Events

KXCI Celebrates International Clash Day

January 31, 2017 |

“This is a public service announcement, with guitar!”
Know Your Rights, The Clash, 1982

Joe Strummer of The Clash, London Calling Tower Theater Show on March 6, 1980. Photo: John Coffey via Flickr.com

Joe Strummer of The Clash, London Calling Tower Theater Show on March 6, 1980.
Photo: John Coffey via Flickr.com

It’s been four years since Seattle’s KEXP 90.3 FM DJ John Richards declared Feb. 7 as International Clash Day, and a year since Seattle’s mayor created an official proclamation to honor The Clash on that day. Subsequently, six other cities have jumped on this punk rock proclamation bandwagon, including: Austin, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Vancouver B.C., Bridgwater U.K. and Tucson.

The date doesn’t hold special meaning in the British band’s history; Feb. 7 was just a happy happenstance of Richards spinning the band’s tunes one morning in 2013 and a listener asking him to keep The Clash’s tracks coming. However, it is the timing of the other communities getting onboard that feels significant considering the country’s current political state and the still exceedingly apropos, sneeringly poignant political songs The Clash wrote between 1976-1986.

“I think right now the spirit of The Clash and the spirit of Joe Strummer’s views ring true to a lot of cities not happy with the direction the last election went,” Richards wrote via email. “I also think some of the leaders in these cities are of an age that they clearly remember their own love of The Clash… or at the very least the respect they have for their work.”

Locally, KXCI 91.3 FM Director of Content and Home Stretch DJ Hannah Levin spearheaded the charge to create International Clash Day in Tucson. Levin, who was a KEXP DJ for eight years and moved here in fall 2014, said her KEXP colleagues approached her about getting KXCI involved this year.

Cover of “Combat Rock,” released May 1982.

“Combat Rock,” released in 1982.

“It was a no-brainer. The Clash is one of KXCI’s ‘core artists’ – music that we already play quite regularly – and the spirit of the day is very much in line with the inclusive, creative culture of Tucson,” Levin explained. “Having had the mayor on my show, I knew he (Jonathan Rothschild) was a big music fan and would likely connect with the themes embodied in International Clash Day – peace, unity, anti-imperialism, anti-racism, poverty awareness and freedom of expression.

“Now more than ever, we need to be embracing a sense of a community that welcomes people from all walks of life and celebrates the type of fearless art that brings us together, rather than divides us,” Levin elucidated. “Music has a visceral power to do that which few other art forms have, so my hope is that in addition to enjoying an avalanche of invigorating Clash-related programming, we inspire listeners to become more deeply engaged with our community around issues of social justice and freedom of expression.”

For fans of The Clash, this will be a most welcome day, and it will be an awesome education for those who are not aware of the band’s amazing body of work. KXCI is celebrating on-air from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with special programming that was still being finalized as of Zocalo’s press time, but Levin shared that “listeners can expect to hear Clash classics, deep cuts, rarities, and archived interviews with The Clash. We are also working on interviews with members of Tucson’s music community who were/are influenced by The Clash and/or were in attendance at The Clash’s show at the Tucson Convention Center in 1983, which was the band’s penultimate show with Mick Jones (Howe Gelb snuck into this show!).”

Che’s Lounge, 350 N. 4th Ave., is the headquarters for Tucson’s International Clash Day with DJs spinning Clash tunes that night, along with showcasing a special Clash-themed visual art show – curated by bartender/local artist Donovan White – as well as hosting a record sale of The Clash’s catalogue by Wooden Tooth Records.

Why does it matter? Well, as John Richards shared, “I think one of the main things is, they knew how to write GREAT songs. They also were lightening in a bottle like all great bands, the perfect sound and the perfect players at the perfect time. That kind of magic doesn’t just disappear.”

“There is something singular about their creative focus that is timeless – comforting and galvanizing simultaneously,” Levin added. “Whenever I hear the opening chords of ‘Know Your Rights,’ I always feel ready to be both angry and productive, which is the flavor of punk rock that has always appealed to me the most.”

Get all the event details at KXCI.org. Reconnect with the band at TheClash.com.

