Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley. Reggae-rock bands, Chicago-style blues, dubstep, and instrumental prog rock top the list this week. Strawberry Girls Wednesday, August 18 at The Rebel Lounge Instrumental prog rock trio Strawberry Girls bring their post-hardcore California sound to town in support of their fourth studio album, Tasmanian Glow. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 18 at The Rebel Lounge, 2303...
After years of reporting on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s famously restrictive immigration policies and detention practices, local journalism luminaries Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block joined forces to write Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Versus the Latino Resistance (University of California Press, $27.95). The book reads alternately like one long feature story and like a suspenseful journalism procedural, with plenty of historical and legal background for context. Greene Sterling and Joffe-Block dive into the real...
Explore the Beauty of the Desert at Night Guests experience a magical twilight adventure during self-paced Flashlight Tours, which provide an opportunity to see, hear and feel the desert night, including nighthawks, snakes, insects and night-blooming flowers. Socially distanced activities for all ages are offered, including “Painting with Light.” A nighttime farmers’ market is new this year, featuring locally grown produce, local honey, handmade soaps and artisanal crafts. Saturdays through Sept. 4, 7-9:30 p.m. Bring...
One of the Valley’s best-known menswear labels is expanding its women’s line. In 2018, software engineer and information security pro Chris Coriale started Christopher J. Apparel with one item: a comfortable and well-cut men’s undershirt made of Tencel modal, a sustainable and biodegradable fabric that lasts as long as average fabrics but is compostable once it’s “worn out.” Since then, he added more men’s pieces and launched a women’s line in 2020, which he expanded...
When the pandemic first shuttered Phoenix, Aileen Martinez began painting places she missed. An ongoing series was born, in which Martinez portrays buildings around town, giving them character, ebullient color and a deep sense of longing. Her Crescent Ballroom has airy brown bricks and pastel accents, fringed by palm trees so loose the green spills from their leaf outlines, tops almost seeming to waver. Her Pizzeria Bianco stands wistfully empty under a pink sky, structural...
You might not think of Cleveland as a summer vacation destination, but Phoenix native Ryan Swanson says the midwestern city is an “underrated gem.” The head chef at Kai at Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass – Arizona’s only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant – visits The Forest City twice a year with his girlfriend to see her family. They make an effort to find something new each time, especially museums, parks...
Slated for March but pushed back by you-know-what, the 2021 Phoenix Film Festival is now scheduled to open this coming Thursday, August 12 and run through Sunday, August 22. It’s a slightly less extravagant affair this year; fewer screenings, fewer special guests, no party tent, and all Harkins COVID protections will be observed. But the focus, we’re assured, is on quality more than quantity, with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Cases in point: This...
Summer is in full swing, but if you haven’t booked your staycation yet, don’t worry – Valley resorts and hotels are generally amenable to last-minute reservations. One we neglected to mention in our May/June staycation guide: Canopy by Hilton Tempe Downtown. The year-old hotel was inspired by a “desert oasis” and boasts work by local artists as well as ALIBI, a rooftop bar specializing in global street food. “Bringing our vision to life has been...
If you’ve lost faith in crowd-sourced contractor recommendations, you might need SavonServices. The membership-based app ($29.99/year) connects users with vetted electricians, landscapers, locksmiths and more, with built-in, pre-negotiated discounts. Available in the App Store and Google Play. savonservices.com
Downtown Phoenix’s Steele Indian School Park is home to many special events throughout the year, including this month’s Fabulous Phoenix Fourth. If a group of Valley veterans has its way, it will also soon be home to a new “museum monument.” The USS Phoenix Cold War Monument will feature salvaged parts of the USS Phoenix attack submarine and chronicle the United States Navy’s submarine force’s contributions to the Cold War between 1946-1991. The group is...
Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley. A diverse lineup this week includes African interpretations of bluegrass music, a celebration of Motown, psychedelic rock, regional Mexican music, and off-the-cuff country. Pascal Bokar Afro Blue Grazz Band Monday, August 9 at The Nash Wednesday, August 11 at Ottowa University Musician Pascal Bokar, born in France and raised in Senegal, West Africa, leads eleven...
Grassrootz Bookstore in Downtown Phoenix is more than a place to find rare reads. “Everything we do is rooted in community,” says co-founder Ali Nervis of the shop, which opened in 2019 and operates as a bookstore, co-working space, event center, community library and art gallery. It is also the only black-owned bookstore in Arizona. Right now, store manager Kylie Chamblee infuses tea with berries and citrus and sells it at the shop, but later...
PHOENIX magazine has named a lot of best bands over the years. And then the bands played on (well, some of them). Here’s what a handful of previous Best of the Valley winners are up to now. THE SUGAR THIEVES (2013, 2014) After months of isolation during the pandemic, the local blues folk group exploded with music, releasing two new albums in summer 2020. They continue to play a few times a month around the...
City cores were hit hard by a year of people working from home – less foot traffic meant less patronage of local businesses. To encourage a rebound, cities across the Valley are hosting recurring events to lure shoppers and diners downtown. Park After Dark, Downtown Tempe Authority’s series, has live entertainment, a beer and wine garden by Pedal Haus Brewery and takeout from local eateries to enjoy in Sixth Street Park. It runs Saturdays from...
Test Your Pedal Power in Tempe It’s the hottest time of the year so why not hop on your mountain bike for a Day Drinker Devil Ride, Aug. 7? The grueling, 10-mile gravel/mountain bike course features eight landmarks in and around Mill Avenue, Papago Park and Tempe Town Lake. Riders receive a raffle ticket for each of the landmarks they take a selfie at on the day of the ride, plus two bonus raffle tickets...
