Masque of the Yellow Moon

Yes day four of my personal 21 day blog-a-thon! and still going strong. What a great day today has been. It would have been easy to go print some t-shirts or work on something else, but OMG exciting stuff. Began the day at Lux, they really great espresso on the rocks and brioche filled with black berries, No pic because I ate it (YUM.) Ran in Taz and we had a quick talk about before my meeting with Jody Crago a Museum Director in Chandler. We talked for quite a while about the stuff he cool stuff he is planning and the intersections of stuff I am doing with AZ History and building community. I mentioned Masque of the Yellow Moon and that in 2011 it will be celebrated at Trunkspace and Chandler.


This summer I went to DC and one mission was to locate via Library of Congress the only copy of Frede Grofe and his piece call Valley of the Sun Suite that is catalog in a library. Now before I even went Matt Heil found and online version, Yuri recently found a copy hereI think the link to the piece is dead now ....

I just found a copy at lastfm and here is a free link for it here.

So there will be a recreation of the MYM next Spring on Grand Ave and very likely in Chandler!

For those that made all the to the end I offer this pic of a ticket stub from MYM the last it was presented 1955. This came from my friend Donna who I met during the Heard POP Art show. We recently met at Copper Star and gave this stub from went she went to go see her brother perform. [caption id="attachment_159" align="alignleft" width="896" caption="Masque of the Yellow Moon and Donna\'s brother"][/caption]

Trading one dark room for another

Tuesday night I enjoy the diversion of reviving a decreasing art form in the digital world. Working with negatives from the early 50's to print photos thorough a dark room class at Phoenix Center for the Arts. Here are a few latest successes.[caption id="attachment_142" align="alignright" width="114" caption="circa 1951"][/caption]



This is 50's Phoenix! a slight scent of mafia still lingering on the red flocked wall paper. Last night I traded my tuesday night ritual for Radiate Phx, normally I would have done both, but that additional manhattan put the kibosh on that. We met at Durant's which is celebrating 60 years of business. It's a great networking mixer with some many diverse folks and bartenders that make mean drinks, free pour. With the air of old deals that were made there I am sure new deals were discussed among the crowd. Mine included PK, Phx design week, my art work, business ventures, and how the Valley is a so just do it type of place.

Here is a pic I took after remembering I had my camera! [caption id="attachment_148" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jim, John, and Seth @ Radiate Phx"][/caption]

Thanks to Linda and Yuri I am reading The Saga of Jack Durant by Mabel Leo. This is day 3 of the 21 day challenge. Going strong am I

POP Art not POP Tarts @ the Heard

A while ago I received a phone call from the Heard Museum, about performing a Retro Spectacular during third Friday for the POP Art show. Kate Crowley from the Heard introduced me to the exhibit and fell in love with the exhibit. It brings the art/ fashion/ jewelry into a modern context and compares POP artist like Warhol and Litchenstien to contemporary Native artist. Fast forward to 3rd Friday at the Berlin and a packed house filled to standing room only.

Here is brief recap of the the show:

Walked in wearing a Keith Haring track suit. I must say that I had worn the jacket before, think that the pants were a bit over the top, but it felt amazing to be enveloped in Haring graffiti. Jumping feet first in to the mural that he painted in downtown Phoenix on the boarded up windows of a Woolworth’s.

We talked about Warhol and Lonesome Cowboy a movie he filmed at Tucson Studios. Jumped from his Kachina painting to something from my own collection

to one of my current passions Masque of the Yellow Moon that will be appearing with more information and really cool developments [caption id="attachment_134" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Montgomery Stadium @ Phoenix Union H.S."][/caption] There will be more on the MYM coming. Some really cool developments!

My night with a goat and turning new leaf

I spent Sunday night with a goat @ Mabel's in Scottsdale. Now before you say that's a Packer hangout, remember I am sports challenged. [caption id="attachment_120" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="On Main St. & Goldwater"][/caption]

They hosted a premier party for the new season of Mad Men. The main bar was full of period aficionados dress to the nines. We were escorted to a bookcase that was a secret door opening on to a private lounge. Where the adorable Steve Farley and his wife Kelly Paisley and I dined on some amazing food. Especially like the ice cream sandwich. [caption id="attachment_121" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Steve Farley and Marshall Shore"][/caption]

Kelly Paisley of course being in hot pursuit of saving Beefeater's asked to speak the manager and told Mickey how much we liked the place and learned of it's former life as a Packer's bar. We learned that the goat, or patron saint and image heavily repeated was found during the removal of the sport memorabilia.

So there you know how I spent the night with a goat. I also alluded to a new leaf. While catching up with Kelly and Steve I realized how much is going on in adventure filled life. Cut to a recent event where I was talking with Tony Arranaga the lightrailblogger and lamenting my lack of blogging. He mentioned it takes 21 days creates a habit, so I challenging myself to blog for 21 days and create a habit.