Nightlife

The cowboy mythos may be antiquated, but folks ’round here still blaze plenty of trails. In the last decade or so, Andy Warpigs has cut a swath through this city, shining bright as a folk-punk hero who uplifts listeners with each new trip to the stage or studio. Warpigs champions punk-ish values of individuality and justice, acting as a beacon for an entire community of artists trying to make their own brand of weirdness take flight. What drives his devotion to sound and city alike is a genuine love of music and an earnest belief that great tunes can unite a village, burn out all the evil, and make a place that’s more free and fun than previously imagined. Even if such transformations never fully take hold, Warpigs’ dedication to Phoenix keeps us all on our toes and perpetually honest with what we’re putting in. He’s not just some noble figurehead or stoic figure on horseback, and he doesn’t demand change so much as show us something in ourselves to work toward. He’s the guy with the guitar singing about a dark and twisted world, hoping we’ll scream along for just a couple of bars.

There are some amazing jukeboxes in this town. We direct your attention to the punk-themed picks at TT Roadhouse, the ska-heavy selection at Shady’s, and the country tunes behind the glass at The Dirty Drummer, just to name a few. But if you’d like to choose from a little bit of everything, beat a path to Linger Longer Lounge. This uptown dive has a well-earned rep as a place where beloved local DJs preside over dance parties, but it’s also, depending on the night, an ideal spot for a few drinks accompanied by some of your own spins on the jukebox. You’ll find everything from Black Sabbath to Sonic Youth, Neil Young to The Replacements, Travis to the Pixies. Also here: the self-titled first album by Tenacious D, a masterpiece. Order yourself a Silver Bullet, maybe some noodles from Saint Pasta, and treat yourself to some “Inward Singing.”

Karaoke is king at this downtown Tempe pizzeria, and the staff and crowds aren’t shy about letting the world know it. The raucous nightly singing sessions — amplified over speakers set up on the patio — rival the din from other Mill Avenue nightspots, attracting a crowd that soon finds the place has entertaining MCs and a jovial, come-as-you-are atmosphere. Anyone’s welcome to step onstage, grab the mic, and pick a tune from 414’s extensive song list. Some singers have real talent, and others can be as cheesy as the pizza. But few are lacking in energy or enthusiasm, making this our current favorite karaoke night in the Valley.

It doesn’t seem right to go into your local watering hole all by yourself, but if you walk into Stacy’s @ Melrose solo, you won’t feel that way for long. There is a sense of community when you step inside, whether you’re enjoying a couple of cheap drinks, a drag show, karaoke, or dancing on a Saturday night. If you think that feeling has been lost to the pandemic forcing bars to close, you might want to check out the establishment’s social media accounts. Owner Stacy Louis continues to check in on customers and raise money for causes important to the LGBTQ community.

The Cash may be a lesbian bar, but what we really love about this central Phoenix spot is how it welcomes all. Everyone can enjoy the music, which depending on the night might be country, dance, pop, hip-hop, or rock. Everyone can enjoy the great drink specials. Everyone can enjoy the special events, which before the pandemic included karaoke, line-dancing lessons, signing events from members of the Phoenix Mercury, bingo, and more. We like to grab a booth, order up a cheap Tito’s or Coronita, then hit the dance floor under the colorful lights.

Hosted by upstart drag king and 2020 Mister Boycott Sir Nate, this monthly revue at Boycott Bar aims to introduce drag newcomers to the wildly diverse and often underappreciated world of male drag performance. One established local drag queen joins the cast each time, but for the most part, this show — held every third Saturday — is a platform for fresh-faced performers yearning to strut their stuff on the bar’s charming stage. The King’s Court lives up to the reputation created by other Boycott shows like Georgina the Doll’s Doll Factory, so don’t hesitate to grab a cold drink from the friendly staff, pull out some tip money, and get close to the action as you witness both seasoned and rising drag artists perform their truth on the floor of Boycott.

Of all the places around town we’ve missed this year, The Rebel Lounge is near the top of the list. We enjoy the space because of its past (it was the beloved and storied Mason Jar for 25 years, where many of the best alternative acts of the ’80s and ’90s played), but also for everything Stephen Chilton of Psyko Steve Presents has done with the place after taking it over in 2015. Since then, it’s been an intimate venue for up-and-coming local and national acts, the setting of the “Make It Loud” live panel discussion series on how to break out as a new artist in today’s music industry, and the home of an ever-changing marquee that’s often advertising some clever saying or another. The Rebel Lounge is a major hub of the Phoenix music scene, and we can’t hardly wait until the shows start up there again.

