Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper catches buzz through the fuzz

Rolling Stone: Still Blowing Bob Dylan

Rolling Stone, that music magazine that felt it necessary to feature the ladies from MTV's The Hills on the cover of its May issue, just released its list of top 50 albums of 2008. Wouldn't you know it; they put Bob Dylan at number two. Why not number one, Rolling Stone? Maybe because they realize ... More >>

Five Pacific Northwest Albums That Made a Difference in 2008

Some of the more well-received albums of 2008 have come from the rainy, bike-loving confines of the Pacific Northwest - a trusty bastion for indie rock and insanely innovative pop. When bands from the two meccas of the Pacific Northwest - Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington - emerge onto the na ... More >>

Top Ten Indie Rock Albums of 2008

By Michael Roberts In 2008, independent rock returned to the underground, where it belongs. Given the grand catastrophe that is today's record industry, most major-label executives don't have the time or energy to convince music fans they might like something a little out of the ordinary. They'r ... More >>

Top Ten Americana Albums of 2008

By Noah W. Bailey Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category. Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen ... More >>

Earley to Rise

Blitzen Trapper catches buzz through the fuzz

Austin City Limits Jumps on Festival Bandwagon, Announces Lineup

Austin City Limits: recycling this year's festival headliners so you don't have to The lineup for the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival has been announced and it is teeming with top-notch talent. The Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band round out the top slots of Outside Lands Lollapa ... More >>

Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup Announced: Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Weezer, Stevie Wonder and More

​Tennessee's Bonnaroo music festival has announced a full line-up for this June. No real surprises here: Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Weezer, and the Flaming Lips are the top of the pile.The Dead Weather, Phoenix, John Fogerty, Jimmy Cliff, Tenacious D, Zac Brown Band, ... More >>

Calexico, Sharon Jones, Andrew Bird, to Play Newport Folk Festival

Arizona's Calexico.​The Newport Folk Festival is historically significant, not just because of its ever-exciting, often bleeding edge lineup, but because in 1965 Bob Dylan decided to plug in and play electric, much to the dismay of a large portion of the crowd. That set forever changed people's id ... More >>

Incoming: Justin Bieber, Green Day, Paramore, Tim McGraw, Chicago

Justin Bieber. Deal with it.​Oh baby: Phoenix is about to get Bieber Fever! Canadian pop singer/world-dominator Justin Bieber plays Jobing.com Arena this July. It seems you can't swing a dead cat these days without that same cat mentioning something about Justin Bieber. He has an absolute str ... More >>

Incoming: Blitzen Trapper, Cypress Hill, Passafire, Annuals

​It's going to be hard to top last week's announcement that Justin Bieber will be playing Glendale this July. But we must move on, and move on we shall. That's where Portland's Blitzen Trapper comes into play. The noted indie/folk band will play The Clubhouse this June in a fantastic bit of news f ... More >>

Blitzen Trapper: Ever Wonder What the Hell That Means, Exactly?

Blitzen Trapper.​Have you ever really liked a band, but wondered, "How the hell did they come up with their name? What exactly does that mean?"Truth is, most professional music journalists would be waaaay too embarrassed to ask such a question of anyone other than the winner of a local Battle of t ... More >>

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Before Today

​Today has finally, finally arrived and it is glorious. This Tuesday marks a mega-ginormous day of stellar new releases, the likes of which the much-ballyhooed month of May never quite reached.Leading the way is L.A. lo-fi indie rockers Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti with their fantastic effort Bef ... More >>

Crystal Castles, Against Me!, and Blitzen Trapper; June 8 Was a Record-Release Bonanza

​Today has finally, finally arrived and it is glorious. This Tuesday marks a mega-ginormous day of stellar new releases, the likes of which the much-ballyhooed month of May never quite reached.Leading the way is L.A. lo-fi indie rockers Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti with their fantastic effort Bef ... More >>

Twittenemies and Online Nemeses, New Record Releases, and More in This Week's Issue

