The Eisners, “the Oscars of comics,” will be announced at Comicon (in San Diego) next month and I’m still madly reading to catch up with the best of the best of 2012’s amazing crop of graphic novels. But, as it’s (officially now) summer in Phoenix, it’s not too burdensome for…
Who says cement is only for sidewalks? Nobody did, really. But Mesa concrete artist Yolanda Esquer certainly proves such a statement wrong. Esquer creates and sells unique concrete blocks, among other things, and she showed us a do-it-yourself way to make address number plates. They’re a great way to personalize…
Geeky standup Dan Mintz is awkward as all get out, and that’s not a detriment in the slightest. In fact, the comedian and humorist’s ill-at-ease stage presence, deer-in-the-headlights gaze, and ultra-deadpan delivery while performing are all part of his bizarre charm. It also makes the often-surreal non-sequiturs — including many…
If you’re single and more or less looking, there’s the total stranger, who isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and then there’s the adorable person you know and are too shy to approach. Or you could really use some 411 on whether that person is also officially single. (This kind of…
Meat Market Vintage is closing up up shop. Fans of the punky-funky Tempe boutique needn’t worry, though. The boutique will shutter during July, owners announce via Facebook, and during that month they will embark on shopping excursions to restock the shop with fresh duds come August. Call it a summer…
The weekly art walk put on by the Scottsdale Gallery Association is upping its game next month for the 24th Annual Summer Spectacular ArtWalk. The event will include dozens of exhibition openings, artist demonstrations, and street performances scattered throughout the Scottsdale Arts District…
Maya Day & Nightclub Pool Party Maya Day & Nightclub had a line out the door on Saturday, June 22. The posh Scottsdale club was full of fit and tan guests escaping the heat, sipping cocktails, and dancing to Top 40 hits all afternoon…
Shaking your groove thing on a dark dance floor in the club can be intimidating enough, but in front of a mirror in a brightly lit dance studio? Well, that’s a whole different ballgame. There are scores of places where you can learn to pas de chat and pirouette, but…
We guess it’s no weirder than suggesting that fake hairy legs will deter sexual predators. A lot of courage, creativity, and just plain hair went into this WTF online sensation: a jacket made of human chest hair that took four designers 200 hours to craft and is priced at £2,499…
Don’t let the working week get you down, Phoenix. There’s plenty to do during your off-hours this week. Here are our top five recommendations. Beers with Friends Scrabble Party @ Handlebar Real talk. We play what probably would be classified as an excessive amount of Words with Friends. We love…
Back in the late 1980s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kinda ruled the world. Or at least it seemed that way, considering the colorful cartoon adventures of the four “Heroes in a Half-Shell” were on the boob tube every weekday afternoon, cutesy toy versions of the pizza-eating and ass-kicking reptiles…
Putting together a rough sketch of your week? Amid the routine roundup of business meetings, mandatory gym workouts, and occasional dinner outings, this week’s Freebie encourages you to get creative with your recreational activities at Scottsdale Public Art’s Adult Sketch and Snap Night. See also: Weekly Freebie: Phoenix Metro Art…
The next stop on our neighborhood-by-neighborhood tour of vintage shops is the East Valley. Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler are three cities connected by, among other things, their vintage and antique shops. The outlying neighborhoods are about 30 minutes away from Seventh Avenue (a.k.a. the vintage capital of Phoenix), but they…
As many women can attest, planning your big day is usually a big deal — there’s the venue, the menu, the flowers, and, of course, the dress. We’ve seen our fair share of traditional white-gown rule-breakers, but thanks to Japanese scientists designer Yumi Katsura has made a dress that does…
If Bob Ross were alive today, he’d be painting happy little trees all over the place in ecstatic fervor for all the arts and culture happenings in Phoenix. To help you see the forest for the trees, here’s a recap of the top arts and culture stories of the week…
We’ve already rounded up our reasons for loving Arizona in the summertime. So, desert dwellers, here’s a reason to love Arizona this weekend: There’s a ton to do. Here are our top five picks for how to spend the next few days. Cory Basil’s “Skinny Dipping in Daylight” @ Astor…
Most kids wish they had parents as cool as Zack Thornberg’s mom and dad. Like most kids his age, the 14-year-old Coolidge resident has a serious video gaming habit, playing upwards of seven hours per week on his Nintendo DS and other systems. And his parents are nothing but supportive,…
What do you get when you cross a sweet, universally worshiped Japanese icon with a low-riding chola from East LA? According to Such Styles, well-known Phoenix graffiti artist and muralist whose real name is Noe Baez, you’ve just given birth to Chola Kitty, his latest creation. Such, as he prefers…
As a young boy, I had many different plans for when I grew up. As I grew older, I began to realize that not all of them were particularly realistic. My parents refused to cooperate with my plans to become Batman. Star Fleet would probably not exist in my lifetime,…
Call your inner child because it’s finally happening. The biggest thing to hit the bike since making both wheels the same size is currently in development in Prague — and, yes, it’s better than adding videos to Instagram. See also: Human Doll Cloning: 3D Printing a Mini You Costs $1,300…
If any local geeks out there are still suffering from a case of post-Phoenix Comicon funk, the following news might help cheer them up: Organizers have already started the countdown to next year’s event. A post on Phoenix Comicon’s Facebook page this morning announced exactly when the 2014 edition of…
Video games are art. That is the unwavering stance of Java innovator and noted game aficionado Chris Melissinos. When he talks about writing gaming code, he compares it to writing poetry. These games are more than digitized pastimes — they’re an amalgam of all forms of traditional art, he says…
