Java.Mar.2016
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
244 • MAR 2016<br />
LEONOR AISPURO • TUCKER WOODBURY • HAYMARKET SQUARES
FRITZ SCHOLDER 1967–1980<br />
february 27 — june 5<br />
Fritz Scholder<br />
Indian at Lake (detail), 1977.<br />
Lithograph. Collection of Denver Art Museum.<br />
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harold Dinken.<br />
©Estate of Fritz Scholder.
March 11-13, 2016<br />
Hance Park, Phoenix, AZ • mmmf.com<br />
BECK<br />
KID CUDI<br />
THE<br />
AVETT<br />
BROTHERS<br />
PORTER<br />
ROBINSON<br />
ANIMAL<br />
COLLECTIVE<br />
GARY CLARK JR. • GRIZ • BLOC PARTY • MS MR • ST. LUCIA<br />
THE OH HELLOS • GOLDFISH • BIG WILD • THE MAIN SQUEEZE • KALEO • BIRD DOG<br />
FIREKID • M!NT • CAPTAIN SQUEEGEE • THE HAYMARKET SQUARES • THE SENATORS • LUNA AURA<br />
GUS CAMPBELL • HARPER & THE MOTHS • COOBEE COO • HUCKLEBERRY • FAIRY BONES • RUCA • TAYLOR UPSAHL • MR. MUDD & MR. GOLD<br />
OFFICIAL AFTER HOURS<br />
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (DJ SET) • GOLDFISH • GRIZ (DJ SET) • M!NT<br />
LIVE
CONTENTS<br />
8<br />
12<br />
22<br />
32<br />
34<br />
FEATURES<br />
Cover: Aaron Betsky<br />
Photo by: Andrew Pielage<br />
8 12 22<br />
34<br />
AARON BETSKY<br />
The Future of Taliesin West<br />
By Robert Sentinery<br />
LEONOR AISPURO<br />
Fashion Artisan<br />
By Jenna Duncan<br />
PUBLIC IMAGE<br />
Photography: Chris Loomis<br />
Styling: Shannon Campbell<br />
THE HAYMARKET SQUARES<br />
Light It Up<br />
By Mitchell L. Hillman<br />
TUCKER WOODBURY<br />
Tomorrow’s Yesterday<br />
By Demetrius Burns<br />
COLUMNS<br />
7<br />
16<br />
20<br />
30<br />
38<br />
BUZZ<br />
New Visions<br />
By Robert Sentinery<br />
ARTS<br />
Super Indian: Fritz Scholder, 1967-1980<br />
At Phoenix Art Museum<br />
By Amy Young<br />
Wayne Rainey<br />
At Bokeh Gallery<br />
By Amy Young<br />
Colin Chillag<br />
Mid-Career Review at the Chocolate Factory<br />
By Leah St. Clair<br />
FOOD FETISH<br />
Inchin Bamboo Garden<br />
By Sloane Burwell<br />
SOUNDS AROUND TOWN<br />
By Mitchell L. Hillman<br />
GIRL ON FARMER<br />
Fender Bender<br />
By Celia Beresford<br />
JAVA MAGAZINE<br />
EDITOR & PUBLISHER<br />
Robert Sentinery<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
Victor Vasquez<br />
ARTS EDITOR<br />
Amy L. Young<br />
FOOD EDITOR<br />
Sloane Burwell<br />
MUSIC EDITOR<br />
Mitchell L. Hillman<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
Jenna Duncan<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Rhett Baruch<br />
Celia Beresford<br />
Demetrius Burns<br />
Tom Reardon<br />
PROOFREADER<br />
Patricia Sanders<br />
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS<br />
Dana Armstrong<br />
Enrique Garcia<br />
Chris Loomis<br />
Andrew Pielage<br />
ADVERTISING<br />
(602) 574-6364<br />
<strong>Java</strong> Magazine<br />
Copyright © 2016<br />
All rights reserved.<br />
Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph<br />
or illustration is strictly prohibited without the written<br />
permission of the publisher. The publisher does not<br />
assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions.<br />
Publisher assumes no liability for the information<br />
contained herein; all statements are the sole opinions<br />
of the contributors and/or advertisers.<br />
JAVA MAGAZINE<br />
PO Box 45448 Phoenix, AZ 85064<br />
email: javamag@cox.net<br />
tel: (480) 966-6352<br />
www.javamagaz.com<br />
40<br />
NIGHT GALLERY<br />
Photos by Robert Sentinery<br />
4 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
Confluence is the merging of many artistic voices,<br />
exploring what it means to be young leaders and<br />
culture bearers in Indian Country today.<br />
FEBRUARY 6 – APRIL 17<br />
Patron Sponsors: Dino and Elizabeth Murfee DeConcini<br />
2301 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ<br />
602.252.8840 | heard.org<br />
Logo by Warren Montoya (Santa Ana/Santa Clara Pueblo)
MONUMENTAL<br />
ART<br />
at the Airport<br />
Form Matters<br />
Wood Sculpture by Mitch Fry<br />
Terminal 4, Level 3 Gallery<br />
Free Admission<br />
Light Rail Friendly<br />
Art in All Terminals<br />
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport<br />
skyharbor.com/museum | 602 273-2744<br />
CUSTOM QUALITY SCREEN PRINTING<br />
PLASTISOL • WATERBASE • PROCESS COLOR<br />
DISCHARGE • POSTERS • EMBROIDERY<br />
602-752-1599
NEW VISIONS<br />
By Robert Sentinery<br />
BUZZ<br />
The legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright is one of our city’s strongest assets. One could<br />
say that Mr. Wright was an early adopter when it came to appreciating the beauty<br />
of this region. When he acquired the 600-plus acres (for $3.50/acre) at the<br />
base of the McDowell Mountains to build Taliesin West, the winter locale for his<br />
school and residence, he described the stretch of land as being “America’s gold<br />
spot.” Now, some 80 years later, the place remains a mythical architectural oasis<br />
that draws tourism from around the world.<br />
The challenge for Taliesin West is that, over the years, it has become more of a<br />
museum honoring Wright’s genius, rather than a vital institution for higher learning.<br />
The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture seemed to be slowly falling<br />
by the wayside. When the Higher Learning Commission threatened to revoke the<br />
school’s accreditation back in 2014, something dramatic needed to happen. Enter<br />
Aaron Betsky.<br />
Not only is Betsky a trained architect, with a master’s degree from Yale, he is a<br />
world-renowned theorist and critic. He has authored 12 books and hundreds of<br />
articles on aesthetics, psychology and human sexuality as it pertains to architecture<br />
(Betsky married artist Peter Haberkorn in 2004 in the Netherlands, a decade<br />
before the gay-marriage movement in the U.S.). He is one of the most respected<br />
thinkers in the world of architecture today—a fountainhead of knowledge who<br />
promises to breathe new life into the school and restore its stature as the “workshop<br />
for reinventing American architecture.” (See “Aaron Betsky: The Future of<br />
Taliesin West,” p. 8).<br />
Tucker Woodbury is a visionary in his own right, but his focus is more on recreation<br />
and historic preservation. His company, Genuine Concepts, is responsible<br />
for a growing list of the Valley’s finest hangouts and watering holes, including<br />
the iconic downtown places Crescent Ballroom and Valley Bar. You may know<br />
him from a slew of other spots, including The Vig (four locations), Linger Longer<br />
Lounge, Cobra Arcade Bar, Little Woody’s, The Beverly and, coming soon, The<br />
Womack—a tribute to the Chez Nous (r.i.p.), the classic lounge that’s drowned<br />
in Phoenix history. Woodbury completed many of these adaptive reuse projects<br />
with his friend and business partner Charlie Levy. So let’s raise a glass to them<br />
for making Phoenix a more enjoyable place (see “Tucker Woodbury: Tomorrow’s<br />
Yesterday,” p. 34).<br />
Those who have been around the Phoenix creative scene for the last decade will<br />
remember a fashion line called Arte Puro—one of the early brands to surface<br />
from the Valley’s fashion wasteland. So much has changed since then. We now<br />
have a thriving fashion week and lots of designers selling wares.<br />
Leonor Aispuro was half of Arte Puro. She had high hopes for the line and even<br />
relocated to Brooklyn (before it was hip) to take it to the next level. After pouring<br />
in blood, sweat and tears for years, Aispuro decided to leave. She came back to<br />
Phoenix to regroup and start anew, with a more hands-on, sustainable approach.<br />
Her Leonor Aispuro Private Collection is beginning to make waves beyond our<br />
shores, with a recent appearance in Italian Vogue and a designer profile in British<br />
Vogue (see, “Leonor Aispuro: Fashion Artisan,” p. 12).
