Following your first week of school with a three-day weekend. Not a bad way to start, eh? We at the Downtown Devil want you to celebrate and experience all that you can this weekend. See what the city has to offer–with numerous free events and several great causes to support, it’s all there awaiting your arrival.
Joe Pug with the Downtown Chamber Series
- Friday and Sunday, Jan. 13 and 15
- 7:30 p.m.
- monOrchid: 214 E. Roosevelt St.
- Getting there: Walk—3rd Street and Roosevelt
- Price: FREE with Student ID (Call ahead to reserve tickets)
Recommended if you like: Bob Dylan, classical-based Americana, music in unexpected places
For more than 10 years, the Downtown Chamber Series has brought internationally-renowned musicians to the art spaces of downtown Phoenix, blending art with chamber music, and uniting the worlds of new art and classical culture. In this latest edition of the concert series, members of the Phoenix Symphony will appear at the immaculate monOrchid art space to collaborate with rising singer-songwriter Joe Pug in an event unlike any ever attempted by the Series. Downtown Chamber Series Director and Phoenix Symphony violist Mark Dix has programmed a multi-pronged performance for the two, with Mr. Pug first performing both solo as well as backed by the Chamber musicians. Then, after a brief intermission, the Chamber players will return to play a solo work for double bass, and Bartok’s String Quartet No. 4, which will be enhanced by a one-of-a-kind light show. Finally, throughout the show, the cavernous monOrchid gallery space will be filled with a group art exhibition, celebrating 10 years of artists living and working at the former Holga’s art space, which was home to some of the biggest names in Phoenix art, just as they rose to prominence.
Gallery 411 Inclusive Communities Reception
- Friday, Jan. 13
- 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- ASU University Center: 411 N. Central Ave.
- Getting there: Walk—Central Avenue and Taylor Street
- Price: FREE
Recommended if you like: localism, creativity for a cause, interdisciplinary art
If you’ve ever wandered the halls of ASU Downtown’s UCENT building, you have noticed the wide array of art displayed on its walls. Contrary to popular belief, this work is far from hap-hazard, with each semester bringing a new show centered on a given theme. This semester, the show is based on “Inclusive Communities,” utilizing more than 100 new art pieces from a huge array of artists and local organizations, including Special Olympics, PSA Art Awakenings, Golden Gate Community Center and Seeds for Autism. The exhibits are an initiative of ASU’s “Action, Advocacy, Arts” program, which looks to unite the university with its surrounding community and foster growth outreach through the school’s many resources. For the exhibit’s opening reception, the university is bringing in a DJ, live art, two live bands, Zumba dance and providing a screening of the documentary “Deaf Jam,” by Judy Lieff.
The Flaming Unicorns’ Lifecycle Benefit for AIDS Research
- Saturday, Jan. 14
- 5:00 p.m.
- The Firehouse: 1015 N. First St.
- Getting there: Walk—1st Street and Roosevelt
- Price: $5 in advance from strivedreams.com or the Lab, $7 at the door
Recommended if you Like: charity, the best in local music, eclectic lineups
A strange name, but a great cause. The Flaming Unicorns are a group dedicated to raising money and awareness for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, two groups fighting daily to aid those living with HIV/AIDS, educate the public and prevent further spread of the debilitating disease. In June, the Unicorns will be cycling to California to further their work, taking part in AIDS/LifeCycle 2012. And in order to raise funds for the trip, the group is throwing a benefit show of epic proportions. Throughout the evening, The Firehouse’s infamous backyard stage will play host to nationally-acclaimed poet Aaron Johnson, the long-running indie-pop phenoms in Sweetbleeders, rising ska stars Liam & the Ladies, “punkgrass” innovators The Haymarket Squares, and numerous others. Hosted by First Friday Night Live cast member Dwayne Holmes and Kristin Elfering, the event promises to be jam-packed with the best and brightest stars in the Phoenix arts scene, all gathering to support a worthy cause. At only $5, how could you say no?
