Shop Local
Mercado Flea Market. There’s something for everyone at these second Sunday flea markets, which begin this month. Antiques treasures, collectible tchotchkes, vintage pieces, artwork—it’s fun for the whole family. Bring the kids, bring the grandparents. You can bring your own booth if you contact Mercado San Agustin in advance to get the details. But please do not bring fleas. 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. Mercado San Agustin, 100 S. Avenida del Convento. Free.Good Times Silent Auction. The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society will be holding at least three silent auctions of cacti and succulents for this extravaplantza. After the auction concludes, a free area of pottery, plants and other garden-related items will open up, along with $2, $5 and $10 tables with items for purchase if you feel like being a big spender. Free ice cream, complete with all the fixins’, will be available as well. 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. Sky Islands Public High School, 6000 E. 14th St. Free.
Tucson’s Fall Gem Show. The mega-event gem, mineral and fossil showcase isn’t hitting the city until January 2018, but the miniature fall version is this week! Shop for minerals, fossils, gems and beads at venues throughout town, some of which are open to the public. Quartz, turquoise, sterling silver jewelry, jade, crystals and agates are just some of the offerings at the event, where there will be jewelry and gemstones from all over the world. Thursday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. to Sunday, Sept. 10, at 4 p.m. Tucson Expo Center, 3750 E. Irvington Road. $10.
Shows
Free Range Country. The “crown jewel” of Downtown Tucson is about to be joined by some of Tucson’s twangiest jewels. Fox Tucson Theatre is presenting a free concert series in conjunction with Second Saturdays Downtown. Singer Mike Loychick recently took over the vocals for The County Line, bringing a country twist to a group that started off in 2012 as a rock cover band. The Jim Howell Band will be playing songs from their debut album and an EP released in March that speak on humankind’s dichotomies. Tucson native Caiden Brewer, who is influenced by Blake Shelton, Johnny Cash and Lynyrd Skynyrd, will be playing as well. 6:30-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress. Free.
Oro Valley Steam Pump Ranch Concert Series
These free second Saturday events will run through March, and they’re kicking off with Amber Norgaard, the Tucson-based folk rock artist and former nurse who writes and performs songs about the beauty in everyday life: in a garden flowers, in the sun hitting a scene just right, and in the comfort that humans and animals can offer one another and in the knowledge that someone you love always stays with you. 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road. Oro Valley. Free (but it is recommended you bring your own chair).
Disney’s The Little Mermaid. If you’re pining away for last month’s Return of the Mermaids event (and why wouldn’t you be?), you’ll be happy to hear that we are all invited to go back under the sea in a show presented by Broadway in Tucson at UA Centennial Hall. With music by Alan Menken, a man with eight Academy Awards under his belt, and a story that never gets old, it’s a show you won’t want to miss. Flippin’ your fins, you won’t get too far, so spring into action and get your tickets today. Times vary. Sept. 13 to Sept. 17 (no Tuesday performance). UA Centennial Hall. $19-$115.
Museums and Galleries
Second SundAZe Family Day at TMA: Historic Properties. It’s that time of month again! Art activities, pop-up tours and storytelling in La Casa Cordova (Tucson’s oldest adobe structure) abound at this family event. Families will have the opportunity to explore La Casa Cordova and the J. Knox Corbett House, built at the turn of the 20th century, to trace the Cordova and Corbett family trees and to learn about Tucson’s rich history. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. J. Knox Corbett House, 140 N. Main Ave. Free.
Etherton Gallery Opening. James G. Davis, a member of an Oracle artist community, UA professor and provocative painter, passed away last year. James G. Davis (1931 to 2016): Down at Tower Bar celebrates his life and work, displaying the enormous canvasses which he used to depict scenes in everyday life. But the paintings, at once colorfully compelling and mysteriously unnerving, depict these scenes through Davis’ eye: an eye that had a discerning way of looking at the world’s webs of social relationships and interactions. They’re larger than life, and not just because some of them, like Tower Bar, come on 77x65 canvasses. New paintings by Turner G. Davis and Michael Chittock are also on display in the show. Exhibit opens Saturday, Sept. 9, with a reception from 7-10 p.m., and continues through Nov. 11. Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave. Free.
Archery After Dark. Maybe you’ve attended the International Wildlife Museum’s after dark events in the past, but didn’t feel like there were enough weapons. Maybe you’re an avid archer who wants to mix up your traditional daytime routine. Or maybe you’re looking for a new hobby and are willing to take a shot in the dark. At this event, archery mini-lessons will be offered for kids and grown-ups ages 9 and up, and compound bows and arrows will be provided. Starting at 6 p.m., there will also be movies, scavenger hunts, and live animal encounters. 5-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8. International Wildlife Museum 4800 W. Gates Pass Road. $12 for adults, $7 for kids ages 9 and up, $3 for museum members.
