- home
- woa tv
- The WOA Show
- The WOA Show | S2:E3 | When They Discussed The Aloha Festival, Food Trucks, Styx, Usery Mountains
Hi there and welcome back to the WOA Show episode #3 of season 2. This week we’re gonna take a look at Usery Mountain Regional Park in Mesa, as well as some notable events happening in the valley. We’re also going to talk about food trucks and famous musicians & bands that came from Arizona….not that those 2 things are related. But first let’s see what’s happening with WOA Marketplace.
WOA Marketplace
As we talked about last week, the marketplace doors have been opened up we’re ready for business. I know I know…calm down….one at a time. Not much to report this week other than the Food Truck announcement. That’s right, in the next couple of weeks or so, we’re adding a Food Truck Category. So basically you’ll be able to order a food truck from the marketplace or buy merchandise from the vendor. We’ll also feature our Food Truck vendors on this show as well as WorldOfArizona.com.
Featured Event | Styx | Celebrity Theatre | Tempe
Touted as “The Band with Everything”, the infamous Styx is coming to Celebrity Theatre in Tempe, for two shows this Thursday and Friday. That’s right, Styx is celebrating their 50th anniversary tour. If you’re not familiar with Styx, here are a few of their hit songs. We are happy to sing them for you.
- Mr. Roboto
- Come Sail Away
- Renegade
- Babe
- Lady
- Too Much Time On My Hands
- Fooling Yourself
There are 2 types of people that need to consider going to this show. For young people: Chance to witness music histoy. 70’s rock band performing iconic theatrical ballads. For people from that era: Chance to witness of one of the most impressive live performance runs…one last time.
Amber wanted to add that Styx has some pretty cool music but it pales in comparison to their album covers. I think this was back in the day when album covers were serious pieces of mind bending art.
More Events in AZ
Here’s a few other notable events happening in Arizona this week.
Get into the “Aloha” spirit in the desert this Saturday and Sunday at Tempe Town Lake for Arizona Aloha Festival. This Free Festival is hosted by an all-volunteer non-profit organization who’s “mission and purpose is to provide awareness and education about Hawaiian and other South Pacific Islander cultures and heritage.” What to enjoy at the annual Arizona Aloha Festival:
* Two performance stages – Yes, hula dancers, drums, music and joy!
* Three marketplaces to satisfy your shopping vices. Many options to explore the South Pacific’s unique designs.
* Aunty Aloha’s Ukulele Corner – A place for all ages to learn to play the uke or bring your own and jam!
* Several demonstration areas to learn about the magical islands of Hawaii. Storytellers, cooking demonstrations, hula lessons, lei customs and how to string them. As well as special activities for the kiddos.
* Did I mention the FOOD?
* Plus, a raffle where not one, but TWO Hawaiian vacation with be awarded!
Southwestern Arizona is bringing the food and beer love this Friday and Saturday. “Get your taste buds ready for Yuma’s ‘Best in the Desert Southwest’ BBQ & Brew Festival! This two-day festival will pack Main Street with mouthwatering BBQ, a country music concert, and ice cold brew. Competitors travel from all over the United States to compete in this Kansas City Barbeque Society Sanctioned event!”
Featured | Usery Mountain Regional Park
I visited the Usery Mountain Regional Park during the golden hour, which seems to be magical wherever I happen to be but is always such a treat when I’m in the desert, especially a park specifically created to show off said desert.
The most notable features of the Usery park is the variety of activities including the archery, outdoor fitness, radio controlled model airplane area and stargazing.
What makes the Usery park unique is the the “scar” on Usery Pass Mountain, which is created by wind cave. Which is a really cool hiking trail.
*The “Phoenix” sign made of rocks painted white pointing to, you guessed it Phoenix.
Exchange-O-Gram | #userymountain
Use #thewoashow and it’s likely we’ll put it on the screen next week. Unless of course you use the hashtag for something obscene…posting a pic of your…..ear…or something crazy like that.
The Food Section | AZ Food Trucks
AZ Feastivals hosts weekly food truck events in the Greater Phoenix area. Touting, “Our weekly events aren’t just any old food truck event, they are FEASTIVALS!!” The feastivals are free, offering 15-25 tasty trucks with food, live music and a ton of family friendly fun. What type of food comes from said trucks you ask? How are we supposed to know? Go there and find out for yourselves, why don’t ya. Geez, who do you think we are? Some sort of show that tells you about stuff in Arizona? Oh, yeah, I guess that is us. Go there anyway and discover the food from trucks yo dang self. 😉
Food from Trucks Every Friday, 5:30pm – 9:00pm
- Gilbert Feastival: Downtown Gilbert Heritage District, 222 N Gilbert Rd.
