“Greetings from AZ Part 1: Mesa, AZ”

No matter what you think of Mesa, you won’t be able to deny that local videographer Michael Pearson’s new video makes it look super cool. Titled “Greetings from AZ Part 1: Mesa, AZ,” the six-minute video captures the historic sites and signs of this east Valley community. The video took…

Camp 420 Demonstration for Legalization of Marijuana

The mini-rally’s high point came during a discussion about House Bill 2541, which could allow employers to fire medical marijuana patients based on failed drug tests and allegations from colleagues.And the most interesting person at the rally was probably Thane Eichenauer, a guy sporting hot pink hair under his ball…

Sip, Shop & Socialize Mixer Tonight at Trader Vic’s

Drinking, eating, and perusing local goods is a great way to spend a Wednesday night — especially when everything’s happening at a stylish hub like Trader Vic’s at the Hotel Valley Ho. On Wednesday, April 20, Raven Events will hold its “Sip, Shop & Socialize” mixer at Trader Vic’s. The…

Crave Cafe & Hookah Lounge

In Tempe, there are lots of hookah lounges serving the college set, but one of our favorites is Crave Cafe & Lounge on Mill Avenue, right next to Harkins Valley Art Theatre. The best day to visit Crave is Sunday, when there are fewer college students crammed into the lounge…

Evil Bong 3D: The Wrath of Bong

In two days (on 4/20), Charles Band’s latest marijuana sci-fi movie, Evil Bong 3D: The Wrath of Bong, opens nationwide. The film is presented in 3D and “Smell-O-Vision,” which is basically a scratch and sniff card with eight different scents.We got a peek at The Wrath of Bong on Saturday…

Mountain View Coffee Co.’s Iced House Coffee

Mountain View Coffee Co. is aptly named, as it sits off the main roads in Fountain Hills, surrounded by mountains. It’s out of the way for anybody who doesn’t live in Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, or northeast Phoenix, but true java heads may be willing to make the journey for Mountain…

Phoenix Pride Festival: The Good, the Bad, and the Alternatives

For more than 30 years, the Phoenix Pride Festival has provided local gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender folks with parades and entertainment. This year’s festival, scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17 at Steele Indian School Park, will provide the usual perks: it’s the largest gathering…

Cannabis Culture: The Launch of Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Program

Today, the Arizona Department of Health Services will begin accepting applications for medical marijuana patients and caregivers. It’s a day many Arizonans have been waiting for, and one for which we prepared for months with a series of blog posts, detailing everything from the best video games to play while…

Wrestle War

“KICK HIS ASS, DAD!” It was Saturday afternoon in the arena at El Gran Mercado, and the young woman next to me was maniacally snapping photos and cheering on her father, a bald, tattooed, grizzly pro wrestler named Hatchet Jack. He was in the wrestling ring with five other guys,…

Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Law in One Handy Guide

On Thursday, April 14, the Arizona Department of Health Services will begin accepting applications for medical marijuana patient and caregiver cards. The ADHS will review and approve or deny each application within 10 business days. So, in just a couple of weeks, some Arizonans will be able to legally possess…

Roll a Joint

With medical marijuana just around the corner, many Arizonans will be able to legally possess and use weed (if they obtain registered patient or caregiver cards). No doubt some of the new patients will be old fans of the herb, but there may be other medical marijuana patients who are new…

Copper Star Coffee’s Café Au Lait

Copper Star Coffee is one of those Phoenix coffee shops where people to gather to hang out, work on their laptops, and peruse local art (paintings by Pablo Luna currently hang on the walls). It’s an old gas station remodeled into a cafe, and the old gas pumps out front add…

Black Death at Madcap Theaters in Tempe

In Black Death, a monk travels to a remote village with a band of murderous Christians during the bubonic plague to investigate rumors of a necromancer who protects the village from disease and brings the dead back to life.That’s a pretty cool plot, and there’s plenty for horror fans to…

This Saturday’s Sunnyslope Art Walk

Sunnyslope has always been a community “on the verge” of something, and holds it own charm, from the quirky Sunnyslope Rock Garden to its historic home tours and other points of pride. This weekend, Sunnyslope will continue its second Saturdays tradition with the Sunnyslope Art Walk. More than 150 artists…

Howl at FilmBar

Howl, director Rob Epstein’s biopic about Allen Ginsberg and the obscenity trial surrounding his titular poem, starts with a statement that every word in the film was actually spoken by the people portrayed, but that it’s unlike a documentary in any other way.It was an an apt opener for this…

Alleged UFO Crash Site at Dreamy Draw Recreation Area

The next time you hike through the Dreamy Draw Recreation Area, watch out for aliens — not illegal immigrants, but the extra-terrestrial sort. They may be looking for the space ship some people believe crashed there more than 60 years ago.Today, Dreamy Draw is a quaint, desert park next to…

Brian and Margita Webb

CULINARY Food served from a truck On a sunny Saturday in mid-March at Phoenix Public Market, Chef Brian Webb stands over a charcoal grill inside his van, the Hey Joe! food truck, wiping sweat from his brow and espousing the virtues of Filipino street food. Dressed in blue jean shorts…