Mother Earth Art Reception. Works by Marcy Ellis and Maria Johnson, created in response to climate change and in tribute to the world that we all call home, will be displayed at the Galleria at the YW from Sept. 11 to Nov. 27. This opening reception will involve an interactive art ritual, refreshments, Mrs. Green’s World environmental consulting and DJ Butterfly wrapping patrons in a cocoon of sick beats. 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. The Galleria at the YW, 525 N. Bonita Ave. Free.
Learning and Growing and Spelling
Boot Camp for New Dads. (Right off the bat, we’re going to let you know that this blurb is to be read to the tune of Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”) Let’s get down to business, to powder the buns. It’s time to prepare yourselves for future daughters and/or sons. You’re a bunch of soon-to-be fathers, and maybe you haven’t got a clue, but the Woods Memorial Library will make a dad out of you. But seriously! This three-hour workshop is designed to answer your questions about what to expect, how to change a diaper and how to be supportive of the new mom in your life. There will be snacks, and other guys in exactly the same boat. 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Sept. 9. Woods Memorial Library 3455 N. First Ave. Free.Desert Education Series: El Rio Riparian Preserve. Janine Spencer, environmental project manager for the Town of Marana, hosts this nature walk through one of the top 10 birding sites in the Tucson area. On this mile to a mile-and-a-half stroll, walkers will look for birds, see a mysterious archeological site and learn about the area’s natural history. Bring water, sunscreen, a hat and, if you have them, binoculars. And be sure to wear boots, along with your lucky birding underwear, in order to attract the most elusive and spectacular bird specimens. 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. El Rio Preserve, 10190 N Coachline Blvd. Meet at the ramada just north of the Loop Trail parking lot on Coachline Boulevard, just east of North Turquoise Moon Way. $10.
Adult Spelling Bee[r]. Calling all spelling enthusiasts! If you’re preternaturally good at spelling, you probably don’t get very many opportunities to show it off. Or maybe you blew your big shot in the sixth grade spelling by misspelling “accommodate.” Maybe you just like the adrenaline rush of being on the verge of public humiliation for long stretches at a time. Whatever the name of your wordin’ game, Tap & Bottle is here to meet your needs with their second Tuesday spelling bees. 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. Tap & Bottle Downtown, 403 N. Sixth Ave. Free.
Clase de ciudadanía gratuita. Si has querido tener ciudadanía de los Estados Unidos, pero no has tenido cómo estudiar por la prueba, ahorita tienes chance tomar un clase gratuita que te prepara. Pima Community College Adult Education está ofreciendo el clase en espanol, y al terminarlo, no solo estarías listo aprobar la prueba, pero a lo mejor sepas más sobre el gobierno de y la historia de EE.UU. de cualquiera que pases en la calle. Jueves, el 7 de septiembre, 6 to 7:30 p.m., en la Sam Lena-South Tucson Library.
Fundraisers
Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Victims. Lonesome Desert Records is hosting a benefit concert to aid all of the Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey. Austin Counts & Tom Wallbank, The Muffulettas, Miss Olivia & the Interlopers, The music of Nobody aka Willis Earl Beal, Chris Hall and Christopher T. Stevens will all be playing. All proceeds will go go the Houston Food Bank. Spend your Saturday enjoying some good music and doing what you can to help those in need. Doors at 7:30. Saturday, Sept. 9. The Flycatcher. 340 E. Sixth St. Suggested donation of $5.RiP Factory Review. Odaiko Sonora, Flam Chen, Sol Axé and more groups are celebrating 10 years of Rhythm Industry Performance Factory, the downtown space that operates as a collective space for artists of all kinds to “manufacture loud, are and unusual art.” This event, which kicks off a series of fall performances by Odaiko Sonora, will feature everything from fire spinning to taiko to a performance by the new Tucson Poet Laureate’s improv team Movement Salon–not to mention the dance party and the grilling of hot dogs and tofu pups. 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Rhythm Industry Performance Factory, 1013 S. Tyndall Ave. $15.
Tucson’s Only Dueling Pianos Show. Watch two baby grand pianos go head to head in this Wild West-style shoot-out that will leave only one piano standing. Well… maybe that’s not exactly what’s going to happen. Tune in for a more light-hearted affair: music, comedy, song requests, cocktails and (after the cocktails) singing along. Proceeds from the event, including all tips given to the performers, will benefit Tu Nidito, a nonprofit that works to help children impacted by grief. 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7. Site 17 Event Center, 840 E. 17th St. $75.
2nd Annual Putt for Paws Golf Tournament. The secondary title for this event might as well be “Kegs for K9s,” because the tournament, the proceeds of which benefit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, has kegs throughout the course. Did we mention the free Bloody Mary bar? Have a feel good day out on the putting green by helping benefit animals in need. 7:30 a.m. shotgun start. Saturday, Sept. 9. Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club 6200 N. Club House Lane. $100 per player or $375 for a foursome.
