Friday, August 11, 2017
Inimitable punk rocker Bob Spasm, frontman for the riotous Blood Spasm—once hailed by the local press as Tucson’s biggest punk rock band—died on Aug. 9 after a struggle with multiple sclerosis.
Renowned for his on-stage histrionics, Bob “Spasm” McKinley formed Blood Spasm in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1983. A revised version of the band was a staple on Tucson’s punk scene, playing notorious shows mostly at house parties, warehouses and some local watering holes, from ‘85 until 1992. Even after disbanding, Blood Spasm continued to reunite and play semiannually at SpasmFest.
Blood Spasm released one album, which included the hardcore earworm, "We Got Cactus." McKinley told New Times in an interview (from Feb. 2012) that “he wrote the lyrics in about five minutes over a pitcher of beer at the Bay Horse Tavern.”
Spyder Rhodes (longtime Tucson DJ/musician) said, “For a local punk band, it was a hit.” Cowpunk legend Al Perry, who covered the song on his 2004 album Always a Pleasure, considers McKinley’s song to be the alpha and omega of songs that perfectly depicts life in Tucson.
Rhodes says, “Blood Spasm and my band [The Host] used to play together quite a bit. They were amazing to see live. Bob was a real nice guy, with an enormous personality and well-loved in the punk community.”
Outspoken, with punk ‘tude, McKinley stayed true to the playbook he embraced in his youth. “Playing punk rock in Tucson 20 years ago meant living the lifestyle, and sometimes paying the price for doing so. Today, punk rock is pretty much a safe thing. There's no penalty for being a punk rocker. You don't have to walk down the street and fear getting jumped and beat up all the time."
But behind the sneer and rapid-fire delivery in his performances, there was humor, gentleness and love of home. as evidenced in this excerpt from McKinley’s lyrics for “We Got Cactus”:
Spring without flowers is just as remorseful/Bob “Spasm” McKinley was 57.
As an autumn denied the colored leaves fall/
Long is the winter when there's no snow/
And summer is painful when the wind won't blow/
Welcome to my home, no fear of pneumonia/
This is paradise, in Tucson, Arizona.
Al Perry's cover of Blood Spasm's "We Got Cactus":
Tags: Al Perry , Blood Spasm , Bob McKinley , Video
“It's a collective project featuring numerous women and female-identifying people from the downtown community with the goal of elevating our voices, art and experiences," Ragan, who is also the mag's editor, says. "This first release revolves around sexual harassment and assault, personal experience and otherwise, largely in response to recent discoveries about abuse from certain male members of the community.”
The short-run zine—available at Wooden Tooth Records—is a work in progress with hopes of evolving into a quarterly.
WTF AF is, you'll note, a monthly series, staged at Hotel Congress, designed to create a platform for our women/trans/femme community’s voice to be heard.
Ragan adds, “While all are encouraged to attend these events, they are specifically open to queer, POC and handi-capable female-identifying folks.”
A party was held, this past Sunday, Aug 6, to mark the launch of Not Just A Pretty Face at Club Congress with live performances by:
Cool Funeral
Funeral services are generally somber affairs. Yet Cool Funeral’s wistful shoegaze had enough light and punch to surpass boundaries of what's "normal" at a funeral. Besides, WTF AF’s audience were smitten, welcoming these newcomers to the Tucson music scene with cheers and yelps.
Chezale
A gemstone whose mutable facets reflect an underlying symmetry—singer, songwriter, emcee, model, actress, dance instructor—Chezale personified the spirit of the event.
With a message of self-love and empowerment, Chezale’s “Our World,” which borrows from James Brown’s '66 classic “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” (a ditty Rolling Stone called “biblically chauvinistic”) into a modern day call for respect and unity between sexes.
Chezale’s delivery and lyrics exude grace and strength inherent in the female universe, and she raps truth to power: “They say we’re living in a man’s world/But I guarantee one thing/That it’s nothing without a woman ... When your life is a mess/Like chess/The queen will protect.”
The message is simple: “Both worlds must unify in order to elevate.”
Chezale’s latest, Mavmuzik, is available on iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Play and Spotify.
Julia Kinu
A last-minute addition to the event, Julia Kinu (writer and head editor at Words on the Avenue) recited a poem, sang and performed a couple of numbers on mandolin.
One of Kinu’s thought-provokers, “Day After/Days After,” appears in Not Just A Pretty Face: Vol 1.
Fawn Bones
Sweet and gentle, singer-songwriter Fawn Bones has the voice of an angel. Her understated musical grace slowly weaved a sonic web that ensnared; a slide and violin-bowed guitar built up layer upon layer of sound on a loop, as she carefully plucked delicate melodic riffs from a Telecaster over the top. The bluesy folk artist delivered an impactful set of experimental songs that created vivid dreamscapes.
