Congratulations to the the ladies of the Mercury and to the city of Phoenix for another championship win. To celebrate, the Mercury will be holding a championship rally at 6pm Monday at the U.S. Airways Center Pavilion.

The quote that caught my eye? Unrefinery.com had this to say about the recognition:

We hesitate to even call Phoenix a city; the decentralized home turf of Allied Waste would be best described as a 400-square-mile monument to sprawl, water waste, traffic bottlenecks, and crystal meth. Urban planning sometimes seems esoteric, but Phoenix offers a real-world reminder of why we need it.

Thoughts?

‘Cause I’m almost, I’m almost Irish
And I hope almost, is good enough for you
And I’m mostly, I’m mostly Irish
OK mostly I’m American it’s true
Maybe the little bit of Irish in me
Could be the little bit of Irish in you

What does this have to do with Phoenix? Because Phoenix has a large Irish population and a Celtic music scene.

Thanks to groups like the Irish Cultural Center and the Arizona Irish Music Society, there are a lot of venues to find good Irish music.
One I highly recommend is Saturday, October 4th. The Arizona Irish Festival at Margaret Hance Park and the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix is a can’t miss event.

Irish Cultural Center
1106 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ, 85004
(602) 308-4601.

If you want to participate directly in the music, you can learn an instrument or how to dance at the Cultural Center. If you just want to listen, the Arizona Irish Festival is a good place to start, but there are many other opportunities in the valley as well.

Jane Hilton - St. Patrick's 2007 - Photo (c) Chris Seggerman

Tim Finnegan’s Irish Restaurant & Pub
9201 N. 29th Ave.
Phoenix, Arizona 85051
Phone: 602.997.2323

Shay also plays frequently at O’Connors Pub located at I-17 & Dunlap (East of Fuddrucker’s), which has been a second home to me for years.

Shay playing, Saint Patrick’s Day, 2007

If you are not into the pub scene (and there are several around the valley, which I will write about later), there are alternatives. This Friday, September 26, at Mama Java’s Coffeehouse (Indian School between 32nd St and 40th St) will feature:

• 8pm Singer-Songwriter David McKay w/ Jane Hilton, violin, viola and mando bird
• 9pm Glaswegian Singer and Guitarist Ian Walinck, Jane Hilton, fiddle, and Sarah Henrich, bodhran

Another great venue is Fiddler’s Dream.
From their web site:

Fiddler’s Dream Coffeehouse is located at 1702 East Glendale, in North Phoenix, just 1 block North of Glendale Avenue on the east side of 17th Street. We are on the grounds of the Phoenix Friends Meeting, on the Southeast corner of 17th Street and Cactus Wren.
We’re open from 7:15 pm until 11:00 pm Friday and Saturday nights (Performances start at 8:00 pm) and on Thursday 6:15 pm to 10:00 pm (music starts 7:30pm), we’re open for our Open Stage Night, so stop and visit. We also have some special events-check our calendar! In January 2009 we celebrate our 22nd Anniversary – and we plan to keep getting better and better. As an all-volunteer organization, we are always looking for nice folks to staff the kitchen, emcee, and lots of other fun stuff. Let us know if you’d like to be involved!
We offer a smoke-free, alcohol-free, COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC musical environment in a small venue. It’s a lot of fun, and we hold an open-stage at the end of most Friday and Saturday shows … 10 minutes or three songs.
For information on each weekend’s events, call (602) 997-9795. Fiddler’s Dream is COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC, which means we have no sound system, no microphones, and no amplifiers – and none are allowed per our incorporating charter. If you are interested in performing at Fiddler’s Dream, and can do a completely acoustic set, e-mail or give us a call.

I have been to all the venues except Tim Finnegan’s and I am pretty proud of AZ’s Irish Music scene. See you around

There were 3 major categories: front-runners, hitting their stride, and trailing. In the first category, claiming the number 1 spot was Portland followed closely by San Francisco. Phoenix fell in the middle category due to the light rail project and water re-use. And the worst city on the list? Mesa, Az was ranked 50 out of 50. Pretty embarrassing.

A strong presence in the downtown theatre community, Space 55 also hosts acting and improv classes as well as a playwright’s workshop. They are at the forefront of the independent theatre scene in the Valley and are definitely worth checking out.

I picked my fiance up from work, and we had some time before we needed to be there. Dinner was a priority, and after being unable to secure parking at the Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe, we decided to go to Macayo’s flagship restaurant on Central. I polished off a Pollo Espinaca Enchilada, and Chris enjoyed his Chipotle BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad. We split a Strawberry Margarita, and even then didn’t finish it.

We ran to Borders at the Biltmore for some items, then looking at the time, realized we better get to the Firehouse. We had difficulty finding parking, and by the time we did, we were about 3 blocks away-by Burton Barr. I was feeling tired, so we skipped wandering the galleries, although I saw that the Fair Trade Cafe on 1st Ave & Roosevelt was quite busy. This was definitely a busier First Fridays than July 4th was.

Passing the artists set up outside, we found the Firehouse and went through the narrow and dark tunnel to the back, where the performance space is. We found one of the few seats and Chris got us a couple of sodas from the coffee shop/refreshments area there. It is a “Name your price” place. Chris paid $2.50 for 2 cokes as a way of tipping for the space. People wandering in and out, and a cast member passed out coupons for a show at Fetish Falls in Tempe the next day.

