BRYDES' Kaia Mazza might be more familiar to you under her previous performing name: Kaia Chesney. When playing as Kaia Chesney, her music was light and ethereal but still powerful. It was delicate, acoustic guitar centered folk with Chesney's brassy vocals over top. However, you wouldn't really know any of this from her new project BRYDES.

The first BRYDES release, "Turquoise," came out in the middle of last month and the five-song EP distinguishes itself from Mazza's former work in the first second. In fact, the synth-heavy pop jam "Gila Bones," which kicks the record off, sounds more like Haim than the indie singer-songwriter ballads Mazza was known for. It's got '80s sensibilities that, thanks to Robbie Williamson, amount to a textural wall of glittering synth.

From there, "Cat Call" strips some of the layers out, showcasing Mazza's ever-strong vocal ability. It still has some of those little flourishes and the same Peter Gabriel-esque drum machine for the beats. However, the song also shows restraint, an auditory reprieve after the first song's bright intensity.

"Bright Eyed Boy" is definitely the album's most accomplished song. It has the more subtle, straightforward moments of "Cat Call" building effectively into the blown out, triumphant and sunny pop anthem the album started with from "Gila Bones." It switches between these modes, making the chorus something you eagerly anticipate each time. It leaves you wanting more, but unfortunately by the fourth track, "Wrong to Assume," the repetitive lyrical moments that made the first three songs catchy pop tunes ended up to be too much. The phrase "don't hold on for me" is repeated six times as the chorus, which cycles through at least four times. 

Finishing up, the album doesn't slow down on "The One You Ask For." By this point, you honestly wouldn't expect it to. This first taste of BRYDES is most successful at providing an album insistent on its poppyness but not being vapid. At a time when everyone is resurrecting the psych and prog of the '70s and '90s grunge, Mazza and Williamson both jumped in head first to the '80s. "Turquoise" is unapologetically fun, doing something unique to Tucson music and proving Mazza's versatility. 

You can visit the BRYDES Facebook page for information on where you can snag a copy of the record and for information on upcoming shows.

The New Yorker's Andy Borowitz published a satirical piece this morning saying atheist leaders allege Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz's repeated "Jesus Christ" campaign remarks has driven millions of people in the U.S. to look into atheism.  

From the piece:

Since Sen. Cruz (R-Texas) announced his candidacy two weeks ago with the words “God isn’t done with America yet,” a substantial number of Americans “have begun seriously questioning the existence of God,” said Carol Foyler, the executive director of the American Society of Atheists.

“It’s been amazing,” Foyler said. “We’re getting calls from people who are curious about atheism for the first time in their lives. And when we ask them what got them thinking about it, they all say the same thing: ‘I just heard Ted Cruz talk.’"

Borowitz's piece goes on to allege the American Society of Atheists' phones were ringing "off the hook" over Cruz's recently released campaign ad about the "transformation power of Christ."

This was a funny quote from the piece:

“As an atheist, I naturally don’t believe in the power of Christ to transform people,” she said. “But I definitely believe in the power of Ted Cruz to transform people into atheists.”

Cruz's remarks sometimes sound like something that was made up by a satire publication like the Borowitz Report, but no. His ridiculous statements are very much real, and we might as well get used to them, because they're going to be shoved down our throats for the next few months. 

Here's one of my favorite incoherent quotes by Cruz. This one happened when he stood on the Senate floor for hours expressing his dislike for Obamacare in 2013. There are more listed on TIME's top 10 best Cruz quotes:

“I will credit my father, he invented … green eggs and ham. He did it two ways. The easy way was he would put green food coloring in … But if you take spinach and mix it into the eggs, the eggs turn green … I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I am.”

And the Los Angeles Times gathered all of these funny memes based on Cruz's shenanigans. 

Keto, reference number 803178. 1-year-old, Domestic Short Hair Mix, Male.


This dashing boy is a master at capturing hearts! Keto is a lively kitty that was transferred from another shelter last week. This precious guy is rambunctious, goofy, and very affectionate! Keto is looking for a family that wants a fun and feisty housemate, and that will snuggle him endlessly! This adorable little guy is positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), so he will need a home with either no cats or other FIV positive cats. If this handsome boy has charmed you as quickly as he has charmed HSSA, please come by today to meet him! HSSA is located at 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd.

The governors of Indiana and Arkansas recently signed amended versions of their "religious freedom" bills. The two states had passed versions that could have allowed businesses deny service to LGBT people and others based on religious beliefs. These new versions are supposed to protect people from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

The Los Angeles Times had an interesting write up on the issue:

Some conservatives hoped the 1993 law would protect religious-minded individuals and businesses from legal mandates on gay marriage that they said would violate their faith. The most commonly cited example was a religious baker who did not want to be forced to make a cake for a gay wedding.

Using the Hobby Lobby precedent, some states broadened the scope of the federal religious-liberty law — which dealt with conflicts between the government and individuals — and defined a protected person to include a business, company or corporation. That small change created a large concern.

"It's much broader than the federal law," said Katherine Franke, a Columbia University law professor. "They felt emboldened by Hobby Lobby." In late February, she wrote a letter on behalf of 30 professors to warn Indiana lawmakers their bill would create "confusion and conflict" if it became law.

By giving special religious rights to businesses, the law could encourage "employers, landlords, small-business owners and corporations to take the law into their own hands," they warned, and to refuse to serve gay customers.

Last year, former Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a similar bill, SB 1062, after threats from various major businesses, saying the'd pull out investments in Arizona if the legislation became law. 

