It’s that time of the week again, and DevilPass is ever your faithful guide through the trials and travails of a successful weekend in downtown Phoenix. This week, two downtown living legends are honored with a new solo exhibition from longtime photographer Dayvid LeMmon and a celebration of eight years (!) running for the Trunk Space. View an exhibition of everyone’s favorite cheap, mobile art at Lawn Gnome Publishing with the first annual Wax, Slaps & Paperbacks. See how architects and urban planners are envisioning a new, better Phoenix for its next 100 years at the first annual Phoenix Urban Design Week, held in the picturesque PURL building overlooking all of downtown. Take in the newest thought-provoking show from the just-saved Actors Theatre troupe, called Body Awareness. And, hear from Alaska’s favorite psyche sons, the oddly-named Portugal. The Man.
Dayvid LeMmon {Vector : Preview Reception
- Thursday, April 5
- 6-10 p.m.
- monOrchid: 214 E. Roosevelt St.
- Getting there: Walk—Second and Roosevelt streets
- Price: FREE
Recommended if You Like: Tron, dystopia, highly modified photos
Though still under 30, Dayvid LeMmon is a true veteran of the downtown art scene. Exhibiting since 2002, and represented by the venerable Perihelion Arts gallery (currently between locations) for several years, LeMmon’s heavily modified photographic works grab even the most jaded viewer. His work is instantly recognizable, with its dozens of layered images forming a cohesive whole, truly bending reality within them. Initially working with dystopian landscapes, blindfolded models and morbid colorscapes of black and gold, LeMmon’s work has constantly evolved over the years, first moving to all black-and-white for his “Manufactured Images” and “Destroyed Remotely Post-Acquisition” series. More recently, for his “Machine Vision” series, he has moved to multi-colored digital catastrophes, resembling the images that would be present on a smashed and defective TV or computer screen, flashy and often heavily pixelated.
For the past several weeks, LeMmon has been posting close-ups of his newest work, teasing at his impending opening, featuring the next step in his artistic evolution. This new show is more composed, with a complete environment seeming to crawl out of many images. Many pieces this time include digital reconstructions of humans, backed by multicolored geometric shapes, all placed along a flat white background. For the much-anticipated preview reception, LeMmon has hand-picked local experimental-analogue-improv-electro fiends Noncommunication Machinemusic to go alongside DJ Pablo Gomez, with food provided by Mario Etsitty of the Phoenix Public Market and many an underground art happening over the last two decades.
Wax, Slaps & Paperbacks: A Sticker Art Exhibition
- Opens Friday, April 6
- Hours vary
- Lawn Gnome Publishing: 905 N. Fifth St.
- Getting there: Walk—Fifth between Garfield and Roosevelt streets
- Price: Free, with stickers and prayer candles available for purchase
Recommended if You Like: OBEY, customizing your stuff, Sticker Phiends
Stickers have long been a hallmark of personal expression. Whether slapping them on guitar cases, bumpers, windows or doors, everyone has their own experience with them. In the street art scene, stickers have taken on another life, as the mark of an artist, spreading his name across the city or providing social commentary. For the past four years, Phoenix expatriate MadOne hosted the legendary “Sticker Phiends” exhibitions, featuring works from dozens of artists across the country, drawing hundreds to Tempe. Now that MadOne has left for greener pastures in Portland, Ore., Kristin Elfering and Lawn Gnome Publishing have taken up the sticker art mantle, presenting an exhibition of more than 20 Phoenix artists, including such luminaries as JJ Horner, Casebeer, Randal Wilson and Lawn Gnome owner Aaron Johnson. Adding a twist, the curator is including artist-designed candles in the exhibition, allowing artists to light the way as well.
Trunk Space 8 Year Anniversary
- Friday, April 6
- Doors at 7 p.m.
- The Trunk Space: 1506 NW Grand Ave.