1<br />
9<br />
3<br />
7<br />
1<br />
2<br />
6<br />
2<br />
1<br />
Aaron Betsky<br />
The Future of Taliesin West | By Robert Sentinery | Photos Andrew Pielage<br />
8 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
Please tell us about the Globe/Miami project.<br />
The Frank Lloyd Wright School will help this<br />
community reimagine itself through a four-year<br />
collaboration. While we are not contractors,<br />
engineers or real estate developers, the school can<br />
bring several things: the expertise and the prestige of<br />
the Frank Lloyd Wright tradition; students and faculty<br />
from all over the world who are incredibly creative<br />
and energetic; an organic hands-on approach and<br />
learn-by-doing attitude.<br />
We will set up an advisory committee and develop<br />
strategies to deal with persistent problems like<br />
property degradation, higher drug usage, cycles of<br />
boom and bust and the departure of millennials, who<br />
are often quick to leave for Phoenix—to help build<br />
a town that they want to live in through community<br />
engagement. We want to improve key properties, like<br />
the library. Even small gestures like painting buildings<br />
or adding a sports field to a dirt lot can change a place.<br />
The area around Globe/Miami is being strongly<br />
considered for federal “Promise Zone” designation,<br />
which would make it one of only about 15 areas<br />
around the country. This status would bring in a<br />
tremendous amount of resources through various<br />
grants and funding sources. We would help manage<br />
and advise throughout this process.<br />
Aaron Betsky is a force of nature in the world of art, architecture and design. Throughout his career he<br />
has worked as an architect, curator, museum director, educator, critic and author of many books. Last<br />
year, he took over as dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, during a time when the<br />
school was at risk of losing its accreditation.<br />
The Higher Learning Commission changed its bylaws in 2012 to prohibit schools from being part of larger<br />
non-academic institutions, forcing a separation from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which had owned and<br />
operated the school for decades.<br />
A fundraising effort was launched to bring in the $2 million that would allow the school to operate<br />
independently. That effort paid off—by the end of 2015 the campaign had raised $2.1 million, with a large<br />
portion of the funds coming, surprisingly, from the Arizona towns of Globe and Miami (over $700K). Those<br />
donations had come in anticipation of a four-year collaboration that will bring the expertise of the school and<br />
its staff to the neighboring communities, which are greatly in need of revitalization.<br />
JAVA had the opportunity to interview Betsky at his new home at Taliesin West.<br />
How does this effort tie into your philosophy<br />
and the school’s mission?<br />
There is the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright and his<br />
notion that we can use architecture to make the<br />
world a better place, while taking into account the<br />
relationship we have with other humans and the<br />
natural setting.<br />
It’s all about the ways in which architecture can make<br />
our designed environment more sustainable, open<br />
and beautiful, and what techniques are available to do<br />
that. That’s what a lot of my writing has been about.<br />
I’ve become interested in people and situations that<br />
are more on the margins, and the tactics that develop<br />
from tough perspectives. We are working in Globe/<br />
Miami to figure out a “Tactical Urbanism”—like so<br />
many others around the world, trying to make tough<br />
situations better in all kinds of ways.<br />
How is Tactical Urbanism different from New<br />
Urbanism?<br />
It is totally in opposition. New Urbanism was an<br />
attempt to make everything fit the modern ideal<br />
JAVA 9<br />
MAGAZINE
from the 1920s—a community that never existed—<br />
basically all lies. Tactical Urbanism is a catch phrase<br />
referring to many different attempts by architects<br />
over the last 10 years to help people take action to<br />
make their own communities better.<br />
One group that I worked with on a book project was<br />
Urban-Think Tank. They got their start in Caracas,<br />
Venezuela, driving around with a car tape saying,<br />
“We’re architects. What do you need? We’re here to<br />
help.” They got very involved with the favelas over<br />
there, working on various projects—small additions<br />
to open up closed parts of the city—interventions.<br />
Often the trick is to figure out what is the minimum<br />
that you can do to create an impact—guerilla<br />
landscaping, for example, like planting flowers on<br />
vacant lands.<br />
You were trained as an architect but are known<br />
as more of a critic and curator. Do you practice<br />
architecture?<br />
I pretend (laughs). Yes, I entered a competition in<br />
Taiwan last year. Didn’t win. I’ve done many things:<br />
practiced architecture, worked as a curator, critic,<br />
professor, assembled books and was the director of<br />
an art museum. I have many different perspectives.<br />
10 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
What inspired you to study architecture in the<br />
first place?<br />
I spent a part of my childhood in the Netherlands,<br />
and a visit to the Schröder House [by Gerrit Rietveld]<br />
really opened my eyes. Other than being just an<br />
absolutely gorgeous structure, it was designed to be<br />
a model for a new way of living.<br />
This house was not just a standing container that<br />
defined and confined daily life, but a place that<br />
opened up possibilities, activating relationships<br />
with people. All the walls moved around—it could<br />
be turned into one large room where everyone was<br />
together or it could be four rooms, three rooms,<br />
two rooms, each with a particular character and<br />
function. Not only would the walls move but various<br />
parts of the floor and ceiling would fold out to make<br />
furniture. Then the whole thing could be opened up<br />
to the outside, so there was this continuity with the<br />
landscape.<br />
It was at the end of a series of row houses that were<br />
very proper and covered with brick. The Schröder<br />
House looked like it was made from the bones of the<br />
buildings next to it. It was an incredibly optimistic<br />
statement about modernity and architecture’s ability<br />
to build a new world. Over the years, we’ve lost<br />
that optimism—not just in architecture but also in<br />
painting, literature and obviously politics.<br />
I first discovered your writings in grad school<br />
while researching Deconstructivism, which<br />
used the visual cues of Constructivism seen in<br />
the Schröder House.<br />
In the late 1980s there was a look back at some of<br />
the first modernist forms—to unearth and reactivate<br />
them in some way by contradicting them. Not<br />
pretending that we can still mindlessly build this<br />
better world. Realizing the inherent contradiction<br />
of intents and in the structures themselves. That<br />
was really a large part of what became known as<br />
Deconstructivism.<br />
What about the challenges of desert cities?<br />
Frank Lloyd Wright had certain strategies at<br />
Taliesin West.<br />
The inhabitants of Phoenix have been dealing<br />
with the desert for thousands of years and have<br />
developed some pretty good solutions—and some<br />
very bad ones. The Hohokam made environments that<br />
used what this place had to offer. Interesting early
developments utilized the canals; first the Spanish<br />
and then Anglo settlers elaborated and built with<br />
them rather than obliterating them.<br />
At Taliesin West, there is a great plan to renovate<br />
and restore this historic campus. Unfortunately there<br />
are places where the concrete is literally crumbling.<br />
First there would need to be a lot of stabilization.<br />
Then we would like to explore the idea of taking the<br />
structures back to the original notion of being part of<br />
the land and the climate. They were made as canvas<br />
tents, with abstractions of the desert. I think that<br />
would be truly fantastic.<br />
Taliesin West strikes me as a kind of spiritual<br />
place, like Machu Picchu and other powerful<br />
spots around the globe.<br />
As far as the spiritual goes, people can decide for<br />
themselves. Frank Lloyd Wright certainly had an<br />
incredibly intuitive sense of the land. He found this<br />
site that is nestled below the McDowell Mountains<br />
and above the Valley, with a view over it. This place<br />
was also important to the original [Native American]<br />
inhabitants. We’re sitting here looking right on axis<br />
[points out the window] with the tallest peak of the<br />
McDowells, but at the same time it is the one place<br />
in the McDowells where this spur comes out and<br />
meets Taliesin. That’s exactly where Wright sited<br />
it—against that spur coming out, continuing into<br />
the landscape. If you look carefully, you can see<br />
how he plays this whole game of call and response<br />
with the landscape. Taliesin West not only nestles<br />
into the landscape but dances with it. It’s an active<br />
relationship, so you are really much more aware of<br />
where you are.<br />
You are training future professional architects.<br />
Is that satisfying?<br />
I like to think of architecture as a discipline—as a<br />
way of knowing, understanding and transforming<br />
the human-made environment. Thinking of it as<br />
a profession makes me nervous. For me it’s very<br />
important to understand that architecture is not<br />
science. Building is science. Buildings have to stand<br />
up and be safe and efficient.<br />
Architecture is not building. It is the art of building.<br />
But the relationship between architecture and<br />
building has gotten much more complex because<br />
we now have computer technology that allows us to<br />
build anything we can imagine. We can model our<br />
imagination in structural terms quite directly. There is<br />
no longer a need to make elaborate recalculations for<br />
every small change. The computer does it instantly.<br />
The act of imagination can be a structural work. The<br />
act of structural experimentation can be an imaginary<br />
one as well. This has changed the way we think<br />
about and understand the place of buildings. That old<br />
split between façade and structure is less relevant.<br />
Now there are engineers who become famous<br />
architects. Santiago Calatrava is an example, but his<br />
work is only good from the waist up. There are other<br />
firms integrating these structural concepts on a much<br />
higher level.<br />
As far as being here, I am honored and humbled<br />
to have the opportunity to continue the work that<br />
has made Taliesin a workshop for reinventing<br />
American architecture.<br />
JAVA 11<br />
MAGAZINE
12 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
Photos: Enrique Garcia
For Leonor Aispuro, making clothes and sewing is in her blood. She can remember learning to sew around<br />
age five, and working with her cousins and other female family members on creative projects. Aispuro<br />
took particular inspiration from her aunt, who was disabled. “When I lived in Mexico, my aunt would<br />
babysit me. She was deaf and mute at the time, and now she is, unfortunately, blind as well.”<br />
Aispuro mostly grew up in Arizona, but when she goes back to visit her aunt, she is astounded to find her still<br />
crafting things with her hands. “At the time, there were no special schools for her, and so she never learned<br />
sign language. I think her way of expressing herself has been through creating. And that’s how she and I would<br />
communicate,” Aispuro says. “In many ways she was like a little girl, like my only playmate.”<br />
“Then, as a teenager, I used to always make things for my friends,” she says. As she and her friends got interested<br />
in fashion in high school, they would sew skirts and matching handbags. She’s always loved making<br />
things with her own two hands.<br />
She started the fashion program at Phoenix College in 2003, straight out of high school at age 17 (she is now<br />
30). At the time, Phoenix College had one of the only college-level fashion programs in the Valley. Arizona<br />
State University didn’t have a program, and the Art Institute of Phoenix only offered fashion merchandising.<br />
Aispuro wanted to start at a place where she could learn more about construction along with the business.<br />
“So I went to school there, and my cousin and I had started our own clothing line called Arte Puro,” she says.<br />
