Oscar's Thee Barber Shop, Alameda

Saw this building on Alameda today. I've always loved the use of "Thee" or a title or name...Thee Headcoats and Thee Mighty Ceasars (two fave bands of mine) as perfect examples.

Tom Waits...Dear El Paso....

Hello fellow El Pasoans...this message is to IMPLORE you to go to the Tom Waits concert at the Plaza Theatre on June 20.

Those of you that know me know that I've been a Waits maniac for about 20 years, and this is truly a special show to come to El Paso. He's the top artist on my living-musicians-to-see-before-I-die list. His songwriting is riveting.

He tours very infrequently. People come from Europe and across the country to see him perform. His shows ALWAYS sell out. And we need that to happen right here in El Paso.

Again, this is a truly special show. Tickets CANNOT be purchased at the door. Only at Ticketmaster.

Several musicians cite Waits as their favorite performer. Several have covered him (Los Lobos, Bruce Springsteen, even actress Scarlett Johanssen just did an ENTIRE ALBUM of Waits covers)!

PLEASE GO!!!!

Happy Holidays, El Chuco!

Nice sign on the Plaza Theatre. Photo taken December 15, 2006.

Feliz Navidad at Dollar Plus Discount, 227 East San Antonio Avenue

More great signage at Dollar Plus Discount. Photo taken December 15, 2006.

Disturbing Santas at Kress

Inflatable Santa Clauses (Santi?) at Kress. Photo taken December 15, 2006.

More Beck at the Black Market pix!

Here are a few more Beck photos, courtesy of Zach Passero!

Beck plays unannounced show at Black Market's Dia de los Muertos art show!

Here's one that will go down in El Paso lore. Beck played an unannounced, impromptu gig at El Paso's own Black Market. I was heading to the Black Market for the Dia de los Muertos art show anyway, and got a tip from my buddy Zach Passero that Beck was there and was going to play a short gig. I didn't have a camera with me; I was at a store getting a new battery for my car. I quickly snapped up a $5 idiot camera and squeezed into the show. Beck played a 45-minute set on borrowed instruments, kicking it off with "Black Tambourine." Other songs included "Where It's At," "Devil's Haircut, "Que Onda Guero?, "Nicotine and Gravy," "Hell Yes" and tracks from his new album, The Information. Sorry for the image quality, but luckily Zach had his digital SLR with his, and promised to get me some photos to post. Wow! What a great night!!!!

Happy Dia de los Muertos!

Happy Dia de los Muertos! Check out special Dia de los Muertos El Paso celebration photos at: http://diadelosmuertoselpaso.blogspot.com/

Dave's Pawn Shop, 216 South El Paso Street

Dave's Pawn Shop is one of the most fascinating places in El Paso. Outside the store, you'll be greeted by Elvis and Elwood and Jake Blues. Vintage Presley croons over the store's loudspeaker. In the windows, there are skulls, snakes, mannequins, watches and the classic "Trigger Finger of Pancho Villa" and "Heart of a Baby Vampire" props (and they DO look real!). Inside, the store is a true antiquarium, and would certainly be right in place for a Tom Waits video. Skeletons (yes, these ones ARE real), watches, cameras, vintage musical equipment, Nazi paraphernalia, stuffed and mounted animals, voodoo items — there's so much to see and so little room to see it. The cashiers' area is behind a vintage bank vault. Definitely make Dave's Pawn Shop a visit — it's the kind of place that makes downtown El Paso so fascinating.

Another interesting fact: Dave’s Pawn Shop is El Paso’s last surviving false-front structure. The one-part commercial building is a simple box with a decorated wood façade and cornice. The architectural style of small, pitched-roof buildings with false fronts created the commercial core of the new western towns during the mid-19th century. The original decorative cornice can still be seen above the remodeled store front.
—paragraph from the City of El Paso's Walking Tour of Downtown. See link below, which shows a picture of the building from the 1880s. Photos taken October 11, 2006.

Walking Tour of El Paso - False Front

Store sign, Gran Mercado, 416 South El Paso Street

Vintage sign, Gran Mercado, 416 South El Paso Street. This sign likely dates back to the 1930s. The portion in yellow has been painted over many times, but the top, remains virtually untouched. Photo taken October 11, 2006.

Colón Mercado (formerly the Colón Theater), 507 South El Paso Street

Colón Mercado (formerly the Colón Theater), 507 South El Paso Street. This is one of the true great façades in El Paso. Note the 1930s-era roof. The theater screened Spanish language films. El Paso author Denise Chávez has written about "El Colón" in her acclaimed novel Loving Pedro Infante.

Denise Chávez link

Photo taken October 11, 2006.

Office of John Wesley Hardin (Wells Fargo Building in the 1890s, now Alamo Shooters Supply), 100 East San Antonio Avenue

Alamo Shooters Supply, 100 East San Antonio Avenue. In the 1890s, this was the home of the Wells Fargo Building, and is one of the oldest buildings in downtown El Paso. On the third floor, the room behind the window in the northeast portion of this photograph served as gunfighter John Wesley Hardin's law office for a scant few months until he was killed by Constable John Selman in the Acme Saloon, literally two blocks away. See related photos in this blog. Photo taken October 11, 2006.

Office of John Wesley Hardin (Wells Fargo Building in the 1890s), 100 East San Antonio Avenue

Cowboy sign and mannequin, Starr Western Wear, 112 East Overland Avenue

Cowboy sign and mannequin head, Starr Western Wear, 112 East Overland Avenue. The cowboy Levi's sign has been a staple of downtown El Paso for decades. The mannequin head looks like it's from the 1950s or 60s (sorry for the blurry photo here... I'll retake one soon). Inside Starr Western Wear, you'll find wooden floors, a huge selection of jeans, cowboy hats, western apparel and photos of celebrities that have visited the store. Photo taken October 11, 2006.

Mannequin heads, Jin-Hee Wholesale, 513 South El Paso Street

Mannequin heads, Jin-Hee Wholesale, 513 South El Paso Street. I'll bet the head on the left has a serious migrane. Photo taken October 11, 2006.

Snack vendor, corner of El Paso Street and Overland Avenue

Snack vendor at the corner of El Paso Street and Overland Avenue. Throughout downtown El Paso, corner vendors sell sodas, chips, chicharonnes (pork skins) and other snacks to hungry shoppers. Photo taken October 11, 2006.

Wall art, above J.K. Tennis, 221 South Stanton

Decaying handpainted artwork about J.K. Tennis, 221 South Stanton. Most likely was painted in the 1980s (note the boombox and turntable). Photo taken October 11, 2006.