The “pop-up” trend has gained much attention in Tucson in the last few years thanks to an up and coming chef, an innovative restaurant owner, and a couple of creative entrepreneurs. Pop-ups—temporary shops or events that typically last anywhere from a day to a few months—have been popular in big cities, but Tucson has recently become a hub for a variety of inventive pop-ups.
Traditionally, pop-ups are retail stores offering a variety of goods for a short amount of time.

Cultivate Tucson co-owners, Claire Seizovic and Kristin Tovar, saw Tucson as the perfect location for pop-up shops and decided to start their own shop brand in 2015.

“Tucson is definitely going through a creative renaissance right now,” Seizovic said in regards to why it is the right time for these unique markets in Tucson. Cultivate Tucson’s shops feature local artists and designers and are hosted in under-utilized spaces. Seizovic said the benefits of having a pop-up shop in comparison to a regular brick-and-mortar retail store include cost, momentum, and marketing. She said since the markets are a once a-year, one-day event the need for constant marketing isn’t there and the temporariness adds a hype aspect that encourages people to attend. “If you know its always available, it becomes less exciting,” Seizovic said.

Though Seizovic and Tovar weren’t the ones to create the pop-up concept, they’ve come up with ways to innovate the idea. An important part of Cultivates mission is donating to local non-profits.

By participating in the pop-up, all vendors agree to donate 20 percent of their sales to either a non-profit Cultivate highlights at the event or a non-profit of their choosing. Seizovic said that incorporating non-profits into the pop-up was “there from the very beginning.” At their December 2016 market, they were able to donate $10,000 to non-profits. Cultivate also stands out by the spaces they use. Their pop-ups are hosted in unused spaces that were not originally meant for retail stores. They used an old tire shop south of downtown for their last pop-up. By utilizing these unused, perhaps forgotten spaces, Seizovic said it is “a way to highlight a space for someone else to permanently buy.”

Cultivate Tucson recently announced their first spring pop-up shop. “The Flash” pop-up shop will be on Saturday, May 20 from 9am to 4pm. The shop will take place at an old appliance store, Flash TV and Appliance.

Chef Riley Chandler has also used location as a way to reinvent the concept of pop-ups. Chandler created his business, Pop-up Tucson, to bring pop-up dinners to Tucson. He first got the idea from Scottsdale chef, T.J. Culp. Culp had been successfully hosting pop-up dinners throughout the Scottsdale area and Chandler thought Tucson would be a good place for the concept. Since his first pop-up in May of 2016, he has hosted a total of 5 pop-ups in Tucson and 5 in different U.S. cities. Chandler has had success in bringing pop-up dinners to Tucson and said it is largely because people are attracted to the uniqueness of the event. “You’re not confined to four walls inside a restaurant, you’re literally outside the box,” Chandler said.

Besides the inventive location, Chandler uses other unique elements like collaborations with chefs and entertainment for guests. Collaborating with other chefs is one of Chandler’s favorite aspects of the pop-ups because it not only benefits him but the guests as well. He said it brings in other influences and allows him to learn from other culinary minds. “It elevates my style.”

He often brings in chefs from Phoenix, which allows the guests to taste their food without having to go to Phoenix. As for the entertainment aspect, Chandler always incorporates the arts into the dining experience. He says though it is not a necessary element, it is something important to him. “It ties the knot around the whole vibe,” he said. Past pop-up dinners have featured a jazz trio and a live painter.
Restaurant owner, Scott Stiteler, revamped the pop-up trend to fit his passion for history and restaurants. Stiteler opened up his pop-up bar, Martin Drug Co., in February as a way to utilize an old building while he creates his long-term plan for the space. Stiteler hopes that by first using the space as a pop-bar while he plans the restaurant, he can reintroduce the space to the public and bring it back into people’s lives. The pop-up bar is only utilizing about 1,000 square feet of the space. The inspiration for the pop-up bar came from an old drugstore that used to reside in the building in the late 1880’s to mid-1960s. When Stiteler discovered this he knew it made sense to respect that history while also adding, “a dose of fun.”

The space gives ode to its history through black and white images of the Martin family and their drug store that hang on the walls of the pop-up. The traditional black and white pictures are met with funky and modern décor, giving the space the perfect blend of old and new. Stiteler said that since the bar is temporary, there was a lot more latitude when it came to interior design. Unlike most pop-ups, Martin Drug Co. will remain open for a generous 6 months. It will then be reinvented again into a more family-friendly, traditional eatery Stiteler said.