“We took parts of our last names and combined them. It actually translates into ‘Pure Art,’” she explains. The<br />
line came out of their enjoyment of creating accessories. At first, Aispuro and her cousin, Emily Uriarte, worked<br />
mainly with vintage fabrics.<br />
JAVA 13<br />
MAGAZINE
Photos by Matt Martian<br />
“It was a huge learning experience, doing it all ourselves,”<br />
she says. “We got to learn a lot about the<br />
business side of things.” That was only the first step,<br />
professionally, though. Aispuro sought other, bigger<br />
opportunities in the industry.<br />
In 2009, she moved to New York City. A couple of<br />
years later her cousin followed, and they continued<br />
building their clothing business. They sold items in a<br />
boutique in Williamsburg called Treehouse, on Grand<br />
Avenue in Brooklyn. She says they also sold at a coop<br />
space in Brooklyn while simultaneously selling at<br />
Nostra Style House in Phoenix (formerly owned by<br />
Angelica Gonzalez).<br />
While running their start-up business, Aispuro also<br />
worked fashion internships and ran around between<br />
various other jobs. First, she interned at Betsey<br />
Johnson and then at Marquesa, she says. She also<br />
worked at a children’s clothing company and handled<br />
corporate clients, such as Wal-Mart, and other<br />
department stores. She tried to absorb every aspect<br />
of the industry she could through her work experience—from<br />
design and planning to finally selling.<br />
She’d moved to New York on a whim but decided<br />
to stay and keep it going for a while. While living in<br />
Greenpoint, she noticed the neighborhood undergoing<br />
14 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
a sudden, massive influx of young creatives. “It got<br />
over-saturated and kind of crazy. I didn’t know which<br />
direction I was going.”<br />
After a few years of pouring in all of their heart, time<br />
and money, Aispuro’s cousin decided she wanted to<br />
leave the business. “We kind of broke up—not as<br />
cousins, but as business partners.” Aispuro moved<br />
back to Arizona and her cousin followed shortly after,<br />
but for her own reasons.<br />
“I feel like I always need to be creating or working<br />
on something,” Aispuro says. “Otherwise, I would go<br />
crazy.” Shortly after she got back to Phoenix, she felt<br />
the timing was right to start her own business.<br />
In New York, Aispuro went to FIT and completed a<br />
certificate in sustainable design. Taking what she<br />
learned and what bothered her about the “gigantic<br />
fashion industry,” she formulated a new line: Leonor<br />
Aispuro Private Collection. At first people who knew<br />
her from Arte Puro were confused or reluctant to<br />
embrace the idea that she was designing solo. But<br />
she wanted to make it clear that this was her independent<br />
line, so she gave it her own name.<br />
A lot of the other students from her program were<br />
working in corporate fashion, for companies like<br />
Ralph Lauren and Tiffany’s. They were looking for<br />
ways to change the corporate structure, or were completely<br />
turned off and were seeking other alternatives.<br />
“In Europe they are more aware of sustainability<br />
and small-scale production. I feel like in the U.S.<br />
it’s taking a little longer,” Aispuro says. She predicts<br />
that sustainable fashion will spread worldwide, but it<br />
may be a slow movement.<br />
“One thing I learned is that it’s impossible to be 100<br />
percent sustainable,” she says. This is especially true<br />
in Phoenix, where places to buy supplies are limited.<br />
But Aispuro tries to buy from other local businesses<br />
whenever she can, and she has become very interested<br />
in working with natural dyes and earth-friendly<br />
processes. She also plans to do whatever she can not<br />
to outsource any of her work.<br />
“I got so turned off by mass production and what<br />
most people think fashion is. After seeing how things<br />
were done, I got kind of depressed. I get that it’s a<br />
business,” she says. “But for me, at the end of the<br />
day, it’s more than that. I guess I tend to think more<br />
long term.”<br />
Aispuro says it’s been healthy and reinvigorating to<br />
have the time to go at her own pace and make her<br />
own path. “It’s hard to explain at times. People just<br />
don’t understand unless they are going through it
Photos by Christian Arevalo<br />
themselves,” she says. Though there may have been<br />
some small hurdles, she’s building the new business<br />
from the ground up and seems to be gaining momentum<br />
and positive feedback.<br />
Aispuro did a live sewing event alongside Lawless<br />
Denim and GROWop for “Fashioned in America” at<br />
Phoenix Art Museum in 2014. “I like the idea of creating<br />
something that is for no specific body type, no<br />
specific age group—just something you could throw<br />
in a suitcase and then take it out and style it any way<br />
you want,” she says.<br />
In her design process, she does a lot of draping.<br />
She also tries to utilize as much of the fabric as she<br />
has. She recently designed a black silk kimono-like<br />
wedding dress for a client. It was a unique order,<br />
she says, and she doesn’t always do formalwear. Aispuro’s<br />
last collection was based around a lot of lace<br />
appliqués, some sewn on top of others. But for next<br />
collection she is working on designs based around<br />
embroidery. She likes to embrace handiwork and create<br />
pieces with more of an artisan feel.<br />
With Arte Puro, she and her cousin travelled to Oaxaca<br />
and studied hand-embroidery, natural dying and<br />
other more organic processes. In the garment district<br />
in New York she picked out smaller businesses and<br />
got familiar with the workers. “I tried to find little<br />
shops like G & R Fabric Inc. on 39th Street in New<br />
York. When I worked at Marquesa, they would send<br />
me to this place called Spandex World,” she says.<br />
“That is where I source a lot of the fabrics I am currently<br />
working with.”<br />
According to a recent article in the Atlantic titled<br />
“Is This the End for Fashion Week?” many fashion<br />
houses are abandoning the concept of planning the<br />
release of designs around seasons. Many are also<br />
turning away from the authoritative dictates such as<br />
the season color and choosing to go with smallerscale,<br />
limited runs and exclusives.<br />
“At first living in New York during Fashion Week was<br />
fun and exciting, but after a couple years, it was<br />
like, ‘Get me out of here!’” Aispuro says. “I guess I<br />
consider myself a bit of a rebel. When I see what is<br />
going on, I’m like: ‘What can I do different?’ I always<br />
try to do my own thing.”<br />
“I have a lot of repeat customers,” she says. She<br />
talks about working on a specific wedding dress and<br />
how the same customer then wanted something<br />
for her anniversary. “When I think about it, word of<br />
mouth is what has kept me relevant,” she says.<br />
Aispuro doesn’t like to put out duplicates of garments<br />
cut from the same design or of the same color. She<br />
likes to change the cut or embroidery each time, so<br />
that each piece is truly bespoke. Finally, she says<br />
that true fulfillment for her comes from hearing that<br />
she has inspired other people. Circling back to the<br />
aunt who originally inspired her, she says she loves<br />
working with her young niece Sofia Taglienti, who is<br />
16 and a student at Metro Arts. Taglienti sometimes<br />
works as Aispuro’s assistant while learning the ropes<br />
of the artisan fashion trade.<br />
Lately Aispuro has been getting recognized for her<br />
hard work. Last year she was a finalist for a Phoenix<br />
New Times’ Big Brain award for local creatives. Her<br />
work was also included in Italian Vogue online, and<br />
she was recently profiled in Vogue UK.<br />
Aispuro says that her plan for Phoenix includes a<br />
fashion presentation (not the same as a show) at the<br />
Fourtoul Brothers’ space later this year.<br />
leonoraispuro.com<br />
@leonoraispuro<br />
notjustalabel.com/designer/leonor-aispuro-privatecollection<br />
JAVA 15<br />
MAGAZINE
ARTS<br />
SUPER INDIAN:<br />
FRITZ SCHOLDER, 1967–1980<br />
At Phoenix Art Museum<br />
By Amy Young<br />
Fritz Scholder has a rich history. He began making art<br />
as a teenager in the 1950s, studying with high school<br />
teachers. While still in high school, he pursued<br />
additional educational opportunities, including an<br />
arts camp at the University of Kansas. Shortly after<br />
graduation, he moved with his family to Sacramento<br />
and began studying with proto-pop artist Wayne<br />
Thiebaud. His connection with Thiebaud evolved<br />
into the two men partnering in a cooperative gallery,<br />
along with a couple of other artists, and Scholder<br />
began to receive critical acclaim. From there his<br />
career continued on a very mobile trajectory, well into<br />
the future.<br />
Super Indian: Fritz Scholder, 1967–1980 is on view at<br />
Phoenix Art Museum through June 6. The years of<br />
this exhibition’s focus are ones that were pivotal in<br />
Scholder’s career, gaining him substantial attention<br />
not only for his interesting style but also, more<br />
dominantly, for his subject matter. Through more<br />
than 40 paintings and works on paper, viewers get<br />
to see the work Scholder created when he began to<br />
examine and tackle prevalent societal stereotypes<br />
about Native Americans, including pieces from his<br />
controversial American Indian series.<br />
Using a style that blended abstract expressionism<br />
and pop art, with big brushstrokes and captivating<br />
colors, Scholder was the first artist to paint Native<br />
Americans draped in the American flag, or with<br />
beer cans and cats, which stirred up controversy.<br />
Scholder picked a good time period to delve into the<br />
subject matter. In the late ’60s, television culture<br />
was starting to grow into the many-armed monster<br />
that it is today, and shows like Bonanza and The Big<br />
Valley were offering their own takes on history and<br />
Native life and culture. Unfortunately—and this<br />
remains true right up to the present—TV is a medium<br />
that sets and gives wings to perceptions, however<br />
inaccurate. Scholder’s timing was crucial, and his<br />
work played an important role in inspiring artists to<br />
challenge the media’s misrepresentations (or, often,<br />
exclusion) of ethnic groups.<br />
“Matinee Cowboy and Indian” is a large-scale<br />
painting that shows the two named figures, each<br />
in traditional attire (one in a cowboy hat, the other<br />
an Indian headdress), engaged in a handshake.<br />
Even before you focus on the men themselves, the<br />
subtleties of the work highlight its true indictment.<br />
The men’s bodies cast a shadow that implies a<br />
setting sun, perhaps the united completion of<br />
an arduous day; the handshake solidifies the<br />
relationship. The scene easily recreates the sense<br />
of manufactured romanticism that movies employ in<br />
order to wrap up with a sentimental, cinematic happy<br />
ending, despite what reality they overlook in doing so.<br />
One of Scholder’s legendary works, “Indian with Beer<br />
Can,” is loaded with an intensity that shakes you to<br />
the core. The figure that sits at the table is wearing<br />
16 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
dark sunglasses, along with a white shirt and a tall,<br />
black cowboy hat. A single can of Coors beer stands<br />
before him. A rich purple highlights the background.<br />
The way the man’s rough teeth edge through the<br />
opening of his mouth, combined with the blackness<br />
of the sunglasses, creates an endless black-hole<br />
effect. It feels as if you are being pulled into a<br />
swirling limbo. It’s haunting, and this work highlights<br />
the artist’s level of investment and sincerity. The<br />
exhibition concludes with Scholder’s Indian Land<br />
paintings from 1980.<br />
Though Scholder created artwork that was<br />
instrumental in smashing stereotypes, changing the<br />
way Indians were portrayed in art, and further served<br />
as continuous inspiration to both Native American<br />
and non–Native American artists, not everyone<br />
was excited about Scholder being the messenger.<br />
That aspect was a bone of contention for some who<br />
seemed to feel that maybe the artist wasn’t “Indian<br />
enough” to be the one to draw attention to issues<br />
faced by American Indians and perceptions that<br />
existed about them.<br />
The artist, who was one-quarter Luiseño (a California<br />