On the list of things we’re looking forward to once this damn pandemic is over: Hearing some music at The Van Buren. When local promoter Charlie Levy opened this spectacular venue in 2017, it instantly became one of the coolest places in the entire state. The 1,800-person concert venue replaced an old auto dealership, but little of that drab history is detectable; the renovation included top-line equipment and furnishings, burnished with murals of desert mountains. It has a clean feel that isn’t sterile. It’s like if a Phoenix dive where you used to see musical acts grew up with you, providing the same sort of fun but without the smell of dried beer. The current emptiness of the space now stands in contrast to the light and sound of the shows we’ve seen here, or the laughter of the crowd for a storytelling event. When the good times return to The Van Buren, we’ll be there.

Unlike the Valley’s other big concert venues, Talking Stick Resort Arena is situated along the Valley Metro light rail, which, depending on where you live, can make getting to and from shows cheaper (no Uber, no parking fees) and more fun (the camaraderie of fellow concert-goers, no need for a designated driver). It’s easy to grab food and drinks from the concession stands, but the downtown location means you’ve got tons of options for dinner and drinks before or after the show. And the shows themselves? The venue regularly welcomes big-name acts: Eric Clapton, the Jonas Brothers, the Miami-based Latin band Maná, Sesame Street Live. It’s a big room, yes — 18,000 seats — but we’ve enjoyed shows there everywhere from the floor to the rafters.

Corpse paint, growling vocals, scary-looking dudes with hair down to their asses: We get that metal might not seem like the most welcoming scene or genre. But that’s why Club Red is so vital. This Mesa institution is all about kicking down the doors to Valhalla and letting people experience the wonders of a truly open metal community. That dedication is built into the very design of the venue, which has two rooms (more bands, more exposure) and a food truck outside that serves friendly, from-scratch cooking. Some of the biggest national and indie metal acts have come through Club Red’s doors, but even at the dinky local-act gigs you feel a sense of loyalty, kinship, even celebration. At a time when many other metal clubs in the Valley have withered away, a place like Club Red is nothing less than an absolute, devil-horned treasure.

CJ Jacobson of Paper Foxes told Phoenix New Times last year that Popular Confessions, the title of the band’s debut album, was a term he coined to “explain the mass depression that nearly everyone seems to be experiencing in 2019.” The record made the melancholy melt away more than any other Valley release, which is why we’re still listening in 2020, when we’re unable to go out and dance with the “death disco” group. And folks outside Arizona are starting to take notice. Paper Foxes was recently named the best unsigned band in the state by Alternative Press. Here’s hoping they’ll get the chance to show off for the residents of other states soon.

The members of Treasure MammaL have always been tough nuts to crack. As much a band as pure performance art, they blend ironic detachment, bountiful nostalgia, and globs of random pop culture into something indecipherable but nevertheless entirely entertaining. As it turns out, the collective might have another calling as a cover band. Across 2020, they’ve released bonkers covers of songs by Depeche Mode, Sublime, and the Aquabats. Are these songs “good” in a traditional sense? No. They sound as if your 1998 Dell PC exploded in a fit of mangled musical samples. But they’re good in that they’re completely insane pieces of media that somehow make our current timeline feel less terrifying and all-consuming. If you’re not into it, don’t let that stop you from enjoying original Treasure MammaL material (September’s Grammy Nominated is totally silly but also transcendent). Instead, let these covers serve as inspiration to, say, leave behind the rat race, move to Las Vegas, and start a covers-centric cabaret show on Fremont Street.

There wasn’t much time for live music in 2020 before the world up and changed. Livestreamed shows are a satisfying distraction, but they can’t capture the visceral quality — the power, really — of seeing a genuine live concert. Unless, of course, we’re talking about Las Calakas. This cumbia fusion band somehow managed to re-create the excitement of their raucous live shows despite the limitations of technology. It’s not just that the streams ignited the same fires as an actual concert (an urge to shimmy, the tendency to hoot and holler, etc.) — they displayed the band’s dynamic in high-res detail as they whipped out fiery fusion jams in real time. Las Calakas’ streams are a reminder of live music’s power to help people lose themselves in the creative ether. More than anything, they kept hope alive for what might come next for a post-quarantine world: a night out at the show, dancing and vibing with a few dozen close strangers.