"Streets of This Town" is a little daily photo series featuring random pics I take on long walks through Tucson—to sort of coincide with Tucson Salvage.

"Streets of This Town" is a little daily photo series featuring random pics I take on long walks through Tucson—to sort of coincide with Tucson Salvage.

Noise? Its origins rise from the futurist art movement of the early 20th century. It kicked on speed, technology, youth and violence, and was implicit in the development of noise as an aesthetic. Jefim Golyscheff’s “Antisymphony,” a 1919 concert performed in Berlin, is a key example of music embracing a kind of anti-instrumentation, lots repetition and atonality, and it blew minds and subverted conventions.

Machine sounds, noise, static, ear-splitting feedback, distortion, atonality, droning modulations echoed off the walls at the repurposed warehouse-cum-performance space at 191 Toole last week as a small but earnest crowd gathered for the Tucson Noise Symposium. An event co-presented by To Stretch Yr Ears, Sound+Noise, Bank Notes, Detritus.net, Pushing Buttons, Mullarky, and Exploded View; with support from University of Arizona: English Dept, School of Information Science, LGBT Institute. Heavy hitters to be sure.


ijustsawyoudie
Nodding to the lit works of J.G. Ballard, William S. Burroughs, H.P. Lovecraft as well as controversial journalist/editor/publisher Adam Parfrey, the artist performing under the moniker ijustswyoudie describes his music as blackened ambient meets synth-wave and darkwave. “It’s a combination of electronically composed music and random noise that I derive from expression pedals, distortion as well as samples.”


Vicki Brown
Purposefully trying to avoid melody, Vicki Brown, a classically trained violinist, has an ambient project incorporating her virtuosic violin stroking, electronic bits and loops that she builds and layers to weave a tapestry. She says, “I don’t have any parameters in front of me, other than time. This is music for floating.”


Need
“I took my obsession with ambient noise, mixed it with tracks, live electronic drums and field recordings," says the artist known as Need about tools he uses to create.

FLORENCE—If you’ve been to Country Thunder in Arizona at least once over the past decade, chances are good you’ve seen this year’s closing headliner, Blake Shelton, perform.

He seems to be at the top of the list of performers every two or three years, and clearly loves the heck out of coming to the Arizona desert and showing off his stuff for 20,000 or so of his closest drunk buddies.

What made this year special, however, wasn’t the act leading up to him (Tyler Farr, who despite his reputation as bro country’s mainstay, actually put on a terrific show). It was that, for the first time in the nearly 30-year history of the Arizona event, country music Hall of Famers The Oak Ridge Boys were on the main stage.

They played before Farr, showing that despite their age (three members of the group are in their 70s, and the youngest, Joe Bonsall, is 68), they can still really sing and put on an upbeat performance that delighted old and young alike.

“We’ve played the other three Country Thunder’s many other times,” Bonsall said. “It finally worked out this time for us,” to play the one in Arizona.

Part of the tie-in was the ORB sang on Shleton’s latest album, If I’m Honest, on the catchy track “Doin’ It To Country Songs.”


Though it would be easy to taking their tours as something of a victory lap these days, that sort of attitude can’t be found among any of the ORB members—two of which started with the group more than 50 years ago.

They’re still playing more than 150 dates a year—festivals, stadiums, theaters and everything in between. They’ve got a new album set to be cut this summer and have plans in the works for the group’s 28th Christmas tour that will kick off right after Thanksgiving.

“If you can still sing, why not sing?” Bonsall said.

Bass singer Richard Sterban said so much of it has to do with the passion each man still has.
“When you enjoy doing what you do, you don’t get tired of doing it,” Sterban said. “Even after all these years, we’re just having too much fun.”

They’ve walked on at the Grand Ole’ Opry with Little Big Town when they closed their show with the one Oak Ridge Boys song known better than any other—"Elvira"—but it wasn’t “ an ego thing. It’s an appreciation thing,” Bonsall said.

That much is clear in how they talk about the artists of today. At an awards show a few years back, Bonsall saw Eric Church backstage and had to compliment him on his music.

