Benjamin Leatherman

Top Five Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one -- at least that's what we read somewhere -- so it's perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of our biggest stories f ... More >>

DJ Mat Zo @ Axis/Radius

Top Five Must-See Shows in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

Curious about what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend.

Our 10 Favorite Metro Phoenix Music Venues

It's a hard pill to swallow, but music venues in the Valley tend to come and go. Fact. Look no further than the closing of The Compound Grill within the past week or last month's nixing of Clubhouse Music Venue for proof. Some live music joints and concert halls have figured out the magic for ... More >>

Local Punks Christian Science Monitor Lizard Blast Jan Brewer

Me to Benjamin Leatherman: I'm interviewing a band. Benjamin Leatherman: What band? Me: Local punk dudes called Christian Science Monitor Lizard. Leatherman: That's one of the best names I've heard in years. Indeed, Christian Science Monitor Lizard, the punk rock trio of Kevin Koenig, Ben Kraf ... More >>

Don't Be an Asshole or: A Few Words On The Subject of Rave Etiquette

Benjamin Leatherman​There's no getting around it: At any given rave, things can get weird. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Rave newbies often just don't know what they're getting into. True ravers -- not frat boys looking to act nuts or the randoms who know one song by a certain DJ -- follow a code ... More >>

The Seven Greatest Names for Strip Clubs ... All Found in Phoenix

​Strip club owners will try absolutely anything to get you to step through their front door (preferably with pockets full of cash). For many of the Valley's numerous ecdysiast parlors, it means two-for-one drink deals, theme nights, or special appearances by porn stars. Other establishments ... More >>

Year in Review, Kickstarter, Top 15 Local Releases in This Week's Issue

​In this week's issue of New Times, I join our friends in café, art, and stage in a look back on 2011, observing trends and noting the good, the bad, and the ugly of the year in the review. I focused on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter. We featured a couple Kickstarter projects this year, (my ... More >>

Skrillex, Wild Flag, Das Racist, and More in This Week's Issue

​Former emo boy Sonny Moore is bringing dubstep to the masses as Skrillex. Benjamin Leatherman examines the roots of the bass-heavy genre and examines its rise in popularity. Meanwhile, indie rock supergroup Wild Flag brings their show to Phoenix for Halloween, and Das Racist puts the smart in sma ... More >>

Crescent Ballroom Opens With Packed House and Powerful Performances

​If last night's debut of the Crescent Ballroom is any indication, the new music and nightlife venue has a grand future ahead of it. A sold out crowd of more than 400 people were in attendance to break in the posh concert hall for its grand opening and there were few complaints to be heard. The ... More >>

Club Candids: UK Thursdays at School of Rock

Benjamin Leatherman Two of the lovely ladies in the house at UK Thursdays.​Dirty dubstep beats, dope dames, and wild times are what you'll find every Thump Day down at School of Rock in Tempe. The Mill Avenue nightspot is filled with plenty of bass-heavy beats courtesy of such DJs as HavocN ... More >>

Pinky Tuscadero's WhiteKnuckle AssFuck, The Smoky Mountain Skullbusters, and Blance Davidian at Yucca Tap Room

Benjamin LeathermanPinky Tuscadero's WhiteKnuckle AssFuck last night at Yucca Tap Room in Tempe.​Pinky Tuscadero's WhiteKnuckle AssFuckYucca Tap RoomSaturday, April 2, 2011There are two schools of thought when it comes to band reunion shows:1. "Man, they're time is past. They broke up and should s ... More >>

Open Thread: Should Record Stores Sell Everything or Just Cool Shit?

Benjamin Leatherman​Something the owners of the soon-to-be-defunct Eastside Records in Tempe said in this week's feature story has been bothering me all week:"And it got to the point in Tempe... that, yeah, we could stay open, but we would have to sell a bunch of shit we don't like. None were will ... More >>

Eastside Records to Close By Year's End

Benjamin LeathermanR.I.P. Eastside Records 1987-2010​There's something of an unwritten law here in the Valley that dictates the following: Anything remotely cool will eventually either die or start to suck. Don't believe me? Try tuning into KUKQ on your car radio while heading over to the Mason ... More >>

Club Candids at Smashboxx

Benjamin LeathermanScoping out the scene at Smashboxx in Scottsdale.​Smashboxx in Old Town has been open for a couple weeks now, and the crowds couldn't be bigger. We paid a visit to the "sports bar by day/lounge by night" this past weekend and witnessed a throng of the skinny and the stylish bo ... More >>

Club Mardi Gras in Scottsdale Closes

Benjamin Leatherman​The phone number has been disconnected. The website hasn't been updated for months. And on a recent Friday night (usually when bars are the busiest) the place is locked up and deserted. Yup, for all intents and purposes, it appears as though Club Mardi Gras in Scottsdale ... More >>

Suspicious Backpacks and Other Highlights From the First Night at Arizona Fall Frenzy

Benjamin LeathermanThe beer area at Arizona Fall Frenzy was just as busy as last year, despite a major disruption at the front gate.​They weren't kidding about the "frenzy" part. An abandoned backpack and a few other suspicious packages left near the front gate of Tempe Beach Park created a whir ... More >>

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our 7/1 Issue

​This week, New Times ran a box in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up On The Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. What happened when New Times clubs editor Benjamin Leatherman joined a fight club? What does local promoter Charl ... More >>

Closed for Business: Library Bar & Grill

​As if Mill Avenue didn't have enough corners with empty retail and restaurant spaces, another prime location has just gone dark. According to New Times staffer Benjamin Leatherman, who reported the news on the Up on the Sun blog, The Library Bar & Grill was shut down due to an ... More >>