Mission tribe), never seemed to have a desire to selfdesignate<br />
his position as one of resounding authority.<br />
In fact, Scholder often stated that he wasn’t<br />
Indian but had a unique perspective from which he<br />
worked, offering his own point of view. In addition<br />
to bringing to the fore issues faced then, and still<br />
today, by Native American persons, Scholder’s work<br />
also serves to continue a conversation about the<br />
importance of information and how we assign, direct<br />
and even interpret relevance.<br />
Scholder had a lot of ties to Arizona: he maintained<br />
a residence and studio near the historic Cattle Track<br />
artists compound in Scottsdale, exhibited around the<br />
state multiple times and received an honorary degree<br />
from the University of Arizona. Super Indian offers an<br />
opportunity to see work from a crucial stage in the<br />
artist’s timeline.<br />
Super Indian<br />
Fritz Scholder 1967–1980<br />
Through June 5<br />
Phoenix Art Museum<br />
www.phxart.org<br />
Fritz Scholder, Super Indian No. 2, 1971. Oil paint on canvas. Promised gift from<br />
Vicki and Kent Logan to the collection of Denver Art Museum. ©Estate of Fritz<br />
Scholder.<br />
Fritz Scholder, American Portrait with Flag, 1979. Oil paint on canvas. Courtesy<br />
of American Museum of Western Art—The Anschutz Collection. Photo courtesy<br />
of William J. O’Connor. ©Estate of Fritz Scholder.<br />
Fritz Scholder, Matinee Cowboy and Indian, 1978. Oil paint on canvas. Promised<br />
gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the collection of Denver Art Museum. ©Estate<br />
of Fritz Scholder.<br />
Fritz Scholder, Hollywood Indian, 1973. Acrylic paint on canvas. Private collection.<br />
Photographer: Jacquelyn Phillips. ©Estate of Fritz Scholder.<br />
Fritz Scholder, Indian at a Gallup Bus Depot, 1969. Oil paint on canvas. Collection<br />
of Booth Western Art Museum. Photo courtesy of Louis Tonsmeire, Jr.<br />
©Estate of Fritz Scholder.<br />
JAVA 17<br />
MAGAZINE
WAYNE RAINEY<br />
At Bokeh Gallery<br />
By Amy L. Young<br />
Like many of Phoenix’s venue owners, Wayne Rainey<br />
is a person who wears many hats. He is the founder<br />
and owner of monOrchid, a multipurpose space<br />
on Roosevelt that includes the Shade and Bokeh<br />
galleries and has been one of the anchors of the<br />
Roosevelt Row district since the early 2000s.<br />
With its longevity and consistency as a destination<br />
for quality arts and culture, the venue has been<br />
influential to the subsequent and continued growth in<br />
the area. That type of growth doesn’t come without a<br />
range of challenges, especially for the neighborhood<br />
business owners and area residents who have long<br />
supported the mission of having a diverse, affordable<br />
and unique culture-rich district. Rainey is among the<br />
many who stay continuously active and vocal in all<br />
facets of neighborhood development.<br />
Additionally, Rainey is an award-winning commercial<br />
photographer, as well as a fine art photographer who<br />
has exhibited in galleries across the country; his<br />
work has been featured in popular art publications<br />
like ARTnews and Art in America. This month,<br />
monOrchid’s Bokeh Gallery presents The Passenger,<br />
a new body of Rainey’s fine art photos. They were<br />
taken in London in 2015, over a period of ten days.<br />
“The series,” says curator Nicole Royse, “highlights<br />
the idea of myth and retelling of ancient stories,<br />
which is something Rainey continues to develop<br />
within his work.” Human activity and interaction<br />
are certainly what creates a majority of the stories<br />
that we tell, whether we are a part of them or an<br />
observer. As the latter, the real treasure in Rainey’s<br />
photographs is his ability to capture scenarios at<br />
these lush locations that are ripe with activity, and<br />
present completed snapshots of these moments that<br />
are free of opinion or judgment. You’re left with an<br />
image that doesn’t feel cloying, without a heavy hand<br />
trying to guide you into a specific emotional realm,<br />
and that is both rare and refreshing.<br />
That said, the pieces are certainly not sterile;<br />
they are natural and inviting, inspiring curiosity.<br />
For instance, “Horus” is a mix of people and birds<br />
scattered about a park filled with towering trees and<br />
walking paths; a small child is at the fore, watching<br />
the motion around him as the birds peck at crumbs of<br />
bread. The many chairs placed about raise questions.<br />
Is it a special event? Is it just status quo for this<br />
gathering spot? The photo exudes an overall sense<br />
of innocence, along with an excellent capture of<br />
nature’s beauty, so that you ultimately don’t feel a<br />
desperate need to find an answer.<br />
Royse also has an affinity for that peaceful quality<br />
the series offers. “Rainey has such an appreciation<br />
of people and for observing places,” she says, “that<br />
he effortlessly translates into his imagery, creating<br />
photographs that have a sense of mystery and<br />
beauty. The lush setting is spectacular, and while<br />
many of the scenes appear busy with activity, there<br />
is a tranquility found in the intimacy that Rainey has<br />
captured with distinct voyeuristic undertones.”<br />
Wayne Rainey: The Passenger<br />
Through March<br />
Bokeh Gallery at monOrchid<br />
www.monorchid.com<br />
Pillory<br />
Insolence<br />
18 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
COLIN CHILLAG<br />
Mid-Career Review at the Chocolate Factory<br />
By Leah St. Clair<br />
For local painter Colin Chillag, springtime seemed<br />
ripe for shaking off some dust and putting older<br />
works on display. “I had some work sent back from<br />
galleries in L.A., and some paintings that had been in<br />
storage. That made me think, ‘Well, some of the work<br />
I wouldn’t want to show again, but some of it I’ve<br />
never shown in Arizona,’” he says. “So I started to<br />
think of doing a retrospective. It was kind of an idea<br />
that was building.”<br />
A couple of years ago, Chillag showed new works at<br />
Phoenix Art Museum as the Contemporary Forum’s<br />
designated “mid-career artist.” Last year he had a<br />
show in L.A.’s 101|exhibit, the gallery that represents<br />
him. “I didn’t want to do an official retrospective,<br />
because it’s just so much work, and I would have to<br />
borrow back so many pieces [from collectors],” he<br />
says. “But I had enough in my possession that I could<br />
piece together a decent overview of my career.” That<br />
is when Chillag started talking to local gallery/studio<br />
owner Hector Ruiz from the Chocolate Factory on<br />
Grand Avenue.<br />
The selections for the upcoming show feature a wide<br />
range of painting styles. “Consistency is not the<br />
objective,” Chillag says. “It’s more the opposite. I get<br />
tired of something, so I move on and try new things.<br />
But sometimes you leave behind something that you<br />
feel could have been more.”<br />
Chillag refers to a large piece he’s been working<br />
on, “Goo Goo For God”—with vibrant colors and<br />
large, fluid, goofy shapes—that is more cartoony. He<br />
considers it a clash between high- and low-brow art,<br />
inspired by generations of painters like Peter Saul,<br />
Keith Haring, Christian Schumann, Kenny Scharf and<br />
Basquiat. “My work is probably closer to Peter Saul,”<br />
he says.<br />
For those familiar with Chillag’s more widely<br />
exhibited photorealistic works—his signature<br />
unfinished canvases with interesting marginalia such<br />
as calendars, emotional outbursts and mental lists—<br />
the current work may seem like a departure. With<br />
this brief return to the cartoon style, he gets a break<br />
and says he feels even more inventive.<br />
Riding the wave of this freedom, he decided to<br />
revisit his “Selfless Acts” series, a collection of small<br />
renderings of famous suicides reenacted farcically in<br />
glossy oils, which he posted frequently on Instagram<br />
while in process. “In 2004, I worked with the same<br />
idea. It’s an alphabet series. But a sort of a fucked-up<br />
alphabet,” he says. “I had a window here where I<br />
could do that over again for this show.”<br />
The original series wasn’t well preserved. Chillag<br />
sold some pieces, stored some away, and about half,<br />
he says, he simply threw out. “I don’t tend to value<br />
my work very much after I’m done with it,” he says.<br />
This actually had a part in his reconnecting with Ruiz.<br />
Years ago, Chillag rented a studio at the Chocolate<br />
Factory. When they were catching up recently, Chillag<br />
saw Ruiz’s growing collection of paintings and art<br />
books and was impressed. He even recognized one<br />
of his own works on the wall—a discarded painting<br />
of the death of Jackson Pollack that Ruiz had rescued<br />
from the trash. Chillag says it felt like a sign for him<br />
to reflect and revisit old works.<br />
Ruiz and Chillag have been affiliated for about<br />
10 years and even have collaborated on works in<br />
the past. Chillag is thrilled to be showing at the<br />
Chocolate Factory, an impressive space that is rarely<br />
open to the public.<br />
Colin Chillag<br />
Mid-Career Painting Show<br />
Art Detour weekend, March 18 – 20<br />
(other times by appointment)<br />
The Chocolate Factory<br />
1105 Grand Ave, Phoenix<br />
www.hectorruizart.com<br />
Mogollon Rim Selfie, 2013, oil on canvas 54”X68”<br />
It is Important to be Nobody, 2013-2015, oil on canvas, 18X24”<br />
JAVA 19<br />
MAGAZINE
By Sloane Burwell<br />
I’m not sure if I love to travel because I love to eat, or if I love to eat because<br />
I love to travel. I’ve often thought the Marines should have a peacetime<br />
recruitment slogan that says, “Visit new and exotic locales, meet interesting<br />
people and eat their food.” I might have seriously considered signing up. The<br />
story of food is the story of people, experiences, local resources, and how they<br />
merge to create new and interesting ideas.<br />
I love being surprised by food and bringing along friends to share the surprise.<br />
I’m always on the hunt for new culinary ideas, and sometimes it’s hard to<br />
maintain a childlike wonder for the hope of something new. Well, I found it<br />
recently. I know I’m late to the party, but as they say—better late than never.<br />
Inchin Bamboo Garden in north Scottsdale was my first exposure to Chinese<br />
food with an Indian accent. Actually, having been there repeatedly, I’m not<br />
sure if it is that or Indian food with a Chinese accent. Either way, I love it<br />
and I’m hooked.<br />
Over a century ago, a small but mighty population of Hakka-speaking Chinese<br />
took root in Kolkata (formerly called Calcutta). Their influence on the largely<br />
vegetarian dishes has been embraced and become a bit of a national treasure<br />
(in the same way that the English have adopted curry as a national dish), and<br />
can now be found in North Africa, Singapore and regional hubs like Chicago.<br />
And now Scottsdale.<br />
Inchin’s cavernous location is a square box filled with rows and rows of tables.<br />
Being so large, it deceptively seems like you might be the only one there. You<br />
aren’t. This place is packed with families on weekends. Lunch is a great time to<br />
enjoy a slower-paced, less-hurried meal.<br />
I’d start with their tasty soups, like the Sweet Corn (cup $4, bowl $12), a<br />
magically thickened clear broth with a hint of sweetness from the handful<br />
of kernels found throughout. This tasty soup is a sweet foil to the heat that<br />
comes from the rest of the dishes. A note: the food here can go from mild to<br />
nuclear. When you say, “I like it spicy,” make sure your server knows what<br />
that means for you.<br />
I loved the Manchow Soup ($4/$12), a thicker concoction loaded with chunky<br />
veggies cut into batons, and swirled with eggs, à la egg drop soup. This<br />
toothsome potage beats the winter blues, not that we’ve had them as of late.<br />
I’m crazy for their Momos—a spin on potstickers and dumplings, with a hint of the<br />
spices you’d find in samosas. These steamed versions are pillowy and loaded with<br />
goodies. My favorite was the lamb ($10), a half-dozen chunky contenders that beg<br />
you to create your own dipping sauce. About that—each table comes with seven<br />
bottles of sauce, from a mild soya to tongue-popping chili (both green and red).<br />
Exercise caution. When the bottle indicates hot, it is HOT. Let’s just call my green<br />
hot sauce experience a lesson in future restraint.<br />
Get the Chicken 65 ($10), which is chicken sliced into large coins, wokked in hot<br />
