Tuesday, April 26, 2016
The guiding principle for the third album from Maynard James Keenan’s eternally strange rock band Puscifer was one simple word: more.
With a steadier lineup—most crucially multi-instrumentalist and lead guitarist Mat Mitchell and vocalist Carina Round—Puscifer set out to make Money $hot a bigger, stranger, tighter, more expressive, more focused and more collaborative record.
“It’s what you’ve heard before, but there’s more of it in a way that’s more perceptible,” Keenan says. “The characters you’re familiar with in this project, they have more of a story to tell, so it ends up being a further extension of what’s already been going on.”
With a steadier lineup—most crucially multi-instrumentalist and lead guitarist Mat Mitchell and vocalist Carina Round—Puscifer set out to make Money $hot a bigger, stranger, tighter, more expressive, more focused and more collaborative record.
“It’s what you’ve heard before, but there’s more of it in a way that’s more perceptible,” Keenan says. “The characters you’re familiar with in this project, they have more of a story to tell, so it ends up being a further extension of what’s already been going on.”
Tags: puscifer , maynard james keenan , tucson music hall , live , concert , interview , Video
Once you’ve mastered pie making in the kitchen, it feels like a turning point in your technical ability. Finicky dough can cause problems and what the heck do you even thicken a berry pie with? Tapioca? Cornstarch? Arrowroot?
Well, no doubt, you’ve already mastered a pie or two in your time, and now is the time to celebrate that achievement with other local pie bakers at the 13th annual Pie Party. Equal parts pie potluck, pie bake-off and fundraiser, this event brings the community together all in the name of that sweet, crusty dessert we all know and love.
For those looking to get competitive, bring your pie creation to the YWCA of Southern Arizona’s Frances Mclelland Center (525 N. Bonita Ave.) from 11 a.m. until noon on Sunday, May 1. Pies are separated into fruit, cream, vegan, wheat-free and other categories. Last year’s winning pies include date pecan mesquite, strawberry ginger and chile mango margarita cheesecake , so you’ll want to be sure to flex those creativity muscles if you plan on going for Best in Show this year.
The top pie baker also gets to choose which nonprofit will get the cash prize at the end. Participating nonprofits for the 2016 event are Local First Arizona Foundation, Make Way for Books, Tucson Roller Derby, Camp Born This Way and Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona. Pie entries earn two free tickets to the event when submitted.
For those just looking to eat some pies and donate to local nonprofits, the pie party runs from 3 until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Pie is sold at $3 per slice or two for $5. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.
Tags: pie party , tucson , nonprofit , ywca , baking competition , community
With just weeks to go before the May 17 special election, State Rep. Bruce Wheeler announced yesterday that he was now opposed to Prop 123.
“I was wrong,” the Tucson Democrat told the Weekly Monday.
Wheeler had originally opposed sending the controversial school-funding plan to the ballot, but had since said he supported Prop 123, which asks voters to dig into the state land trust to fund most of a $3.5 billion funding plan for Arizona schools. Wheeler even urged voters to support the plan in the state’s official voter guide.
Last week, he told the Weekly that Prop 123 wasn’t his preferred plan, but it “was the only game in town” and if it failed at the ballot, it would mean years of court battles before schools saw any new funding.
But Wheeler now says he doesn’t trust Republicans to stop cutting education programs, so the additional Prop 123 dollars won’t make a difference anyway.
“The attacks on public education are continuing,” Wheeler said. “They’re giving with one hand and taking away with another.”
Wheeler predicts that next year, Republican lawmakers will strip TUSD of its desegregation funds, which will result in a cut of roughly $60 million. (Legislation to do just that failed this year.)
On top of that, with the latest budget proposal that is floating around the Capitol this week, Republicans continue to hollow out the state’s finances with tax cuts, Wheeler said.
“In addition to corporate tax breaks that were enacted three years ago and are being phased in and that are going to cost us $350 million next year, they want other tax breaks?” Wheeler said. “I’ll say it again: Where is the sincerity in educating our kids this year, next year and the year after? Why is that money not going to schools, if they’re so concerned about them?”