This Is Spinal Tap has been part of the pop culture lexicon for so long, it’s become cliche to say that a band can take it up to “11.” But with all due respect to Nigel Tufnel’s amp, Harper and the Moths went above and beyond after the release of their first full-length album, Dark Enough to Dance, their nod to the funky Nile Rodgers guitar sound of the ’80s. No one said they had to produce a choreographed 360-degree video to the single “Your Love” — but they did (and it kicked ass). And they deserve an award for getting local indie kids to stop standing with folded arms and dance at every show. But wait a second, isn’t that what we’re doing here? We are, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Other rappers might be content with the level of success Raheem Jarbo has achieved — Billboard-charting tracks, nerdcore icon — but not the performer known as Mega Ran, who’s never rested on his laurels and never stays idle for long. Jarbo is always leveling up his skills, honing his already considerable lyrical talents through constant projects and collaborations with premier rappers like Young RJ of Slum Village and Kadesh Flow. Game recognize game. He’s got geek cred to go with his street cred, continuing to drop tracks laden with gaming and geek references (it’s how he first made his name, after all) or hosting virtual concerts in Animal Crossing. Jarbo also uses his status to give something back; in July, he raised nearly $17,000 through Twitch livestreaming for a nationwide bail fund for Black Lives Matter protesters. He’s a force on the mic and a force for good.

After more than a decade of polishing his skills, mostly behind the scenes as a DJ/producer, it’s Ben Dorman’s time to shine. Over the summer, the artist known as Bijou (French for “jewel”) dropped his debut album, Diamond City, and its brilliance proves he’s a cut above most locally produced electronic dance music artists. The 15-track effort is a true gem, glittering with radiant bass, hip-hop swagger, and huge infusions of G-house crafted by Dorman, backed up by rap glitterati like Denzel Curry and Wifisfuneral. It’s sparkled on SoundCloud so far, with bangers like the Dr. Fresch collaboration “Westside” (featuring bars by Phoenix’s Willy Northpole) racking up hundreds of thousands of plays within weeks of release. Such success makes Dorman’s decision in 2013 to abandon a potential pitching career a wise one. We’re certain the Valley native will be called up to EDM’s big leagues soon enough.

We ain’t gonna lie: When Justus Samuel first announced the Arizona Hip Hop Festival back in 2014, we thought he was nuts. Or suffering from delusions of grandeur. Or both. Bringing together close to 100 artists (and their egos) from Phoenix’s fractured and often-contentious scene for an enormous one-day showcase? It seemed destined to implode under the sheer weight of Samuel’s ambition. We were wrong. Save for some logistical snafus, the inaugural festival was a resounding success. Six years later, it’s still going strong, helping to develop local talents, foster a sense of community, and put Arizona hip-hop on the map. That’s been Samuel’s M.O. for more than a decade with his record label and promotions company Respect the Underground, which showcases rappers through regular gigs and lands them airplay on online platforms like iKON Radio. He’s even adapted to the COVID-19 crisis, using livestreams and virtual concerts to get RTU’s music to the public — whatever it takes for Arizona’s hip-hop godfather and biggest booster to continue repping this fine state.

Walk down the stairs at Hanny’s and into the basement, and you’ll encounter a strange sight behind a chain link fence: more than 14 dolls positioned around a large table covered in coins. The dolls, posed as if participating in a game, are in varying stages of decay, and they emanate a creepy, corpse-like aesthetic. Hanny’s owner, Karl Kopp, originally meant the display to be a temporary art installation after the historical clothing store building reopened as a restaurant in 2008, but it’s become such a source of abject fascination that the assembly of dolls is now permanent. The doll display isn’t the only weird art on exhibit at Hanny’s — to get downstairs to them, you’ll have to pass a bizarre, beaded humanoid sculpture with baby doll faces embedded in its butt cheeks.

