Claire, what are you thinking?

Claire spoils us. There’s no other way to put it.

Anyone who’s ever gotten the chance to attend the Vanishing Show in Tempe knows that events like this don’t just happen. This one-night neighborhood music festival is unlike any other in town. For 5 hours, Claire has concert-goers walking through the darkening streets of Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson working off word of mouth alone. You can probably manage to follow the parade of bicyclists, but doing so probably means you’ll miss out on the front row. When you do manage to find the next venue, the show’s already started and there’s a huddle of people in front of you making a mad dash for the kiddie pool full of Coors. Couples are spread out, bobbing along to the tunes between backyard shrubs and ducking beneath low-hanging mesquite trees. If and when the cops follow up on a noise complaint, you head up to University and find a late night snack. Once the night’s four acts have wrapped up, the crowd will split up between the afterparty at Taste of Tops with DJentrification and the 2nd Nanami Ozone show of the night, over at Cornish Pasty. This is an event that transcends geography, genre, and demographic. All it requires is a communal willingness to head to the next location and see what awaits.

The Vanishing Show is unapologetically DIY and definitively Tempe - something that only A Claire Slattery could pull off. Inasmuch, we figured she was the only one who could tell its story right. We (Gerrit and Mickey) talked to Claire for thirty minutes with no set direction, and her oral guide to the Vanishing Show felt just as sprawling and spur of the moment as the event itself.

GCF: So how did you get into this whole thing?

ACS: There’s this guy named Aaron… kind of this anarchist dude who hangs out in Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson… probably Mitchell Park East if we’re gonna be specific about it… but he had this idea that there should be this traveling show thing, and he told his friend Brian about it, and I was moderating the Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson Facebook group at the time with Brian. We just got a drink together at Taste [of Tops] one day and Brian was like “we should this… idea thing”. And I was like, I could probably do that actually. I know enough people and I know enough bands. I have a PA… maybe. Let’s figure it out! So I did it with Maple-Ash-Farmer-Wilson [the Facebook group] the first two years, then the second two years I did it by myself after I stopped modding.

GCF: So it’s always stayed in that neighborhood?

ACS: The Vanishing Show has always been south of University, then Mill to a bit past Beck. There was one time… I had RNA play really outside once becaus)e they were really loud. Really loud. But they played like an 11 minute set.

GCF: They’re a noise band, right? So I’m guessing an 11 minute solid wall of sound?

ACS: They literally have a wall of amps. People came up to me after and they were like “What was that one band that played last year that was really loud and had a wall of amps? They were so good!” And I’m like, people like that stuff? Awesome.

GCF: Has [Vanishing Show] always been in April?

ACF: The first time it was in May. And it was kinda hot. So after that we kinda moved it to March. But this year there just wasn’t a good weekend in March, so we moved it to April. So it’s happened consecutively four years in a row now.

GCF: What are some of the bands you’ve had in past years?

ACF: The first year we had Snakes! Snakes! Snakes!, James Brown Band Band [The JBBB], Pro Teens, Liam & the Ladies, and Shining Soul the first year. The second year… hold on… I want to remember because I should… oh, that was Red Tank, who didn’t get to play.

GCF: It got shut down before…

ACF: Yeah, if I had to say what’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to the Vanishing Show it’s probably that… 

MLP: Was it the same neighborhood that got shut down this year [for The Doyenne]?

ACS: No, that was the same people that shut down the Pro Teens.

GCF: Damn. Lame neighbors.

ACS: Who else? Boogienauts played! They are from Tucson. The Darling Sounds played too.

From a text from Claire later, also to add to that list from year 2 is Couples Fight, whose set was plagued with some substantial sound issues.

ACS: Then last year, Logan & Lucille played. They are from Tucson, too. I usually try to get one Tucson band. And then... 

From another text: Rum Drinker, who get mentioned later, Twin Ponies, and RNA, with their aforementioned 11 minute set of terror.

GCF: With this year, were you trying to change approach at all?

ACS: Not really. I have it down to a science at this point. Definitely in the next couple months, I’m going to open up a forum to see what people want, ideas that they have that might make it better. This year was a little different because I didn’t have a food truck, and the after party wasn’t at [Cornish] Pasty like it usually is. So this year food was a problem, but I bought pizza for everybody.

GCF: Woah!

ACS: This year, I also took a lot of donations. In past years, bands haven’t gotten paid. But this year, I wanted to pay the bands. So that was an extra expense I had to cover. But I had a fundraiser for it in February at a dance night. So I was starting ahead. [Taste of] Tops donated a bit and then I just had a jar the whole time and people would just VenMo me and others were giving in cash and so it worked out that we broke even.