Effervescence
GLOW! 2017. This is up in Oracle, but it’s such an ethereal event, and for so cheap, that it really warranted inclusion on the calendar. Meander through five acres of twinkling lights, glowing sculptures and multimedia and theatre performances There’s four GLOW! events this fall, but it kicks off with Mystifying Oracle Night this week, featuring Mother Cody and the San Pedro Actors Troupe. Attendees are invited to wear themed attire, so bring your light-up sneakers, glowsticks and most fairylike garments. 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Triangle L. Ranch, 2805 N. Triangle L. Ranch Road. $15 Bubble Battle World Record. grazb, a social networking app, celebrates its launch at the UA with an attempt to break the world record for the most people blowing bubbles at the same time. While this might just sound like your average networking events for college students to exchange desperate, bubbly pleasantries with potential employers, people will be blowing actual soap orbs. UA is only one of about 100 universities participating, but every bubble blower counts, as the current world record is from July of 2007, where 34,529 people at 198 venues throughout the UK all put bubble wand to air stream at once. 10 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Sept. 9. University of Arizona, 1657 E. Helen St. Free.
Light The Sky Tucson. Even if you haven’t seen Disney’s Tangled, you’ve probably seen the scene where they release the magical lanterns into the sky in a display of hope and love and everything that makes fairy tales beautiful and unattainable. But now you too can be a fairy-tale character who releases a lantern into the sky and watches it float away along with thousands of others when Light the Sky comes to Tucson. Before the collective lantern release, there will be concessions, local vendors and live music. Princesses and princes are welcome to bring blankets, chairs and coolers as well. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. Arizona Motorplex and Event Center, 4300 E. Los Reales Road. $34.99 (for now, until prices go up).
Nightcrawler
The Shivas. For more than a decade this Portland-based trio—two dudes and badass chick who drums and sings—have been charming listeners with hand claps, sha-na-nas and expansive, deceptively poignant guitar pop. Yet it feels like nostalgia for an era most of us never knew—more Grease-era Travolta than Pulp Fiction. Whether mining surf or ’50s crooners, The Shivas’ classic-sounding rock ’n’ roll is still post-Weezer; it’s both perky and stylish. Faster they recall The Velvets, and slower, like on "Big Mama Casio," they soothe uncomfortably like The Modern Lovers. After five full-lengths and numerous EPs, The Shivas power sweetly on killer pop tropes, yet they’re anything but lightweight. With Hannah Yeun on Thursday, Sept. 7. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress. Doors at 7 p.m. 21+. Free.
So Pitted. Trash percussion and disorienting, fuzz-bomb guitar form the backdrop for post-Genesis P. Orridge vocals, musing of woe. This is Sub Pop’s So Pitted, masters at ramming New Wave through a Mars Volta filter of power distortion and dislocating reverb. So yeah, they’re ’eavy and loud—sometimes straight-up thrash, other times scuzzy industrial—but always fluid enough to go any musical direction they feel like flipping on its head. This Seattle trio rarely repeat themselves in four-minute songs, and often trade off vocals and insist there’s no front person. On “Pay Attention to Me,” a particularly confessional din, the brutal cymbals and phase-freaked guitar might as well be the leading vocals—all demand attention. It’s aural anarchy in song, guaranteed to be slightly disturbing. With Hikikomori on Monday, Sept. 11. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress. 7 p.m. $10. 16+
Beth Hart. When Beth Hart sings, “It’s been too hard livin’/But I’m afraid to die,” you believe her. There’s no trace of disconnect that she herself did not pen, “A Change is Gonna Come.” Her interpretation is as real and vital as any song she’s written. This inked-up L.A. white chick, with dyed hair and big-boned sex appeal, who’s equally alluring to all genders, is as gifted a soul singer as you’ll likely ever hear. She can cover Sam Cooke any day of the week. “If I die, I don’t care, I’m in love with this man”—her music catches you in the rain, traps you in some Charles Willeford novel where a lonely gunman and a fallen woman beckon towards the wrong side of the tracks. And Hart is never cartoonish; her voice remains controlled and understated, more Leonard Cohen than Tom Waits. Her abject devotion to the material results in authenticity, the very kind that can inspire change. With Marina V on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress. $36-$47. 8 p.m. All ages.
Dwight Smith. With the gentle persuasion of the Decemberists and the sweet earnestness of Belle and Sebastian, Austin singer-songwriter Dwight Smith highlights the great potential and inevitable decay of everything. Thoughtful and melodic, Smith's Nick Drake-like, minor-key vocals are a good antidote to the harsh reality of today’s world. In "Bone Eaters," he finds both the exquisite wonder and inherent destruction of nature, "Not suspecting for even a moment that those waters might find the sea by any other cause." In "Vain Prince," Smith admits, "I may cower, but I try to seem brave." When he opens up his voice, it is not as breathtaking as Jeff Buckley, but the sparse, fairytale simplicity of "Lilac Wine" can be glimpsed in songs throughout Smith's three album discography. That places him firmly on a short, distinguished list, filled of singers who had infinite potential and early demises—and a melancholic perspective which he ably intuits and explores. Saturday, Sept. 9 at Bar Passe, 415 N. Fourth Ave. 9 p.m. 21+. Free.