The Librarian and Cat from Sin Aesthesia

Then Magenta, Cat, the Green Fairy and the Librarian came out to work the crowd while the troupe got things set up. The show itself was quite mesmerizing. It was basically an almost vaudevillian performance of fire, dance, and sketches. Pandora Ladysmith was the emcee, with assistance from Rutherford LeStrange and Magenta. The dance was a fusion of tribal, fire and modern moves. The fire was energetic. The audience was participatory and engaged. There were comedic interactions galore. The modern Geek was one of the many freaks on display in this Steampunk flavored circus of delights. I was delighted to be spared viewing his entry in the swimsuit competition of the “Miss Sin Aesthesia Pageant.”

As with any performance troupe, there were areas of weakness as well. The sound was poorly managed, and the outdoor space made it worse. The microphones did not work, and Bunny, the bearded lady, did a wonderful rendition of “Fever” that you had to strain to hear. The person working the sound walked out halfway through the show. Some of the elements seemed a bit out of place with the theme of the production.

On the whole, though, even setting aside my bias as a friend of the cast, I have no regrets about going. It was worth 100% the sweat of an outdoor venue in September. And with that, I leave you with a few pictures. Tomorrow will detail our journey the next day to the strange and wonderful world of Fetish Falls. I bought a lovely corset with a $10 gift certificate Chris won from the Firehouse performance. If you want to check out Sin Aesthesia yourself, you can take a look at their Myspace Profile.

The Door to Sin from Sin Aesthesia Show

Peacock, Innocence & Esmeralda perform to Ludo's Love Me Dead

The Geek as a Circus Oddity on Display at Sin Aesthesia.

Quinn Dancing

Bunny Singing Fever

Tribal Sword by Velena

Innocence, Quinn, Peacock, & Esmeralda Start the Can Can

Chris winning the Door Prize- Photo by Me

Photos by Chris Seggerman. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

They seem to have an emphasis on good food fast, a reasonable price point- I spend between $8-$14 on lunch there, and a lot of room. I have never tried the drive through.

Just a couple of minor negatives. The bathrooms are outside and a bit of a walk to get to. The ordering system, while expertly managed, creates congestion and confusion around the registers. Other than those things and a weirdly striped parking lot, I have to recommend it for anyone looking for a good place for a business lunch or to meet a friend near downtown.

From their website:

Pugzie’s was established and opened for business on Sept. 23, 1981.
Two sisters, Lynn Pugliano and Lisa Pugliano-Wright, with the help of their parents, converted a service station owned by their father into the original sandwich shop. The restaurant was named “Pugzie’s” as a shortened version of their last name. The toucan bird was selected as a logo of their tropical garden atmosphere. Their goal was to provide fresh, healthy lunches with friendly, fast service.
After 13 years of continued growth and 3 expansions on the original building, there was no room left to expand. A 12,000 sq. ft. office complex adjacent to their property was purchased and 6,000 sq. ft. was remodeled into a new restaurant with inside seating for 282 people. They also added a drive-up window for phone and fax orders and a beautiful courtyard for outdoor eating. The original restaurant was torn down and converted to customer parking for the new building.
Lynn and Lisa, along with Lisa’s daughter Gina and several original employees, recently celebrated their 26th year in business.

Since 1994 the monthly First Fridays artwalk has grown to become the largest monthly artwalk in the United States. Increasing interest in this area has prompted Rooselvelt Row to becoming more pedestrian-friendly and is supportive of small local independent businesses that give downtown Phoenix character.

That is an uncited bit, so I have a sneaking suspicion it was placed by a promoter. I have attended First Fridays a couple of times, each time concentrating on a different area of downtown. When I first started going last year, there was a map available online. Now you have to find one at a downtown business. I think Burton Barr has them. Now I mainly stick to Roosevelt Row.
There has been a lot of controversy in the last couple of years, and that has affected the feel of the event. Phoenix Metblog Author pho_william spoke about his experience here. I have observed the changes from the controversies myself.

The first time I went, it was like a big street fair. I loved it. Crowds, vendors, art and fun! I contrast this to when I went on the 4th of July and there is a significant change. During July’s artwalk, you could barely tell there was an event going on. People were there, but they tended to attend just one little area, gallery, or concert and stay. It might have been the heat, but it the first time I went it was warm too.

The Phoenix New Times has covered the issues with the street vendors.

The reason The Bird and others gravitate to Roosevelt on First Fridays is for the very libertine, Fellini-esque atmosphere that the Esser-Delgado axis wants to kill, not to ogle the pricey baubles at Esser and partner Cindy Dach’s boutique, MADE.

I have to agree with that. On the plus side, the galleries and performance spaces are still awesome. This Friday I will be at The Firehouse. They have frequent shows, a coffee house and a performance space. I will be there to see good friends, who are also fire spinners, do their second performance as Sin Aesthesia. I would love to see you there, and you will be hearing more from me.

Sin Aesthesia at The Firehouse

I went to a Diamondbacks game with a friend of mine last week and checked out the Sonoma Coffee Cafe downtown (corner of Van Buren and 1st Street). Now I am not a coffee drinker or even a fan of coffee cafes but I had a few great reasons to like the place. First – with a decent selection of microbrews on tap it’s just as much a bar as it is a coffee shop . And right before a ballgame it’s a much more chill place than most other bars around the ballpark.

But most importantly, there is secret free parking in a garage right next door. Unfortunately you’ll have to find that on your own (but it isn’t that difficult). We did however, pay for a pedicab down to Chase field. But even that was less expensive than parking near the park.

The beer prices were comparable to anywhere else downtown if you’re not counting domestic bottles served from a trough. And although I’m no connoisseur my friend Jason believed the coffee selection and prices to be about the same as Starbucks.

I spoke with the owner briefly and they have other coffee franchises under construction in Scottsdale and California.