Elycia Marie: Martin Cizmar's internet nemesis.​This week's music feature is an explanation of the strange series of events that made Elycia Marie, the girlfriend of Malcolm in the Middle child star Frankie Muniz, who plays drums for a Phoenix band, the Twitter nemesis of music editor Martin Cizma ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Delta Spirit, Stereo Total, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Cringe, The Dig, and more

​Let's clear off the desk, shall we?Stereo Total: Baby Ouh! -- This band on the Kill Rock Stars label is a multi-lingual new-New Wave boy-girl band with songs sung in English, German, and French. It's quirky with a capital "Q" and not nearly as charming as it thinks it is. Still, most songs are un ... More >>

Nothing Not New: Podcast #7

​Music editor Martin Cizmar and I are back with a new podcast. We've got new 10 songs and Martin's musings on his favorite record from the grunge era. Here's what's in store from podcast #7. Crystal Castles: "Empathy" Sleigh Bells: "Infinity Guitars" The Cool Kids: "Strawberry Girls" Ariel P ... More >>

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojo

​Artist: Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersTitle: MojoRelease date: June 15Label: RepriseHow many of you have acts that you'd never call yourself a fan of, would never buy one of their records, or pay money to see in concert, yet recognize that the acts have been around for so long and written songs ... More >>

What's Selling: Stinkweeds Records

​While many highly anticipated records have finally dropped in the last few weeks, everyone from Spin to NPR to our very own Nothing Not New column has had something to say about the latest release from Blitzen Trapper. Phoenicians have not been oblivious, as Destroyer of the Void charted number o ... More >>

Why Blitzen Trapper Aren't Boycotting Arizona

​While many highly anticipated records have finally dropped in the last few weeks, everyone from Spin to NPR to our very own Nothing Not New column has had something to say about the latest release from Blitzen Trapper. Phoenicians have not been oblivious, as Destroyer of the Void charted number o ... More >>

Foals: Total Life Forever

​Artist: FoalsTitle: Total Life ForeverRelease date: June 22Label: Sub PopThough I disagree with a commenter on one of my posts this week (Shawn from excellent local music blog Electric Mustache) about the merits of electro-punk Sleigh Bells, I agree with him that S.B. are a band that you either l ... More >>

Why Blitzen Trapper Isn’t Boycotting

​Artist: FoalsTitle: Total Life ForeverRelease date: June 22Label: Sub PopThough I disagree with a commenter on one of my posts this week (Shawn from excellent local music blog Electric Mustache) about the merits of electro-punk Sleigh Bells, I agree with him that S.B. are a band that you either l ... More >>

Anarbor at Warped Tour, Virginia's Secret Treasure, and Blitzen Trapper on Not Boycotting AZ in This Week's Issue

Anarbor.​This week's music feature is on the local band Anarbor. Though their recent tour to Japan may have been a bit of a flop, involving lost teeth and a select band members lying in a pool of his own blood, they're poised to rock the Warped Tour, and are hoping that they'll come out of it with ... More >>

Bob Log III, Adam Arcuragi, Sticky Fingers' Michael Jackson Tribute, and More

The ladies love Bob Log III, who's scheduled to perform at Chopper John's on Saturday Night.​Although downtown may or may not be ovah (depending on the particular mood of our fair editor Martin Cizmar), but in the meantime, East Phoenix might just be coming alive when it comes to live music. In a ... More >>

Michael Jackson Tributes Offered Tonight in Phoenix and Tempe

​It's hard to believe it's only been a year since the King of Pop's untimely death. Today marks the anniversary of the sad occaision and a few DJs in the PHX are marking the occaison with tribute nights and mixes. William Fucking Reed and the rest of the Sticky Fingers regulars (including Pri ... More >>

