City Week


Thursday 22

PARALLEL UNIVERSES. Two women, lots of comedy. The play is about the experiences and perils of everyday life--there's plenty of humor in that. It's called Parallel Lives and was written by Kathy Najimy and Mo Gaffney.

Catch two performances, tonight and Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Vaudeville Cabaret, 110 E. Congress St. The humor's so colorful that only folks 21 and older will be admitted. Tickets cost a scant $3. For details, call 622-3535.

THE JOLT'S ON YOU. What would Mary Shelly think of her masterpiece being augmented by ... music?

Frankenstein Lives is a musical version of the stormy night in the Frankenstein Castle, spoofing the classic tale of science gone awry.

Dave Fanning stars as Dr. Frankenstein in the Gaslight Theater production with previews tonight at 8 p.m. and opening show on Friday. Performances continue through November 2. Tickets cost $14.95 for adults, $12.95 for seniors, students and active military and kids under 12 get in for $6.95. Check out Little Anthony's '50s style diner next door for a pre-show bite.

Gaslight Theater is at 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Call them for reservations at 886-9428.


Friday 23

PRIDE OF SOUTH TUCSON. Where else can you and 40,000 other people hear norteño, Tex-Mex, Waila and folklorico for free?

It's time for the Norteño Music Festival and Street Fair today and tomorrow from 4 to 11:30 p.m. The high-energy music includes polkas, chotises, redovas and cumbias and is accompanied by food, arts and crafts, informational booths and a children's theme park celebrating the rich traditions of Mexico. Plus Santiago Jiménez performs at Centennial Hall on Sunday.

Proceeds benefit Pio Decimo serving the community needs of Barrio Santa Rosa.

The fair converges at South Fourth Avenue and East 36th Street. For more information, call 622-2801.


Saturday 24

BROKEN BIRDS. In my next life I want to be a bird, soaring over the landscape, autonomous and free.

And if my wing gets caught in some stupid human contraption, I want Janet and Lewis Miller to take care of me. The Millers are part of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility whose goal is to provide care for injured and orphaned wild birds and mammals so they can be released back into their natural habitat.

Hear their presentation at Bookman's at 1930 E. Grant Road from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Come meet an owl and a hawk, too. It's free. Call 325-5767 with questions.

NO FAUX PHO. Vietnamese rice noodle soups, also known as Pho, are ubiquitous in Asia and are becoming quite popular in the States.

At Dao's Hunan Restaurant, they've been serving Pho since 1997. Now's your chance to get behind the kitchen doors and see how it's made.

For a mere $7, pick up tips on Pho recipes and get a lovely bowl of soup to enjoy after the cooking class which starts at 3 p.m. Dao's Hunan is located at 4689 E. Speedway Blvd at Swan. Call to R.S.V.P. at 323-3737.

HAVE A BALL. Talent's busting out tonight in the Educere Talent Show 2002. Starting at 6:30 p.m., the Red Barn Theater Kids present Movin' On Revue with traveling songs, dance and jokes. Then it's Kaleidoscope featuring '70s and '80s dance music followed by break dancing demonstrations courtesy of The Floor Rockers. All this plus the talent show awards. Tickets cost $10 (the wee ones under 3 get in for free).

At 9:30 p.m., shift gears for Musica Latina Caliente featuring cumbias, boleros, meringues and more hot Latin rhythms. This is a 21-and-over show and costs $10.

It all happens at The Fire Fighter's Hall Ballroom at 2264 E. Benson Highway. All proceeds benefit Educere Fundamentum for entrepreneurs with disabilities.

For ticket information, call 573-3024.

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE. Los Jornaleros Del Norte are immigrant musicians from Los Angeles who play norteño. You may recognize them from the soundtrack of the recent film Bread and Roses, which featured the Justice for Janitors organizing efforts of immigrant workers in the United States. They sing about protecting human and civil rights of people coming into this country and the indigenous community as well.

They'll be oom-pah'ing at Dance for Justice hosted by The Coalición de Derechos Humanos/Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras. It starts at 6 p.m. tonight at the El Casino Ballroom, 437 E. 26th St. Tickets are available at Yoly's Music Shop at 3354 S. Sixth Ave. and at Derechos Humanos/Alianza Indígena at 631 S. Sixth Ave. Proceeds will promote the Legalization Campaign, the Dream and Student Adjustments Acts and the Immigrant and Indigenous Rights Campaigns. Call 770-1373 for details.


Sunday 25

HEAVY METAL. Imagine Bach's reaction to the name of this group.

The Heavy Metal Brass Quintet has been playing together since 1991 and comprises players from the Tucson Symphony Orchestra with Michael Walk and Martin Patfield on trumpet, Shawn Campbell on horn, Steve Gamble on trombone and William Davis on bass trombone.

