Photo Essay: Tucson Concert Venues
January 16th, 2012Time for a look at Tucson concert venues, past and present.
First, a look back at one of the hottest dance clubs of a couple of decades ago. I'm talking about the Green Dolphin, which was located a few blocks south of the University of Arizona. This was one of the clubs that students raved about when I worked at the UA.
Not that UA employees would ever frequent a place like the Green Dolphin. The music was too loud for our bosses, the bands were ones that thirty-something worker-bees like me had never heard of, and, besides, all of us full-time employees had to get up early so we could arrive at our campus jobs by 8 a.m.
Hence, I have no Green Dolphin memories to share.
What I can share is what the place has turned into. The Green Dolphin has been closed for almost 20 years. These days, it just sits there, decaying in the Tucson sun...
Twenty years ago, Downtown Tucson was not the first place that would come to mind if you were planning a big night out. It was full of empty streets, empty storefronts, and a scary ambiance that didn't encourage people to linger.
Much redevelopment has happened in recent years. With redevelopment comes large community events like 2nd Saturdays Downtown. This one draws at least 10,000 people every month for strolling, eating, drinking, shopping, and admiring the vintage car show on Congress Street...
The Tucson music cognoscenti know that 2nd Saturdays concert acts are the ones to catch before they head off to the big shows at Club Congress, Plush, or the Rialto Theatre.
With that thought in mind, let's check out the Heather "Li'l Mama" Hardy Band on the 2nd Saturdays Scott Avenue Stage. Here's Heather Hardy on the electric violin with Mitzi Cowell on guitar...
On bass, it's Larry Lee Lerma...
Manning the drums, Ralph Gilmore...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: 2nd Saturdays First Anniversary
- Event Photography: Happy Birthday Tucson
- Photo Essay: Downtown Tucson Revitalization
- Photo Essay: Empty Houses, Tucson, Arizona
- Photo Essay: Downtown Tucson Revisited
Event Photography: Happy Birthday Tucson
August 15th, 2011On August 20, 1775, a bouncing baby city was born. Its name? Tucson.
It's been 236 years, and the Old Pueblo still has quite a bit of bounce. It was certainly in evidence at one of the biggest events in the month-long celebration of Tucson's Birthday.
The big event? 2nd Saturdays Downtown, which brings tens of thousands of people into the heart of our city.
Since this is Tucson throwing a big party, you need to have plenty of local music. Here's the band Widow's Hill performing at the entrance to the Ronstadt Transit Center...
Of course, no party would be complete without people showing up in unusual costumes...
And there has to be dancing. In this case, break dancing by the members of Les Avenge, who set up shop outside the Rialto Theatre...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Tucson Carnaval 2010
- Event Photography: Tucson Meet Yourself 2010
- Event Photography: 23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration
- Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2010 Winter Street Fair
- Event Photography: Punk Rock House Party
Event Photography: 2nd Saturdays First Anniversary
May 19th, 20112nd Saturdays Downtown celebrated its first anniversary this past weekend. This event has been drawing tens of thousands of people to Downtown Tucson for arts, entertainment, shopping, and good old fashioned people watching.
The Ronstadt Transit Center isn't known for its musical entertainment, but haven't you always wanted to sing a song while waiting for the bus? Here are the Desert Melodies with your just-before-six soundtrack...
Further west on Congress Street, Toby Chivers & Deceptively Innocent played outside the Chicago Store. This trio may be young in age, but they can rock it like old pros...
I'll confess to having a real thing for guitar closeups. So, let's zoom in on Deceptively Innocent's bass player...
On to the Scott Avenue Stage, where My Town Music Youth Graduates perform pop and rock...
We still have a little daylight left, so let's backtrack to the corner of Congress and Scott. Here are two performers from the Parasol Project's Living Statues...
Sun's going down at last. Here's Chillie Willie Groove to help you bring on the night...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Photo Essay: Tucson Concert Venues
- Event Photography: Happy Birthday Tucson
- Event Photography: 2nd Saturdays Downtown
- Event Photography: Another Monday Evening Walkabout
- Event Photography: Folkies and Rodders
Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2011
May 9th, 2011The official 2011 Tucson Folk Festival photo gallery is up and ready for you to enjoy!
