This weekend is all about heavy-hitters. The long-running Downtown Chamber Series is performing an encore of one of its most revered pieces. A mural all-star debuts his brand-new solo show. Local hip-hop aficionados hold down the fort at downtown’s hottest (and only) book shop welcoming hot DJs from the past, present and future. And a multimedia artist shares her latest film work, incorporating improvised music into her emotional constructions. Step outside and walk (or bike) to one of these shows.
- Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17 and 18
- 7:30 p.m. Doors, 8 p.m. Show
- Legend City: 521 W. Van Buren St.
- Getting there: Walk — Fifth Avenue and Van Buren Street
- Price: $15; Free with student ID; reservations at 602-254-1491
Recommended if You Like: Kronos Quartet, Bela Bartók, harsh classics
For more than 10 years, Phoenix Symphony violist Mark Dix has brought the timeless style of chamber music to downtown Phoenix’s most hallowed arts venues. While rotating through the regular stops like the IceHouse, Phoenix Art Museum, monOrchid and Modified Arts, the performances always make sure to take a trip down Van Buren once nearly every year. The artists open their doors to the public but once per year for the Chaos Theory show, and hosting the dignified Chamber Series amidst its exposed-brick walls and bare concrete floors is part of the deal. For this latest performance, Dix has programmed a repeat performance of one of the group’s most acclaimed works, alongside two classics. Leading the night are Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4 and Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Movement II. With two performances available to attend, there simply is no excuse for missing this show.
“DECIPHER” The art of Thomas ‘Breeze’ Marcus
- Friday, Nov. 16
- 7-10 p.m.
- First Studio: 631 N. First Ave.
- Getting there: Walk — First Avenue and McKinley Street
- Price: FREE
Recommended if You Like: The Painted Desert Project, Lalo Cota, tribal graffiti
If you have ever walked the streets of downtown Phoenix, you’ve seen the art of Breeze. Alongside his frequent collaborator Lalo Cota, Breeze has taken the downtown art scene as his own, creating numerous public murals across the city. Though each piece is unique, the detailing immediately gives away Breeze’s identity. His tribal-influenced, intertwined patterns create a labyrinth within every piece he creates, forcing the viewers to lose themselves in the work. For his latest solo show, Breeze is showcasing his best work in any scale. Breeze invited photographer Niba DelCastillo to document some of his best mural work, to be displayed in the gallery. Through the photos, DelCastillo and Breeze hope to illustrate the integration of the artist’s works into the community he inhabits, and show the full scope of his talents.
Modified Arts presents: Goodbye to Blight
- Friday, Nov. 16
- 6 p.m. Show
- Fourth and Roosevelt streets, next to Modified Arts
- Getting there: Walk — Fourth and Roosevelt streets
- Price: FREE; bring your own chair
Recommended if You Like: A.R.T.S., community, revitalization
Since the end of 2009, Modified Arts has remained largely silent in the musical department. For ten years, it was the mecca of the downtown Phoenix music scene. But for one night only, this Friday, owner Kimber Lanning is celebrating the building’s musical legacy in saying farewell to one of the site’s greatest detriments: its neighbor. Since Modified was founded, the lot next-door has remained vacant and overgrown. Then earlier this week, Lanning announced the site’s reactivation, and a classical performance to bid its dormancy adieu. In a “bring your own chair” style, Lanning has brought together a string quartet to play on the vacant lot to the passing Third Friday artwalkers. The set will include works by Beethoven and Schubert—a pop-up performance with class.
- LIVE at the BBQ
- Saturday, Nov. 17
- 6 p.m.
- Lawn Gnome Publishing & Bookstore: 905 N. Fifth St.
- Getting there: Walk — Fifth and Roosevelt streets
- Price: $5 at the door
Recommended if You Like: hip-hop, old-school records, Boogie Down Productions
In only two months, Live at the BBQ has shown that hip-hop is still alive and well in Phoenix. This stylized variety show, talk show, record swap, game show, DJ performance and “cocktail hour” aims to represents all sides of the eclectic genre, all from the backyard of downtown Phoenix’s most hoppin’ bookshop. For this month’s edition of the live show, hosts DJ Catalyst and Mike Cause will be joined by special guest, Valley legend DJ Johnny D. Alongside Johnny D for the night will be musical guests Djentrification, host of the massively popular, all-vinyl Palace at FilmBar and Smite, a rising star acclaimed by the Phoenix New Times. And finally, debuting this month is the Hip-Hop Swap, a vinyl, clothing and swag marketplace hosted by the Insects, showcasing all the ephemera that represents the deep culture of hip-hop.
- Sunday, Nov. 18
- 7 p.m. Doors, 7:30 p.m. Show
- The Trunk Space: 1506 NW Grand Ave.
- Getting there: Bike — 15th and Grand avenues
- Price: $6 at the door
Recommended if You Like: live scoring, John William Dunne, found sounds
The innovative Alexis Gideon stretches the boundaries of genre with each and every one of her works. At first glance, her music is at the forefront; an avant-garde composer working within the improvisational idiom. But upon further examination, the keen observer will note the power of her visual accompaniment. For each of her tours, Gideon creates stop-motion film works, which she scores live with a small backing group, a so-called “video opera.” For this particular stop at the Trunk Space, Gideon has crafted “Video Musics III: Floating Oceans,” a narrative inspired by Irish writer Lord Dunsany and physicist John William Dunne, crafting a single, 38-minute-long work. Opening for the visiting artist on this tour are local experimental and performance artists Christian Michael Filardo, Give Up, Mary Kay Zeeb and Clay Martin.
Events compiled by Connor Descheemaker