sauce (adjusted to your palate) and served with fresh curry leaves, bell peppers and<br />
dry chilis. This dish makes for fantastic leftovers. One note about this fusion: it is<br />
much better the next day than classic Chinese because it’s missing the cornstarch-y<br />
congealed factor. I ate this cold for breakfast the next morning. Lazy? Maybe, but it<br />
was delicious.<br />
The Crispy Chicken Chili Honey ($14) is about as close to sweet (minus the sour)<br />
chicken as you’d get at a Chinese joint. Spicier, of course, with enough honey to<br />
round out the chili-based bite. Chunks of wok-cooked chicken coated in crunchy<br />
batter give textural interest, without the otherworldly orange-red sauce that Panda<br />
Express made Americans think is legit Chinese food.<br />
The Crispy Eggplant Chili Honey ($12) utilizes the same kicky sauce, coating<br />
the well-battered and wokked eggplant, creating a fantastic texture and flavor<br />
explosion. It’s a great exposure to eggplant for the eggplant-challenged. I hear from<br />
friends all the time that they’d eat more eggplant if the texture were different. If<br />
that is you, then this is your dish. Go for it!<br />
The Shanghai Potatoes ($12) were interesting, in a good way. Sliced like extremely<br />
thick potato chips, these guys come tossed in a spicy red sauce (kick it up a notch!)<br />
with cashews for crunch. My dining companion said these were an Indian version of<br />
scalloped potatoes, and I think that’s about right.<br />
The Cauliflower Manchurian ($12) is my favorite dish. You might recognize the dish<br />
as Gobi Manchurian in other places. Here, it comes with two options, the dry rub<br />
(good, actually very good) or in a gravy for $1 extra. Spring for the extra buck so you<br />
get the thick, chunky, crunchy version loaded up with umami flavors, with the same<br />
veggies as the Manchow Soup. Perfectly battered and fried hunks of cauliflower are<br />
wokked to perfection and coated with gravy. If you eat it without the white or brown<br />
rice that comes alongside, it’s almost a stew.<br />
For noodle fans, please don’t skip the Hakka noodles ($13, with the addition of<br />
chicken). These eggless noodles are a ramen-vermicelli hybrid. Cooked “dry,” they<br />
retain their shape and texture and never dissolve into a starchy mass (even the<br />
next day). Ask the kitchen for an extra minute or two in the wok for more snap and<br />
crunch. At one point, I found myself wondering if Indo-Japanese fusion is possible,<br />
because these Hakka noodles would make a fantastic ramen.<br />
I am now a big fan of Indo-Chinese cuisine. So while I save up money for my next<br />
big culinary travel adventure, you can catch me at Inchin, whetting my appetite for<br />
the big world and all of its flavors.<br />
Inchin’s Bamboo Garden<br />
10050 North Scottsdale Road #121, Scottsdale<br />
(480) 306-6883<br />
bamboo-gardens.com<br />
Hours:<br />
Monday to Thursday:<br />
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 10:00 p.m.<br />
Friday & Saturday<br />
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.<br />
Sunday<br />
11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 10:00 p.m.<br />
JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
21
PUBLIC IMAGE<br />
22 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
23 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
24 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
25 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
26 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
27 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
28 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
Photographer: Chris Loomis<br />
Wardrobe Stylist: Shannon Campbell<br />
Makeup Artist: Jalia Pettis<br />
Hair Stylist: AnaMaurie Luque<br />
Location: Public Image Salon<br />
Clothing: Dillard’s Fashion Square<br />
Models: Michelle James and Miwa Williams<br />
JAVA 29<br />
MAGAZINE
Photo: Rachael Smith
Since their inception in 2009 The Haymarket<br />
Squares have become practically an<br />
institution in the local music scene. They<br />
refer to their music style as “punkgrass,”<br />
as if punk rock and bluegrass danced together in a<br />
frenzied mosh pit. But that doesn’t tell the whole<br />
story. The Haymarket Squares also come across as<br />
something akin to liberal anarchists in their lyrics are<br />
clever commentaries on politics, modern life, religion<br />
and nearly any other aspect of our world that needs<br />
some shaking up. Every song is delivered with a<br />
telling grin, healthy cynicism and wit.<br />
Their music is boisterous and fun, steeped deeply<br />
in American traditions of the late 19th and early<br />
20th centuries, and delivered with the speed usually<br />
reserved for bands who incite slam dancing. It’s quite<br />
a combination whether on record or, better yet, live<br />
on stage, where the audience goes wild. They just<br />
released their fourth full-length, Light It Up, which<br />
follows perfectly in line with their previous efforts of<br />
Righteous Ruckus (2013), Dancing in the Streets (2010)<br />
and Punkgrass for the People (2009).<br />
The Haymarket Squares are John Luther Norris<br />
(vocals, guitar, kazoo), Marc Oxborrow (vocals, bass),<br />
Mark Sunman (vocals, mandolin, accordion, piano),<br />
Mark Allred (vocals, slide guitar, harmonica) and<br />
Jayson James (fiddle). Together they make some of<br />
the most unusual and socially relevant music around<br />
today, and not just in Arizona. With the folk revival<br />
having blossomed, they are primed to garner an even<br />
wider audience with this album. Musically speaking,<br />
it’s their best effort yet and is lyrically up to par with<br />
their previous work.<br />
In 2009 some folks might have been scared away by<br />
Haymarket Square’s bluegrass and folk roots, which<br />
now have new people flocking to them. Although<br />
they are fighting the good fight and every song is a<br />
social commentary, it never really feels like they are<br />
shouting from a soapbox. Maybe they are; maybe I<br />
just feel at home at this particular hoedown.<br />
Light It Up opens with “Heaven,” a deceptively titled<br />
number shrouded in revivalist clothing. Musically it’s<br />
something straight out of a travelling salvation show,<br />
but that’s where the similarity ends. With lyrics like<br />
“There ain’t no heaven, got to make one here, No<br />
father, no son, no heavenly choir, Just hearts and<br />
hands and our desire” you can see where this one is<br />
going and what side of the atheist fence these chaps<br />
reside on. The more telling and more hilarious line is<br />
“There ain’t no party, let’s have one here, Let’s load a<br />
bowl, pour some wine, Read a book about Palestine.”<br />
It’s a great introduction to the album, and it’s only the<br />
start of their irreverent agenda.<br />
“Horrible Inventions” is a fantastic commentary on<br />
the “border patrol industry.” It also has some true<br />
humanist wisdom: “You see ‘them’ as separate from<br />
‘us,’ And don’t believe that we are ‘one,’” and later,<br />
“Don’t ask how many of them have to die, Because<br />
they crossed a line That’s only in your mind.” They<br />
make valid points for compassion, all with a beautiful<br />
bluegrass backdrop that makes it easy to swallow.<br />
One of the topics that is close to their hearts is the plight<br />
of the workingman, which makes sense considering<br />
they are called The Haymarket Squares. (Go ahead<br />
and Google the Haymarket Riots if you are unclear<br />
on this.) This topic is first approached on “Working<br />
Reward,” with the refrain “You’re worth more than<br />
they’ll ever pay you.” The song also includes a super<br />
clever nod to the finale of the Talking Heads<br />
classic “Road to Nowhere,” but it’s executed so<br />
well you may miss it. The reference is intriguing<br />
on many levels, since they are talking about a deadend<br />
job.<br />
Continuing on the labor issue, “Let’s Start a Riot” is<br />
the first single from the album. It’s about stewing<br />
in your own juices in your 9-to-5 cubicle and simply<br />
hating everything about it. This is a new anthem for<br />
disaffected office workers everywhere, and it’s as<br />
true as it is funny: “We’re gonna have a party for my<br />
buddy who just lost his job, We’ll be mixing up some<br />
cocktails, My favorite is the Molotov.”<br />
“High Demand” begins with a bit of New Orleans<br />
jazz and stays soaked in the sound of classic Dixie.<br />
This song addresses the private prison industry. It’s<br />
a complete indictment of the corrupt private prison<br />
system, law enforcement and the enormous industry<br />
that has swelled around these things. It tackles nearly<br />
every aspect of this serious problem without fail, but it’s<br />
best summed up by these four lines: “Welcome to the<br />
greatest country on the earth, For prison population<br />
we come in first, There’s only one group we don’t<br />
prosecute, The banksters that made you destitute.”<br />
You would think that with a title like “Jump the Border,”<br />
this song would be another tale about border issues,<br />
but once more there’s a twist. This salsa-influenced<br />
number is one of the most adventurous musically<br />
on the album. It is actually about packing up your<br />
things and getting out of America before it’s too<br />
late. Throughout the song they mention options,<br />
like Canada, Mexico, Iceland, Costa Rica, Germany,<br />
North Africa, Bangkok and so on. Yet still they beg<br />
America to “move from your mirror and see the world<br />
spinning” before it’s too late.<br />
Up next is the amusing “King Me,” which uses the<br />
guise of a monarchy to make commentary about the<br />
oligarchy we now find ourselves in, where money is<br />
the real ruler of all. It’s a portrayal of anyone with<br />
a thirst for political power and no regard for our<br />
personal rights and privacy, slowly slipping away.<br />
The song itself has more of an Appalachian feel and<br />
backwoods country vibe. It would sound great sung<br />
loud from a back porch somewhere in Georgia.<br />
“No Such Agency” is a hilarious, swooning love<br />
song to you from your new best friend, the NSA. It’s<br />
a hilarious romp and a wonderfully danceable waltz<br />
all in one. Every moment is tongue in cheek, with<br />
lines like “Type it or talk it or sing it or sign with your<br />
hands… If you ever feel like there’s no one to lend<br />
you an ear, Never fear, I’m right here.”<br />
There’s a complexity to “Gritty City” in that it<br />
expresses both all that is wrong with Phoenix and an<br />
actual love for the city at the same time. Many people<br />
I know have a love/hate relationship with Phoenix, but<br />
despite all the bad, it is still where we call home. That’s<br />
the crux of this song: when it comes down to it, we<br />
live here because we love this gritty city too.<br />
“Part of the Problem” follows with the self-reflective<br />
notion that even though you are aware of all the<br />
issues and are even rallying about them, you may still<br />
be part of the problem. The entire sentiment of the<br />
song is summed up at the end perfectly: “Well it’s<br />
easy to stand on a soapbox, And tell the world what’s<br />
going wrong, But in court or the street, in this miserable<br />
heat, You need more than just catchy songs.”<br />
One of my favorite songs to catch live is their cover<br />
of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.”<br />
I always hoped they’d record it someday, even as a<br />
giveaway, but they actually included it on the album.<br />
This has always been one of my favorite protest songs,<br />
and I absolutely love their punkgrass treatment.<br />
The album concludes with the poignant “Goodbye,”<br />
about how the human race has pushed the planet to<br />
the brink, and it won’t be long before Mother Earth<br />
decides her children are no longer worthy of attention<br />
and will shake them off like a wet dog. “Well<br />
goodbye, mother earth, Life-giving ball of dirt, We<br />
whored you and we raped you and we never put you<br />
fi rst, And now we get what we deserve.”<br />
One of the things that stands out about Light It Up<br />
is that, while this album is just as socially conscious<br />
as all of Haymarket Squares’ others and certainly<br />
just as irreverent, this one seems to have a more<br />
timeless quality. Some of these songs would have<br />
been relevant a century ago and some might be<br />
meaningful in hundred years—though I hope not. The<br />
band belongs to a lineage of folk singers and rockers<br />
that have fought the good fight, the likes of Woody<br />
Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joe Strummer.
