Sip & Dip Pool Party Our Valley pool party coverage continues. This time we headed out to the Chandler Hilton for the “Sip & Dip Pool Party.” Aquatic antics? Oh yeah, they had plenty…see photos Built to Spill (Oh, Yeah, and Kings of Leon) at Cricket Pavilion on 7/10/10 Kings…
On a recent Friday morning, blacksmith Bill Smith stands over the coals at his workshop at the Cattle Track Arts Compound in Scottsdale. It’s almost 100 degrees outside already, but it’s even hotter in Smith’s workshop, where he’s crafting an ornate fireplace poker. Smith, 75, has been a professional blacksmith…
If you’re not feeling Senate Bill 1070, there’s a nice, high platform for you to share your thoughts. Tonight, anyone can step up to the mic at The Firehouse’s impressive outdoor stage and vent frustrations, express fears, or give a nice one-fingered salute to the controversial Arizona law in the…
66: Marco Rosichelli Marco Rosichelli’s artwork is usually interactive, always playful, and at times, absurd.”As an artist, I see myself relating to that idea of Peter Pan, a mischievous boy who can fly and refuses to grow up,” Rosichelli says in his artist’s statement. “In a post industrial society, the…
As burlesque shows go, it’s hard to think of any other troupe in town that can give Scandalesque a run for its money in terms of sheer production value and professionalism. While they lack the ramshackle, fun community theater vibe that a group like Romantasy Cabaret has in spades, they…
You’ve worked hard this week, haven’t you? You deserve at least one fun activity for your weekend. Read on, my friend, read on.Devil’s Martini Beach Party @ Devil’s Martini in Old Town ScottsdaleHey, remember this? Well, looks like the party was such a blast, organizers are giving it another go…
The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in federal court on Tuesday against the state of Arizona and Governor Jan Brewer over SB1070, aka “papers, please”. The suit, which you can check out here, asks the court to declare SB 1070 null and void. The DOJ, in addition to the…
Already whipped through your summer reading materials? No worries. All week, Jackalope Ranch contributors will review candidates for your nightstand. Have a suggestion for us? Leave it in the comment section. Today: “Will Grayson, Will Grayson” by John Green and David Levithan. Hooray for gay young adult fiction!I’m a big…
Is it us or does everyone seem to have a summer birthday? We’ve highlighted a few gifts that made us (and our friends) happy, but we’re definitely excited to see what The ASU Art Museum Store has in stock for their two-day sale. Get ready: Everything in the store is…
“Three is a magic number,” as Schoolhouse Rock! taught us. Ever traveled or, God forbid, lived with two of your friends? If it’s not unanimous, someone always loses, and there’s always that tipping-point tension — no spare legs to keep the whole thing upright.In Yasmina Reza’s Art, currently at Desert…
People in other parts of the country spend the rest of the year dreaming of summer’s sunny skies, cool breezes and blooming flowers. Phoenicians, on the other hand, dread the summer season. Everything here seems to shrivel up and die, from the poor withered cactus on my patio to the art gallery scene…
While it often doesn’t get talked about, Phoenix does have a pretty busy comedy scene. With local standup comics lining up to perform at bar comedy nights every day of the week, and dozens of improv troupes doing their thing throughout the month, there are ample opportunities for Phoenicians to…
Money ain’t growing on trees these days in downtown Phoenix. As a result, two independently run art spaces are teaming up. In the near future, ©haos, 801 North 6th Street, plans to move its operations to Of The Earth, the Sean and Maryana Riley-run gallery located one building south of…
67: Kim PorterKim Porter’s philosophy: storytelling is a birthright.The playwright and actor has produced award-winning plays that have showcased nationwide. Porter was born in Texas and lived in San Francisco before moving to Phoenix five years ago. The Phoenix stages haven’t been the same since. When Porter’s in town, she’s…
Dick Van Dyke to Host SNL?Well, maybe. Facebook fans made their wish for Betty White to host SNL a reality on May 8, 2010 and now a local resident is rallying for Dick Van Dyke to take the stage.The local resident? Stacy Van Dyke, Dick’s daughter…
America’s self-proclaimed “number one pickup artist” will be in town later this month to teach classes to local losers-in-love, and he’s claiming “15 dateless local men” have ponied-up $1,300 a piece to learn how to pick up chicks.We’re not entirely sure which is more astonishing: the fact that “pickup artist”…
Since there’s really no better accessory than a cocktail in your hand, each week Jackalope Ranch brings you a tasty adult beverage from one of our favorite drinking establishments, complete with recipe. This week: The Creamsicle Martini from T Cook’s at the Royal Palms. Nothing elicits memories of lazy summertime…
Darrell Crump holds a clear plastic deli cup in his hands. Inside the cup is an amber-colored dune scorpion, not much larger than a grasshopper. When Crump removes the lid, the scorpion races up to the edge of the cup, pinchers open, and tries to climb out. “That one wants…
As my hiking partner and I pulled up to the trailhead at Lookout Mountain, I realized I had been there before.Not for hiking. For making out. Back when I was in high school, the trailhead was the site of some very awkward activity. Gross…
Already whipped through your summer reading materials? No worries. All week, Jackalope Ranch contributors will review candidates for your nightstand (click here for links to previous reviews this week). Have a suggestion for us? Leave it in the comment section. When English poet Alexander Pope said “Brevity is the soul…
Now that some time has passed since Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070 into law, local creative types opposed to the bill are really starting to exercise their creative muscles. During the months of August and September, Calaca Cultural Center will present “FootPrints – SB1070,” a comprehensive exhibition…
68: J.J. Horner J.J. Horner’s from Willmar, Minnesota — a place he points out is the home of Jenny O. Turkey. When he was born, it was -20 degrees with -100 degree windchill. Needless to say, he’s now enjoying some serious summertime heat. He’s recently teamed up with Spraygraphic, The…
