Classic Cars! Barrio Hollywood neighborhood street fair

I attended the Barrio Hollywood neighborhood street fair this weekend.  It's not too far from where I live and every year the community gets together and raises money for different projects such as schools in the area and different non-profits that go to help community members.  They have a big outdoor stage that hosts mariachi bands and ballet folklorico groups; dozens of food stalls selling roasted corn, tacos, burritos, fruit cups with chamoy salsa (!), raspados and other delicious treats; carnival rides; and a car show with both vintage and low-riders!  Most of the pictures I hastily took on my cell didn't take, but I had to share these two of my favorite vehicles in the show.

That's Pat's Drive In in the background; if you haven't indulged in their chili dogs and french fries, you haven't lived in Tucson yet.  Make sure you request the spicy chili but be warned that it is an accurate description of what you get!  You can find reviews and a map to get there on Yelp.

For more information on the Barrio Hollywood street fair you can read this article on Zocalo and the neighborhood can be found on Facebook.

Southwest Gothic - Sacred Machine and the art of Daniel Martin Diaz

Yes, yes, yes I know it's been too long since I wrote on this d@mn blog.

Oh well.

Life gets in the way.

Anywho, I was in Downtown, Tucson last night for the 2nd Saturdays street fair, firstly to see how bad the construction for the street car was going to affect a young event with a lot of potential.  Unfortunately, I don't see how 2nd Saturdays is going to survive very well if we have 4-9 months of construction ahead.  The stalls and stages seemed more scattered and isolated, the only vendors were selling cheap rosaries and miniature guitars from Mexico, there were only a couple food stalls and the sidewalks, which are already crowded, were worse for being half blocked off by wire fences.  It felt subdued.

Interior of Sacred Machine Museum and Curiosity Shop.  Image courtesy of SacredMachine.com

I went down there primarily to hear a musician-acquaintance who was playing the piano in one of the art galleries on Congress.  The Sacred Machine Museum and Curiosity Shop is a small gallery featuring primarily the art of Daniel Martin Diaz but also other artists with a similar southwest/dia de los muertos/Gothic feel.  It is one of the few galleries I've been in that I can point to and honestly say "only in Tucson".  And it is gorgeous!  If you haven't been I highly recommend it and to get your visual palette teased and primed, here are a few examples of the delights that await you:

Ghost in the Shell by Brian Despain.  Oil on wood panel.  Image courtesy of SacredMachine.com.

Santa Muerte by Scott Holloway.  Oil, leaf and ink on panel.  Image courtesy of SacredMachine.com.

Santa Muerte by Daniel Martin Diaz.  Carbon powder print on antique paper.  Image courtesy of SacredMachine.com.

Sacratus by Daniel Martin Diaz.  Screen print.  Image courtesy of Serieproject.org.

Memento Mori by Daniel Martin Diaz.  Oil on wood panel (?).  Image courtesy of Art is Everywhere.

Chris, my musician-friend, was absolutely fabulous.  I managed to claim a little corner of the gallery to just stand and listen to his playing.  He had a lush, dark playing style which suited the atmosphere and art to perfection!  At times he just let the baby grand piano's natural resonance just fill the gallery with a rolling, menacing cloud of sound, at others he suggested early nickelodeon-style movies, giving it a very steampunk/Bram Stoker's "Dracula" feel.  Delicious!  I'm going to hit him up for his professional contact info so I can post links to his work on this blog.  Stay tuned!