ZODIAC BASH<br />
Pilot EP<br />
SAINTS AND THE HELLIONS<br />
Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles EP<br />
COUPLES FIGHT<br />
Breaking Up EP<br />
Over the last year and a half Zodiac Bash have been<br />
playing some of the most vital live shows in town.<br />
They are something of an indie super group, featuring<br />
Patro Gaston (Paper Foxes), Ari Leopold (Rolling<br />
Blackouts), Ben Foos (Fairy Bones) and Ben Fuqua<br />
(Bacchus and the Demonsluts). Whereas Gaston has<br />
been a sideman in other musical projects, here he is<br />
the visionary and leader of the group.<br />
Their debut EP might appear to be an album with<br />
ten tracks in tow, but starting with “ATTENTION,”<br />
every other song is a short, psychedelic link track that<br />
sounds imported from outer space. With a name like<br />
Zodiac Bash, this all makes sense. These link tracks<br />
are essential to the construction of this EP, as they<br />
connect the five actual songs. Two of their earliest<br />
songs, “Vocosis” and “Bouncy,” are here, and they<br />
sound better than ever, fully fleshed from the demos<br />
from which they were born. The latter is a clear<br />
choice for a single.<br />
The EP does come off as a sort of greatest hits<br />
package of favorites from their live shows, with<br />
“Break Party” kicking things off. Then there is the<br />
amazing keyboard part in “The Crane Zodiac” that<br />
kills me every time. It’s my favorite track for sheer<br />
composition alone. The EP concludes with the epiclength,<br />
apocalyptic “Tectonic Dreams,” which is<br />
harrowing in its darkness. There is almost no better<br />
moment on the record than when this song spins out<br />
of control into the finale. This is a pretty impressive<br />
debut that puts Zodiac Bash’s weirdness right up<br />
front and delivers their signature sound perfectly.<br />
Saints and the Hellions is the direct spawn of a<br />
classic punk tribute band called Anarchy For Hire,<br />
and surprisingly it’s only a duo consisting of Vinnie<br />
Venom (vocals) and Lokki Saints (guitars, bass<br />
and drums). Saints had some riffs and lyrics sitting<br />
around while AFH was on hiatus and decided to put<br />
them to good use.<br />
While the four songs on their debut EP, Brave Words<br />
and Bloody Knuckles, are all originals, it’s clear that<br />
the guts are gleaned from the history of punk. These<br />
all sound like instant classics that could have been<br />
released 30 years ago. Still, there is an urgency and<br />
a passion found here that indicate it’s the real deal.<br />
Multi-gold and platinum chief engineer John Gray at<br />
The Saltmine Oasis in Mesa engineered the EP, so<br />
the sound is immaculate. It starts with the revving<br />
of engines in “Rat Rod Phantom,” a tale of a ghostly<br />
driver behind the wheel of a ’32 Deuce who spreads<br />
mayhem everywhere he goes.<br />
The title track is an anthem to getting into it with<br />
fists ready, and it’s one of the best fighting songs<br />
released in a while. Its sing-along chant will have<br />
crowds singing and swinging to the breakneck guitar<br />
line. “The Outlaw Rebels,” with its locomotive pace<br />
and Johnny Cash vibe, is probably the least punk<br />
of all, but it has a rockabilly twist. The EP finishes<br />
with “Goodbye My Sorrow,” which sounds like a lost<br />
outtake from Social Distortion’s early years. It’s about<br />
Saint’s struggle with addiction and his triumphant<br />
recovery. It’s the best song on the record, not only<br />
because it rocks like hell, but because it carries an<br />
emotional punch.<br />
This has to be the most interesting concept for a<br />
band in quite some time. Couples Fight is the dance<br />
punk duo of Travis James (Travis James & The<br />
Acrimonious Assembly of Arsonists) and Alaynha<br />
Gabrielle, and they have taken the demise of a<br />
relationship to a whole new level. While most songs<br />
about lost love are mournful, slow and sad, this EP<br />
takes the horror show of breaking up and turns it into<br />
a miniature synth-fuelled musical of punk-tinged pop<br />
songs. This is exactly the crap that goes down when<br />
any couple falls apart.<br />
While the music is high energy and catchy, the gold<br />
is in the lyrics, as James and Gabrielle literally fight<br />
back and forth using call-and-response phrasing.<br />
It’s never been so enjoyable to witness a couple<br />
becoming a train wreck. This is pretty much a<br />
concept piece, moving from “Whatever You Want,”<br />
which is a fight over dinner, to “Um, Who Was<br />
That,” the start of suspicion and lack of trust. Then<br />
“No, Not Tonight,” highlighting the lack of desire for<br />
intimacy, and “Cover Song,” which is a humorous<br />
piece about sleeping apart in the same bed. Finally,<br />
“Space” is the last frontier of any breakup before the<br />
actual breakup.<br />
Breaking Up is an accurate portrayal of the stages<br />
leading to the death throes of love. Clearly these<br />
two know that territory well, at least well enough<br />
to write a song about each stage of the cycle. There<br />
is a wonderful discord found in the jaunty, upbeat<br />
electronica backing this vicious, lyrical fighting. It<br />
ends with the truest words possible, in case you’re<br />
unaware: “‘Taking a break’ means breaking up.”<br />
32 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE<br />
Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman
MC/DC AND ANDY WARPIGS<br />
Onions Make Me Cry, But Mondays Make<br />
Me Really Sad EP<br />
TROUBLED MINDS<br />
Something Worth Saving EP<br />
BEN ANDERSON<br />
Where the Lights Go? EP<br />
By happenstance and sheer artistic inspiration, local<br />
hip hop artist MC/DC and punk folkster Andy Warpigs<br />
teamed up to record this delightful lo-fi EP (produced<br />
by DaDadoh). “I’ve been playing shows with my cool<br />
friend Andy Warpigs lately. He has a guitar. One<br />
night, he crashed at my house and we recorded this<br />
thing the next morning,” said MC/DC. While the<br />
music is minimalist at best, with Warpigs providing<br />
his signature guitar, the really stunning thing is how<br />
intellectually/introspectively developed MC/DC’s<br />
lyrics are.<br />
Charming on the surface with the homemade aspect,<br />
but when you get inside, it’s a damned deep trip.<br />
“Tempe’s Finest” is as boastful as it is self-reflective<br />
about watching your youth slip into adulthood. The<br />
catchiest moment on the EP is “I Got Your Back,”<br />
which comes across as an almost cute anthem of true<br />
friendship. The chorus is the hook, but what’s said is<br />
more important.<br />
“Chill Freestyle Jam with My Friends” is one minute<br />
of exactly what the title suggests. This is followed<br />
by “The Weekend (Shitty Acoustic Remix),” which<br />
is as much an anthem of liquor-fuelled weekends<br />
as it is a cautionary tale about the results of<br />
slamming from Friday straight to Sunday. The<br />
guitar is damn near hypnotic here, and the chant<br />
of “Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Go!” could be the<br />
drinker’s chant everywhere.<br />
The EP concludes with “Happy Birthday,” which<br />
features MC/DC’s trombone—that’s right, trombone.<br />
It’s a far cry from the traditional birthday song, but it’s<br />
a more realistic one for troubled people in troubled<br />
times, or really just regular people in regular times.<br />
There seems to be a resurgence of emo pop punk in<br />
Phoenix, spearheaded by groups like Sundressed,<br />
Merit, The Breaking Pattern and most recently<br />
Troubled Minds. They’ve just dropped their debut<br />
EP, called Something Worth Saving, and it’s a highenergy<br />
guitar-fuelled collection of seven songs.<br />
Their song structure is much more complex than<br />
verse-chorus-verse and borders on math-rock<br />
arrangements. With the opener of “Silk Flowers,”<br />
you may think you are in for some screamo metal<br />
from the start, but it quickly changes gears to one of<br />
the catchiest numbers here. The first 30 seconds are<br />
just making sure you are awake and ready to listen.<br />
“Chronophobia” is less surprising, as it reflects on<br />
growing older and watching the time slip through<br />
the hourglass. Then there is the perfect power pop<br />
of “Vanishing Act,” which would be great for radio<br />
airplay. It’s a three-minute track about trying to bring<br />
a friend back from rock bottom; it’s inspiring and<br />
catchy as hell.<br />
“Punch” is just straight-up punk at breakneck<br />
speed, about the loss of a relationship and the<br />
mixed emotions surrounding it. This is followed by<br />
the hauntingly stark beginning of “Inhale/Exhale,”<br />
which inevitably explodes with guitars and horns.<br />
“Arsonist” uses that idea as an allegory for all of us<br />
who are constantly on the verge of metaphorically<br />
burning down the house. The finale, “Pride,” is a<br />
well-crafted pop punk number that seals the deal on<br />
this EP being a quality listen from beginning to end.<br />
Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman<br />
Ben Anderson is a new young talent on the scene and<br />
he has the backing of a lot of esteemed musicians.<br />
Add to that, he just released his debut, produced by<br />
Olivier Zahm, and this four-track EP is a treasure.<br />
While it’s clearly Anderson and his guitar showcased<br />
here, the production quality cannot be overstated.<br />
There’s not a lot of studio trickery, it’s just a great<br />
sound that augments Anderson’s talent as a singer<br />
and songwriter.<br />
“Chemical Reaction” is the opening track and it’s<br />
nearly psychedelic, as the effects swirl around<br />
Anderson with his voice and guitar. The first single<br />
from this EP, “Perfect,” is a gentle number, with a<br />
slow, seductive lilt that is only heightened when the<br />
strings come in. It’s a love song with a great laidback<br />
groove that has me moving in my seat every<br />
time. The title track literally shifts gears, as a bit of a<br />
darker number in stark contrast to the love and light<br />
of “Perfect.” Heavy with haunting synths, an unusual<br />
bass line and complex percussion, it’s one of the most<br />
compelling tracks on this release.<br />
“Bittersweet” is the finale, and it feels a bit like<br />
Pete Yorn in his prime. It also has the least amount<br />
of production flourishes of any of the songs, so you<br />
can imagine what Anderson’s talent would sound<br />
like alone in a room with his guitar. The entire<br />
release is a calling card from an exciting new<br />
talent in this town.<br />
