Greed will be in full effect tonight as proprietors of the Valley's club scene will all be hoping to dig their hands deep in your pockets and vacuum out as much chedda as possible (gotta recoup some of their losses from this craptastic year, yo).
In an attempt to offset all this avarice, here are 10 events happening during New Year's weekend that won't cost you and arm and a leg.
See you next year.
Vil Vodka's Insane New Year's Party at Hollywood Alley (Thursday)
You won't need to RSVP for this punktastic celebration at Mesa's premier rock club, which will feature music from Grave Danger, Robot Tank, The Cosmeticators, Janitors of Anarchy, and others. Drink specials and midnight shenanigans will also take place. 8 p.m., $5. (2610 West Baseline Road, Mesa, 480-820-7117)
Illuminati at Afterlife (Friday)
The after-hours and all-ages Scottsdale spot offers a bright start to 2010 with a massive "Laser Light Party," which promises light shows, energy drinks, and plenty of glow in the dark fun. The trio of DJ Phantom, DJ Snapdragon, and DJ Nickatine will be in the mix. 10 p.m., with reduced cover entry available for those wearing light-up clothing. (4282 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale)
Foreplay Fridays at Club Long (Friday)
It's a safe bet that the last thing you'll want to do after a raucous New Year's Eve is consume even more alcohol. But if you're a believer in the whole "Hair of the Dog" theory (and the liver can take the pounding), check out this Mill Avenue hip-hop dance party featuring no cover and a slew of drink specials, including $2 Budweisers and Long Islands, $3 Red Bull vodkas and Jäger shots, and $4 Lemon Drops. Power 98.3's Bruce Trillis will be on the turntables dropping urban jams all evening. 9 p.m., free. (414 South Mill Avenue)
Adventures in Hangovers at Kobalt (Friday)
"Yay, the New Year! Boo, the New Year's hangover! Sorry for screaming at you with the exclamation points, especially if you're reading this on New Year's Day and your head is pounding from exterminating (rather than just celebrating) 2009's end. But guess what? Solace can to be found with other booze-soaked souls at Adventures in Hangovers. Kobalt, the host of the shindig, boasts that attendees can totally show up in "pajamas and what ever you passed out in last night" and imbibe coffee, complimentary breakfast, a bloody Mary bar, and Smirnoff Bombers." 8 a.m., free. (3110 North Central Avenue, 602-264-5307) -- Steve Jansen
Rocky Horror Picture Show at MADCAP Theatres (Friday)
Do the "Time Warp" straight into the year 2010 as Phoenix's own Come As You Are troupe presents the first Rocky Horror shadowcast of the new decade, complete with all the usual shenanigans (virgin sacrifices, audience participation, and costumes). 10:30 p.m., $9. (730 South Mill Avenue, Tempe, 602-705-6685).
Good Job Records Showcase in Buckeye (Saturday)
A good ska-punk show can sometimes be a hard to find in this town, which means local fans hafta occasionally go to great lengths to find one. But would they drive all the way to the ass end of the Valley? That's what they'll have to do to attend this all-day outdoor event featuring such bands as The Mayors of Sexytown, The Braskies, Rubix, Contradiktion, The Lesser Saints, Mouth of Man, The West End, and Kreeps Will Kill. 2 p.m., $5. (20732 W. Rainbow Trail, Buckeye)
Rewind Remix Replay at SMoCA (Saturday)
"At a recent reading, author Sherman Alexie lamented his sons' relationship to music. Gone are the days of waiting for physical albums to come out, waiting in line at Tower Records, peeling off the cellophane, and gathering 'round the turntable in eager anticipation of the moment the needle hits virgin vinyl. A little nostalgia can be a healthy thing, but at some point, all that waxing about the vinyl days just makes you seem ... old. Unless you're examining the intersection between design and material culture in the music world, which the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art strives to do in "Rewind Remix Replay: Design, Music & Everyday Experience." Curators say the exhibition consists of more than 300 objects, such as a Moog guitar-synthesizer hybrid; a strange Lite-Brite-esque Yamaha synthesizer known as the Tenori-on; and the "Oracle" acrylic-and-glass turntable. Visitors will even be invited to bring their own wax with the "DJ in a Box" kit in the galleries, and can share their own stories and photos for the exhibition's living-music timeline." -- Tricia Parker
Hanksgiving at Yucca Tap Room (Sunday)
Country and western legend Hank Williams shuffled loose the mortal coil on New Year's Day back in 1953, robbing the music world of one of its greatest voices. Valley Fever's DJ Dana and Johnny Volume mark the sad occasion with an evening of covers and tributes by an array of local indie, blues, and Americana musicians, including Hans Olson, Jim Bachmann, Barefoot & Pregnant, Hashknife Outfit, Jack Shell, Shelby James, Jimmy Pines, Mark Zubia, Junction 10, and Chip Hanna. 6 p.m., free. (29 West Southern Avenue, Tempe, 480-967-4777).
Boats! at Rogue Bar (Sunday)
Still feeling the brutal toxic side-effects of New Year's Eve? There's only one antidote for your suffering: punk rock! In all, five bands composed primarily of angry-sounding, undernourished-looking young men will rock Scottsdale's The Rogue, including local acts Sharp Sticks, Die Like Dogs and Good Men. A fourth Valley band, Said Gun, is the probably the best-known of the opening acts - a sneering, squawking foursome whose sheet-metal riffs recall vintage Husker Du and whose safety-pin-pierced cynicism (sample lyric: "And if we wanted to give up hope/There's not much hope") is straight-up Bad Religion. The headliner is Boats! - a Sacramento-based garage trio that's classic late-70s punk all the way, from the plywood-amp guitars to the artfully off-key vocals. Each song is a two-minute hit-and-run assault; perfect for mosh-pit workouts or just a little private head-bobbing. Admittedly, you could start off the Terrible Teens with a more progressive synth-rock or mash-up show, but haven't you heard? Regression is the new progression. 8 p.m., $5. (423 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-947-3580) -- Craig Outhier
Hot Fudge Sundaze at the Clarendon (Sunday)
In case you missed my post from yesterday, William Fucking Reed is ditching the Valley for New York City in April. But before he changes up his mailing address from the PHX to the NYC this spring, the 32-year-old plans on working his DJ gigs up until the day he moves, including the recently launched Hot Fudge Sundaze. Along will fellow hipster spinster Sean Watson, Reed takes over the rooftop of the Clarendon Hotel for an afternoon shindig filled with a mix of reggae, lounge, soul, indie electro pop, dub, and ambient electronica selections. 4 p.m., free. (401 West Clarendon Avenue, 602-252-7363)