- Getting there: Bike—15th and Grand avenues
- Price: $7 at the door
Recommended if You Like: old-timey folk-punk, vegan food, downtown scenesters
What started as a small espresso cart inside the late Paper Heart arts venue has become a landmark in not only the downtown arts community, but a beacon of hope for all-ages venues across the country. In 2004, the Trunk Space was founded to provide a home for outsider art, experimental music and performances of all kinds. Eight years later, it has created a scene of its own, fostering the growth of such now-national artists as iji, Dogbreth, Miniature Tigers and French Quarter. Each year, the venue celebrates its own birth, but this year is bigger than ever. In addition to free vegan food by Green and “1506” tattoos (the venue’s address) by Carlos, the venue is bringing back one of its oldest stars: Andrew Jackson Jihad. The band just last month headlined a nationwide tour, selling out numerous dates and packing Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom, a 500-plus-capacity venue. However, AJJ has never been one to forget its roots, leading them back home alongside their longtime friends in Good Amount (featuring Christian Michael Fillardo), Liam & the Ladies and Dogbreth for performances all evening long across two stages.
- Friday, April 6
- 11 p.m. Show
- Bragg’s Pie Factory: 1301 NW Grand Ave.
- Getting there: Bike—Grand Avenue and McKinley Street
- Price: $5 in advance at The Firehouse, Lawn Gnome Publishing or online at firstfridaynighlive.com; $7 at the door
Recommended if You Like: Saturday Night Live, “green” humor, DIY performance
Just months after being booted from their backyard stage behind the notorious Firehouse gallery, First Friday Night Live is still making things happen. Now housed in Grand Avenue’s famed Pie Factory, Downtown’s premier sketch comedy show is feistier than ever. Formed as the perfect conclusion to the First Friday art walks, the monthly event combines classic sketches in the vein of Saturday Night Live with Downtown’s biggest “celebrities” and favorite musical acts. For this month’s edition, the show will be hosted by Stacey Champion, activist, founder of Rogue Green, and head of Champion PR + Consulting. The musical guest is newcomer The Unfiltered Sound, a three-piece mixing blues, grunge and experimental sounds.
- Friday, April 6
- 7 p.m. Doors, 8 p.m. Show
- Crescent Ballroom: 308 N. Second Ave.
- Getting there: Walk—Second Avenue and Van Buren Street
- Price: $22.50 in advance at crescentphx.com
Recommended if You Like: Alaskan rock, ‘70s psychedelia, run-on sentences
Formed in the unlikely confines of Basilla, Alaska, the strangely-monikered Portugal. The Man began making waves in 2006 with their debut record, Waiter: You Vultures!. The group’s sound melds falsetto vocals with ‘70s-inspired psych-rock a la King Crimson and Roxy Music. After gaining steam over five full-lengths on indie labels Equal Vision and Fearless, in 2010 the band announced its signing to major label Atlantic Records. For the latest record, titled In the Mountain in the Cloud, the group recorded in London, El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, taking time to truly hone their dreamy sound. Known for their visual as well as aural appeal, the group uses distinct watercolors for its album artwork and merchandise designs, creating a clear aesthetic. Additionally, for its latest album, Portugal. The Man produced a 13-minute short-film featuring the songs “Sleep Forever” and “Got it All (This Can’t Be Living Now)”, which premiered on the IFC television network. Live, the group’s jammy tendencies are sure to be accentuated for extended songs and numerous solos.
- Thursday-Sunday and Wednesday, April 5-8 and 11
- Various times; see atphx.org for details
- Herberger Theater Center: 222 E. Monroe St.
- Getting there: Walk—Second and Monroe streets
- Price: $31-$47 in advance at herbergertheater.org
Recommended if You Like: social commentary, difficult subjects, true appearances
Always known for thought-provoking productions, Actors Theatre Phoenix is returning this month with Body Awareness, a relational and personal drama focusing on body image and self-expression. The play centers on an event called Body Awareness Week in a small Vermont college town, following the event’s organizer, Phyllis, her partner Joyce and their son Jared. Although the Week is aimed at promoting healthy body image, the couple’s roommate happens to be a famous nude photographer named, Frank, who asks Joyce to be his latest model. In response, Joyce begins taking great pains to prepare her body for the shoot, angering Phyllis in the process and contradicting her aims with Body Awareness Week. At the same time, Jared (who likely has Asperger’s) is struggling to define his identity, leading him to get fired from his job, and pursue Frank for advice on attracting and communicating with women. The four central characters all grapple with their own demons while examining the larger issues of mental disorders, self-esteem, feminism and art, forming a dramatic and realistic picture.
Events compiled by Connor Descheemaker
