Arts & Culture
Frida al Fresco Friday. Frida Khalo (essentially) moved into the Botanical Gardens at the beginning of the year and, as far as we're concerned, there's no need for her to ever move out. On the fourth Friday of every month, the gardens have been opening up for Frida al Fresco Friday. In addition to featuring the Frida exhibit, these evenings will offer a farmers market, food, drinks, live music, look-alike contests and lower crowns. Everybody love Frida, so grab the fam and settle in for a night of celebrating strong women, beautiful art and seriously gront eyebrow game. 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 26. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. "Music
Drug Church. Imagine a lyricist who makes Morrissey sound lighthearted. A cosmovision based upon the notion that "entropy is the natural state of things" yelled with the gusto of Jesus Lizard but the wry delivery of The Hold Steady with bits of David Byrne tossed in. Yes, the aptly named Drug Church is gleefully soul crushing. Fortunately, the band's funked-out, dynamic and often careening walls of sound are almost enough to help you forget all that pesky mortal crap. Take the verve of Trompe Le Monde-era Pixies with a dash of Les Savy Fav brazenness and a pinch of Arcwelder's shape shifting and you have approximated the instrumentals that take hold of your body and drag you back towards the man on the mic yelling how no one here gets out alive. It's a mindfuck for sure and one that, if you're up for it, might make your worst day pale in comparison. Power! With Help Me Sleep and Sin Luz on Friday, May 26. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress. 8 p.m. Free. 21+.
Hikikomori. Hikikomori has been called The Lost Generation of Japan. One GIF reads “Hikikomori—when you suck at everything in life, just retreat to your bedroom and never come out.” It's not just a word, it's a concept, and a damn good name for a Tucson screamcore outfit who harbors a love of old-fashioned punk rock and metal. Channeling the rage of alienation and its resulting self-isolation, this tumbledown act speed-shrieks through tight, technically masterful genre tunes. Sure, they’re hardly bustin’ new ground, but their hearts pump hard, and there’s a raw power that makes us down here TW headquarters want to hit the pit and fuck with with all that churning, cathartic energy. Artistic touches like a woman's voice, first mediated through television sampling, then singing sweetly in Spanish and finally screaming in an original duet, distinguish this band from an often generic pool of Dimebag Darrell rip-offs and wannabe Sepulturas. Aptly named, Hikikomori reflects a cross-cultural socio-anxiety in Spanish and English. Now get out the house and sweat shove peers. It is rare to find an embodiment of the sickness and the cure at once. With La Luna on Monday, May 29 at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress. 7 p.m., $5. 16+.
Mommy Long Legs. More than two and a half decades after their riot grrrl antecedents first grabbed the mic, Mommy Long Legs is repping a glittery new distaff gen who dare shout down the patriarchy and its weary mores. Their predesisters did the heavy lifting, so these women can be the kind of spiders that tickle, not bite. Mommy Long Legs is more likely to nail you with a pillow than a bloody tampon. But they know well their history and its tropes—monotonous descending basslines, jarring dance-punk guitars, and shrill, shout-out singsongs. Join a gleeful pit of post Lisa Frank-inspired humans who revel in glorious wordplay like, "You can take your tech job … you can take your asshole, and put it in your new car." Whatever your gender, the irreverence is universal. With Crown Larks, Gamma, Like Very Ultra, Miss Abysmal at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress on Tuesday, May 30. 8 p.m. 21+. Free.
Karen Meat. Mix up the earnestness of Death by Chocolate, the fucked-up wit of early Courtney Love, and a loving unironic nod of Sheryl Crowe’s “good beer buzz early in the morning” tremble, and you begin to approach the comely vocal and lyrical worlds of Arin Eaton aka Karen Meat. What began as a one-woman endeavor out of Des Moines, Iowa (?!) has blossomed into a combo. The result is garage rock with a performance-art twist—like Guided by Voices fronted by a beautiful, self-deprecating woman. “You want me to be the girl of your dreams, but I’d rather barf all the things I scarfed down earlier.” Karen Meat is constant surprise, able to tackle two-minute ditties with a definite nod to Peaches’ sexualized ambivalence. The result is clever, hard-hitting skronk-rock worth its weight in color-coordinated outfits and good whiskey nights. Wednesday, May 31, at PoMoRo, 933 North Main Ave. 8 p.m. 21+. $5 donation.