Shovel
Dusty Rose, Shovel’s vocalist-guitarist, greeted a stoked audience (who stood at the stage in anticipation of their set) with, “Were gonna rock ‘n’ roll a little bit,” before she and stickman Ward Reeder, also known as “Phoenix’s Keith Moon,” commenced to do just that.
Referencing Sub Pop grunge, this Vally of the Sun duo laid down thick slabs of garage/noise/punk with elements of heavy metal, without all of the H.P. Lovecraftian occult mysticism. In the tradition of great one-name bands, like Hole, their big sound belies smallness.
Head-banging and long hair flailing wildly, Shovel rocked Congress hard. At the climax of their set, Rose unstrapped her guitar, thrashed it about, bouncing it off the stage floor repeatedly before falling to her knees to coax unearthly sounds from it by hammering fists on the strings and tweaking knobs before leaving it to feedback in front of her amplifier, in force, bringing WTF AF to a raucous close.
Tags: Shovel , Fawn Bones , Cool Funeral , Julia Kinu , Chezale , Molly Ragan , WTF AF , Not Just a Pretty Face
Thursday, August 10, 2017
The band survived the '60s and stood beside their peers as a vast island of creativity, one that overcame Death by Smash Hit Single in the monster, classical-music enhanced, "A Lighter Shade of Pale."
The group sounds more like a consortium on it's third LP, '69's A Salty Dog, and it's cover art depicts the ocean, a life-raft and a sailor, an homage to the old Player's Navy Cut cigarette logo. The 10-song affair was produced by band member Matthew Fisher, whose Hammond organ swells tactfully throughout. He accompanies the title song's first strafe of seagulls, a lone keyboard and "all hands on deck" as Brooker reports, urged on by a tug of strings each half-measure. (Has anyone else ever noticed how Giorgio Moroder lifted parts "A Salty Dog" for the key "Tony's Theme" in the Scarface soundtrack?)
With a beautifully languid meter by drummer B.J. Wilson, the nautical theme where "ships come home to die" shines with considerable power. Lyricist Reid steers the ship "across the straits" and "around the horn" till the chorus breaks with sweeping gusts of instrumentation (featuring young Robin Trower's tasteful guitar): "How far can sailors fly."
It's a bargain drawn between classical and pop and ends thankfully in just over 4 minutes, but in those seconds the narrative is a call across water to find humanity and serve a purpose greater then oneself.
Keith Reid wrote all of Procol's lyrics, in all their manic metaphors, for 12 record albums.
Tags: Guy Stevens , B.J. Wilson , Procol Harum , Billy Sedlmayr , Guy Stevens , Keith Reid , Gary Brooker , Video
Grocery delivery service Instacart launched in Tucson on Aug. 8 and UberEATS, the food delivery branch of the popular ride service, launched in the city on Aug. 9.
Instacart allows customers to explore online "aisles" and fill virtual carts, then set a time (anywhere from an hour to a week in advance) to have the food delivered to their front door. For the initial Tucson launch, Instacart has partnered with with Bashas’, Whole Foods Market, Petco, Natural Grocers, CVS, Fry’s and Costco—without a membership. Partners share inventories with Instacart, which means that what customers see online matches what's available in-store.
Orders must be a minimum of $35 (which isn't hard to do at a grocery store), and there's a flat delivery fee of $5.99. As a promotion to new Tucson customers, Instacart is offering $20 off customers' first order, and free delivery. This means that not only can you can get $50 worth of groceries for $30, but they'll be delivered right to your front door!
UberEATS delivers food from 80 restaurant partners, including eegees, Baggin's Gourmet Sandwiches and Chickenuevo, to customers' doors. UberEATS General manager and UA alum Clay Carroll said that there are about 1000 total Uber drivers in Tucson, some of whom do rides, some of whom do food delivery, and some who do both, for a large service area.
"All the way from Oro Valley all the way down to South Tucson," he said.
Uber customers must download the UberEATS app separately, but log in using their regular Uber account. First-time customers can use the promo code provided by a friend to get $5 off their first order.
Tags: Uber , Uber Eats , groceries , fast food , restaurants , Instacart , food delivery , couch potato , Fry's , CVS , Bashas' , Whole Foods Market , Petco , Natural Grocers , Costco , eegees , Baggin's Gourmet Sandwiches , Chickenuevo , Clay Caroll , couch potato
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. And on Aug. 25, HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery will heed our cries when it reopens for lunch and dinner after its summer renovations. Brunch, the most important meal of the day and clinically shown to be the most acceptable time to get day drunk, will be back in business on Aug. 26.