- Mesa Feastival: Central Christian Church, 933 N Lindsay Rd.
- Queen Creek Feastival: Queen Creek Library, 21802 S Ellsworth Rd.
Smart TV | YouTube Premieres
Ok, let’s talk about your smart tv! Did you know that you can watch The WOA Show right from your living room TV every Thursday night at 7PM? But how can I do that Cooper…you might be asking. It’s easy. I would guess that most modern smart TV’s have the YouTube app pre-loaded. And if they don’t, you might need to go into your TV menu and find a way to download it. Then you need to sign up or sign in with your Google account and search @worldofarizona and hit the subscribe button. That’s it, you’re done.
As I mentioned before, The WOA Show is set to Premiere each Thursday at 7pm. What does that mean? It means that the next available episode will show up in your feed and alert you when it’s time to go. So even though this show is pre-recorded, we have it set to play for the first time on Thursday evenings at 7pm. But here’s the cool thing about this feature, there is a live chat that takes place during the premiere. That’s where we’ll be… in the chat room….watching it with you. You see where we’re going with this right? Yes, you can actually heckle us live during the premiere. Better yet, that live chat is being recorded and will automatically replay for each view thereafter.
Something to keep in mind. The live chat and chat replay can only be viewed on your phone or computer. So if you want to watch on your larger living room tv, but still want to see the chat room…you’ll need to also open it up on your phone or computer. At least that’s the way it is on my smart tv.
The List | Famous Bands from Arizona
- Stevie Nicks: Stevie Nicks was born in Phoenix, but her family had already moved away before she started school. They moved a lot. But Nicks returned to Arizona, building a home near her parents in Paradise Valley in 1981, the same year she released “Bella Donna,” her quadruple-platinum solo debut. By that point, she’d already topped the Hot 100 as the voice of “Dreams,” the biggest single on Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.” She’s the only woman to be inducted to the Rock and Roll of Fame twice – as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac.
- Alice Cooper: Though not born in the state, Vincent Furnier (a.k.a Alice Cooper) brought darkness to rock and roll when he started with his first group, the Earwigs, in Arizona before hitting it big with the band Alice Cooper.
- Linda Ronstadt: Born in Tuscon in 1946, Linda Ronstadt started her career as a country-rock singer at ASU until her debut album, Hand Sown Home Grown.
- Chester Bennington (Linkin Park): Best known as the lead singer of rock band Linkin Park, Chester Bennington hailed from Phoenix where he had a rough childhood. Bennington retreated to poetry and singing until finding his place in the nu-metal band Linkin Park. In 2000, the group, known for mixing rap and rock with emotional vocals, released their debut record, Hybrid Theory. The album included hits such as “In The End” and “Numb.”
- Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World): Jim Adkins was born in Mesa, Arizona, where he learned guitar at an early age. In 1993, Adkins co-founded the popular rock band Jimmy Eat World. They released their self-titled debut in 1994, where he co-sang lead and played guitar. The band hit it big with their third album, Clarity, and since then have had one successful album after another.
- Michelle Branch: Singer and songwriter Michelle Branch was born in Sedona, Arizona in 1983. She found music early learning to sing at the young age of 3 and learning the guitar as a teenager. In 2001, her first hit single, “Everywhere,” led to great success and collaboration with Carlos Santana on “The Game of Love.” She even started a country music side-project and is still releasing music.
- Roger Clyne (The Refreshments): Born in Tempe, Arizona, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Roger Clyne hit it big as frontman of the post-grunge band, The Refreshments. Throughout the 90s they put out music with hits such as ‘Banditos‘, ‘Down Together‘ and ‘Wanted‘. After calling it quits in 1998, Clyne returned to Tempe where he started Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers.
- Dierks Bently: County music singer Dierks Bentley was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1975. His self-titled debut, Dierks Bentley, came out in 2003. And with hits like “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and “Drunk on a Plane,” Dierks was able to display his country-rock-pop and humorous stylings.
- Gin Blossoms: Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, New Miserable Experience, and the first single released from that album, “Hey Jealousy”.
- Jordin Sparks: Singer and songwriter Jordin Sparks was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1989. She got her first big break by becoming the youngest ever winner of American Idol.
WOA Show Wrap-up
Hope to see everyone next week, that is if we don’t get cancelled. There are sure to be some more hijinx as usual. There is ALOT of stuff going on next week in the great state of AZ so it’s probably a good idea to check the WOA Show to find out what’s goin’ on. Also, I’m pretty sure this is finally the episode they’re going to talk about aliens or leprechauns or some sort of little green creature anyway.