For more on these events and other highlights of<br />
the Phoenix music scene, check out Mitchell’s blog<br />
at http://soundsaroundtown.net. For submissions<br />
or suggestions contact him at mitchell@<br />
soundsaroundtown.net<br />
JAVA 33<br />
MAGAZINE
Photo by Dana Armstrong<br />
Tomorrow’s Yesterday<br />
Tucker Woodbury<br />
By Demetrius Burns<br />
34 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
Photos courtesy of Genuine Concepts<br />
“I don’t want to buy anything.” This is the first thing<br />
I hear when I call Tucker Woodbury on a Sunday<br />
morning, and based on his deadpan delivery, I feel<br />
as though I have reached a sarcastic voicemail. The<br />
following chuckle on the other end convinces me<br />
otherwise and informs me that it’s just a shtick and<br />
that, well, I’m speaking with a human. It also informs<br />
me that I’m speaking with someone who is living one<br />
hell of a life.<br />
If You Carry Your Childhood with You, You May<br />
Never Become Older<br />
Woodbury has an impressive resume. He is a creative<br />
entrepreneur who has helped produce some of the most<br />
iconic hangouts in Phoenix, physical portmanteaus of old<br />
and new. His projects include Valley Bar, Cobra Arcade<br />
Bar, The Vig (four locations), The Beverly, Crescent<br />
Ballroom, Linger Longer Lounge, The Little Woody<br />
and others, with more to come under his umbrella<br />
company, Genuine Concepts.<br />
Like many people in Phoenix, Woodbury is originally<br />
from somewhere else. He grew up near Boulder,<br />
Colorado, and his childhood exemplifies two<br />
aspects of his business acumen. His father was an<br />
entrepreneur and his mom was a writer. His dad<br />
showed him the value of hard work and his mom<br />
instilled within him a love of poetry and writing.<br />
“There’s a real business side of me from my dad and<br />
a creative side of me that came from my mom,” said<br />
Woodbury. “I can think creatively to design and build<br />
businesses, and can still think creatively in trying to<br />
keep them open.” In college Woodbury decided to<br />
pursue journalism because it was a major where he<br />
could use his creative skills in a way that allowed<br />
him to make a living.<br />
Throughout his early adulthood, Woodbury was<br />
drawn to hosting and having parties. For his high<br />
school graduation, he recalls having a keg (the legal<br />
drinking age was 18 at the time) and his mom went<br />
to the store to refill the keg for him. Not many moms<br />
would do that today, but his parents have always<br />
supported his dreams—even if that meant providing<br />
elixirs. Woodbury threw a lot of parties in college and<br />
enjoyed organizing and coming up with the best way<br />
to make people happy. “I wanted people to have the<br />
kind of fun that I wanted to have,” Woodbury said.<br />
After graduating, Woodbury moved to New York<br />
and worked in advertising, but there was something<br />
missing—he wasn’t having fun. He had a friend in<br />
Arizona who was involved in the restaurant and bar<br />
industry, and Woodbury felt like that would be a good<br />
fit for him, so he moved.<br />
Woodbury transplanted to Arizona in 1990 and never<br />
looked back. His first major success came with the<br />
Rocking Horse, which was a music venue/roadhouse<br />
that set the blueprint for Crescent Ballroom. The<br />
Rocking Horse was a hot spot in Scottsdale in the<br />
’90s, hosting new and emerging national touring<br />
bands. It operated until 1996, when it burned down<br />
in a fire.<br />
You Shall Go Through the Fire and Not Get<br />
Burned<br />
Though the Rocking Horse burned down, there was<br />
a diamond in the ashes. It was that Woodbury had<br />
met Charlie Levy, a club promoter at the time. They<br />
instantly developed a friendship built around giving<br />
people exciting experiences by combining bars and<br />
restaurants with concert venues. Woodbury brought<br />
the restaurant and bar expertise while Levy brought<br />
the concert and booking vision.<br />
After the Rocking Horse burned down, Woodbury<br />
decided to go back into advertising. Levy continued<br />
JAVA 35<br />
MAGAZINE
as a promoter. In 2000, Woodbury realized that he missed the industry and decided to leave the advertising<br />
world again. Woodbury and Levy’s creative vision fully synthesized in 2011 with the birth of the Crescent<br />
Ballroom, which has become a premier cultural bastion in Phoenix. The opening night at Crescent Ballroom<br />
was a sold-out show with more than 400 people in attendance. Woodbury and Levy haven’t looked back since.<br />
What’s Past Is Prologue<br />
For Woodbury, a major part of the vision he holds is renovating historic buildings and tailoring venues around<br />
unique spaces. “I feel like we have a responsibility to not see cool buildings disappear. Too much of downtown<br />
Phoenix has been bladed over. Really those are the kind of places people want to hang out in. You don’t want<br />
in the strip centers. You want to find a cool, interesting building that has some architectural significance,”<br />
Woodbury said. In that sense, his vision is galvanized toward making sure Phoenix feels like a long lived-in city,<br />
one with a significant history.<br />
Efforts like this continue to push Phoenix forward<br />
in new ways while firmly entrenching it within<br />
the historical context from which it emerged.<br />
This merging of cutting-edge entertainment and<br />
historic settings especially came together with the<br />
creation of Valley Bar. The space it inhabits was<br />
pretty much just stumbled upon. One day, Levy,<br />
who has an office on the third floor of the building,<br />
decided to see what was in the basement. What<br />
he found shocked him, and he immediately got<br />
in touch with Woodbury to see if they could spin<br />
some magic. As is the case with Woodbury and<br />
Levy, they often find a cool space and just go for it, no<br />
matter how challenging it might be.<br />
“I dig my hole first and then figure a way out of it,”<br />
Woodbury said. “We might not have the funding to<br />
make it happen, but we proceed believing it will.<br />
You’ve got to be that crazy in this business to make<br />
it.” The Valley Bar project took a lot of money and<br />
several months, but it has been more than worth<br />
it. Phoenix now has the iconic basement bar that<br />
most every big city has. The bar doubles as an<br />
entertainment venue throughout the week, hosting<br />
the smaller, emerging national acts as compared<br />
to Crescent.<br />
36 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
What Dreams May Come<br />
Most people would be satisfied with having two of<br />
the most frequented bars in the downtown Phoenix<br />
area, but Woodbury is just getting started. He and<br />
Levy are looking to create a concert venue that<br />
could hold up to 1,500 people in downtown. Central<br />
Phoenix doesn’t have a venue this size, and that could<br />
change once Woodbury finds a spot that he likes.<br />
Other projects include a new bar where the old<br />
Apollo’s was, near Seventh Street and Bethany<br />
Home. The bar will be called The Womack and is<br />
slated to open in July. It will be an homage to the<br />
old Chez Nous, an iconic classic lounge that got<br />
torn down to make way for the (now defunct) Fresh<br />
& Easy on Seventh Avenue and Indian School. The<br />
bar is pretty much an exact replica of the Chez Nous<br />
and is named after its founders, Andy and Maureen<br />
Womack, who opened Chez Nous in 1963. The<br />
Womack crystallizes the blueprint for honoring the<br />
past that Woodbury aspires to.<br />
Woodbury is quick to point out that he doesn’t<br />
create alone, and he attributes a lot of his success<br />
to his partnership with Levy. The two of them<br />
are bringing lots of cutting-edge experiences<br />
to Phoenix. Woodbury believes in the magic of<br />
bringing people together in a third space. “People<br />
can let their hair down and have a blast and see their<br />
friends [at our venues]. They can meet their future<br />
spouse. There is a certain magic that happens at our<br />
places,” said Woodbury.<br />
Regarding Levy, he says, “We are great friends. We<br />
have a whole lot of fun together. I think we both are<br />
idea people. We dream about things; we love to<br />
identify cool opportunities that Phoenix deserves.<br />
There’s a real kind of shared vision between us.<br />
We know where one person’s expertise stops,<br />
so we never step on each other’s toes. We know<br />
when to back off and let one person take the lead,”<br />
Woodbury said.<br />
There are a lot of people trying to make an impact in<br />
Phoenix. It’s a city filled with potential and quirkiness,<br />
but not everyone has the vision to make changes<br />
that are sustainable while honoring the past. The<br />
charm created by Woodbury partly comes from his<br />
predilection for dreaming. His childhood was inspired<br />
by poetry—something created within the pre-existing<br />
rhythms of language.<br />
The first poem that Woodbury wrote was about a<br />
weeping willow that was cut down across the street<br />
from the house where he grew up. There’s a saying<br />
that every poet is always trying to rewrite their first<br />
poem. It appears Woodbury is keeping the willow of<br />
his youth alive by making sure Phoenix doesn’t lose<br />
any more of its history.<br />
JAVA 37<br />
MAGAZINE
GIRL ON FARMER<br />
Well, I was in a little fender bender this week. I’m<br />
not too sure what happened because it was all so<br />
fast and so stupid, the way it went down. The whole<br />
incident was just unnecessary. Do you hear this,<br />
universe? That did not need to happen.<br />
On the bright side, no one was hurt. And here’s the<br />
creepy part. I wasn’t afraid of being hurt from the<br />
actual accident. We were all clearly a-okay. But I<br />
was afraid that the person who hit me (or I hit him—<br />
whatever, Officer Shackleton) was going to pull out a<br />
piece because I busted the bumper of his sweet-ass<br />
1990 Lexus sedan.<br />
After impact I followed protocol and made sure we<br />
were all alive, and then I got out to see that the other<br />
people were okay. But they were just kind of sitting in<br />
the car, which initially made me think, “Oh no, there’s<br />
some brain damage over here.” But then, I saw the<br />
driver talking, looking around and being not dead<br />
and thought, “Great, he’s debating whether or not to<br />
shoot me.”<br />
I gingerly crept up to the side of his car kind of<br />
waving and smiling—but a firm smile to let him know<br />