GCF: That’s awesome.

ACS: Also this year, we had the biggest turnout. Normally, we have like 150-200, but this year it was easily 250 people.

MLP: Definitely bigger. The [Doyenne’s set] that got shut down felt super packed.

ACS: That area was probably the size of Valley Bar, and I don’t know what that capacity it is, but I’m sure it was past the legal capacity. No one could move. When the cops came I was like, there are a ton people here and no one is moving.

MLP: It was a pretty slow exit.

GCF: I remember Jesse saying when we were walking to the Nanami Ozone set, Claire seems so chill… like, every consecutive year, it just becomes this more zen experience for you, where it’s complete chaos, but also very under control. It helps that people [treat it well] too.

ACS: I think people understand that the event is really special, and if they do something really debaucherous to make the night really hard for me, then they are fucking it up for everybody. Like, there are people who stay behind to pick up trash… other people make sure that if people need bike lights, they have them… It’s one of those things where everybody sees that we’re just trying to do this together and it’s not a place where you can just come and be debaucherous, so it’s nice for me because I don’t have to deal with a host in the case where something breaks, or a band that gets pummelled by people in the crowd or anything like that.

GCF: Going through the sets, the houses are so different and the spaces really define the artists that are there. How do you find hosts for this? Specifically, this year.

ACS: It’s a combination of reaching out to people who have hosted in the past and also posting statuses on Facebook. So like the first host this year, Chris… she was actually the last house the year before. So I was already familiar with her space and knew it would be a great place to start it out. And actually, the house that’s next door to hers, Patricia’s old house, she hosted the first two years and she was the first house. So I really wanted some continuity since it was such a tradition to start there.

GCF: That’s really cool.

ACS: Moheeb’s house… he reached out to me through Facebook. He was like “I want to do it and my neighbor wants to build a stage”. And I was like woah, don’t get that intense about it.

GCF: This was for Nanami Ozone?

ACS: Yeah. He was like “My neighbor wants to build a stage and get really into it”, and I was like don’t feel like you have to, but do whatever you want. They didn’t up building it.

GCF: That space was awesome, with the tin backing for the lights.

MLP: And the truck with the amp on it.

ACS: That was Daryl. He tried to trim the trees and tried to set it up like that.

MLP: I thought that one was going to get broken up just because it was like right along the road, but it wasn’t. It was fine.

ACS: I know! The year before, I had it at this guy’s house in Farmer and it was like the smallest house ever. And I definitely lost some people at that location because of how tiny it was. But [Moheeb’s house] was nice because it was next to that alley, so people could kind of spill over into that. And I tried to keep people out of the street, but it was kind of unavoidable.

GCF: I really liked how with three of the four houses, trees really defined the space. Because you are really moving in between palms and mesquite trees and stuff.

ACS: Last year, my friend Justin hosted it and he’s got like a jungle in his backyard. And I don’t think I’ll do it again because I kept losing people inside his backyard. Rum Drinker opened there.

GCF: Let’s talk about the bands this year. How’d you wrangle in It’s Embarrassing?

ACS: My friend Connor goes to a lot of punk shows with Alexis. I met her for the first time at Connor’s birthday party last year, and I heard that she was starting this all female punk band and were like, screaming about their feelings.

GCF: And ranch dressing.

ACS: Yes! And ranch dressing. And they were playing shows in their backyard and doing a bunch of DIY stuff. I thought they’d be a great fit and a great first band.

GCF: I knew about Nanami Ozone before this from their playing Flying Burrito Festival earlier this year, but then it was really fun to have them finish up their set and then be like “hey we’re gonna be over at Cornish Pasty right after this”. Pretty fun.

ACS: So I had asked if they wanted to do it… I ran into Sophie at Valley Bar, who I’ve known for a long time. She used to live with my friend Janna who I had worked with at Nami. We had known each other for years.

MLP: What was the name of the band she was in?

ACS: Numb Bats?

MLP: Numb Bats!

ACS: So yeah, she was there one night and I asked if they wanted to play Vanishing Show, and they didn’t have any shows for April yet. I booked it with her, and then two weeks later Cornish asked if they wanted to play the same night. So they were really cool about it, saying they wouldn’t promote it super hard and that they wanted people to go see Alex [aka DJentrification] and I was really thankful that they were so up front about that and not being shady. It was great to have them.

GCF: It was awesome that their front yard show wasn’t shut down.