Two hundred ice cream addicts who enter on HUB’s Facebook page will win a chance to experience the new interior and private dining room a day or two early, for pre-opening celebrations on Aug. 23 and 24.
If you’re not one of the lucky 200, you can still be a part of the grand reopening festivities on Aug. 25-27, when the HUB will be giving away free ice cream to guests with the purchase of an entree.
HUB is located in downtown Tucson. More information can be found at HUBdowntown.com
Tags: Ice cream , you scream , I scream , HUB , HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery , reopening , giveaway , free
Animals
World Elephant Day Celebration. Join Reid Park Zoo African elephants Lungile, Semba, and Punga, Sundzu and Nandi at this event held in honor of nature’s most majestic matriarchs. Taking place at the seven-acre Expedition Tanzania exhibit, there will be elephant-themed activities and presentations, as well as treats for the elephants themselves on their special day. Save the date, because the elephants definitely aren’t going to forget. 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. Free with zoo admission.
Lizards are Hot, Lizards are Cool. Do you ever look a lizard and wonder why it’s doing pushups, squirting blood out of its eye or incessantly trying to sell you car insurance? This talk may just be the answer to all of your questions. Check out the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park every Friday in August to refine your reptile knowledge bank. 3:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25. Saguaro National Park West: Tucson Mountain District (West District), 2700 N. Kinney Road. Free with park admission.
Read to a Dog! Most people have had the feeling of liking dogs better than people at one point or another. There’s something about their soft fur, their loyal love and their inability to incessantly nag and criticize. Children who are struggling to learn how to read might know better than anyone that sometimes, the best thing to hear when you’re working through a new learning process is nothing. The loyal silence and comforting presence of a service dog provides the perfect audience for future bookworms to read to. 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17. Wheeler Taft Abbett S Library 7800 N. Schisler Drive. Free. Family Friendly.
Festivals/All day events
Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. This four-day bird bonanza begins on Aug. 10 and doesn’t stop until the weekend is over. (In fact, with two post-festival trips being offered that begin on Monday, Aug. 14, the bonanza doesn’t really even stop when the weekend is over.) Learn how to capture the perfect bird photo with renowned wildlife photographer and keynote speaker Paul Bannick, get the lowdown on different avian species at free speaker events and pick up some native plants and optics gear at the Nature Expo. Begins at 8 a.m., but hike and event times vary. Thursday, Aug. 10 to Sunday, Aug. 13. Arizona Riverpark Inn, 777 W. Cushing Street. $15 and up.Tags: World elephant day , Reid Park Zoo , Lizards , Saguaro National Park , Read to a Dog! Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. library , Southeast Arizona Birding Festival , Paul Bannick , Arizona Riverpark Inn , birds , bird is the word , Return of the Mermaids , mermaids , Antique , Vintage and Collectible Book Fair , books , Tell Me a Good Story , sweat , sweaty , fitness , rugby , Rookie Meet & Greet , Barre & Bubbles , ballet , mimosas , Old Pueblo Lightning Women’s Rugby Team , Gilligan’s Island Revue , Gaslight Music Hall , Second SundAZe @ TMA , Second Sundays , Tucson Museum of Art , TMA , Sonoran Desert , Sizzling Summer Art Walk , Jane Hamilton Fine Art Gallery , Neon Foam Party , EDM , Moombahton , twerk , trap , hope music , glow-in-the-dark , Game Nights at Casa Video and Casa Film Bar , Casa Video , Casa Film Bar , Oregon Trail , dysentery , Jenga , checkmate , chess AZNPS Monsoon Mixer , AZNPS , Arizona Native Plant Society , La Cocina , Bookmaking Buffet , Tanline Printing , book binding , Japanese stab bound , hardcover bound , accordion-style bound , pamphlet-stiched bound , Kap G , JR Donato , Paper Paulk , Lucy Dacus , Molly Burch , Casey Golden , Family Mansion , Pavement , Wynonna and the Big Noise , The Wanda June’s Ex-Cowboy , STBWLIH
About 17 percent of schools will get the results-based funding. Here's a quick breakdown.
• 114 district schools with higher income students — fewer than 60% on free/reduced lunch — will get results-based funding.
• 61 district schools with lower income students — more than 60% on free/reduced lunch — will get results-based funding.
• 73 charter schools with higher income students — fewer than 60% on free/reduced lunch — will get results-based funding.
• 16 charter schools with lower income students — more than 60% on free/reduced lunch — will get results-based funding.
To put those numbers in perspective, only 35 percent of Arizona's public schools are in the higher income category, yet they make up 65 percent of the schools getting the funding.
The numbers become even more dramatic when you look at the number of students in public schools getting the money: 72 percent of the students are in higher income schools, 28 percent are in lower income schools.