I didn’t think it was my fault. I didn’t have the shared<br />
cell phone with me, so I was hoping he would call the<br />
cops. I asked him like three times, “Are you calling<br />
the cops,” but he was waving at me and I wasn’t<br />
sure what that meant. So I asked a girl on a bike if<br />
she could call the cops. Do want to know what that<br />
b said? “Sorry, I’m late for class.” So, this is just a<br />
quick nutshell of modern day car accident etiquette:<br />
be scared of being shot and don’t ask anyone to make<br />
a phone call—they have to go to class.<br />
After all this I got a rental car, which is way fancier<br />
than my car. It has many screens and turn dials<br />
and wants me to think I am driving a spaceship. It<br />
also wants me to think I am an old lady. I know this<br />
because I am a big fan of the scan feature. While<br />
on scan the LCD screen displays the name of the<br />
radio station and the song you are listening to. But,<br />
if there are no details of the station it only displays<br />
the genre.<br />
I notice that it blows past any station labeled<br />
“contemporary” or “top 40” and stops at every<br />
station called “adult hits.” I know what that sassy<br />
38 JAVA<br />
MAGAZINE
When I stopped at Fry’s to get my box of wine,<br />
I very thoughtfully pushed the car-off button,<br />
so I thought I was okay. But when I got back<br />
and opened the trunk, music was playing.<br />
My initial reaction is the kidnap scene from<br />
Silence of the Lambs—someone is in the back<br />
seat—but with a boom box.<br />
screen is telling me: I’m listening to old people music! Even worse, the other day<br />
I was enjoying a little Eagles “Hotel California.” When it was over, the station’s<br />
trademark slogan played. It was “Even your kids like these tunes—they’re<br />
TIMELESS CLASSICS!”<br />
My old car radio never said that to me! I think the spaceship has announcers<br />
specifically for the purpose of old-shaming. Here’s what I know, when a radio<br />
announcer tries to convince me that I’m cool because I like the music the kids<br />
like: I am definitely not in the cool crowd.<br />
There is another feature of this car making me feel like I am reaching early<br />
Alzheimer’s. It’s the keyless start. Listen, I know I’m not the beacon of modernity<br />
over in my 2007 Hyundai, but I do have power windows and AC. The keyless<br />
ignition is just asking for trouble. All you need is to have that key near you and<br />
press a button and the car starts. Why? Was it so hard to get the key in there?<br />
Was it taking up a lot of time twisting that damn key back and forth, on and<br />
off with each ride? I just feel like there are other things that car people can be<br />
working on instead of the no key.<br />
I have left the car on no less than five times since having the space car. I think<br />
it’s off. And then I think, even if it’s not off, it will turn off because the key is in<br />
my pocket and I am leaving the vicinity of the car. Clearly, I am wrong, and I’m<br />
terrified of having this car stolen, because I don’t know if my insurance covers a<br />
stolen rental car after an accident. So when I stopped at Fry’s to get my box of<br />
wine, I very thoughtfully pushed the car-off button and the key was in my pocket,<br />
so I thought I was okay. But when I got back to the car and opened the trunk,<br />
music was playing. My initial reaction is the kidnap scene from Silence of the<br />
Lambs—someone is in the back seat—with a boom box. Then I remembered the<br />
magic turn-off button that I can’t seem to master. All I’m saying is, it shouldn’t be<br />
that easy to accidentally leave your car on.<br />
According to the auto body repair, I will be getting my antiquated, no screen,<br />
twisty key car back next week. I will miss the spaceship, though. I treat it so<br />
nicely and never leave orange peels in the cup holders. It’s like being a guest at<br />
someone’s house, being all neat and polite. I’m just waiting to get back to my<br />
car so I can be the slob that I am, coffee cups and bobby pins strewn all over,<br />
listening to adult hits without a rude reminder from that sassy screen.
NIGHT<br />
GALLERY<br />
Photos By<br />
Robert Sentinery<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3 4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8 9<br />
10 11<br />
1. Red dress vixen Barrett-Jackson<br />
2. Fitwall babe looking fit and fine<br />
3. Jeremy from The Outlaw (Waylon tribute band) and Shana<br />
4. Christy Lee from “All Girls Garage” at Barrett-Jackson<br />
5. Artist Joe Holdren and wifey Chandra<br />
6. Infusion Coffee and Tea cutie at Barrett-Jackson<br />
7. Debbie and Rubee at foodie stars at AZ Cocktail Week<br />
8. Ellee and visiting artist Asadeh Amiri at phiCA<br />
9. Power trio snapped at Chartreuse Gallery on Grand<br />
10. Cover girl Brea with Lisa at the American Italian Club<br />
11. Joshua Jones from Clever Koi at AZ Cocktail Week
12 13 14 15 16<br />
17 18 19 20 21<br />
22 23 24 25 26<br />
27 28 29<br />
12. Aileen’s space at Celebration of Fine Art<br />
13. Glamor girls at AZ Cocktail Week<br />
14. Blonde on blonde at Barrett-Jackson<br />
15. More fun at the American Italian Club<br />
16. Portrait of photographer Marilyn Szabo<br />
17. Elvis Before Noon plays Barrett-Jackson<br />
18. Dana and Roy at the “Screaming Hand” show<br />
19. Chris Maker’s opening at Shade Gallery at monOrchid<br />
20. Jillian Vose from The Dead Rabbit, NYC, in for Cocktail Week<br />
21. Side glance from Gas Monkey’s Richard Rawlings<br />
22. Christine Cassano’s phiCA installation<br />
23. Warehouse215 launch party at Bentley Projects<br />
24. “Agave Confidential” seminar with Colton Brock<br />
25. Arizona Storytellers founder Megan Finnerty<br />
26. Cathy Taylor art reception at Urban Beans<br />
27. Curator Nicole Royse with Jose and Shahrokh<br />
28. Abbey is goofing around with her son<br />
29. Let the good times roll with Kinga and Hoop
30 31<br />
32 33 34<br />
35 36<br />
37 38<br />
39<br />
40 41<br />
42 43 44<br />
45 46<br />
47<br />
30. Sweet funny valentine<br />
31. Kenny from Molten Brothers at the “Screaming Hand” show<br />
32. These Barrett-Jackson babes work for Dodge<br />
33. Bentley dedicates her new Warehouse215 space<br />
34. An Irish coffee toast with Allie and pals<br />
35. Cherie Buck-Hutchison’s opening at Bokeh Gallery<br />
36. Surprise visitors at the Unexpected Space<br />
37. Big John and Jay from the American Italian Club<br />
38. Patterns of B/W at Warehouse215<br />
39. Behind-the-bar babe at Cocktail Week<br />
40. Snapped at the American Italian Club<br />
41. Pretty trio at Warehouse215<br />
42. Here’s to the red, white and blue dude<br />
43. The premiere of “Beth Ames Swartz: Reminders of Invisible Light”<br />
44. Nice mini helmet<br />
45. Tequila icon Guillermo Sauza representing his Fortaleza brand<br />
46. Nature Valley in the house at the Phoenix Open<br />
47. Ernesto and his tall friends on First Friday
48 49<br />
50 51 52<br />
53 54<br />
55 56<br />
57<br />
58 59<br />
60<br />
61<br />
62<br />
63<br />
64 65<br />
48. More “Screaming Hand” show attendees<br />
49. Getting their Cocktail Week vibe on<br />
50. Unexpected Space façade by Karina, lighting by Devin<br />
51. Nicole and beau in front of Cory Slawson’s artwork<br />
52. Giant sequins and sunglasses!<br />
53. Bill (sans dreads) and Lexie<br />
54. Megan and pal at monOrchid<br />
55. Fred, Gail and Sid at Chartreuse Gallery<br />
56. Rembrandt’s Polaroid show at Eye Lounge<br />
57. The twins from Tilt Gallery<br />
58. Tim from Tullamore Dew has the belt for Ireland<br />
59. Guinness gals at Cocktail Week<br />
60. Bro-dacious style at Eye Lounge<br />
61. Gallery goddesses, Laura from {9} and Denise from Lotus<br />
Contemporary<br />
62. Girl with the wild eyes at phiCA<br />
63. Two babes and a bottle<br />
64. Mitch meet Enrico, American Italian Club
66 67 68<br />
69<br />
70<br />
71<br />
72 73<br />
74 75<br />
76 77 78<br />
79 80<br />
81 82<br />
83<br />
65. Jon Wassom opening at {9} the Gallery<br />
66. Pair of pretty Valentines<br />
67. Somebody busted out their Cocktail Week shirt early<br />
68. Karina at the Unexpected Space<br />
69. More American Italian Club fun with these ladies<br />
70. She’s got a nice grill<br />
71. The Duke Truck mobile bar service<br />
72. “Boats” and pal at monOrchid<br />
73. Triple-fisted at AZ Cocktail Week<br />
74. She’s got the beads goin’ on<br />
75. Wes from ZapCon and pal at the “Screaming Hand” show<br />
76. Jamie and friend at Warehouse215<br />
77. Sara Cochran interviews Betye Saar at SMoCA<br />
78. All smiles at Street Coffee<br />
79. Jason Hugger’s opening at Street Coffee<br />
80. Skater girls at “Screaming Hand”<br />
81. Ian Burrell “The Global Rum Ambassador “ at Cocktail Week<br />
82. Black is the new black<br />
83. More fun in front of Cory Slawson’s artwork
COMING SOON TO THE<br />
MIM MUSIC THEATER<br />
Kneedelus<br />
Mar. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | $28.50–$38.50<br />
A live collaboration between<br />
instrumental quintet Kneebody and<br />
electronic musician Daedelus<br />
Emily Kinney<br />
Mar. 9 | 7:00 p.m. | $27.50–$32.50<br />
Opening Act: Taylor Mathews<br />
Best known as Beth Greene on AMC’s<br />
The Walking Dead, folk-pop singersongwriter<br />
Emily Kinney recently<br />
released her first full-length album,<br />
This Is War.<br />
Acoustic Africa with Habib<br />
Koité and Vusi Mahlasela<br />
Mar. 25 | 7:00 p.m. | $33.50–$43.50<br />
Mar. 25 | 9:00 p.m. | $28.50–$38.50<br />
Celebrating the richness of the African<br />
traditions of voice and song<br />
Hanggai<br />
Mar. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | $33.50–$45.50<br />
This Chinese folk group from<br />
Beijing specializes in a blend of<br />
Mongolian folk music and modern<br />
styles such as punk and rock.<br />
“Behind The Lens with<br />
Pattie Boyd and Henry Diltz”<br />
Apr. 1 | 7:30 p.m. | $28.50–$41.50<br />
This multimedia presentation features<br />
the work and stories of acclaimed<br />
music photographer Henry Diltz<br />
and ’60s It Girl Pattie Boyd<br />
Birds of Chicago<br />
Apr. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | $25.50–$35.50<br />
Birds of Chicago, the collective<br />
centered around Allison Russell and<br />
JT Nero, reassert the simple notion<br />
that beautiful words and music can<br />
still tap deep veins of emotion.<br />
To purchase tickets or for the full concert series lineup, call 480.478.6000 or visit MIM.org.<br />
2016 Concert Series sponsored in part<br />
4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, Arizona 85050