The Clash in concert, 21 May 1980. From left to right: Joe Strummer (rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar), Paul Simonon (bass guitar). Not pictured: Topper Headon (drums). Courtesy Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway via Commons.wikimedia.org

The Clash in concert, 21 May 1980. From left to right: Joe Strummer (rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar), Paul Simonon (bass guitar). Not pictured: Topper Headon (drums).
Courtesy Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway via Commons.wikimedia.org

_______________________________

City of Tucson Mayoral Proclamation

WHEREAS, legendary U.K. band The Clash formed in 1976, establishing their unique sound combining punk with reggae, dub, funk, ska, and socially-conscious lyrics; and

WHEREAS, the band played the Tucson Convention Center in 1983, inspiring many Tucson musicians, including a young Howe Gelb, who formed Giant Sand that same year; and

WHEREAS, throughout their career, The Clash used the power of music to share messages of peace, unity, anti-imperialism, anti-racism, poverty awareness, and freedom of expression; and

COT sealWHEREAS, the City of Tucson encourages all citizens to take inspiration from these messages as we work together to create an inclusive, welcoming city; and

WHEREAS, the City of Tucson and the Mayor’s Office affirm that this city is a Hate Free Zone, committed to values of inclusivity, tolerance, diversity and hope; and

WHEREAS, Tucson takes great pride in its growing music community and the cultural contributions of its many musicians across a wide range of genres; and

WHEREAS, the civically-and globally-minded City of Tucson wishes to join with other like-minded cities across the globe in celebrating International Clash Day; and

WHEREAS, the City of Tucson adheres to the belief in the immortal words of Joe Strummer, “People can change anything they want to, and that means everything in the world;”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor of the City of Tucson, Arizona due hereby proclaim February 7, 2017 to be

INTERNATIONAL CLASH DAY

in this community, and encourage all of our citizens to Rock the Casbah.

A Journey of the Spirit

January 30, 2017 |

front cover“My Way or the Highway”
Rich Hopkins and Luminarios
San Jacinto Records, 2017 (America)
Blue Rose Records, 2017 (Europe)

The latest release from the musical mind of 30-year plus rock vet Rich Hopkins, his co-writer and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Lisa Novak, and the band’s luminary musicians from Houston and Tucson, is an excellent addition to the regional sound of the American/Baja Southwest.

The 12-track album showcases the mature writing ability of Hopkins and Novak – an album inspired by the songwriting couple’s recent travels. Their trip to southern Mexico resulted in two tracks, “Angel of the Cascades” and “Chan Kah,” that drew from those experiences and tell beautiful stories of people and places, situated in current times and in timeless myths. The chorus of “Angel of the Cascades” is particularly hypnotic and haunting. The song invites you to imagine seeing “the smile upon his face,” as Hopkins narrates their contemplation of a beautiful pristine jungle paradise waterfall. You can look inside the CD cover and see a picture of Rich with his new friends/guides by the very pool at the base of the waterfall.

About the trip to the falls that inspired “Angel of the Cascades,” Novak says the journey “was spiritual… we really did feel like we were blessed and watched over. I was terrified on the trip and there were no directions or signs. We left there with such a humbling experience from the way some folks live in the poorest of conditions but are so sweet and happy.” You’ll feel like you are diving right into the pool with Hopkins and Novak.

“If You Want To” is a rock-out anthem to positive risk taking as Hopkins and Novak sing, “You can do it, you know you can do it, it’s always dark before the dawn.” Tucson stalwarts Winston Watson (drums), Damon Barnaby (guitars) and Duane Hollis (bass) lay down the sound around Hopkins’ trademark guitar as Novak and Hopkins’ killer chorus soar over the notes. You’ll want to play the track, which has a ‘70s country rock feel to it, over and over.

Another amazing collaboration involves poet and rapper Cesar Aguirre, which results in a rap/rock lyric flow about eye-opening redemption. The lyrics and spoken word are delivered forcefully by Aguirre, with the chorus by Novak. The cut, “Meant for Mo’,” starts with an introduction that that has my new favorite movie quote, from “School Daze” … “we aren’t so happy you got a degree in art!”

Hopkins is especially grateful to Lars Goransson, producer and recording engineer, whom, he says, helped make the record happen with available studio time that pushed the material forward.

All in all, this is a release that can’t be pigeonholed into a genre, and displays the mature power of songwriters and collaborators producing a beautiful album.