FLORENCE—Having lived in Tucson for most of his life and having played nearly every bar, club festival and bar mitzvah within 50 miles of the city, Drew Cooper is the embodiment of the Old Pueblo.

In fact, given his no frills tour bus, his willingness to play nearly anytime, anywhere, and his passion for what he does, he might well take the name of Eegee’s most popular sub: The Grinder.

Cooper opened Country Thunder in Florence this year and then played the Dierks Bentley Whiskey Row stage immediately following the end of event headliner Blake Shelton’s Sunday night show as part of the closeout to the four-day festival.

It was the fifth year in a row you could find Cooper in Florence in early April, and he said he hadn't tired of it in the least.

“I got lucky enough to do the main stage a couple years back (in 2015),” he said. “This year, the idea of playing that first set was pretty daunting—you set the tone.”

Cooper said he was pleasantly surprised by the crowd size for the first sow of the event as many folks often skip out on the early performers on Day 1.

He’s been playing music essentially full time for the past seven years—a former University of Arizona cheerleader, Cooper loves his hometown and says one of the things he appreciates the most is it honesty.

“The best part about Tucson is how hard they are on live music,” he said. “Down there, I don’t think we’ve recovered fully from the Recession, at least not as well as other places, so people are careful with the dollar they spend.

“They’re loyal, though. When they decide they like you, they back you the whole time.”

1. LANco
These five guys have a smooth sound, a pair of well-rounded singles, including their latest – the chart-climbing “Greatest Love Story”—and the kind of live show energy that is going to build their fan base in a hurry.

Headed by frontman Brandon Lancaster, LANco—which is short for Lancaster and Company—has a four-song EP available now for fans but is working with super-producer Jay Joyce to get a full-length album out later this year.

“We want to give a fuller picture of our music,” Lancaster said. “We want to be relatable—we’re not going for shock value. We want to be the anthem of people’s lives.”

They are already seeing that with “Greatest Love Story,” which is getting airplay on satellite radio and elsewhere, and is drawing in fans from across the globe. The song was actually titled “American Love Story,” before its official release, but some fan input convinced the band of the need for a name tweak.

“We’ve had people messaging us internationally—from Ireland and England, all over the place—telling us about how this has become their song,” Lancaster said. “You have these things in your life that are special to you … and you hope other people can relate to.”

Keyboardist Jared Hampton credits Joyce for “drawing our sound out of us.”

The band’s first single, “Long Live Tonight” went Top 40 and sounds like a much more seasoned group, and the first song on their self-titled EP, “Troublemaker,” is a rollicking ball of fun.

It’s a sound that if you haven’t heard it, you’d better.


2. Runaway June
This trio has drawn comparisons to the Dixie Chicks, and while they obviously have a long way to go before they could come close to that level of success, they’ve got the right ingredients.

Lead singer Naomi Cooke is a star waiting to explode. She’s got the correct amount of rock-star sass on stage and pipes to match.

Doesn’t hurt she’s a knockout with a laid-back fashion sense (while Hannah Mulholland and Jennifer Wayne carry an elegant beauty often missed these days by female artists who go the route of simply showing as much skin as possible). Even better, all three are genuine, snarky-yet-sweet and the kind of people you’d want to just hang out with.

Wayne (the granddaughter of legendary actor John Wayne) was part of Stealing Angels before partnering up with Cooke and Mulholland, and said the group is enjoying its ride so far.

“We all kind of want to say the same thing,” in our music, she said. “When people started singing our song back to us, that was so cool.”

That song, “Lipstick,” debuted last year and made it into the Top 40 on country music charts. Even more, Cooke said, the trio has been amazed by devoted fans watching YouTube videos of previous performances and learning the words to original songs not yet released (though likely in album form later this year).

“That was a ‘holy shit,’ moment,” she said.

As much as Nashville has gone girl-crazy in recent months with the success of Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and more, expect a quick rise for this supergroup-in-waiting.

Not every musical is a big, splashy outrageously overwrought Disneyland on stage. No, some are smaller, more intimate and focused on characters and songs instead of stuff. These are the kinds of musicals Kevin Johnson, artistic director of Arizona Onstage Productions, prefers. And for one weekend only, he has mounted what’s sure to be—if we can judge from his past work—a well-presented and entertaining show.

