From punk art shows to theater picks and comedy festivals, here are Jackalope Ranch's top picks for things to do in and around Phoenix this weekend.
"We Got Power!" @ Modified Arts Southern California in the 1980s was a crazy time and place for the region's hardcord punk milieu. In his book on the topic, We Got Power! Hardcore Punk Scenes from 1980s Southern California, visual artist Cameron Jamie likens photographing punk shows to photographing a crime scene. The book plays out like The Adolescents' "Kids of the Black Hole" in visual form -- wayward kids acting out against the Reagan era, embracing bands like Black Flag, TSOL, and The Minutemen, who were just getting started. The book is photo heavy -- featuring live shots, candids, and posed photos of major players including a young Henry Rollins, Mike Watt, and Chuck Dukowski, who share stories about the DIY ethos of hardcore punk's formative years. Following a successful exhibition in Santa Monica last year, "We Got Power!" makes its way to Phoenix for a couple of weeks to tell the story of the high-energy music and the people who played it.
See also: 30 Must-Attend Events in Metro Phoenix This Fall
"We Got Power!" has a free, all-ages opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, September 20, at Modified Arts, 407 East Roosevelt Street. Call 602-462-5516 or visit www.wegotpowerbook.com. -- Melissa Fossum
"Maria the Prophetess: Mother of Alchemy" @ Changing Hands Bookstore If Walter White's the most famous chemist you can think of, you might be due for a history lesson. Kristin Hendrickson, from ASU's school of chemistry and biochemistry, obliges with her upcoming lecture on one of the first woman scientiests: Maria the Prophetess, a.k.a. Maria the Jewess, a.k.a. Maria, Sister of Moses. Hendrickson will discuss Maria's enduring inventions (ever heard of the bain-marie?), as well as how she experimented with chemical reactions through alchemy and engineering.
Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies presents the lecture, "Maria the Prophetess: Mother of Alchemy," which begins at 7 p.m. Friday, September 20, at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 South McClintock Drive, in Tempe. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP and find details at www.motherofalchemy.eventbrite.com. -- Becky Bartkowski
Artlink Collectors Tour @ Phoenix Art Museum Whether you're looking for a way to wow your art-loving friends at the next First Friday or simply want an up-close and personal preview of the downtown art scene, the Artlink Collectors Tour is your multi-stop ticket to artsy enlightenment. Organized by the curator of modern and contemporary art for the Phoenix Art Museum, Dr. Sara Cochran, and hosted by her curatorial assistant, Gabriela Muñoz, the Artlink Fall Collectors Tour will take guests on a behind-the-scenes tour of galleries and their current exhibitions including monOrchid Gallery's "78 Years in the Fast Lane, " Five15 Arts' "Generation CSA" installation, and Frontal Lobe Gallery's "Sex: A Woman's Perspective."
The Artlink Collector's Tour takes off at 1 p.m. Saturday, September 21, from the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central Avenue. Tickets are $35 per person or $60 per couple, with transportation, a tour guide, and refreshments included. To find out more, visit www.artlinkphoenix.com. -- Katie Johnson
The Flick @ Stray Cat Theatre Playwright Annie Baker uses silence -- the pauses before and after tangents -- to capture an audience's psyche. She told the New Yorker she doesn't consciously write to an academically defined style: "Realism, naturalism -- are you talking about, like, Ibsen?" (She, like, isn't.) Baker's The Flick, which enchanted and annoyed off-Broadway theatergoers a mere six months ago, is presented here by Stray Cat Theatre through Saturday, October 5.
The play's famously long. So maybe nap, grab a meal, and be sure to pee before it starts, just so you'll be optimally seduced and affected by your time with the characters: employees of a small-town 35mm cinema, whom you'll witness puttering among their theater's seats between screenings. Sunday, September 22, features special $12 seats for everyone at 2 p.m. at 132 East Sixth Street in Tempe. Regular admission is $15 to $25. Call 480-227-1766 or visit www.straycattheatre.org to snag tickets. -- Julie Peterson
Funny or Die Presents: Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival @ Ak-Chin Pavilion If you mourn the loss of Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show and still hold onto the hope that HBO's Flight of the Conchords will return for a third season, we have some good news. While these long-lost laugh makers may not be making a comeback on your favorite cable comedies, they are making their way back to the big stage for the ultimate showcase of stand-up: The Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival. Like a Woodstock of comedy, Oddball will feature headlining acts Dave Chappelle and Conchords Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, as well as other famed funny-men including Jeff Ross, Chris D'Elia, Hannibal Buress, Jim Jeffries, and Brody Stevens.
Hosted by Comedy Central and Funny or Die, this event will offer two stages plus plenty of food, vendors, booze, and more. The Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival concludes its 15-city tour on Sunday, September 22, starting at 5 p.m. at Ak-Chin Pavillion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue. Tickets range from $35 to $112 via www.ticketmaster.com. For more details, visit www.oddballfest.com. -- Katie Johnson