OK, it's the name that might get Bach to shift in his grave a bit. But the music is his style. Heavy Metal closes the St. Andrew's Bach Society Summer Concert Series at 3 p.m. with a selection of early and modern brass music including work by Marcello, Gabrieli, Farnaby, Bach, Villa-Lobos, Maurer, Puccini, Bizet, Mascagni and Gershwin. They promise not to blow out the stained glass windows of St. Andrew's Church at 545 S. Fifth Ave.

Tickets at the door cost $8 general admission and $7 for seniors and students. Questions? Call 628-8119.

A GEM OF A GEM. Piney Hollow has grown up and become a landmark Tucson institution, turning 30 this week.

Mimi and Mike Haggerty started their business as a wholesale silversmith shop on Sixth Street near the university in August 1972 to satisfy the national demand for silver turquoise jewelry. The shop grew rapidly and soon demanded an additional lapidary operation. Soon after, they began working with other semi-precious gems such as malachite, lapis lazuli, moonstone and azurite.

After two moves to Fourth Avenue, they settled into their current space at 427 N. Fourth Ave., where they offer classes year-round in the store and throughout the community. Recently beads have become a big part of their trade, taking the couple on buying expeditions to Prague, Budapest and Turkey in their quest for historic and exotic beads.

And it's not just us common folks who stop by the shop. Bandleader Artie Shaw stepped in out of the heat one day. And actress Renee Russo designed a necklace with Piney Hollow beads that she wore on The Tonight Show.

The Haggertys' daughter, Shannon Harrison, manages the shop now. The living room atmosphere and wide display of beads, jewelry and folk art remain a priority.

Celebrate the anniversary with the Haggerty family at an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. The Jewelry and Folk Art Retrospective continues through September 18, featuring the work of artisans who filtered through Piney Hollow over the last three decades. For more information, call 623-4450.

MORE NORTEÑO. This is the week for music. In collaboration with Pio Decimo Center's Norteño Music Festival on Friday, Tex-Mex impresario Santiago Jiménez performs at Centennial Hall today.

The singer and accordion virtuoso is a major figure in border music capturing the essence of the traditional conjunto style. He's been nominated for two Grammy Awards and was graced with the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship by President Clinton.

Santiago comes from a long line of musicians. His father, Don Santiago Jiménez, Sr., was one of the pioneers of conjunto and his older brother, Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez, has modernized the accordion style by introducing jazz, rock and R & B into the Mexican style. But Santiago has purposely fashioned his own playing after the traditions set by his father. He has dedicated himself to upholding the German polka rhythms and the spirit of the music that came to us through Spanish-language radio back in the '30s. He's even made a point of recording his father's songs infusing them with new life for younger audiences--songs about love, work, dance and family life in the Mexican-American community of South Texas where he grew up.

Jiménez performs at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 to $28 with half-price discounts for students. Centennial Hall is located at 1020 E. University Blvd. Call the box office at 621-3341.


Monday 26

VACATIONING BOOKS. Projet Mobilivre picked Tucson (over Phoenix, but who's boasting) to stop on its summer tour across the country.

Instead of screaming kids in the back of the RV rental, there are artist books, zines and independent publications. The Airstream exhibition center made its debut in 2001 and has visited venues from Canada to the eastern and western tips of the States, reaching thousands through its stops at community centers, schools, libraries, artist spaces and even prisons.

It lands at Bookman's at 6230 E. Speedway Blvd. today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Workshops about binding albums and how to make recycled diaries and publish zines start at 7 p.m. both days. Sign up for the workshops by calling 881-1744 pronto. The exhibit is free as are the workshops, but donations help the Airstream get to its next gig.


Tuesday 27

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU HEARD THEM? Think back to the halcyon days of your youth and that moment when California Rock and Dixie Boogie filtered through your haze. Many generations have grown up to the head-bobbing thrall of Little Feat--make it three decades worth.

They grace the stage at the Rialto Theater at 318 E. Congress St. tonight with special guest Steven Bruce for an unconventional mix of earthy, organic music. As American as apple pie, so says the press release. More to the point, these guys churn out rockabilly country, blues, folk and jazz.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $20 in advance and $22 at the door.

Call 740-1000 for more information.


Wednesday 28

SAIL AWAY. Here in the desert, we don't much think about what it takes to navigate a boat and actually go anywhere further than where our imaginations (or mirages) take us.

But there really is a sailing club in Tucson and there really is a Rear Commodore who sent us a press release about the general membership meeting. Today's program highlights sailing to Central and South America.

Ashley Dixon offers tips on how the family must cooperate to succeed in such an aqueous endeavor. The Tucson Sailing Club meets at the Elks Club at 2404 E. River Road at 7:30 p.m. Call 299-5105 for details.