“Prop 123 is a sham,” Wheeler said. “And I’m kicking myself for not catching what a sham it is until now.”
We'll have an in-depth look at Prop 123 in this week's Tucson Weekly.
“I was wrong,” the Tucson Democrat told the Weekly Monday.
Wheeler had originally opposed sending the controversial school-funding plan to the ballot, but had since said he supported Prop 123, which asks voters to dig into the state land trust to fund most of a $3.5 billion funding plan for Arizona schools. Wheeler even urged voters to support the plan in the state’s official voter guide.
Last week, he told the Weekly that Prop 123 wasn’t his preferred plan, but it “was the only game in town” and if it failed at the ballot, it would mean years of court battles before schools saw any new funding.
But Wheeler now says he doesn’t trust Republicans to stop cutting education programs, so the additional Prop 123 dollars won’t make a difference anyway.
“The attacks on public education are continuing,” Wheeler said. “They’re giving with one hand and taking away with another.”
Wheeler predicts that next year, Republican lawmakers will strip TUSD of its desegregation funds, which will result in a cut of roughly $60 million. (Legislation to do just that failed this year.)
On top of that, with the latest budget proposal that is floating around the Capitol this week, Republicans continue to hollow out the state’s finances with tax cuts, Wheeler said.
“In addition to corporate tax breaks that were enacted three years ago and are being phased in and that are going to cost us $350 million next year, they want other tax breaks?” Wheeler said. “I’ll say it again: Where is the sincerity in educating our kids this year, next year and the year after? Why is that money not going to schools, if they’re so concerned about them?”
“Prop 123 is a sham,” Wheeler said. “And I’m kicking myself for not catching what a sham it is until now.”
We'll have an in-depth look at Prop 123 in this week's Tucson Weekly.
Monday, April 25, 2016
A jello wrestling benefit and auction for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation is held on Saturday, April 23 on 4th Avenue and 7th Street. The evening saw multiple drag performances and several wrestling match ups throughout the jello shot-filled evening of generous donations.
Tags: Jello wrestling , SAAF , southern arizona aids foundation , benefit , auction , 4th avenue , Tempest DuJour , Slideshow
The Weekly has reported in recent weeks about how Gov. Doug Ducey signed an anti-abortion bill requiring doctors to force their patients seeking to terminate their pregnancy with the abortion pill to use an outdated FDA protocol.
That’s a bad situation for doctors, who are essentially being told to violate state law or violate their medical ethics to provide the best care for their patients.
It’s also obvious lawsuit bait, as a similar law has already been tossed out by both the federal and state courts.
And there’s another state law that remains on hold regarding medication abortion. State lawmakers pushed through a bill, also signed by Ducey, that requires doctors to tell women that they can “reverse” their medication abortion if they take a different medication, even though that’s just an unproven theory pushed by an anti-abortion doctor. Attorneys for the state have asked for a delay in the case as they don’t seem to have any credible witnesses to testify on behalf of the law.
Well, it now looks like state lawmakers are cobbling together legislation to repeal all of that legislation, which is a pretty good sign they don’t think they can defend any of it in court—and by the way, the state has already had to shell out more than a million bucks to Planned Parenthood attorneys because of the various unconstitutional laws they’ve passed to make it harder for women to get abortions.
Bryan Howard, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, said he was happy to see the state moving to throw in the towel on these laws.
“Women and their physicians would both be better off if politicians refrained from inserting themselves into any doctor-patient relationship,” Howard in a prepared statement. “Arizona taxpayers would be better off if extremist advocacy organizations like the Center for Arizona Policy would stop demanding the blind passage of intrusive and unconstitutional legislation—year after year, costing Arizona taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees.”
That’s a bad situation for doctors, who are essentially being told to violate state law or violate their medical ethics to provide the best care for their patients.
It’s also obvious lawsuit bait, as a similar law has already been tossed out by both the federal and state courts.