Fitness & Body
Yoga 101 Body Basics. There are people who love yoga, and there are people who haven't yet given yoga a chance. If you're one of the holdouts, grab a mat and some stretchy pants because this three-hour workshop is perfect for beginners who aren't brave enough to march into a formal class. Hands-on training will teach you good habits in form alignment from the get-go, so you can improve your skills gradually. Get your Zen on! 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May 27. Barefoot Studio, 7352 N. Oracle Road. $35 non-members, $29 members.Memorial Day Canna-Q. Yes, 4/20 just passed, but there's an another holiday we're going to need you to celebrate with MMJ in mind. The Memorial Day Canna-Q is meant to bring awareness to cannabis decriminalization and support veterans who should be able to medicate safely. This will be a peaceful event to remember and honor veterans who paid the ultimate price for freedom. Plus: BBQ! 3-9 p.m. Monday, May 29. 420 Social Club, 643 N. 4th Ave. Must Have MMJ Card To Medicate.
Cinema
Some Like it Hot. Get your summer dose of mob movies when Some Like It Hot shows up at Cinema La Placita, telling the classic story of two male jazz musicians who flee from the mob by disguising themselves as performers in an all female band. When the band heads out on a train journey, the men (going by the pseudonyms Josephine and Daphne) meet the irresistible Sugar Kane (played to perfection by Marilyn Monroe). The men lust after Sugar, while she expresses her distaste for dating musicians—and her desire to find a millionaire to marry in Florida. Can these men-in-wigs on the run escape the mob and get the girl? There’s only one way to find out. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Tucson Museum of Art courtyard, N. Main Ave. $3 per person, including popcorn!Boxing Helena. Wrapping up The Stars of Twin Peaks Month at the Loft’s Mondo Mondays is Boxing Helena, which stars Sherilyn Fenn (your Audrey Horne) as the titular character, a woman being preyed upon by Nick, a young surgeon played by Julian Sands, following a one-night stand. Watch as Nick tries to make the Beauty and the Beast-style Stockholm Syndrome love story work for him. 8 p.m. Monday, May 29. The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $3.
Found Footage Festival. With the Loft Cinema’s main auditorium undergoing a makeover, the Loft staff is taking a trip to downtown’s Rialto Theatre for this year’s installment of the Found Footage Festival. Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prue (The Colbert Report) salvage VHS tapes from thrift stores, yard sales and who knows where else to assemble a very unusual collection of clips that they narrate for the audience. As a great man once said, when the going gets weird, the weird fire up the VCR—or something like that. 8 p.m. Saturday, May 27. Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.
Movie Poster Sale. Take a second and look around at your walls. A little blank, eh? Surround yourself with scenes from your favorite flicks by purchasing movie posters from the Loft Cinema. Here's what the theater is promising at their poster sale which takes place the last Saturday of every month: Current posters of films that have ended their run during the month; miscellaneous Film posters of films the Loft did not show; and more than 100 posters (at least 50 titles) from their current poster inventory. At the end of the sale, the remaining posters will be donated to a local arts program. 8-11 a.m. Saturday, March 25. Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $5 per poster.
Science
Mount Lemmon Sky Center Open House. You don’t really need an excuse to take a drive up Mount Lemmon, but if you’re looking for one, here it is: The Mount Lemmon SkyCenter is hosting an open house so you can check out everything the telescope compound has to offer, including 32” Schulman and 24” Phillips telescopes, science activities and much more. Schedule extra time for a short guided hike on Meadow Loop Trail if you need some steps on your Fitbit. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 27. skyschool.arizona.edu
Fun in General
Improvathon. Ever feel like you need two days straight of improv in your life? Tucson’s first Improvathon is here, showing off ambitious amateurs and layers and established teams from improv companies—and a little stand-up comedy to boot. Indulge yourself with 167 hours of comedy, plus consider signing up for one of the two Improvathon workshops: Listening Ultra and Active Mind, Mellow Play. May 26-27. 329 E. Seventh Street. $20, and half of the proceeds go to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.
Ladies' Garage Party. Always pictured yourself weaving in and out of traffic on a motorcycle? Leather on your back, wind in your hair and extra cash in your pocket thanks to you super fuel efficient ride? Skip the cosmos and spend your next ladies night making this dream come true. This workshop is geared to teach women how to get started riding and how to design, fit and personalize a bike as unique as them! There will be free food and raffles as well. RSVP here: marketing@tucsonharley.com and receive a free gift bag, too. Oh, and forget what we said about the wind in your hair. We're going to need you to wear a helmet. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 25. Harley-Davidson of Tucson, 7355 N. 1-10 Frontage Road. Free.