ACS: From what I know, the cops aren’t really looking for the event anymore. Since it’s been pulled out of MAFW, it’s less of a concern. I think the cops see it as less of a “fuck the cops” and more of a community thing... We did two years with [MAFW] and now two years by myself where I booked everything, and now, the cops don’t care. Even the cop I talked to this year, I was like “Hey why are you here?” and he said “Oh, a neighbor called so we have to come. But this looks like so much fun!” And I was like “It is! I’m sorry you have to be here”, and he was like “Yeah, me too”.

GCF: The big mystery act to me for the night was The Doyenne. Who I knew nothing about at all until you showed me, and now, honestly, I spent my entire Friday listening to his Bandcamp.

ACS: You knew nothing about the pop sensation The Doyenne?

GCF: I knew nothing.

ACS: Well now you do. It’s a gem in my heart. I’ve known The Doyenne for five years. I saw Syeed play at Lost Leaf once a really long time ago after a Treasure Mammal show.

GCF: This was when you were still in Treasure Mammal?

ACS: Yeah. My friend Abe was there and was like “Hey I’m gonna go catch the Doyenne, do you want to come?” I was like “I don’t know, what’s that?” And then he was like “Oh in that case, you need to come.” And my life was forever changed. I met Syeed and we’ve been friends ever since. And I’ve know TK, who DJs for him for like 8 years? Since I moved here, essentially.

MLP: That show was packed out.

GCF: It’s nuts how much music he has.

ACS: Doesn’t he have like five albums?

GCF: I wanna believe it’s like way more than that.

ACS: And then [his set] got broken up, which was a bummer. But it was a pretty nonchalant party break up.

GCF: The last one was Dadadoh. What’s the story on getting him involved?

ACS: So, I don’t know them as well as everyone else. But Dadadoh played an event I coordinated with MAFW called Moon Over MAFW which was supposed to be like a second Vanishing Show or something - they only did it once. But Dadadoh played one of the houses, so that’s how I met Brian. But it was just an in passing thing. Then I was thinking about who could headline since my original plan of a headliner didn’t work out.

MLP: Who was that?

ACS: Playboy [Manbaby]. I think they are gonna do it next year. We’re gonna do like a blood oath thing. But yeah, they had a record release the night before at Rebel Lounge. But like one of their bass players had to go to a wedding or something.

GCF: DaDaDoh was an awesome fourth act, though.

ACS: Absolutely.

GCF: They sound super different on Bandcamp than in the live setting. I was surprised.

ACS: It’s super hard to figure out what these bands are “supposed” to sound like just because it’s so DIY. Like, The Doyenne’s set didn’t do it justice. Normally it’s much more.

GCF: Seemed like you were just trying to be conscious of the very neighborly space and the fact that that spot has gotten shut down before.

ACS: So, I usually try and make the bands find their own PA, so they can pick how good or terrible they want to sound. I don’t want to be the person who is like “hey here’s this PA!” and it turns out it’s terrible and they could have found a better one. So it just works out. I just tell them “If you want, I can find you a PA, but you can also find you a PA.”

GCF: And finally, DJents played the after party at [Taste of] Tops.

ACS: He played Mission: Impossible and dedicated it to me.

GCF: He has that on vinyl?

ACS: That’s kind of his thing.

GCF: Stupid question. So year four… any big takeaways, or just still relishing in pure victory?

ACS: I feel like because [next year] is going to be year five, I need to double everything. I did five bands the first year, and it was a little rough, but I could probably swing it. Nanami Ozone and Mohib were really cute at house two. They were like “Claire, what are you thinking? There is so much fucking beer in this kiddie pool”, and I was like “just watch”, and in five seconds it was all gone. There will never be left over beer at this thing. So I’m just trying to figure out how to make year five, like, go out with a bang… even though it’s not really going out I’m not going anywhere. But how do I make it more special?

GCF: Any last thoughts?

ACS: I feel like I have it down to a science, but there are certain people that I couldn’t have done this without. In general, the hosts, for just being down for whatever, and understanding that they can’t control anything. The bands, for being on top of their shit, cuz I’ve had bands in the past… but they were all set up, ready to play, and then they turn around and come hang out, which was awesome. Then, Greg and Kirsten at Tops, who just let me use their space. They’ve hosted two after parties, and it’s probably going to stay there. Also couldn’t do it without my friend Mike who helps me set up every year. We do a big Costco run and we get like 400 pounds of ice. It’s great.

GCF: That’s all I got.

The Vanishing Show will return in 2019.