7/2/2019 Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ


 2 years ago today...

July 2, 2019 - Tempe, AZ

The musical contributions of bands and venues from Tempe were celebrated in their induction ceremony for the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame at Tempe Center for the Arts.
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and Clyne's previous band The Refreshments were the most prominent of the inductees. For live performances on this night, Roger brought back all former members of both bands and played songs with those old group configurations. It was a great reunion and fun to see some of the old band members from Refreshments and Peacemakers for the first time in years. We've seen RC perform many dozen times since the 80s, both with a band and solo, including a few trips to his Circus Mexicus music festival in Puerto Penasco, Sonora. MX. The photo was taken at Cholla Bay during that event in 2009.
Tempe-based bands The Pistoleros and Dead Hot Workshop were also honored, along with Fender Musical Instruments Factory and Long Wong's, the revered Mill Avenue dive bar that hosted live music every night and was the springboard for all of these acts. Known for hot chicken wings and cold beer, Long Wong's also launched the Gin Blossoms and was the key venue for the heralded jingle/jangle "Tempe Sound" of the 80s and early 90s.
Tempe Center for the Arts Theatre is an underrated and underused concert venue IMO. It is intimately tiny and vertical with a balcony and excellent acoustics. The (mostly) annual induction ceremony and show for Arizona Music and Entertainment HOF has impressed every time we've gone.



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