Casey Moore’s vast selection of high-end hooch bottles aren’t the only spirits lurking about the historic Tempe bar. As legend has it, the place is haunted by the ghosts of William and Mary Moeur, the couple who built the circa-1910 property and shuffled off the mortal coil in 1929 and 1943, respectively. Ask the staff, and they’ll spin yarns about supernatural shenanigans like food being snatched off plates, mysteriously tugged neckties, and pictures falling off the walls. Some swear they’ve seen the Moeurs dancing in front of an upstairs window. You might even hear about sightings of a young co-ed who was strangled by her boyfriend back when the building was a boarding house. Truth be told, no one’s ever produced any evidence these ghosts exist, not even a group of paranormal investigators who examined every nook and cranny in 2016. Have enough pints of Casey’s beer of the day, though, and who’s to say you won’t catch a glimpse of some of these resident specters.

When a bar has the name Killer Whale Sex Club, you’d expect it to be memorable — and maybe a little prurient. This Roosevelt Row drinkery, which cocktail industry pros Sam Olguin and Brenon Stuart opened in early March, delivers on both counts. Outside, the bungalow-style building is adorned with a glorious mural of a rearing Pegasus rendered in orange, purple, and turquoise. Its speakeasy-like interior has lowbrow touches mixed with high-style drinks. Gold-painted fixtures are everywhere. A collage of cutouts from nudie magazines covers one wall. The Japanese shunga print The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife hangs over the bar, where the staff serves cocktails like The Hot Seat, a hibiscus-infused take on the bourbon cherry sour. There’s even merch available, including hats and shirts with the phrase “Big Daiq Energy” — just in case KWSC wasn’t unforgettable enough.

It was quite a coup when the inaugural Sandbox Music Festival in Mesa booked Lil Nas X as a headliner just as his infectious single “Old Town Road” was making its historic journey to the top of the charts. But two days before the rapper was supposed to slide his Porsche into the parking lot of the Scarizona Scaregrounds, he announced on Twitter that he was taking some time off and would not be appearing. Festival organizers were surprised by the move, but they more than made up for the cancellation by refunding tickets and even making the event free to attend. Then, just as the organizers were mounting a triumphant return in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic ensured that no one would be playing at Sandbox this year, either.

When the pandemic forced live music venues to close their doors, it left their hard-working security guards, bartenders, and sound engineers without a steady source of income. Club owners set up several fundraisers aimed at providing a financial lifeline to their employees. Some offered donors incentives like ticket discounts to use when the clubs reopened. But with Arizona a hotbed for COVID-19, who knows when concert lovers will be able to use those? Stephen Chilton, the owner of The Rebel Lounge, figured that people might want some merch instead, so he teamed up with design studio Hamster Labs and T-shirt printer Acme Prints to create a one-of-a-kind shirt bound to turn heads. The black shirt has the venue’s logo on the front and a cool Western design of a cowboy on a bucking bronco in the desert moonlight on the back. We wear ours when we want to broadcast our style and our support for local venues all at once.

It took a whopping seven years for Pearl Jam to come out with their latest album, Gigaton. And when we watched the music video for the band’s single, “Dance of the Clairvoyants,” we were delighted to see something familiar: dramatic storm footage by Phoenix photographer and weather chaser Mike Olbinski. Our gorgeous Arizona lightning was featured alongside other nature imagery like the Northern Lights, waves crashing, the Earth from space, and floating fire embers. While the track likely won’t be played at any of the weddings Olbinski photographs when he isn’t capturing lightning strikes, it’s still something on his résumé he can brag about at the reception.

To promote his new album, Still on the Rise, rapper Futuristic looked to music’s past for a marketing idea: the album preorder. The thought of purchasing an album before its release date seems weird in the age of streaming, but artists don’t make much money when you listen to their music on Spotify or Apple Music. With no live shows on the horizon, album sales are more important than ever. Back in April, the Tempe rapper offered fans who posted a screenshot of their preorder receipt on Instagram and tagged him and his label in the pic the chance to win $100. The promotion lasted for five days, and the catch was only one fan a day could win. No word if the idea helped boost his numbers, but it only cost him $500 to try.

It was one of the most anticipated tours of 2020, and rumor had it that tickets for the Rage Against the Machine reunion show at Gila River Arena in Glendale — originally scheduled to take place in late March before their Coachella dates — had sold out in less than an hour. It was the band’s first round of concerts since 2011, and those who didn’t snag a $125 seat made their, well, rage against the band known on social media. Tom Morello took to Twitter to calm down angry fans, but that only made things worse, with those who didn’t get a ticket telling the guitarist that it was his fault they wouldn’t be going because the quartet was “too popular.” The band magnanimously added a second show, but it didn’t matter in the end. The pandemic canceled music events throughout the country, including the Rage shows. The rage against Rage was, ultimately, for naught.