And there’s another state law that remains on hold regarding medication abortion. State lawmakers pushed through a bill, also signed by Ducey, that requires doctors to tell women that they can “reverse” their medication abortion if they take a different medication, even though that’s just an unproven theory pushed by an anti-abortion doctor. Attorneys for the state have asked for a delay in the case as they don’t seem to have any credible witnesses to testify on behalf of the law.
Well, it now looks like state lawmakers are cobbling together legislation to repeal all of that legislation, which is a pretty good sign they don’t think they can defend any of it in court—and by the way, the state has already had to shell out more than a million bucks to Planned Parenthood attorneys because of the various unconstitutional laws they’ve passed to make it harder for women to get abortions.
Bryan Howard, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, said he was happy to see the state moving to throw in the towel on these laws.
“Women and their physicians would both be better off if politicians refrained from inserting themselves into any doctor-patient relationship,” Howard in a prepared statement. “Arizona taxpayers would be better off if extremist advocacy organizations like the Center for Arizona Policy would stop demanding the blind passage of intrusive and unconstitutional legislation—year after year, costing Arizona taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees.”
When he decided to go back to school, Andrew Shuta, the artist whose Master’s thesis Something Went Wrong but I Can’t Remember Why is now showing at Joseph Gross Gallery, knew that he’d ultimately have to stay in Tucson. Spork Press, the small press he has co-run for the last six years, is at a crucial moment in its development, and he didn’t want to miss it. Sometimes constraint is the best fuel for creativity, though, and rather than feeling stuck in Tucson, Shuta has been working over the years to make it into a place he wants to stay.
Spork is a huge part of this effort, as is a forthcoming contemporary art space that he is working on with fellow artist Alex Von Bergen. Shuta hopes that the new space will create a place for emerging contemporary artists in Tucson.
“Right now there is either MOCA—and you have to be pretty established to get into MOCA—or there are galleries that show regional work [desert landscapes and Dia de los Muertos motifs],” says Shuta. “We want to be mini-MOCA, showing work that people might be confused by.”
Shuta describes his own approach as, “make the art you want to see.”
“While I love a variety of aesthetics, from conceptual work to really refined polished formalized work, my personal tastes are weird, absurd, and surreal,” he says.
Spork is a huge part of this effort, as is a forthcoming contemporary art space that he is working on with fellow artist Alex Von Bergen. Shuta hopes that the new space will create a place for emerging contemporary artists in Tucson.
“Right now there is either MOCA—and you have to be pretty established to get into MOCA—or there are galleries that show regional work [desert landscapes and Dia de los Muertos motifs],” says Shuta. “We want to be mini-MOCA, showing work that people might be confused by.”
Shuta describes his own approach as, “make the art you want to see.”
“While I love a variety of aesthetics, from conceptual work to really refined polished formalized work, my personal tastes are weird, absurd, and surreal,” he says.
Tags: andrew shuta , ua , fine art , spork press , joseph gross gallery
Three of the best stages in Tucson are teaming up this weekend to celebrate the life of Prince.
On Friday, the Loft Cinema will be screening Purple Rain as a sing-a-long and Club Congress will be hosting a Prince-themed dance party. Then on Saturday, there's a big ol' Prince Party at the Rialto Theatre.
Here are the details, as penned by Rialto boss Curtis McCrary:
The respective staffs of The Rialto Theatre/Tucson, Arizona, Hotel Congress and Club Congress, and The Loft Cinema, along with Tucson bon vivant Kitty Katt McKinley, were, like most every sentient music fan, deeply saddened at the unexpected passing of Prince, an artist who has left an indelible mark on music and popular culture for over four decades. After shaking off the shock and tears, the three organizations joined forces on a combination of events intended to pay our respects to Prince, his life, legacy and unparalleled greatness.
To that end, we are announcing I Would Die 4 U: 2cson’s Tribute 2 Prince Rogers Nelson.