The disparity is even greater with charter schools. 82 percent of the schools are higher income while 18 percent are lower income. In terms of the number of students in those schools, 88 percent are in higher income schools, 12 percent are in lower income schools.
Tags: Results-based funding , District schools , Charter schools
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Fresh from a tour of Japan that took them to Tokyo, Ashikaga, Tokushima, Osaka and Kyoto, Lenguas Largas played their first show back at Club Congress Saturday Night with Zen Mother (from Seattle, Washington) and Phoenix’s Vatican Ratlines. It was a well-attended congregation of the devout.
In Spanish the band’s name refers to a gossip whose talk is mostly horseshit. Having said that, more people should be talking shit about Lenguas Largas. The truth: Lenguas are a badass genre crossing amalgamation delivered with punk-rock sneer. Absorbing the cross-cultural communication that overlaps two worlds—psychedelic, norteño, indie, rock en Español, soul—Lenguas Largas’ sound reflects life in the borderland.
Born in Nogales, frontman Isaac Reyes tells us that "he grew up on the Arizona side. Two streets north of the border. [Guitarist] Ricky Shimo grew up on the Mexican side. I got into punk through skateboarding.” Saving their lunch money to buy comic books and Thrasher magazine.
Reyes’ and Shimo’s musical interbreeding began while they were in junior high. A friend's older brother opened a record store in Nogales, AZ called Roca Rola. Most days after class the pals would walk first to Instrumentos Musicales (a branch of Tucson’s venerable Chicago Store). They were poor kids with no coin.
“We would play every guitar in the store until they kicked us out for not buying anything.” Then they’d head to Roca Rola for another music fix. Reyes reflects wistfully, “We would hang out there everyday listening to everything they played ... people from both sides of the border would hang out there.”
Fast forward. So how did these young punks from Nogales end up touring Japan? Reyes explains: “The reason we toured Japan ... was to tour Japan!
“Everything in Japan was amazing," he continues. "Everywhere you look you see cool, rad shit. Besides the food and culture, the raddest thing in Japan is the way everyone in the music scene respects each other. The sense of community is very strong regardless of musical style.”
Tags: Isaac Reyes , Lenguas Largas
Sometimes, it feels like the road does go on forever. There are the days that are so triumphant, you wish that it would go on forever. Some days, you wonder what on earth you are doing out here, what kind of madman you are for going through all of this.
I don't have a straight answer for any of it. Hahahaha.
I've been doing this for more than three decades and I still wonder about it, at times.
I'm sitting here in the Admiral's Club at London Heathrow, writing this down, waiting for our 11-hour flight to Phoenix, then Tucson. I'm sure I will sleep, at least a week or more.
Tags: XIXA , Winston Watson , Brian Lopez
Maybe it's something in the water (or Finlandia vodka?). It can't be simply a matter of demographics, since neighboring countries don't score nearly as well (Fun fact. Since Finland's neighbor Sweden went to a school choice model like the one loved by U.S. conservatives, complete with private school vouchers, its scores on the international tests have fallen). Finland must know something about education we don't. It could have something to do with teachers having such respect and status in society that Finland has a glut of applicants to its teacher education programs. Only the top ten percent are accepted. Maybe it's the three years of full time teacher education and training before teachers get classrooms of their own, which is not only tuition free, it comes with a stipend for living expenses, The generous non-classroom time teachers have to work with their colleagues could be part of the Finnish secret as well.
But for all its success, Finland isn't resting on its laurels. It introduced a new national curriculum last year which is "skills-based." Take a moment to think what "skills" might refer to. Reading skills maybe? Math skills? Research skills? Time's up. Here's a sample of what "skills" mean in Finland's schools.
There are seven skills the curriculum is based on, including cultural competence, multiliteracy, entrepreneurship, and "thinking and learning to learn." Instead of being expected to cover certain content, teachers are expected to weave those skills into their lessons. It's not "content versus skills, but content with skills," [Petteri Elo, a Finnish teacher and educational consultant] said.The only skill on that list you might hear emphasized in U.S. schools is "thinking and learning to learn," though these days that's had to take a back seat to learning how to answer questions on multiple choice, standardized tests.
The world is full of educational models other than ours. We certainly haven't seen impressive results from our national insistence that No Child [Be] Left Behind. Adopting the Finnish model probably doesn't make sense here, but the rigid standardization which comes from teaching to the test doesn't make much sense either. Maybe if we try to figure out how to recruit our best college graduates into teaching, then give them a demanding teacher education curriculum, followed by giving each of them the freedom to create their own curriculum best suited to their skills and the needs of their students . . . that might be a good place to start.
Tags: Finland , Education , International tests , No Child Left Behind
