Page 36 - the NOISE APril 2013

leFt & riGht: chalk it Up! artists cynthia Kostylo & Willie Zin. center: Pyro Klectic. Photos By lynn PediGo Photo By annie rothrocK
Spring may be fickle here in the moun- tains, but folks in Prescott have plenty of fun stuff to do regardless of the weather. April is super packed with arts and culture
events you won’t want to pass up, both in- doors and outdoors.
First up is an event geared toward moun- tain bike enthusiasts. The 10th annual Whis- key off-road Bike race has become a bit of a big deal in Prescott. This three-day event is packed with music, super challenging bike rides and has a huge cash prize of $35,000 split between the male/female winning rid- ers. The organizers have made an effort to create a little something for everyone, with tough rides for the pros and pro-ams, mel- low family rides and a kids fun ride.
Folks who want to attend, but aren’t look- ing to race, are welcome to bring a lawn chair and watch these athletes zoom by. Throw in a whole mess of bike related expo and tech booths, the ever-awesome bars, restaurants, coffee shops around the Courthouse Square and then throw in a healthy dollop of live music and you’ve got a great weekend. The Whiskey Off-Road runs from Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28. For more info, hit up their website at epicrides.com. But be fore- warned. Parking during this weekend is an is- sue, so be prepared for street closures. Plan to park and walk to the heart of the fun stuff.
There are a lot of doings planned on the same weekend of the Whiskey Off-Road, with plenty of local music venues booking some truly awesome bands. Head over to the raven café on April 26 and settle in for some seriously good bluesy jazz from the robby overfield trio. There is also a rumor that the amazing rose’s Pawn shop will play there on Saturday night. This band is absolutely a “don’t miss,” so keep your eye on the Raven’s event calendar for confirmation at ravencafe.com.
The 4th Friday artWalk is also happening on the same weekend, so art and music fans have plenty to be happy about, too. Pyro Klectic will be spinning fire at the corner
of Montezuma and Goodwin from 7:30 pm
‘til 9:30 pm on April 26. These fire peeps will bring all of their fave fire toys, so set aside some time to ooh and aah as they spit fire balls and spin flaming poi, hula hoops, staffs, swords and lord knows what else. Absolutely worth checking out.
Most of the galleries around the Square will be open late for 4th Friday and several will have receptions for 4th Friday. Be sure to head over to the ‘tis Mezzanine Gal- lery and check out Barbara darr’s show, “A Pear Is a Pear Is a...?” This show features art based on, you guessed it, pears. What makes it truly interesting is that all of the pieces in this show were inspired by a dream. Not to be too punny, the gallery is planning an Art- ist’s Reception featuring pairings of wine and pears. Head over to the ‘Tis at 105 S. Cortez or check their website for gallery hours and more info at tisartgallery.com.
Fresh off a month long show at the Raven Café, local artist dana cohn will be show- ing some of his new paintings at Ben’s Fine art Gallery. If you’re not familiar with Cohn’s work, the artist is perhaps best known for combining fragments of images from classic art, nature and the Prescott landscape. The result is a sort of cross between surrealism and hyper-realism that is simply stunning. Se- riously worth checking out, Cohn is an artist to watch. To see for yourself, go to 212 W. Gur- ley, check them out online at bensfineartgal- lery.com, or visit the artist’s website to see more of his work at danacohn.com.
Moving off the crazed weekend of the Whiskey Off-Road, there are plenty of other events going on in April. Helen Stephenson and the fab folks over at the Prescott Film Festival (PFF) have a pretty dang impressive sci-fi mini festival lined up. Trekkies will be particularly happy to discover that not only are three Star Trek movies slated to show (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek and the FANtastic Trek Nation), but
Gene Roddenber- ry’s son, rod rod- denberry, will be
a special guest at the mini-fest. Not a Trek- kie? No worries. Screenings of The Matrix, Dis- trict 9, Inception, Forbidden Planet and others are scheduled as well.
One of the best things about the Prescott Film Festival is the plethora of participatory events that take place outside of the theater. Over the course of the weekend, PFF will also be hosting free workshops for fans and film- makers and the Prescott astronomy club will set up telescopes in the Yavapai College sculpture garden so folks can take a look at the stars that have inspired so many great movies. Star Wars fans can check out a com- munity read of alan dean Foster’s “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye,” followed by a book discus- sion with the author. The festival runs from Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21, so mark your calendars and get your tickets now. For a full schedule of movie screening times and planned events, hit up prescott- filmfestival.com.
On the music front, the big-hearted folks at the Folk sessions are putting on the “Coming Home” benefit concert for Prescott
area Women’s shelter (PAWS) on Friday, April 19 at 7pm. In addition to singer/song- writer celia and singer/songwriter trish lester, the Gurley Girls are set to perform at this event. The Gurley Girls were finalists for this year’s Outstanding Musical Artist at the Buckey Awards for good reason. Don’t pass up this opportunity to see a whole lotta talented women offer their mad music skills up for a great cause. For tickets and more info, call the Prescott Center for the Arts box office at (928) 445-3286 or visit the Folk Ses- sions website at folksessions.com.
With the warmer weather, el Gato azul has some great music lined up for their patio. This little restaurant is a great place to order up a mess o’ tapas and a big glass of sangria while soaking up live music by the creek. Several local faves are slated to play in April,
including anton teschner and drew hall on April 25 and Pat Beary on April 26. Show up on any Sunday around 5pm and order up a bowl of Barry Barbe’s artisanal soups and dig the jazz of the Ramon Dana Combo. It’s hard to think of a more mellow way to end the weekend and prep for Monday than Sun- day dinner at El Gato Azul. Stop by 316 W. Goodwin and see for yourself.
And that brings us to the absolute don’t- you-dare-miss-this event for April, the 3rd annual chalk it up! Prescott chalk art festival. This event took the top honor for Outstanding Arts Event at this year’s Buckey Awards and offers up an awesome mix of professional and amateur chalk artists.
The idea behind this festival is beautiful in its simplicity. On April 20 through April 21, Chalk it Up! Prescott takes over the National Bank of Arizona parking lot, marking off well over 100 concrete canvases. Guest artists and professionals get a larger space, but anybody who shows up wanting to draw gets a space and a box of chalk. And, oh yeah, did I men- tion that it’s free? Yup, just show up, register, get your free box of pastels and get going.
They have some pretty amazing featured artists this year, including ever Galvez, Gus Moran, Jamie tooley, and Prescott’s own dana cohn. Not only do folks have a chance to see these great artists at work, but they are encouraged to ask questions. It’s actually pretty amazing to watch the pros work and see what tools and techniques they use.
Even though it’s spring, it can still get pret- ty hot. Chalkers are strongly encouraged to bring sunscreen, a hat, a water bottle, some- thing to put under their knees and a sense of fun. There will also be live entertainment from local bands and performance groups, so don’t miss out on this one. Check out their website at prescottchalkart.com.
| angie Johnson Schmit has been known to get her chalk on. slackerwriter@gmail.com
36 • APRIL 2013 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us