Kepi Ghoulie and Kevin Preston with Empire of the Bear and JJCnV
- Thursday, Jan. 12
- 7:30 p.m.
- The Trunk Space: 1506 Northwest Grand Avenue
- Getting there: Bike—15th Avenue and Grand
- Price: $8
Recommended if you like: Andrew Jackson Jihad, Groovie Ghoulies, local celebrities
After 24 years as the frontman of cult-beloved pop-punkers the Groovie Ghoulies, Kepi Ghoulie finally stepped out on his own in 2007. Since then, Kepi has released four scorching full-lengths on legendary Bay Area label Asian Man Records, gaining massive support from fans of the Ghoulies, and drawing in numerous new acolytes with his seemingly ceaseless touring of the U.S. and Europe. Hitting dive bars and all-ages art spaces from coast to coast, Kepi has carved out a distinct path of his own, paved with the rollicking love/horror songs he’s long been loved for creating. This week, he returns to the Trunk Space for what seems like the dozenth time, this time accompanied by Kevin Preston of glam-punkers Prima Donna and formerly of Green Day side-project Foxboro Hot Tubs. Carrying the local torch for the night is Empire of the Bear, featuring Andrew Jackson Jihad bassist Ben Gallaty on guitar, and JJCnV, the long-running purveyors of Phoenix garage-sleaze.
- Friday, Jan. 13
- 5:00 p.m.
- Cityscape: 1 E. Washington St.
- Getting there: Walk—Central Avenue and Washington
- Price: $17-$23
Recommended if you like: running, modern soul, Motown
The P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon is back in Phoenix, this time with soul! Rapidly-rising neo-soul stars Fitz & the Tantrums will headline the Marathon’s pre-party, dubbed the “Carbo Load Party and Concert” by organizers. Though only a few years old, Fitz & the Tantrums have captivated audiences far and wide over the past year especially, seeing their videos receive massive airplay on VH1, while sharing the stage with such major acts as Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and being personally selected as the exclusive openers for the multi-platinum-selling popsters Maroon 5. The group’s six members are all music-industry veterans, having backed and written songs for such artists as Macy Gray and De La Soul, but this project is something entirely new. Armed with a full array of dance-floor-ready jams for a new generation of soul fans, Fitz & the Tantrums continue to convert new followers with their bubbly organ, blaring saxophone leads, and male/female vocal combo. Albeit through the means of dance, the group is certain to get all the Marathon’s runners loosened up well in advance of the next day’s race.
Daisy Bates – First Lady of Little Rock
- Saturday, Jan. 14
- 3:00 p.m.
- Civic Space Park: 424 N. Central Ave.
- Getting there: Walk—Central Avenue and Taylor Street
- Price: FREE
Recommended if you like: civil rights, movies with meaning, PBS
Each month, Civic Space Park opens itself up to the films of PBS’s acclaimed series Independent Lens, presenting an early screening of a documentary the national network will air later in the month. For this month’s edition, the Park will feature a film on Daisy Bates, a staunch advocate for civil rights in Little Rock, Ark., who played a decisive role in helping desegregate Little Rock Central High School. Publisher of the outspoken newspaper the Arkansas State Press, Bates raised vital awareness regarding the issue of segregation, especially in relation to Arkansas’ public schools, where nine black children attempted to enroll in 1957. When the school refused to obey the Supreme Court’s ruling to desegregate, Bates served as a primary advocate for the children, eventually leading to President Eisenhower nationalizing the Arkansas National Guard to ensure the students’ safe entrance into the school. As a result, Bates’ newspaper eventually failed, and she was forced down, but her strong will and beliefs held for long afterward as she embraced new causes. With this documentary, Bates’ life will be examined in a new light, emphasizing her feminism and spirit for black equality, providing needed perspective for today’s supposedly “post-racial” times.
Events compiled by Connor Descheemaker.
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