Wed 7/28 What Zephryn Conte does with a beat is easily defined: anything she wants. To be more precise, Conte, who’s “somewhere between 40 and ageless,” uses her omnipotent rhythmic abilities to channel dance, song and rhyme into one performance — the Zephryn Conte Jazz/Poetry Experience, on Wednesday, July 28,…
Sun 7/25 So much for the pity. The only splash Lollapalooza 2004 made was in the toilet, but The Thrills bounced back instantly from the cancellation, booking a big U.S. tour with fellow Lolla-gaggers and U.K. rockers Gomez. Such good fortune hounds the Dublin band — get a load of…
The 114 musicians and performers who make up the Arizona Academy Drum and Bugle Corps aren’t your typical band geeks who “this one time, at band camp” performed obscene acts with clarinets and oboes. (After all, there are no woodwinds in drum corps. As if!) Then again, they don’t possess…
THU 22 We’re not sure who the real star of a Chris Putrino Band show is: a bouncing, jumping Chris Putrino — or his dark, flowing and, frankly, frightening mullet? Nevertheless, Putrino — who jumps off the stage, and “the audience comes alive!” — and the members of his band…
Sun 7/18 This bar brawl’s going to spill out into the parking lot. And they’re ready — with 100 tons of sand trucked in for the occasion. This Sunday, July 18, the inaugural “Battle of the Bars Volleyball Tournament” pits the staffs of eight Tempe bars against those of eight…
Sat 7/17 Now that he’s pimped his own ride, Robert Aguilar will be rollin’ with his homies from Mystical Car Club to the first Car & Music Show at Audio Express, 6710 West Camelback, on Saturday, July 17. After touring his custom 2000 Chevy Silverado (pictured) to 25 car shows…
Six days of the week — sometimes all seven — you’ll find Seth Riveras, Baron Faust and Ethan Bortin in the maze of rails, obstacles and ramps that is Phoenix Skatepark. The three 13-year-olds have been skateboarding together since they first set their feet on a deck about four years…
7/16-7/18 John DiResta’s got a new catchphrase he hopes will grab the nation by the balls: “How’s your cock?” asks the portly comedian and former NYPD flatfoot. So far, response has been mixed. “You’re the second person I’ve asked, seriously. The first one was my wife. She just said, ‘Fine…
THU 15 Can’t crack The Da Vinci Code? Don’t blame yourself for trying — you and a few million other obsessive-compulsive readers who’ve turned the book into a way of life. Dan Brown’s best-selling novel’s been a talker, for sure. And it keeps spawning further discussion. Take, for instance, Dr…
7/09-8/01 For weeks, Gerry Cullity has been surrounded by whores — yes, whores, good golly! “And isn’t that a little bit like heaven?” says Cullity, director of Desert Stages Theatre’s mainstage production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 9, at 4720 North…
Sat 7/10 Alcohol and night golfing — it’s a winning combination. Leave it to the geniuses at the Papago Brewing Company to dream up the best pairing since hops joined forces with barley. Wannabe golf pros can get lit to the gills before heading out to slice and drive at…
Thu 7/08 As much as we hate to say it, corporate sponsorship has its benefits. Take, for instance, Scottsdale’s Summer Spectacular ArtWalk, on Thursday, July 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. “You mean ‘The M&I Bank Summer Spectacular ArtWalk’?” asks Kathy Duley, co-owner of the Duley-Jones Gallery in Old Town…
Sun 7/11 Say the name Pablo Neruda to the average Joe, and you’ll probably get blank stares in return (or, at best, a slight dawn of recognition). He’s heard Neruda mentioned somewhere, maybe on that rerun of The Simpsons. It’s a shame, since “the Picasso of poetry” penned a few…
THU 8 Don’t drink the water. Don’t pay full price. And don’t piss off the Federales! When it comes to planning a trip south of the border, that’s pretty much the holy trinity of need-to-know info. But the father-son tandem of Drs. Robert and Curtis Page have some additional advice…
7/2-7/4 With its stable of Gold Glovers, home run kings and future Hall of Famers mired in a disastrous season, the Arizona Diamondbacks are (to borrow from Soundgarden) looking California but feeling Minnesota these days. So it’s most apropos that the cellar-dwelling D-Backs take on the Twins — those of…
Curators at the Arizona State University Art Museum are planning an exhibition of contemporary art titled “Democracy in America,” just in time for the presidential election this fall. And, not coincidentally, just in time for the third and final presidential debate, scheduled to take place just hundreds of feet away,…
THU 1 Relationship woes? Money issues? In trouble with the boss? We’re not promising anything, but “professional” astro-therapist Roxy Carter might help in the search for true romance, winning lottery numbers, and a good excuse for why you’re stumbling into work at noon — again — when she unites psychology…
6/24-6/27 Games children play often have very grown-up connotations. Playing “doctor” is an easy way for kindergartners to cop a feel, and, apparently, puppetry is a way for grown-ups to play with dolls. From Thursday, June 24, through Sunday, June 27, “Puppets for Everyone: The Pacific Southwest Regional Puppet Festival”…
6/25-6/26 Scott Sanders, owner of the Paper Heart Gallery, has his own method of bitch-slapping culture-deprived Valley residents. This time it’s with “Haz Mat,” the Heart’s latest installment of experimental music, theater and video art. The two-night gig, which promises to open your mind — and then screw with it…
Sat 6/26 They’re fast, they’re tough, they’re sexy as hell. And they hold grudges. For a really long time. By now you’ve heard of the Arizona Roller Derby and the infamous rivalry between the two teams that started it all: the Smash Squad and the Bruisers. On Saturday, June 26,…
6/24-7/9 Local artist Karen Fiorito knows she’s on someone’s — or some government agency’s — list. The question, though, isn’t which one, but, rather, how many? “That’s what my friends have told me,” the recent ASU fine arts grad says, laughing, as she hovers around downtown’s Studio LoDo. “According to…
There’s a big difference between being laughable and being laugh-out-loud funny. Talking to Nick Tarr about his career as a comic, however, blurs the line of distinction. Tarr, famous (or infamous — again, it depends on one’s perspective) for his recurring role as “Joe Arizona” in the gaming initiative commercials…