Revolver Lounge's Grand Opening In Pictures

Benjamin Leatherman Some of the pulchitrudinous patrons present at Revolver Lounge's debut this past weekend. See more pics from the grand opening in our slideshow​Revolver Lounge in Old Town Scottsdale was definitely a hot place to be this past Friday during its grand opening soiree...lite ... More >>

Recipe: Dirty Phoenix Bomber from Jugheads

Benjamin LeathermanJugheads bartender Tyler King.Since first getting into the bartending trade during his teenage years, Tyler King has dealt drinkage to punks and drunks in both New York City and Phoenix. Back during his Gotham days, he was behind the bar at the landmark CBGBs on Manhattan's Lower ... More >>

Behind the Bar: Tyler King at Jugheads

Benjamin LeathermanTyler King does his drink-mixing thing at Jegheads in east Phoenix.​Tyler King is one tough-looking hombre. Sporting a tee shirt for notorious New Jersey hardcore band Shattered Realm and innumerable tattoos covering his burly frame from head to toe, the 38-year-old bartender ... More >>

A-Trak and the 10,000 lb. Hamburger Tour Blows 'Em Away at Club Red

Benjamin LeathermanA-Trak gets pulses pumping on Monday night at Club Red. Perspiration was the cologne of choice at last night's A-Trak show at Tempe's Club Red, as the sweltering 100-degree-plus temps inside the nightspot caused many a scenester to baste in their own sweat. Then again, it might' ... More >>

Summer Guide: Get Toasted

Food Porn at the Grand Opening of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill

Benjamin Leatherman As Toby Keith says, "Freedom don't come free." That may be true, but the food and drinks were definitely on the house at last night's grand opening hootenanny for the country music superstar's self-titled chain restaurant Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Mesa on Wednesday, ... More >>

TheDirty.com, Combichrist, Religious Rockers and More Over the Weekend

Jonathan McNamaraTheDirty.com's West Valley InvasionParty crasher Benjamin Leatherman spent Friday, January 24, boozing it up with The Dirty's Nik Richie at Hurricane Bay in the West Valley before saying hello to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at Jilly's in Chandler...slide show Top 10 Musicians Turn ... More >>

Dirty Devil Becomes College Dropouts, And Friends Gets Its Cherry Back

The Dirty Devil has become a dropout, literally. The sinful-sounding ASU watering, located at 560 South College Avenue in Tempe (within stumbling distance to Sun Devil Stadium), transformed into the jock-oriented College Dropouts this past weekend. While the Dirty Devil's jet-black color scheme a ... More >>

Night Train: 38th Street/Washington (Stop #17)

Where: American Park 'n Swap at Phoenix Greyhound Park (3801 E. Washington St., 602-273-1250). Drink: 16-ounce cups of beer for $3 each plus a $2 admission per person. Scene: The American Swap Meet is like Wal-Mart, thrift store, and Mexican supermercado all rolled into one gigantic outdoor yar ... More >>

Night Train: University Drive/Rural (Stop #23)

Where: Sushi 101 (920 E. University Dr., No. 101, Tempe, 480-317-0101). Approximately 500 feet northeast of the station or five minutes walking time. Drink: Hot sake. $6.50 for a large carafe, $3.50 for a small. Scene: Sake is known as Japan's major contribution to the drinking world, and the fo ... More >>

Who's Performing At Tonight's First Friday: Andrew Jackson Jihad, FutureKind, Furious Styles Crew, and More

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Night Train: Dorsey/Apache Boulevard (Stop #24)

Where: The Lucky Devil (1212 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe, 480-446-7468, one block West of the station. Drink: The "Shot Ski" for $5 and up, depending on your booze of choice. Scene: Dunno if you've heard the news, but college kids have been known to tie one on from time to time (shocking, we know). As ... More >>

Veggie Boy Goes To Mexico

By Benjamin Leatherman A spectacular view of the crystal blue Caribbean Sea from Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula (photo by Jenna Leatherman). Despite having an ultra-hectic schedule these days, I was fortunate enough to be able to slip off to Cancun with friends and family a few weeks ago for a ... More >>

Q-Tip, Of Montreal, Rise Against, And Lil Rob Are Just Some Of What's Selling At Zia Records In Phoenix

By Benjamin Leatherman Since the global retail industry has decided in it's great wisdom that the day after Halloween is the official starting point for the annual Christmas season, we feel it's our duty to inform the public of the following: You've only got 43 shopping days left to track down gi ... More >>

Edgefest Coverage Closer: Must-See Multimedia

Edgefest: Local Band Video Sampler

Point/Counterpoint: Beck and MGMT at Dodge Theatre on Monday, September 22

What's Selling: Revolver Records

Night Out: Grand Avenue, Roosevelt Row and The Ruby Room

This Weekend: Lucha Libre, Splash Bash, CopperCon and AZ Bully Expo

This Weekend's Top Picks: Minibosses, The Dark Knight

Attack of the Mutant Piñatas

Monster's Brawl

Turning Japanese in Tempe

Return of the Kink

Sinners shine at Paper Heart

No Small Feet

East Valley bonds for "Unity Walk"

Y2K-O

Hype springs at Paper Heart

Music Man

Catch Andrew Lloyd Webber tribute in Queen Creek

Knight Riders

Los Olivos Park hosts the other ren fair

Dude, There's My Car

Classic-car buffs pimp their rides in Glendale

Pak'ed House

Orpheum hosts Pakistan celebration

Slick Willy

Dinner theater serves up the sweet stuff