The Phoenix Business Journal has a poll going around at the moment: Should businesses that provide wedding services be allowed to refuse those services to same-sex couples for religious reasons?

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona posted this one their Facebook:

Businesses that are open to the public should be open to everyone on the same terms, including to customers who are gay or transgender. Nobody should be turned away from a business simply because of who they are or who they love. Vote NO in the Phoenix Business Journal poll.

They've also been pulling strings to add gender identity and sexual orientation to the state's non-discrimination policies.

In the beginning of the legislative session, state Reps. Stefanie Mach and Bruce Wheeler, and state Sen. David Bradley, all Tucson Democrats, were among the sponsors of a bill that would have updated Arizona's non-discrimination laws to add gender identity and sexual orientation, but the piece of legislation went nowhere.

Where does everyone out there stand on this? Should businesses be allowed to deny services to LGBT people?

Update: And, they're all accounted for. Thanks for playing!

Busy tonight? We've got two pairs of tickets for tonight's game—which starts at 7:10 p.m. at Chase Field in Phoenix—waiting for you. 

The first two people to email me ([email protected]) will each get two tickets. Make the subject line of the email read "Beat the Giants," and more importantly make sure you have time to pick the tickets up at our office, near the Foothills Mall, before we lock up at 5 p.m. (although you should probably be on your way to the game before then). Good luck!

Zona Politics Eps.24 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo.

On this week's Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel: Pima County Republican Party Chair Bill Beard and attorney Jeff Rogers, the former chair of the Pima County Democratic Party, talk about the efforts to build an "aerospace corridor" near Raytheon's headquarter, the city's election system, the state's gun laws, the Common Core education standards and a bunch more, with even a moment of agreement at the end of the show with the microbrewery expansion bill that passed the Legislature this year.

You might be looking at the long list of films screening in conjunction with the 24th annual Arizona International Film Festival and getting a little overwhelmed. You can opt for an animated adult-themed retelling of the Bible story of Noah's ark or you can try to relive the madness of your formative years. Well, never fear. Here's a quick guide to the three movies we're most looking forward to seeing this year when the AIFF takes over the Screening Room from April 9 until the 26.

Ever been to Valley of the Moon? What about your grandfather, did he ever go? Well, do you have any photos to prove it? Valley of the Moon is doing some repairs and bringing the Adobe House back into service. They want to have a book documenting the building's life through the years.
 
From and email I got this afternoon: 

We would like to document it's involvement in the lives of Tucson through the eyes of our neighbors and friends who have visited over those years. We are looking for photographs of the Valley of the Moon that may be in your readers' scrap books, garages, attics, closets, etc. It would be great to have them scanned and emailed to [email protected] with the words "Valley Pix" in the subject line so we know what we're getting. There really is no particular timeframe in mind, but we are actively looking now for the information. Any size picture will do and if an approximate date could be included the organization of the photos would be much simpler. Also, if the contributor would like their name listed on the photograph, that would need to be included as well as any memories they would like to share with the rest of the world. The photographs will potentially be used in a display book in the restored building's greeting area. 

In 1970, Tucson's Pioneer Hotel set fire, resulting in the deaths of 28 people. At the time, 16-year-old Louis Taylor was convicted of the murders. However, 42 years later Taylor was freed.

From a cover story we did on Taylor two years ago:

For more than 10 years, a team of volunteer attorneys and law school students from the Arizona Justice Project took on Taylor's case—combing through old files and doing interviews that eventually led to enough new evidence to enable his attorneys to request a new hearing. Attorneys told reporters that much of the evidence had to do with science. If the Pioneer Hotel fire happened today, experts would have determined it was not arson.

There was also clear evidence that prosecutorial misconduct had taken place, such as the suppression of evidence that supported Taylor's innocence. Which only made it more difficult when Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall fought and maneuvered to prevent Taylor's case from going back to court, finally offering a plea agreement that didn't exonerate him from the crime but allowed him to go free based on time served.

Carlos Arzate tells the story of wrongful imprisonment, corrupt court proceedings and the double tragedy of both the deadly fire and what happened to Louis Taylor afterwards in a new song called "The Ballad of Louis Taylor."

The song is part of a partnership with the Arizona Justice Project—a nonprofit that seeks to help victims of injustice like Taylor. "The Ballad of Louis Taylor" will be released on the forthcoming album "Got Me Wrong," which will donate a portion of its proceeds to the project. You can also donate to the cause via the AJP Paypal account.

Here's Arzate's "The Ballad of Louis Taylor":


Editor's Note: This post has been updated from its original content to include more information on the Louis Taylor case.

Calling all agave distillate lovers. On Tuesday, April 14, Pasco Kitchen & Lounge will be putting on a special four course dinner celebrating the food of Oaxaca and it's smoky, sultry spirit: Mezcal.

The Noche Oaxaca dinner will feature four different dishes, including fideo with BBQ pork belly and shoulder as well as a spiced hot cocoa and corn cake with a crema de mezcal. Each course will be served with a paired mezcal varietal from Del Maguey's single village mezcals. Like wine and scotch, mezcal is highly variable based on terroir so this event will be a good opportunity to hone your palate to those subtle differences while eating dishes native to those regions as well. Here's the full menu:


Best of all, all four courses are just $30 plus tax and gratuity, which is kind of a steal when you look at what you'll be getting. You can pick up tickets to the special dinner event at Pasco Kitchen & Lounge, located at 820 E. University Blvd.