Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas

Yesterday we had our very own twelve-hour Christmas marathon/party. It involved ritualistic over eating and drinking, Christmas music, Christmas movies, dominoes, cigar smoking, a pack of ham-stealing small dogs, and even a few presents. One of our guests, who has apparently acquired every television Christmas special aired over the past thirty years, brought in this little gem.

I had never seen Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas before, and I must say I was mesmerized. I think it embodied the spirit of our party perfectly, so I decided to make it (well, one part of it) my Christmas present to my blog: so happy holidays, Tucson Querido!

p.s. Do NOT watch a Claymation Easter with children or hits of acid!

Tubac Playground

Upon wandering a little farther into Tubac, we encountered this quiet playground. It would make a peaceful spot for a quiet, romantic picnic; kicking a ball around; or just hanging out alone.

P1 Kart Circuit

I've been to P1 Kart Circuit twice now and both times have been a blast. It helps that my awesome driver friends (pictured above), never fail to "bring it" - each with their own unique racing styles (i.e. spin out master flash, pokey, dale earnhardt reincarnation, etc. etc.) And I commend you, my fellow drivers, for not flipping me the bird while passing!!

I finally got to the point where I can almost take the whole course pedal to the metal (of course, I'm talking about the slower rentals here). It is truly fun to do all the reckless driving you've always wanted to do without getting your license revoked (okay, not that reckless - I don't want to pay for kart damages).

At $20 for members and $30 for non members (yearly membership is $50), karting for fun once in a while is actually affordable. You get 12 minutes which is quite enough for the novice in my opinion. (After 12 minutes I'm sorta spent.)

My advice to the novice is don't press the speed issue if you aren't comfortable with it yet - the first time will probably be your slowest, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun! It helps to put it all into perspective when you think on the fact that with top speeds around 30, it's virtually impossible to flip your kart.

Thanks Charlie, for being such a genuine laid back guy and fun to do business with. Hope the new track goes up soon with plenty of ass dance - I mean assistance.

The Taco Shop Co.

Why is it The Taco Shop Co and not just The Taco Shop? I never say the "Co" part and I doubt anyone else does. This plagues me.

Anyhoo, thank the creative energies of the cosmos for bringing this 24 hour blessing into our town. Late night cravings are a threat no more. There's certainly something to satisfy at the Taco Shop Co. Inc. Bros. Etc. any time of day or night BUT - here's the big BUT - you have to know what to order. The Arizona Burro is awesome if you like potatoes and the Carne Asada Burro is delicious but the Carnitas Burro for example, is way too fatty.

Pepo at Plush

So if you're like me, headed out to The Lemonheads show tonight, but you're not that interested in opening bands Raccoon (I hated the video for Love You More. I enjoyed the Raccoon Steals Carpet video more.) or The New Rivals (I also hated the video for Mudslinging), there is an awesome, free pre-show alternative: Jose Saavedra plays at Plush at 9:30 pm. Get your drink on to the sound of nueva cancion.

POSTDATA: If you missed this show in the lounge, don't fret because the best is always yet to come. Pepo is playing with Dan Zacarias at Club Congress Dec 26 at the Post Mortem Early Christmas Show.

The 10th Annual Great Cover-Up

This is last year's poster. I will replace it with this year's if it becomes available.

This is the email I got from Annie Holub, reprinted without permission, but I think she'll forgive me anyway because I baked for her final exam:

"I have joined forces with some of my friends' bands and am participating in the
10th Annual Great Cover-Up at Club Congress Thursday, Dec. 6.

The Cover-Up is a three-day extravaganza (Dec. 6-8) of local bands covering other "real" bands, with all of the proceeds going to benefit local charities (usually the Brewster Center). Even if you can't come see me and my friends butcher beloved pop hits Thursday, definitely check out at least a little of the event itself another night, because it's wicked fun.

Anyway, I'll be performing somewhere around 9:30 or 10 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 6... and I can't tell you what band we're covering. That's part of the fun. Our name is Nowhere Pago and the Center Men (which is a combination of Nowhere Man, The Ten Percenters, and my old band, The Pago Pago.) I'll be playing the keyboard, which is not my primary instrument, so hilarity should ensue."

POSTDATA: The show was way fun. Read reviews at TucsonScene.com si vous plait.

7 Up Performance Night at Dinnerware Artspace

This image drawn on post-it notes is part of Jorge Porrata's eportfolio. He'll be performing tomorrow with a number of other artists for the 7 Up Performance Night at Dinnerware Artspace.

