Phoenix Tequila Festival in Photos The first Phoenix Tequila Festival went down this weekend at U.S. Airways Center. How many of them did we try? All of them. Tequila distilleries including Patron, Three Amigos, Cruz and many more were present and representing the agave goodness...see photos
Concert Review: Metric at Martini Ranch Haines sat at the black baby grand while the stage remained unlit and, directly following, Shaw sat to play a rotating trio of acoustic guitars. The duo went straight into a relentless rendition of "Gold Guns Girls," from their latest release Fantasies. I was ecstatic. 1: Because nobody from FM 103.9, a sponsor of the gig, made a goofy, unneccessary stage announcement, and 2: Because I immediately knew I wasn't in for a night of boring, watered-down song rehashes...full story
Concert Review: Brett Dennen's Ginger Pride On Display At Marquee I'm hard-pressed to think of a better display of showmanship at any concert I've seen this year. Dennen a singer-songwriter in the mold of Jason Mraz and John Mayer, plays that distinctive but thus far unnamed genre of folky, funky, indie, jamband music I call "Fedora Rock." (You know, that stuff with jazzy vocals, acoustic guitar and an overabundance of reggae-style syncopated beats.) I could take or leave the genre, But Dennen is worth seeing anyway...full story
Brew Review: Rogue Brewing's Chocolate Stout as Consumed at the Mellow Mushroom "It tastes like Chocolate World," she said referring to Rogue Brewing's Chocolate Stout. Not having been there ourselves, we asked our dining companion to elaborate on the Pennsylvania-based chocolate theme park that (apparently) takes one on a delicious journey from growing cacao through to the consumption of a delicious chocolate bar...full story
Concert Review: Outer Bounds of Sound 12/13 At Revolver Records "The music in there is terrible," says a customer to Revolver Records co-owner Steve Zimmerman, referring to the warbling tones of saxophonist Lol Coxhill spinning on the turntable as doom-metal one man band Via Vengeance sets up. The bands gathered to perform at the record store's Sunday night experimental showcase shared little in common as far as sonics went, but most certainly would fit the general populace's idea of "terrible."...full story