Sage Francis
This politically oriented rapper’s new album is called Human the Death Dance. Although this doesn’t make sense to English enthusiasts and people that use words to communicate coherently, it’s apparently an ode to a spoken-word poem by fellow artist Buddy Wakefield. Francis himself began his career as a slam poet, winning many contests and building his popularity with nothing but his voice. Wednesday. 9 p.m. $17. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. All ages.
“”Phantasm”” with Angus Grimm
This 1979 low-budget horror movie is about an unusually tall man aptly known as “”The Tall Man”” who makes silver balls with spiked blades. The balls fly around in the air and drill holes in people’s heads, turning them into evil dwarf zombies. Luckily for us, the man who plays this groundbreaking cinematic role will be at The Loft Cinema, and will host a Q-and-A session after the movie. Maybe he’ll tell us in person about how he had to wear platform shoes and small pants to make him appear taller than he really is. Wednesday. 7 p.m. $5. The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
Flying, Dance and Films II
The O-T-O Dance company, which specializes in aerial dancing, will perform a show for less than 20 bucks on campus Thursday. If you’ve never seen aerial dancing, it’s when dancers suspend themselves from ropes jutting out from the ceiling, and then twirl around in the air and maneuver into pseudo-sexual positions for our enjoyment … kind of like the oracle lady in “”300.”” It’s the same thing they do in Cirque Du Soleil, but it costs at least four times less in Tucson. Friday. 8 p.m. $12-15 at the door. Stevie Eller Dance Theater, 1737 E. University Blvd.
Johnette Napolitano
Who knows if this lady is good or not, but she demands special recognition in the state of Arizona because of her slightly eerie name. As far as I can tell, it’s not even a joke. I listened to only one of her songs, “”Amazing,”” in which she sings, “”Amazing, you’re amazing, but I’m only OK”” over and over again in an overly dramatic P.J. Harvey voice. It was kind of lame, but maybe she’s not that bad. She has a better haircut than her governor counterpart, at least. Saturday. 7:30 p.m. $15. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. 21 and over.
Is This Art?
Do you ever look at a Mark Rothko painting and get severely pissed off? Now you can channel your anger into a classroom setting by attending this lecture about the creative boundaries of fine art. Who knows if they’ll come to any definite conclusions, but attending might just be enough to get your foot in the door and push your popularity over the edge. Next thing you know it, your ugly paintings of squares in drab colors that take you a total of five freaking minutes (seriously) will be exhibited in the Metropolitan Goddamn Art Museum. Okay, now I’m getting carried away. Tuesday. 11:30 a.m. Free with museum admission. Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave.
– compiled by Andi Berlin