Things will kick off at The Loft Cinema on Friday, April 29th, with a 7 p.m. sing-along to Prince’s classic cinematic debut Purple Rain, widely regarded as one the best rock films ever made. Regular Loft Cinema admission prices and policies apply.
Later that same night, at 9 pm, Hotel and Club Congress will transform itself into a southwestern Paisley Park, Prince’s famed residence and studio in Minneapolis, for a wild, unrestrained and funky dance party hosted by DJ Herm. Dance your sadness away until the wee hours, or just dance and cry like we all plan to do. If you come dressed like His Royal Badness (and make a real effort), you will be admitted for free.
The Diamondbacks are playing the Cardinals at Chase Field on Tuesday and you could be there.
Up for a spur-of-the-moment baseball adventure? We'll get in touch with the winner at noon on Tuesday—as in, the day of the game. If you win, you'll have to stop by our office on the northwest side of town before we lock the doors at 5 p.m. The game starts at 6:40 p.m.
You'll want to make sure you're by your phone midday Friday. Since there's only a five hour window for the winner to claim their tickets, we want to know for sure that they're coming. If you win, and you don't pick up the phone or get back to me within an hour, I'll move on to a new winner.
Good luck.
The Arizona Daily Sun has a more accurate headline on a Howard Fischer story about Ducey and the minimum wage than the Star. Here's the misleading Star headline I read this morning:
I had to read through the story to find out that, no, Ducey doesn't think raising the minimum wage may be our best option. He's trying to head off a ballot measure that would create a significant raise by backing a faux raise. The Sun's headline is closer to the truth:
That's more like it. Ducey is leaning toward backing a minor minimum wage hike coupled with anti-worker provisions to head off a ballot measure that would raise Arizona's minimum wage to $12 an hour.
The recent history of Arizona's minimum wage and attempts to increase it is complicated. I'm not an expert, but I'll do my best to lay it out clearly.
In 2006, voters approved Prop 202 by a 2-to-1 margin which raised the state minimum wage to $6.75 an hour, higher than the $5.15 federal level, and it rises with inflation. Right now, the Arizona rate is $8.05. The measure also allows communities to raise their minimum wage above the state level, which some cities and counties want to do. Ducey and the legislature hate the idea of communities mandating a pay raise for low wage workers, but they can't make legislative changes to Prop 202, directly. So they tried to create a law that defines "wages" as nothing but pay, which means it wouldn't include items like health insurance, sick pay, maternity leave or vacation pay. If it was signed into law, cities and counties wouldn't be able to use Prop 202 as a tool to vote in mandates that make employers provide non-pay benefits, but that wouldn't stop them from raising the wage itself.
I had to read through the story to find out that, no, Ducey doesn't think raising the minimum wage may be our best option. He's trying to head off a ballot measure that would create a significant raise by backing a faux raise. The Sun's headline is closer to the truth:
That's more like it. Ducey is leaning toward backing a minor minimum wage hike coupled with anti-worker provisions to head off a ballot measure that would raise Arizona's minimum wage to $12 an hour.
The recent history of Arizona's minimum wage and attempts to increase it is complicated. I'm not an expert, but I'll do my best to lay it out clearly.
In 2006, voters approved Prop 202 by a 2-to-1 margin which raised the state minimum wage to $6.75 an hour, higher than the $5.15 federal level, and it rises with inflation. Right now, the Arizona rate is $8.05. The measure also allows communities to raise their minimum wage above the state level, which some cities and counties want to do. Ducey and the legislature hate the idea of communities mandating a pay raise for low wage workers, but they can't make legislative changes to Prop 202, directly. So they tried to create a law that defines "wages" as nothing but pay, which means it wouldn't include items like health insurance, sick pay, maternity leave or vacation pay. If it was signed into law, cities and counties wouldn't be able to use Prop 202 as a tool to vote in mandates that make employers provide non-pay benefits, but that wouldn't stop them from raising the wage itself.
Tags: Minimum wage , Doug Ducey , Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association , Prop 202