Feast your eyes on 315 images of performances, workshops, the Songwriting Contest, the Folk Women's Jam & Song Circle, the Children's Show, and Tucson Folk Festival scenes.
To whet your appetite, here's my very opinionated selection of Best o' the Fest photos...
And here's a complete list of the performances that I photographed at this year's Folk Festival:
- Don & Victoria Armstrong
- Larry Armstrong & Copper Moon
- Arnold/Klingenfus Ensemble
- Roman Barten-Sherman
- Batucaxe
- Chris Borreca
- Bwiya-Toli
- John Coinman
- Sabra Faulk
- Tony Furtado
- Eb's Camp Cookin'
- Sandy Hathaway
- Debbie Hawkins
- Hot Club of Tucson
- Indigo Spirit
- JC & Laney
- Jeff & Patricia
- Scotty Johnson with Native Seed
- Robyn Landis
- Jaese Lecuyer
- Kevin Pakulis Band
- Ladies Gun Club
- Leila Lopez
- Lilla Luoma
- Linda Tepper Rothchild and Mark Holdaway
- Manzanita Bluegrass
- Mzekala
- namoli brennet
- Otter Creek
- Privy Tippers
- Robby Roberson
- roth d'lux
- Scatter the Dust
- Smallvox
- String Bean Folk Orchestra
- The Determined Luddites
- The Flying Javelinas
- The Greg Morton Band
- The Long Wait
- Titan Valley Warheads
- Way Out West
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2010
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2008
- Event Photography: 3rd Annual Tucson Madonnari Chalk Art Festival
- Event Photography: Folkies and Rodders
- Event Photography: Solar Rock 2011
Event Photography: Cyclovia Sidelines
April 1st, 2011My previous Cyclovia Tucson post focused on notion that streets aren't just for cars. People traveling under their own power also have a place.
This post will cover one of the greatest benefits of self-powered travel: An enhanced ability to see and hear what surrounds you. With this thought in mind, let's look at the Cyclovia sidelines.
An abandoned gas station on South 4th Avenue near 22nd Street is still home to a barrel-ful of Santa Rita prickly pear cactus...
Further south, the Cyclovia riders met up with a musical extravaganza, starting with Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School...
Near the southernmost point of the Cyclovia course, riders got a thumping-loud salsa serenade...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Nature Photography: Airport Botanical Walk
- Bicycle Photography: Cyclovia Tucson 2011
- Nature Photography: Green at Last
- Event Photography: A Bicycling Trifecta
- Nature Photography: Land of the Frozen Cactus
Event Photography: Solar Rock 2011
March 30th, 2011Cyclovia Tucson riders had a special treat awaiting in Armory Park. The Food Conspiracy Co-op's annual Solar Rock concert offered a musical feast that was 100% powered by the sun.
Tucson's GeoInnovation furnished the 800-watt solar array that kept the tunes coming. This array can generate 4 kilowatt-hours per day...
Performers included Robyn Landis...
...and a very high-spirited group of water dancers, whose performance coincided with Tucson's second annual Synergistic Water Festival...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Solar Rock 2010
- Event Photography: The Solar Society
- Event Photography: Harambee 2008
- Event Photography: 3rd Annual Tucson Madonnari Chalk Art Festival
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2011
Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2010 Winter Street Fair
December 13th, 2010This past weekend marked the return of a Tucson tradition, the 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair.
The cloudless skies and warm temperatures brought thousands of people out to enjoy more than 400 arts and crafts booths, 35 food vendors, two performance stages, a bevy of street musicians, and unlimited opportunities for people-watching.
On Sunday, I volunteered at the KXCI Community Radio local music store. This store offered a wide array of recordings by Tucson and Arizona musicians...
The KXCI booth was adjacent to the 7th Street performance stage, which started its Sunday roster with a mountain folk concert by Bisbee's Dylan Charles Band...
Later on Sunday afternoon, Phoenix-based alt-rocker Sarah Vanel took to the 7th Street stage...
After my KXCI booth shift ended, it was time to join my fellow Tucsonans for a walk around the Street Fair...
More than a few causes, organizations, and political movements depend on the Street Fair for getting the word out. Here's one of many petition-passers collecting signatures...
If you've ever spotted my venerable old mountain bike, you know that it's plastered with stickers. I can't help myself. I like stickers. And here's where I get them from, the Gloo Factory...