Catch Rich Hopkins and Luminarios at Flycatcher, 340 E. 6th St., on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. and at Fini’s Landing, 5689 N. Swan Rd., on April 7 at 8 p.m. Learn more at RichHopkinsMusic.com and ReverbNation.com/richhopkinsandtheluminarios.

Zocalo Magazine – January 2017

January 3, 2017 |

Jan. 2017 Digital Edition

Zocalo Magazine - January 2017 Cover

Zocalo Magazine – January 2017 Cover

December 2016 Issue

December 2, 2016 |

This month, “Gifts of Tucson” a gift guide to local makers, artists and authors… and our 2016 Year in Pictures. Read the digital edition of the December 2016.

zocalo-magazine-december-2016-gift-guide

November 2016 Issue

November 1, 2016 |

Read the November 2016 Issue of Zócalo Magazine

zocalo-magazine-november-2016-cover

Zocalo Magazine July & August 2016

July 5, 2016 |

Read the July & August 2016 issue of Zocalo

Zocalo JulyAug 2016 cover

The Mesquite Harvest

June 2, 2016 |
Screwbean, velvet, and honey mesquites pods. Photo by Brad Landcaster

Screwbean, velvet, and honey mesquites pods. Photo by Brad Landcaster

It’s So Much More Than Just Milling Flour

It’s summer time again and, as many of you already know, that means it’s also mesquite harvesting and milling season in Tucson. And where including mesquite flour in your diet is a great way to add some diversity of flavor to your favorite culinary staples, Desert Harvesters Co-Founder Brad Lancaster would like you to know that the production and cultivation of native wild foods here in Tucson goes much, much further than simply whetting the appetites of local foodies. “We’re trying to get everyone to see the whole picture,” says Lancaster, “so the harvest is way more than just the pods.”

Our current agricultural system, says Lancaster, is based on “using imported plants, imported water, and imported fertilizer,” all of which, he points out, takes a major toll on our environment. But the plants that are native to the Tucson area—and that sustained life here for thousands of years before we were tapping the Colorado River as our primary water source—require no such interventions. The native wild food producing plants like the mesquite and ironwood trees, and the cholla and saguaro cacti, he says “are plants that can not only survive here, but thrive here with no imported water or fertilizer.” That’s why Lancaster says that Desert Harvesters is “looking at how we can use what we already have for free in a way that doesn’t deplete the ground water, doesn’t deplete the surface water…but reinfuses our ground water and reinfuses our rivers with water while reducing flooding.” And, Lancaster says, planting native wild food plants “where we live, work, and play,” while incorporating what he calls “water harvesting earthworks” helps to do all of these things while simultaneously improving our city’s landscape, as well as the habitat for local wildlife.

For this reason, though he says that local landscapes are currently dominated by non-native mesquite species that were largely selected for their tendency to grow quickly, Desert Harvesters focuses its efforts on the three types of mesquite tress native to the region—the screwbean, velvet, and honey mesquites. Not only are the local trees more consistent in taste and texture than imported varieties, but Lancaster says that they are also more beneficial to a number of native birds and insects. He says that a native mesquite will attract over sixty different native pollinators, whereas a non-native tree only attracts about a dozen. Thus, birds like the Wilson’s warbler have adjusted their migration patterns to coincide with the blooming cycles of native mesquites, and have therefore come to depend on those cycles in order to fatten up before the annual trip to their summer range about two-thousand miles north.

In support of their mission to increase the abundance of native wild food plants growing in and around Tucson, Lancaster says that Desert Harvesters is planning at least one seed-gathering expedition to look for native mesquites that taste great, ripen pre-monsoon (to avoid the growth of toxic, invisible molds that begin after the rains), and produce dense pod clusters for ease of harvesting. The group intends to harvest the seeds of these tress to sell at their events. That way, interested parties can be sure that they are planting native trees that not only provide summer shade and excellent wildlife viewing opportunities year-round, but will also provide them with a few pounds of naturally sweet, gluten-free flour every summer to utilize as they see fit. Lancaster says that some of his favorite uses for mesquite include making crackers, pie crust, and pizza dough, or using it to mix with or make coffee. He says it can also be cooked down and made into a syrupy sweetener that actually slows the body’s intake of sugar, making mesquite an ideal food for people who suffer from hypoglycemia or diabetes.