Blitzen Trapper at The Clubhouse on 6/28/10

Shawn AndersonBlitzen Trapper's Eric Earley.​It's been my experience that many times fans of a particular band tend to have a propensity to take after the band that they love. Whether it's their general attitude, the way they dress, the way fans (particularly male fans) subconsciously copy the hai ... More >>

June 29 In Blogs: Pamela Gorman, First Friday, Blitzen Trapper, Maizie's, and Hispanics

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

13 Must-Hear Songs from the First Half of 2010

Dum Dum Girls​Today marks the halfway point of Nothing Not New. That means I've listen to nearly 140 records in their entirety in the first six months of 2010. Just another 140 or so to go before I can retreat to the familiarity of my record collection.To recognize the occasion, the Up on the Sun ... More >>

Authority Zero: Stories of Survival

​Artist: Authority ZeroTitle: Stories of SurvivalRelease date: June 22Label: Suburban NoizeI have a friend who's a native Phoenician and longtime fixture in the Valley punk scene, both as fan and musician. He loves West Coast punk, thinks Southern California spawned the best of the best punk, espe ... More >>

What's Selling: Stinkweeds Records

​You can always count on Kimber Lanning and the good people at Stinkweeds Records to be ultra supportive of local bands. So are the customers who shop there.it's always a nice treat to see homegrown kids chart on a record store's top ten list of what's selling for the week. This time, the latest r ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Cowboy Junkies, Winnie Cooper, Grieves, Shelby Lynne, and more

​Holy crap, only five-plus months left of Nothing Not New. I gotta get to a lot more new(-ish) releases. Let's roll . . .Cowboy Junkies -- Remnin Park: Who knew these dour Canadians were even still around? Remnin Park is a concept album inspired the Timmins' family month-long sojourn to China. Out ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Tom Jones, Los Lobos, Chely Wright, 36Crazyfists, and more

​Lots of CDs piling up. Let's have a listen at a few, shall we?Norman -- Hay, Hay, Make a Wish and Turn Away: These boys play Neil Young-meets-Uncle Tupelo country-folk-rock through a cloudy, green filter befitting their Oregon provenance. Mostly, it works, especially when they veer away from the ... More >>

Nothing Not New: Podcast #9

​Welcome to our latest podcast, in which Martin Cizmar and I play some new music and about it, too. On today's program, we discuss the merits of such bands as Wavves, Arcade Fire, The Budos Band, Jimmy Eat World, and local superstars Snake! Snake! Snakes!Here's the playlist:Jaill -- "The Stroller" ... More >>

Grinderman: Grinderman 2

​Artist: GrindermanTitle: Grinderman 2Release date: September 14Label: Anti-Most of the indie rock I've heard this year (well over 200 records and counting, with 11 weeks to go in this series) is really pretty toothless. Even the harder-rocking stuff, with its big drums or wall-of-sound guitars or ... More >>

Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown

​Artist: Kings of LeonTitle: Come Around SundownRelease date: October 19Label: RCAI think it's funny that people are getting all bent out of shape over the supposed "selling out" of Kings of Leon, saying their new record sucks worse than that sucky one that sold a bajillion copies a few years ago. ... More >>

Screaming Females: Castle Talk

​Artist: Screaming Females Title: Castle Talk Release date: September 14 Label: Don Giovanni Back in the day, I'd hate to miss a good show (I'm still not happy that my parents wouldn't let me drive to Kalamazoo one Monday night to see Scratch Acid and Big Black play, ditto the time I couldn't ... More >>

Warpaint: The Fool

​Artist: Warpaint Title: The Fool Release date: October 25 Label: Rough Trade The musical path taken by L.A. foursome Warpaint is well trodden -- but this kind of ultra-moody, sort of experimental, Joy Division-indebted music is usually plied by men. But Warpaint is a quartet of women, and in ... More >>

The 88: The 88

​Artist: The 88Title: The 88 Release date: September 28 Label: Rocket ScienceWhat do you do if you're a band like The 88? You're top-flight songwriters and musicians, you get your songs placed in all kinds of big-name TV shows and high-profile TV commercials, you tour the country opening ... More >>