I knew Jorge as a positively charged human being before I knew him as an artist. As a teacher in the department, I would regularly see him at meeting and parties - always spreading love somehow: wearing a genuine, huge smile; laughing; playing with someone's child; kissing his partner; telling a story...

Finally this semester I saw one of his installations. It invited one to sit down and look through a book of drawings. In them was a story about leaving Cuba: whimsical, sad, hopeful, dreamy, longing...all the things that diaspora is. When I closed the book I was disappointed that the "journey" had to end so soon.

I don't know much about performance art, but if Jorge's ten minutes are as rich as his drawings, I'll be satisfied.

More event details below.

Featured Artists
Simon Donovan
Jorge Porrata & Laura Milkins
David Gilmore
Natalie Nguyen & Dave DeSoucey
Hilary Meehan
Michelle Winowiak
Anne Pollack & Capoeira Mandinga

Each of the 7 artists, or duets, will have up to 10 minutes to perform

Monday, December 3rd @ 7pm
$3 suggested donation
Dinnerware Artspace
264 E. Congress St.

What is performance art?

Performance art has its roots in ritual, but resides on today’s cutting edge of cultural values. Each performance is a staged situation. There is no bill of sale. It is not a protest against the art market, yet it is free from the glut of material production. Performances are interactive experiences for both the performer and the audience. Some are deliberately amusing, but there is no way to anticipate what reactions might take place. Through its ephemeral nature, performance art is a way of producing something and nothing at the same time.

This is the first in a series of performance art to be held at Dinnerware Artspace.
Special reception after the last performance at the new Griffonage Studios, 270 E. Congress.

Tucson Querido Gifts!!!

Just in time for the holidays, your favorite local website comes out with a line of merch! Give the perfect gift and come visit my store at CafePress!

The Lemmonheads @ Club Congress Dec. 5

The Lemonheads - or to be more precise, Evan Dando, Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez - are playing a show at Club Congress Dec 5th.

I'm sure they will play a quick version or two of Lemonheads classics, but we all know going in to this show with the wrong expectations could be a big mistake. Dando's not a summer chicken anymore, as enticing as that sound was.

That's why I wanted to post the lyrics to my favorite Evan Dando song. It's not about living like a rock star. It's about growing up, living like yourself, and having that be even better.

Hard Drive

This is the town i'm living in
This is the street i'm walking down
These are the friends i'm visiting
These are the clothes i'm wearing now
This is the house i'm building here
This is the girl i'm marrying
This is the chord i'm strumming now
This is the faith i'm leaning on

This is the child i'm bearing now
This is the love that i've always had
This is the face i make when i'm sad
This is the town i'm living in
This is the hard drive...
This is the ocean
have you ever felt yourself in motion (x2)

These are the feet i'm standing on
These are the hands that build a world
This is the bed i'm sleeping in
This is the shirt i'm buttoning
This is the pace i'm moving at
This is the tune i'm humming now
This is the road i'm walkin' down
These are the lips that form my words

This is the stone that i wanna turn
These are the people that i love
These are the eyes that look above
This is the town i'm living in
This is the hard drive...
This is the ocean
have you ever felt yourself in motion (x2)

POSTDATA: Thanks to Danite21 I have posted 18 seconds of footage from the show above. This show was one of the weirdest I've ever been to. There were about thirty of us there. The Lemonheads didn't go on until midnight and by then I was so cracked out tired that I thought I was hallucinating. For a while it was mostly Dando just playing songs on his own, as if we were all hanging out in his dark and cold living room. (It would've been better with overstuffed sofas, but then I really would've fallen asleep.) It was intimate all right, and Dando gave off good vibes, like we could've hung out after the show if I hadn't been ready to collapse. But I guess the whole experience kind of burst my bubble. I thought everyone was as big a Lemonheads fan - but still, how much can you ask for on a Wednesday in Tucson at midnight?

Club Congress DJ Battle

So, the Club Congress DJ Battle wasn't exactly like a scene from It's All Gone Pete Tong (2004), (clip above). The Tucson DJ scene is small. But since when do we get off comparing real life to movies anyway? Frankie Wilde is a fictional character. DJ Rodrigo is a real person - which makes his story even better.

A Brazilian culinary artist, this sweetheart came to the U.S. to support his girl in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and to make incredible chocolate cake. I know because I've eaten it.

With little English at his disposable, the move was certainly a huge culture shock. Even so, a year later - on his birthday no less - he made the brave move to spin in a commercial venue in the United States for the first time. It paid off. He got second place.

I especially enjoyed the Andino music he mixed in right at the start. In fact, his whole set got us talking about Ibiza and have you ever been to a rave in the United States? So, does anyone rave in the desert? Please enlighten us.