Lancaster says that mesquite beans produce a wide range of flavors, from “sweet, to nutty, to sweet-and-sour, to kind of lemony,” and that each and every tree is unique in its flavor profile. Thus, he says it’s important to sample from a number of trees when trying to find your prefect pod for harvest. He says that, when sampling from a mesquite, you should be sure to actually pick from the tree and not from the ground, and that “the pod should be dry enough that, when you bend it, it immediately snaps in two.” It should also be completely yellow, without any green left on it. You can gently work the bean with your teeth and tongue to extract the flavor when sampling, then spit it out. But be careful, as Lancaster says that the seeds are hard enough to crack a tooth. The hammer mills they use to turn the pods into flour, however, are strong enough to grind those seeds right along with the rest of the pod. When sampling mesquite beans, Lancaster says that you will not only want to taste for the presence of any one of the four “bad flavors,” which are “bitter, burning, chalky, or drying of the mouth or throat,” but that you should also look for beans that are particularly good-tasting to you. And it’s not enough to decide simply based on the initial flavor experience, says Lancaster, but that you should also wait for the aftertaste before making a final judgment. “It doesn’t matter how good of a cook you are,” he says, “you can’t take a bad flavor out of a bad-tasting pod.”

The mesquite-harvesting events this season kicked off with a fundraiser at La Cocina on May 31 which featured live music, along with food and drinks made from local wild ingredients, and they will continue throughout the month of June. For those looking to learn how to harvest native wild foods for themselves, Desert Harvesters will hold guided native food-harvesting walking and biking tours beginning at the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market at Mercado San Augustin on June 16 (tickets are $10). A concurrent demonstration at the market will showcase ways to turn those harvested ingredients into a range of culinary delights. The following week at the same location, June 23 is the 14th Annual Mesquite Milling and Wild Foods Fiesta, to which you can bring your clean and sorted mesquite pods to be ground into flour on site for a small fee. For reference, Lancaster says that it takes about five minutes to grind five gallons of harvested pods into about one gallon of flour. Other events include a mesquite seed collecting workshop, a happy hour fundraiser at Tap & Bottle, and a saguaro fruit harvesting workshop. More details are available on the Desert Harvesters website, the address to which is provided below.

Though Lancaster doesn’t expect to turn all Tucsonans into expert harvesters of wild food overnight, he says that the work of Desert Harvesters serves the greater purpose of “trying to shift how people see agriculture, and to (encourage them to) practice it in a way that does not degrade our environment, but enhances it.” For this reason, the Desert Harvesters events are “meant to be a full hands-on, mouth-on experience; we want people to not just get the theory, but to actually experience it,” Lancaster says. This kind of immersion, he says, is the only way to fully grasp the connection that already exists between the people that live in Tucson and the historic, natural agriculture of the region they call home. “We’re trying to deepen people’s engagement and relationships with these plants,” says Lancaster. And once you begin to harvest from the abundance that occurs naturally around you, Lancaster says you’ll likely find that, not only is it better for you, and better for the environment, but it’s ultimately “easier than going to the store.” And cheaper, too. What could be better than that?

For more information on the Desert Harvesters-sponsored mesquite milling and wild food harvesting events taking place this month, visit them online at DesertHarvesters.org.

Barrio Stories

March 2, 2016 |

barrio storiesEVENT:
Barrio Stories Project
Thursday & Friday – March 3 & 4 @10am
Saturday & Sunday – March 5 & 6 @ 11am
by award winning playwrights Elaine Romero, Virginia Grise, and Martin Zimmerman.
Directed by Marc David Pinate.
Produced by Borderlands Theatre

Staged outdoors on the grounds of the Tucson Convention Center, this theatrical spectacle brings to life oral histories of Tucson’s original Mexican American neighborhood demolished with the building of the convention center in the 1960s. Precious memories come to life as audience members take a theatrical tour of what used to be the bustling epicenter of commerce and public celebrations for Tucson’s Mexican-American community (some seating is available.) Four vignettes and performance installations encountered throughout the plaza culminate in an interactive post show pachanga – featuring folklorico and mariachi youth ensembles with interactive art and audio booth for all ages. Barrio Stories takes place March 3-6, 2016, as part of Borderlands’ 30th anniversary season. Complete information at BarrioStories.org

The Gem Show Scene

February 2, 2016 |

African VillageWhen talking about Tucson’s annual Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, people who have been around a while will tell you that it’s changed, that it’s not what it used to be and that nothing is as cool as it was in the good old days.  “For years I used to shop for people who live in town, “says Aspen Green, a long time Tucsonan; “people who did not want to be seen because they were too well known.  They’d give me a list and $1,000 and I would know exactly where to go to find just the right piece of amethyst or rug or clothing or beads.  I had passes to all the shows and I knew just where to get all the good stuff!