Since I mentioned street musicians at the top of this post, it's time to meet some of them, starting with One Heart Beat in concert outside the Epic Cafe...
Missing Parts outside of Antigone Books...
The Rosano Brothers with the Mysterious Unidentified Banjo Player outside of Third Eye Arts...
The Molehill Orkestrah outside United Fire Equipment...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2010 Spring Street Fair
- Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2009 Spring Street Fair
- Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2008 Winter Street Fair
- Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2009 Winter Street Fair
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2010
Event Photography: Fall 2010 Bicycle Swap Meet
November 17th, 2010America's second largest bicycle swap meet happened in Tucson this past Saturday.
The fall 2010 edition of our two-wheeled buying, selling and trading extravaganza drew thousands of cyclo-philes to Fourth Avenue. And the bike swap had something for everyone.
So, you say you need some new sneakers for your favorite mountain bike? Gotcha covered...
Or maybe it's a Huret Allvit derailleur for your vintage 1970s bicycle...
Does your taste run toward offbeat bicycles? Then you'd love this pedal-powered couch...
Then there was the mysterious case of the super-tall bike with no owner nearby. Want to try stealing this bike? To me, that handlebar skull is sending a message. As in, "Here's what happens to people who mess with this bike."
You can't have a large Tucson event without music. Here are the Bindle Stiffs, a bicycling band that pedaled down from Phoenix by way of Superior. I've biked the roads they took -- it's a tough route!
Like what you're seeing? Enjoy more bike-tography at my Bicycle Stock Images site.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Fall 2011 Bicycle Swap Meet
- Event Photography: Fall 2008 Bicycle Swap Meet
- Event Photography: Bicycle Swap Meet
- Event Photography: Close-ups at the Bicycle Swap Meet
- Bicycle Photography: El Tour de Tucson 2010
Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2010
November 9th, 2010This past Sunday, the annual All Souls Procession wound its way through Downtown Tucson. This event is meant to help participants remember the departed, and attendance is well into the five figures.
Like any large Tucson event, there's a substantial police presence. Here's part of the law enforcement contingent that gathered at 4th Avenue and University Boulevard before the parade started...
Further down 4th Avenue, there was a ghoulish percussion ensemble...
All Souls is heavy on audience participation. Which makes it a great place for the twirly wand guys to sell their wares...
At the head of the parade is a large urn that gets burned at the Grand Finale. According to the All Souls Procession website, the urn is "filled with the hopes, offerings and wishes of the public for those who have passed...."
While I was waiting for the procession to start, I stood next to a young couple with a toddler son. They told me that All Souls was a family tradition, and they're not the only ones. Here's a ghoulish marching couple...
Such a large event means that it's a big event for the bars, restaurants, and nightclubs on 4th Avenue. The Surly Wench Pub's contribution to the festivities? A Black Cherry Bake Sale...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession ‘08
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2007
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2009
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2011
- Event Photography: Tucson Festival of Books 2010
Event Photography: New Stadium, Same Old Ending
October 22nd, 2010This past weekend was Homecoming at the University of Michigan. For its alumni, the university pulled out all the stops.
Take, for example, the College of Engineering. My father's an alum, and I attended the college's events with him. The pre-game party included a Michigan Marching Band concert...
An a capella version of "Hail to the Victors" from Amazin' Blue...
Since this is the University of Michigan College of Engineering, your pregame party must include a car show. Doesn't matter if the car is powered by the sun and driven by the national champion Solar Car Team...
Or if you're like the the University of Michigan Formula SAE Team, which races a gasoline-powered car...
On to the game.
Michigan Stadium just underwent a renovation and expansion, which included the addition of skybox seating. It's still the biggest football stadium in the country...
There was much anticipation in the air when the Michigan Wolverines came out for their pre-game warmup...
The excitement grew more intense as the Michigan Marching Band's pre-game show began...
Despite the new stadium, the Wolverine faithful saw the same old, same old. Our Michigan team just couldn't get it done on the field. Much disappointment in the stands...
Final score: Iowa 38, Michigan 28.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Football in the Gloom
- Event Photography: Ann Arbor Football Saturday
- Event Photography: Football from the Stands
- Event Photography: Solar Rock 2010
- Event Photography: President Speaks in Tucson
