Walk outside and take a deep breath. That’s the smell of our city, set to broil. After months of breathing the aromas of melting blacktop and hot garbage, it’s only fitting that five15 gallery’s “What Smells So Bad?” will be up for the most miserable summer month. The olfactory-inspired group…
Tawni Shuler and Alex Kutchins at Shemer Art Center and Museum: If youve ever reminisced with an old friend or family member, youre likely familiar with the pitfalls of memory: Some moments are bold and clear while others have weakened to become translucent shadows. Tawni Shuler works with pastels and…
If you happen to be one of those “creative types,” you probably house a huge heap of disgusting laundry hemorrhaging from your closet, green stink lines undulating. And if you can imagine yourself diving into that pile like Uncle Scrooge into his money bin, you might just have a piece…
This week, Club Candids showed up to work with a hangover because we hit The Door on Wednesday night for the one-year anniversary of Groove Candy. The midweek hip-hop/R&B dance night was packed with folks dressed to the nines in their favorite urban garb. (Click here for more photos.) The…
Kjel Alkire, 31, believes in God and goes to church. But don’t make any assumptions. Alkire’s art performances promote a healthy, challenging conversation about Christianity, supported by art that sports a zany sense of humor and a dose of religion — including lists of sins that you can nail onto…
Last weekend, we decided to bite the bullet and inconvenience ourselves with light-rail construction to visit one of our favorite central Phoenix standbys, the George & Dragon. (Click here for more photos.) With a decent crowd filling the pub, it was obvious that we weren’t the only ones ready to…
Fausto Fernandez at The Latin American Art Gallery: We all need a little instruction — something to give us direction and guidance. Without it, wed be flailing aimlessly in this life, accidentally screwing each other over in a nonsensical world of no consequence. Fausto Fernandez taps into the need for…
A 21st birthday usually means bar-hopping, endless rounds of shots, and plenty of post-partying puke. Thankfully, Lisa Sette decided to skip the debauchery and celebrate her 21st year in business with “7+7+7=21 Summer Group Show,” in which an excellent medley of artwork is displayed by 21 of her gallery’s represented…
In life, sometimes we have to face the music and ask ourselves the tough questions. Where is my career going? Am I living up to my potential? Can I do better than this guy? And, what smells so bad? The members of the five15 arts collective may be able to…
This week, Club Candids decided to hit up our favorite pre-party place in Phoenix, Zen 32. The sushi restaurant has a late-night menu and stellar bar service, so we often make a pit stop there before heading out for the evening’s real shindig. On Saturday, July 28, this swanky place…
Most of us daytime working stiffs get our clubbing and drinking done on Friday and Saturday nights, but what about all those poor schlubs who serve us food and booze on our weekend benders? When do they get to ruin their livers? The poor babies have to sneak it during…
Fausto Fernandez at The Latin American Art Gallery: We all need a little instruction — something to give us direction and guidance. Without it, wed be flailing aimlessly in this life, accidentally screwing each other over in a nonsensical world of no consequence. Fausto Fernandez taps into the need for…
Ladies, if you want some attention, hit Bruno Mali’s on a Monday night. We were there for the two-year anniversary of the DJ night A Foreign Affair on July 16, and the place was a total sausage-fest. (Click here for more photos.) But be warned, many of these dudes are…
With all this talk of going green and cleaning up our carbon footprints, it’s no secret the world is knee-deep in trash. Changing old wasteful habits can prove difficult, particularly in a world of heavy industry. But leave it to an artist to find a way to appropriate scrap metal…
I’ve always been a sucker for the graphic print. Today, printmaking is considered a valid process used by high-end visual artists. But the medium hasn’t always been held in such regard. Because they could be produced quickly and in mass volume, prints were often considered throwaway street art. But if…
We’re all aware of what haunts us every time we attempt to negotiate reality when we look in the mirror. We ask ourselves if we’re prettier than the ex, the neighbor, or — admit it — the best friend. It’s the non-gender-specific spectrum of attractiveness and, like it or not,…
Thursday night is never too early to get out, get effed, and get down. Partying before the weekend may seem decadent and unnecessary, but two weekend nights per week aren’t enough to satiate a true partier’s appetite. Besides, a hangover on a Friday is just as common as the collective…
This week, Club Candids decided to hit Mill Avenue and jump into whatever club seemed most promising. Turns out, the old standby Fat Tuesday was totally rockin’ on Saturday, July 14. (Click here for more photos.) Having never been there before, we’d had the impression that it was for the…
We remember when “nightlife” at 40th Street and Indian School consisted of a run-down Taco Bell and a super-scummy dive bar. But now that the Arcadia neighborhood is suddenly sexy, there’s a little scene happening at The Vig that we decided to tap into on Saturday, July 7. (Click here…
“Homegrown AZ Artist Show” at Windup Gallery: Graffiti — it’s not just for cinderblock anymore. The bold and energetic aesthetic has recently popped up in galleries (like five15, or Wet Paint when it was showing artists) and coffee shops. With reasonable prices, the work is gaining popularity among the young,…
Art exhibitions can be frustrating, confusing, and challenging. It’s always a struggle to decide whether the art in an exhibition is total crap or you’re just too dumb to get it. So every once in a while, it’s time to take a break, shelve the ego, and just enjoy something…
Ever since we could use our eyeballs, humans haven’t been able to shake a major staring problem with the night sky. The ancient Babylonians were so obsessed that they created the first-known practice of astrology — which we now use as fodder for cheap come-on lines in bars. In the…