Elvis Costello: National Ransom

​Artist: Elvis Costello Title: National Ransom Release date: November 2 Label: Hear Music I really wish it weren't the case, but I'd have to file the new record by Elvis Costello under "For Completists Only" (of which I'm sure there many when it comes to Elvis Costello fans). If you heard hi ... More >>

Matt & Kim: Sidewalks

​Artist: Matt & KimTitle: SidewalksRelease date: November 2Label: FaderI suppose I should mention up front that I didn't like Tears for Fears in 1985 and I still don't 25 years later, even in a nostalgic sense. So it stands to reason that I have little use for Matt & Kim in 2010.It's not t ... More >>

OFF!: First Four EPs

​Artist: OFF! Title: First Four EPs Release date: November 23 Label: Vice Records In 2010, few things seem more ridiculous than a punk supergroup anchored by two guys who made their most indelible marks on American punk rock nearly 30 years ago. But, damn, OFF! pulled off an unlikely feat, ma ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Helmet, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Charlatans, Small Black, and more

​It's amazing how much music is released in a year. I've listened to nearly 270 records in their entirety this year, yet I still have a huge stack of unlistened CDs on my desk, several unlistened digital downloads in my iTunes, and a lengthy list of high-profile stuff I never got a chance to h ... More >>

10 Indie Rock Christmas Songs for Your Holiday Season

Sufjan Stevens​ The Holiday season can be a stressful time. While it's meant to be the one time in the whole year that everyone is a little bit nicer and a little bit happier, certain things can make you just the opposite. If you're anything like me, you've procrastinated all year long and now ... More >>

15 Good Songs You Might've Missed in 2010

Peter Storch​I listened to more than 3,000 songs in 2010, so I was asked to come up with a list of the best of the year. But you've probably heard "Swim" by Surfer Blood and "Boyfriend" by Best Coast and "Helicopter" by Deerhunter and "Hustle and Cuss" by the Dead Weather, so I came up with a ... More >>

Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith on the "L.A. Sound," Warren Zevon, and The Big Pink

​Nothing is Wrong, the sophomore album from Los Angeles rock 'n' roll band Dawes, is an earnest effort. There are times you wonder if it's too earnest, to forthcoming about its mellow, sun-drenched intentions. But the album works, charming right past your cynicism, with golden-hued tracks like t ... More >>

The Sun Shines Through Blitzen Trapper's Rootsy Reflection

​Nothing is Wrong, the sophomore album from Los Angeles rock 'n' roll band Dawes, is an earnest effort. There are times you wonder if it's too earnest, to forthcoming about its mellow, sun-drenched intentions. But the album works, charming right past your cynicism, with golden-hued tracks like t ... More >>

Apache Lake Music Festival, Blitzen Trapper, Chico Mann, and More in This Week's Issue

Sunset sounds: The Sugar Thieves perform at last year's Apache Lake Music Festival. ​ Get ready for our very own Coachella this weekend. Well -- not really. As Christina Caldwell's feature explains, Apache Lake Music Festival isn't quite the same thing as that fest, but it does feature over 30 of ... More >>

Blitzen Trapper and Dawes at Crescent Ballroom, 10/10/11

​ Dawes and Blitzen Trapper Crescent Ballroom Monday, October 10, 2011 When you catch onto a band in its early stages, they become bigger in your head than they actually are in real life. For me, one of those bands has always been Blitzen Trapper. Their indie folk sound is exactly in line wit ... More >>

Incoming: The Pretty Reckless, Blitzen Trapper, South By Stateside

​When she's not spending her time being a gossip girl, Taylor Momsen is content with leaving her fans still wanting more. At least that's what the lead singer of The Pretty Reckless did last time the band performed here, when they limited their set to just half an hour. Talk about a drag.Maybe Mom ... More >>