The pickings in this category were slim, thanks to a pandemic that forced the cancellation of all local music festivals after mid-March. But even if that hadn’t happened, M3F (also known as the McDowell Mountain Music Festival), which took place days before the concert industry shut down, would likely still get the nod. As with its previous editions, the three-day, three-stage affair at Margaret T. Hance Park dazzled. The lineup was diverse (indie, Americana, hip-hop, electronica, and soul acts were represented) and the performances were fantastic (particularly sets by Bon Iver, Sofi Tukker, and RÜFÜS DU SOL). There were also entertaining amenities like funky art cars from Walter Productions, live art displays, and a silent disco. Whether or not there’s an M3F in 2021 is still very much up in the air at this point. If not, we’ll have plenty of memories from this year to tide us over.

Rips Bar in the Coronado District opens at 6 a.m., which tells you something about what kind of place it is. If you indeed enter this bar during daylight hours, you’ll have to give your eyes a minute to adjust to the dimness inside. Then you’ll want to order a massive bloody mary — a signature at Rips — from the bartender. The midcentury building that houses the bar was constructed in 1959, and the front room is said to be designed by a Native American architect and student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Before it became Rips in 2009, this place was known as the Pick Lick House, Dodge City Saloon, and Dutch Inn (just to name a few), and Waylon Jennings and Charlie Pride are among the legions who’ve bellied up inside over the years. These days, Rips is a destination for pool, arcade games, dance nights, karaoke sessions, and live punk, ska, and rockabilly bands — the basics of love, as ol’ Waylon might say.

Late last year, across the parking lot from their clandestine underground tiki lair UnderTow, Jason Asher and Rich Furnari opened Century Grand. This is certainly the Barter & Shake duo’s most ambitious concept yet. The level of experimentation driving cocktails at Century Grand is astounding. You see kefir and lacto-fermented blueberries and smoked tea, a slew of ingredients that tell the drinker, from the first menu glimpse, that the old fashioneds and daiquiris of yesteryear are ancient history. National experts agree, as Century Grand was recently named a finalist for Best New Bar by Tales of the Cocktail. Amazingly, even the most Seussian ingredient combinations work at Century Grand. Imbibing the potions of Asher and Furnari is drinking in a brave new world of cocktails.

The last few years have seen a crush of rock reunions, from stadium stars like Rage Against the Machine to indie darlings like Pavement. But none have meant more to Arizona than The Format announcing a series of shows for spring 2020. The Format were, for a specific generation of music fans around these parts, the first big local band that broke through to the national mainstream. Those fans are now in their mid-30s, many of them pining for the sweet serotonin of simpler times. The reunion of this pure indie-pop group — two friends, a shared love of music, and a lot of great songs — is the feel-good story of the year, maybe the decade. Those concert dates were eventually pushed back to July 2021, due to COVID. We’ll wait. The Format’s reunion is something worth living for.

Early 2020 was a series of bummers for downtown Phoenix’s Bar Smith. After shutting down in March following Governor Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order, the club’s windows were smashed by thieves who made off with most of its liquor supply. Weeks later, the owners were hit with enormous utility bills, even though the club had gone dark. Loyal patrons came out to support Bar Smith in June, when it reopened for three weeks — but then the state ordered nightclubs to close again. Still, the owners are confident the crowds will return again once the pandemic abates. Why? Probably for the same reasons it’s been downtown’s go-to club for the past 11 years: hot spins by tastemaking DJs on two dance floors, an artsy vibe, great drinks, and popular nights like Sean Watson’s weekly BFF session. It also boasts some of the best views of downtown from its rooftop patio, where clubgoers dance under the stars. Hang in there, Bar Smith. All will be right with the world again soon. We hope.