The musical is Stars of David. Johnson says his interest was piqued when a friend sent him a boot-legged recording of the show. “I knew immediately I wanted to do it.” However, it involved so many well-known lyricists and composers, arguments about royalties got complicated and licensing for productions was impossible. When they get all that worked out, Johnson jumped on it.

Stars of David began as a book by ex-broadcast journalist Abigail Pogrebin. She had an idea to interview a whole bunch of Jewish luminaries, many from the entertainment field, and ask them about what their Jewishness meant to them. She started with those with whom she had some connection: Mike Wallace, who had been her boss at 60 Minutes; Leonard Nimoy, who had attended Torah study with her parents; Gloria Steinem who was a family friend. When she was done, she had interviewed 62 folks, including Joan Rivers, Tony Kushner, Jason Alexander—even Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Pogrebin fashioned each interview into a self-contained little story, and her book was published in 2005.

It wasn’t long before there were thoughts of turning these little stories into songs. It was a complicated undertaking, and the participants included a who’s who list of Broadway musical theater aces. It was workshopped and revised and then re-worked some more, and the current version now includes a couple of songs/stories about folks who were not even a part of Pogrebin’s book. Gwyneth Paltrow is an example.

Johnson says that one of his favorite story/songs is “Lenny the Great,” Leonard Nimoy’s recollection of his great desire, as a child, to be a magician. He saved up until he was finally able to get the best trick in the magic store, but when he got it home, it was packed with anti-Semitic pamphlets and drawings.

Johnson has rented the Berger Auditorium at the School for the Deaf and Blind, which seats around 500, for the production. But it was the best place available for how the show needed to be staged, he says. “I’ve got a lot of seats to sell, and part of the problem is that so many people aren’t aware of smaller musicals like this one.

“And, of course it’s not just about Jews, and it doesn’t appeal just to Jews. We can all find ourselves reflected in these songs about people who we’ve heard about, and whose stories on some level feel like our own.”

The show features Liz Cracchiolo, Dennis Tamblyn, Jeremy Vega and Kelli Workman. Hank Feldman is music director.

Stars of David—A Musical Celebration
7 p.m. Saturday, April 15 and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, April 16
Berger Performing Arts Center
1200 W. Speedway $25-$35
Run time: 90 minutes with no intermission
882-6574; www.arizonaonstage.org

"Streets of This Town" is a little daily photo series featuring random pics I take on long walks through Tucson—to sort of coincide with Tucson Salvage.

FLORENCE—Artists playing Country Thunder nearly 15 years after their first performance are often in the latter stages of their careers.

For Arizona-native Austin Burke, he’s just getting started.

The babyfaced, early 20’s country singer is just getting his career off the ground, with his first single—"Sleepin’ Around"—already topping one million spins on Spotify (more on that in a bit).

The last time he was here, the festival was in Queen Creek and the year was 1998. Lonestar was the big headliner and Burke was getting set for his big show – by taking a nap.

He’d been doing national anthems at sporting events across the Phoenix area since he was 3 years old and had made a pair of appearances on the Rosie O’Donnell Show, singing first a Garth Brooks song and later an Alabama cover.

So there he was, playing a miniature set—band and all—in the lead up to one of country music’s biggest acts. He hasn’t been back since. And, in fact, since leaving behind college baseball in California to move to Nashville more than three years ago, he hadn’t been back to his home state before today.

“This is a big homecoming celebration for me,” he said. “It’s really a full-circle story for me. I’ve dreamed of coming back here.”

Despite the enormity of the moment, Burke says he was too young to remember his performance, and now returns, with his first song hitting it big with plays on satellite radio as well, ready to get his career as an adult fired up.

“My heroes are Garth Brooks and Johnny Cash,” he said, “but I also like the new songs and blending them with some of the older lyricism.”

Back to the name of the single: On first blush, the title makes Burke sound like he’s taking a crack at being the newest entry to the douche-laden bro country genre.

Just the opposite.

With two younger sisters and a strong moral upbringing, Burke’s song is actually a criticism of the very genre some might confuse him for.

“The song has a provocative title, but it’s a wholesome song,” he said. “I’m big on uplifting women.”

He hits on his message on the chorus: “I want a girl worth waking up to.”

For those that wet their whistle with Sleepin' Around, more music from Burke is on the way in the form of an EP, set to be released next month.