” exhibit between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 14. The free art show includes more than 200 objects that reflect her fascination with utility poles, passion for art history, facility with visual metaphors, and familiarity with local landscapes. The exhibition continues through Friday, August 31. Visit the Practical Art website. Lynn Trimble

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
We all know the future is female. And the FilmBar knows it too, which is why they’re celebrating female-directed films. On Wednesday, August 15, they’ll screen the film Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts for their series on women in film. Directed by Mouly Surya, the film follows Marlina, a widow who defends her farm in Indonesia from robbers. She kills several men of the gang and embarks on a journey of empowerment, but is later haunted by a headless ghost. The screening is at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10. For more information, visit the FilmBar website. Lindsay Roberts

Bar Flies
Are you ready to reveal your True Colors? Five Phoenix storytellers certainly are, as New Times’ monthly reading series Bar Flies kicks off its fourth season on Wednesday, August 15, at Valley Bar, 130 North Central Avenue. The program is curated by Amy Silverman with Jimmy Myers, Stacy Pearson, Marcelino Quinonez, Hannah Viquesney, and Kathy West reading their personal essays. David Moroney will make his debut as DJ for the event. Tickets are $5 and the event is 21-and-over. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the shows starts at 7. Visit the Ticketfly website. Stuart Warner