For downtowners lacking stimulation of the senses: this weekend is for you. From a hard-hitting film exposé to zany karaoke, rollicking blues for the 21st century to string metal and multimedia arts for the masses, this week is one for the ages. If you’re ready, downtown Phoenix will oblige your desire for something totally new.
- Wednesday, Oct. 10
- 6:30 p.m. Doors, 7:00 p.m. Show
- Phoenix Center for the Arts: 1202 N. Third St.
- Getting there: Walk — Third and Moreland streets
- Price: FREE
Recommended if You Like: Phoenix New Times, investigative journalism, international politics
A decades-long veteran of the notorious Phoenix New Times, investigative journalist John Dougherty has seen it all. With stories on the infamous Sedona sweat lodge, Warren Jeffs, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, former Arizona governor J. Fife Symington and Charles H. Keating and the savings and loan scandal, Dougherty knows a big scoop when he sees one. His latest endeavor is InvestigateMEDIA, a nonprofit dedicated to “independent, public interest journalism.” Together with other notable reporters, Dougherty has compiled his latest film, titled “Cyanide Beach.” The film serves as a short but provocative investigation of the Rosemont Copper Company and its heinous pollution, labor violations and other unscrupulous practices. No Festival Required has brought this powerful new documentary to Phoenix for its local debut. Dougherty himself will be present at this screening to answer questions following the film.
- Friday, Oct. 5
- 8-10:00 p.m.
- All along Roosevelt Row
- Getting there: Walk — Roosevelt Street between Central Avenue and Seventh Street
- Price: FREE
Recommended if You Like: zany karaoke, bikes, Bill Murray
From dive bars to family-friendly sports bars, karaoke is utterly ubiquitous. Nothing new can be added to the equation; or so you think. Enter the Mobile Karaoke Unit. This fresh downtown group is aiming to revolutionize the karaoke world one wild, wandering dance party at a time. Most recently, the group hosted a Bill Murray-themed karaoke at Fifth Street’s wildly popular “Bill Murray Can Crash Here” extravaganza over the summer, offering hundreds of songs featured in movies from the famed actor’s career. For their latest stunt, the Unit is taking the “Mobile” part of their name a bit more seriously, roving along Roosevelt Row during this coming First Friday. But rather than moving by foot like any sensible group, they are taking things up a notch, incorporating bikes. And through this new medium, the group just might be the (unofficial) world’s first bike-driven karaoke system.
The Black Keys with Tegan and Sara
- Tuesday, Oct. 9
- 8:00 p.m. Show
- US Airways Center: 201 E. Jefferson St.
- Getting there: Walk — First and Jefferson streets
- Price: $40.25-$50.25, plus fees in advance at statesidepresents.com
Recommended if You Like: Danger Mouse, Canadians, a fresh look at the blues
At DevilPass, we don’t usually feature events held at such grand venues as the US Airways Center, but with a bill like this, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. After slugging it out in the underground for four albums, the group managed to make contact with acclaimed producer Danger Mouse, who engineered their fifth full-length. But the group’s biggest break came just a few years later with their major-label follow-up, “Brothers”, a mammoth, platinum-selling, Grammy-winning, single-producing, commercial-appearing juggernaut of a record that earned the blues-rock duo near universal acclaim from audiences and critics alike. The band followed just a year later with the equally-acclaimed “El Camino,” which has to date sold over 400,000 copies in the U.S. alone, earning the band the opportunity to head out on their first-ever arena tour. Joining them on the tour are Canadian indie-rock vets Tegan and Sara, who have seen immense success in their home country, but have never quite crossed over in the States.
Judgment Day with Captain Squeegee and Instructions
- Thursday, Oct. 4
- 7:30 p.m. Doors, 8:00 p.m. Show
- The Trunk Space: 1506 NW Grand Ave.
- Getting there: Bike — 15th and Grand avenues
- Price: $6 in advance at statesidepresents.com; $8 at the door
Recommended if You Like: classical music, doom metal, The Matches
For those intrigued by unlikely descriptions, this is the band for you. Originally formed as a heavy string duo, Judgment Day has no intention of working the traditional classical circuit of background music. The then-duo first gained acclaim through guerrilla performances along the streets of northern California, covering only the heaviest of metal songs for spare change. After some time, the group recruited a drummer and began playing full-fledged rock clubs, attracting such scene luminaries as dredg and The Matches, who each included the band’s talents on their mid-2000s albums. After a hiatus to allow their cellist to complete his music performance degree, the band hit the road again for good in late 2008. Since then, they’ve been lulling audiences into a state of calm with their pretty setup, only to make ears bleed with their squealing strings just minutes later.
Herberger Theater Festival of the Arts
- Saturday, Oct. 6
- 12-5:00 p.m.
- Herberger Theater Center: 222 E. Monroe St.
- Getting there: Walk — Second and Monroe streets
- Price: $5 at the door
Recommended if You Like: art in every form, Arizona Theatre Company, local pride
For the third year in a row, Herberger Theater is pulling out all the stops to welcome the world inside its first-class facilities. All throughout this Saturday, the Herberger will be hosting short films, live music, food and craft vendors, dance and much more across its three indoor stages, lobby and outdoor plaza. From the high-class work of Arizona Opera to the nontraditional works of Class 6 Theatre, the Herberger looks to ensure that all attendees’ desires are met. The festival aims to welcome fall both in weather and in its promise as the beginning of a new season for the arts. No longer the stuffy, set-aside institution for the wealthy, the Herberger Theater aims to make itself a destination for all.
Events compiled by Connor Descheemaker
