Loft Aid: An Evening to Benefit the Loft Cinema at La Cocina on April 30

Loft Aid: An Evening to Benefit The Loft Cinema at La Cocina

Tuesday, April 30 from 5:00pm – close at La Cocina, 201 N. Court Ave. (in Old Town Artisans courtyard)

Free Admission (a percentage of food and drink sales will benefit the Loft’s “Building for the Future” campaign)

Music! Comedy! Raffles! Surprises! Howe Gelb! Al Perry! And more!

Prepare yourself for an unforgettable evening of live music, hilarious comedy, fabulous prizes and exciting surprises at Loft Aid! The Loft Cinema is “Building for the Future” and some of Tucson’s best local artists are helping us raise the necessary funds to ensure that The Loft will move into the future with state-of-the-art digital technology, comfortable seating, fully accessible theatres and more! Great entertainment, great food and drink and a guaranteed great time await you at Loft Aid, so don’t be the only person on your block who doesn’t head over to La Cocina for this blow-out party benefiting your favorite non-profit, community-supported, independent cinema.

It’ll be just like Farm Aid, only without all the tractors!

Artists scheduled to appear include:
Howe Gelb – Local Legend
Al Perry – Local Legend
Courtney Robbins – Member of Seashell Radio
Daniel Dang Terry – Loft Projectionist/Assistant Manager
Cathy Rivers – Host of “The Home Stretch” on KXCI
Lisa O’neill – Local Singer/Songwriter
Hypnogogs – Featuring Jon Rustad, director of First Friday Shorts winner Feline Ghost Adventures
Wanda Junes – Local Folksters
Ex-Cowboy – Purveyors of “dark Appalachian folk songs” (Tucson Weekly) – Featuring Ray Borboa, Loft Theater Staff
Sadie Hawks – A Malt Shop Dance Party
Pork Torta – Local Legends
Discos – For fans of Pere Ubu & Lenguas Largas

Hey all you Loft patrons, donors, volunteers, staff, etc, plus all you music lovers — this sounds like a great combination of food, fun and great music, all to help out the independent Loft Theater. Aid the Loft by attending Loft Aid. As one of their longest serving volunteers (since Fall 2008) I recently was awarded a Best Blogger gift bag at our Volunteer Appreciation party.  So I truly believe in aiding the Loft.

And if you can’t attend Loft Aid, feel free to donate online (click here). The Loft Cinema is located at 3233 E. Speedway, just east of Country Club.

 

“Love our Libraries” fundraiser at MAST boutique

For those of you who haven’t been to the MAST boutique, it was voted “Best Gifts for the Upscale Bohemian” in the 9/22/11 “Best of Tucson” issue of the Tucson Weekly (page 27). According to that article “items created for sale are, fundamentally, jewelry and assemblages of unexpected found items, like antique lamp parts or vintage glass insulators.”

Website: http://ilovemast.com/ (with photos of their unique items for sale). MAST is located in the Lost Barrio, on Park Avenue south of Broadway.

So support Miles Elementary and Tucson High School libraries by donating your books, cash or bookstore credit, and enjoy your time shopping at MAST.

Free concert at The Fox: Portland Cello Project

2nd Saturdays Downtown presents …The Portland Cello Project from Oregon

Saturday, May 8, at 7 – 10pm

This free concert will be at the lovely Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street. Info from their website:

“From The Rialto Theatre and Hotel Congress on the east end to The Fox Theatre on the west, downtown Tucson will come alive in a series of free-to-the-public, arts, entertainment, shopping and dining happenings called 2nd Saturdays Downtown, set to kick off Saturday, May 8, 2010 and every second Saturday of the month thereafter.

Kicking off the 2nd Saturdays series in grand style is a world-class free concert by the Portland Cello Project (www.portlandcelloproject.com) at the Fox Theatre. This indefinable ensemble transcends your typical conceptions of what a string group can do, playing everything from inspired original compositions, to obscure 19th -century folk songs to straight-ahead rock n’ roll. As a special treat, Tucson-based singer-songwriter Howe Gelb will join the ensemble as they combine symphonic stylings with one of Tucson’s most renowned musical collectives.

Portland Cello Project, photo by Tarina Westlund

Thanks to Tucson’s Providence Service Corporation (NASDAQ: PRSC) for helping to underwrite this show.”

And thanks to Ian Fritz (co-organizer of the Eat More Pie! Contest) who alerted me about this concert, as his sister Anna (pictured above) plays in this Portland Cello Project.

2nd Saturdays Downtown (www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com) monthly events will be from 5 to 10 p.m., with the next ones scheduled for June 12, July 10, and August 14. Check out their website for more activities, for this ongoing “Urban Street Fest”.

This inaugural Saturday event will also feature an outdoor stage on Scott Avenue between Congress St. and Broadway Blvd., to include music by The Modeens (6 to 7 p.m.), The Mission Creeps (7:15 to 8:30 p.m.), and Greyhound Soul (8:45 to 10 p.m.). Sounds like Downtown Saturday Night has finally returned, on a monthly basis.

Another reason to go on down to downtown!