“But it’s changed,” she laments, “about five years ago when different shows started moving around town and the state started charging sales tax.”  Now with a full time job at UA Presents, whose busiest season conflicts with The Show, annually held the first two weeks in February, Green has neither the time nor enthusiasm to go out and enjoy the show, much less work it.

But while this may be true for Green and others who have seen more than their fair share of Street Fairs, Tucson Meet Yourself and other annual events that may have lost their one time appeal, this is a two week extravaganza that consistently demands to be seen with fresh eyes. Aside from how vast and expansive it is,  this is a time when literally hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of precious stones, crystals, minerals and metals inundate our city.  There are those in fact who will swear there is an actual shift in the vibrational space/time continuum.  But its not just rocks and such as but also clothing, jewelry, fossils, glasswork, beads and beadwork of every conceivable nature, here to be bought, sold, traded, haggled over or simply admired.  Add lots of music, parties, the marathon glassblowing competition and a cast of characters straight out of Central Casting including wholesale buyers, sellers, gemologists, jewelers, import/export people, musicians, hippies and ex-hippies now masking as straight laced business types.  It’s a wonder no one has seen fit to make an indie movie of this scene.

“What makes it special are the people who come back every year.”  So says Sirena Jan Allen who has worked a booth at the show for various out of town vendors for almost 20 years.  Initially working for a seller of Peruvian clay and hand painted beads, she loved the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.  “There is an excitement that builds,” she says that comes from being a part of so many different reunions taking place with folks who only get to see each other for these few days every year.

Actually, the Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase is a bit of a misnomer.  A cursory search on Google will reveal a schedule that features no fewer than 40 different shows or expos spread throughout the city (tucsongemshows.net) .  Some are strictly wholesale and some require official badges. But most are open to the public, with many housed in huge tented areas or spread across hotel rooms, suites and balconies.

Some of the better known hot beds of activity include what used to be known as the Holidome on Palo Verde and Irvington; the tents set up by TEP Park on Ajo and Country Club and of course the fortnight’s grand finale in the Tucson Convention Center, a high end show according to some, where there is also an admission charge.

Congress St., just west of downtown is also an area that usually houses a huge tented area.  But it is the I-10 Frontage Road, running from Grant Rd. to just south of 22nd St., with all of its roadside motels, that provides a huge cornucopia of (for lack of a better word) stuff, for anyone interested in cruising the side of the highway on bicycle or foot with thousands of other bargain hunters, curiosity seekers and people watchers.

And speaking of the strip, at the very south end of the Frontage Road, just south of 22nd St. is the African Village.  This is one of the true gems (pun intended) of the entire show.  In what is normally a huge vacant dirt lot, this space is annually transformed into a place of drums and other instruments, masks, lanterns, necklaces, jewelry, clothing, furniture, etched glass and so much more with one vendor after the next representing a unique part of the African continent.  This is truly a land of many cultures.  For many who frequent the show, a trip to the African Village serves as an annual pilgrimage in and of itself.

And finally, at the other end of the strip by Grant Road, is the Gem and Jam Show (ticketfly.com) What began as a single night of music at a Fourth Ave. Club, has morphed from those humble beginnings into its current incarnation as a full fledged three day Festival  complete with three day passes, hotel packages and other festival perks.

Alan, a wholesale buyer from North Carolina and one of those guys who could be from Central Casting, is a fitness buff and may spend half his time here bicycling into the Catalinas or even New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness.  But he still remembers the time when he got to see a 50 karat chrome tourmaline and an emerald green garnet worth $300,000.  “And everybody is a wheeler dealer,” he says with a wry smile. With so much to take in, what’s still not to like?

December 2015

December 3, 2015 |

Holiday Gift Guide and a look back at 2015. Read the digital edition here.

Zocalo Magazine December 2015 cover