Found on (obviously) the 13th floor of the Hilton Garden Inn, Floor 13 Rooftop Bar is a hidden gem in the middle of, or technically, above, downtown Phoenix. When we go, we like to snag one of the sundeck’s lounge chairs, orient it in a generally westward direction, and admire the Arizona sunset, cocktail in hand. But if the buzz of city life is what gets you high, the views from the tables and high-tops are first rate, too. (If you’re lucky and time it right, you might also catch some fireworks from the neighboring Chase Field.) In addition to its panoramic views and intimate bar, Hilton Garden Inn is where the opening scenes of Psycho were filmed, a fact reflected in the cocktail menu: Drinks like the MacGuffin, the Vertigo, and the Strangers on a Train pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock, as do movie posters and other decor. In other words, as you sip your drink at Floor 13, you’re surrounded by Phoenix history.

Why have a boring storage room when you can create a hidden nook that resembles a small home library in the 1970s? That’s what they did at Valley Bar, where there’s a cozy enclave behind the wine racks and under the stairs. Local history talks and literature salons regularly fill the space to capacity (only about 20 people), but when there’s not an event, patrons can curl up on the old-school couch with one of the bar’s custom cocktails and a copy of Playboy’s Wine & Spirits Cookbook or Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda. We love to hang out there, but really, we feel special just knowing where it is.

Any old bar in metro Phoenix can provide some booze, food, and a human being to talk to on the next stool if you’re so inclined. But Lovecraft is a bar that doesn’t just serve its north Phoenix neighborhood — it enriches it. Before the pandemic hit, Lovecraft regularly held events like tarot card readings, live music, custom typewriting poetry nights, and even a running club and hiking group. It’s a place where many of the patrons are recognized by name or face when they enter, where you feel at home whether it’s your first visit or your 20th. When COVID-19 shut down most bars, the Lovecraft team instituted rigorous sanitary protocols to keep slinging its spicy New Mexican cuisine and began offering alcohol to go. Dine-in service has since resumed, and we hope the next thing to spring back to life are the activities that make Lovecraft feel less like just a bar and more like a community.

Royale Lounge is everything you could want in a great dive: cheap drinks, Christmas lights, microwaved snacks, a wobbly pool table, pinball, a condom dispenser of a questionable nature in the men’s, and just the right amount of grime. Drinkers of every demographic and alcohol-tolerance level have bent elbows here for decades, beckoned by the glowing red neon “Cocktails” sign outside. The Royale has stayed mostly the same during that time, aside from adding small modern conveniences like an internet jukebox, a credit card reader, and HDTVs behind the bar. Like the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’re sure the customers at Royale Lounge would agree.

Most game bars around town emphasize their geek cred. Stardust Pinbar, on the other hand, plays it cool. Launched by restaurateur Tucker Woodbury, developer Chuckie Duff, and Cobra Arcade Bar’s Ariel Bracamonte, its resident icon and inspiration is David Bowie, whose glammy aura permeates the downtown Phoenix pinball lounge. Posters of his Aladdin Sane persona are plastered on the walls near the patio door, while the cocktail menu offers a drink riffing on his 1974 album Diamond Dogs. Other amenities are equally retro and fun, like a fuzzy DJ booth, an adjacent pizza parlor with a secret entrance, and an illuminated disco floor for when you get bored with all the silver ball action. Feel free to put on your red shoes and dance the blues.

The Rhythm Room is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it box set slightly back on Indian School Road. Its plain façade belies the fun happening inside. In business since 1991, the Rhythm Room has at least one event a night (in non-pandemic times). Ticket prices are reasonable, and the bar’s small stage has hosted acts from big names like Bo Diddley and the North Mississippi Allstars to local favorites such as Hans Olson and The Sugar Thieves. We suggest you grab a drink or two at the bar, then settle in to listen or head to the cozy dance floor to boogie the night away.

The Nash is more than just a music venue — it’s a Valley institution that holds the heart of the city’s jazz. Since opening in April 2012, The Nash has hosted an impressive range of shows, from open “free jazz” jam sessions and traditional New Orleans-style jazz performances to concerts dedicated to the music of artists as varied as jazz legend Charles Mingus and British rock legends the Rolling Stones. The namesake of The Nash, Phoenix-born jazz drummer Lewis Nash, helped establish an educational program for more than 130 student musicians, featuring renowned jazz artist and educator Wynton Marsalis. The Nash is also the headquarters of Jazz in Arizona, a nonprofit organization that has been supporting jazz in the state since 1977, and an integral part of the Roosevelt Row arts scene.