Bruce Springsteen

Who Decides What Rock is "Classic Rock?"

Not everyone has the luxury of having an auxiliary jack in their car stereo. With the amount of leaks, holes, and weird noises coming from my engine, I'm lucky my beat up truck still runs period. I can't be asking for a decent stereo. So my commuting music consists entirely of FM radio, which is sti ... More >>

The Wild Flag and Portlandia Star Had One Hell of a 2012

Garland Jeffreys @ Talking Stick Resort

Bon Jovi, The Growlers, and Daniel Johnston (Rescheduled) Coming to Phoenix

What is Bon Jovi up to these days? The New Jersey-based band is about to partake in the 12-12-12 fundraiser benefit show to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy alongside Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Eddie Vedder, and Dave Grohl. Jon himself worked ... More >>

Eddie Vedder, Comerica Theatre, 10/4/12

Eddie Vedder @ Comerica TheatreEddie Vedder lists his tools. In the booklet handed out to concertgoers at last night's packed performance, the Pearl Jam frontman laid out a detailed list of gear he'd be using during the evening: guitars, ukuleles, amplifiers, a modified kick drum made from a Coron ... More >>

Garden State of Mind: The Nets Say "So Long" to New Jersey

As the shortened NBA season comes to an end, last night's game between the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers signified more than just the end of a dismal season for the Nets. It also marked the team's last home game in the Garden State. After 36 years in New Jersey, the Nets are scheduled to m ... More >>

The Best of SXSW Music: Thursday 3/15/2012

If you're familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing a full day at SXSW. To break down the bright, scintillating chaos, Village Voice Media's roving music e ... More >>

Alert: SXSW Coverage Ahead

"What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area." -- Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive You don't have to spend much time at South By Southwest to know that all of the above building ... More >>

My103.9 Now On the Air

When the news broke that X103.9 would be

Five Major Musicians Who Left Us in 2011

​Each year, we regretfully feel obligated to make this list. Musicians that touch our hearts and change our lives come and go. Some of these musicians had long, fruitful careers, while others seemed like they were just getting started. Gil Scott-Heron Poet-musician Gil Scott-Heron left a lasti ... More >>

Top Cover Songs of 2011

Charles Bradley​Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun's 2011 Review. We've been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a look at 2011's best videos. Enjoy! The idea of The Beatles, The Pixies, Tom Waits, and Elton John sh ... More >>

Incubus, If Not Now, When?

​Incubus fans expecting the band's popular brand of guitar rock are in for a shock with the group's seventh album, If Not Now, When?, released today. Listening to all twelve of the slow, concise power ballads here, one might even start to think they were listening to a Coldplay album.Well, guitari ... More >>

Jane Scott, "The World's Oldest Rock Critic," Dead at 92

Wikimedia CommonsJane Scott​Music writer Jane Scott, who covered just about every music legend you can think of during her 50-year tenure at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, died early Monday morning at age 92.As a female music journalist, Scott was a pioneer. She was the only woman reporter at a Cl ... More >>

Arizona Hopi Reggae Artist Casper Lomayesva Opening for Toots & The Maytals

Casper Lomayesva​Arizona Hopi reggae artist Casper Lomayesva is used to playing big gigs. In 2009, he was invited by legendary folk artist Pete Seeger to play Seeger's 90th birthday party at Madison Square Garden (alongside the likes of Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen). He a ... More >>

Record Store Day Round Up 2011 : Phoenix Stores Offer Up Exclusives, Live Performances and More on RSD

​"Folks who work here are professors. Don't replace all the knowers with guessors -- keep'em open -- they're the ears of the town." - Tom Waits, on the important of independent record stores. If you're a nerd like me, April 16 isn't just another Saturday. It's Record Store Day, the day independent ... More >>

10 Things Under $10 This Weekend: Idiotarod, Love Me Nots, Jersey Shore, and More

Jillian SloanSome of the participants in last year's Idiotarod in downtown Phoenix.​The security guards at the Safeway at Seventh Street and McDowell Road better be on high alert today. Ditto for the one's at Fry's, Trader Joe's, or any other grocery store in the CenPho area. Por que? Because t ... More >>

Wanda Jackson

Popular with more than one Elvis

Incoming: Gaslight Anthem, Dethklok, Bone Thugs, Rufus Wainwright

The Gaslight Anthem​It's been nearly a year since The Gaslight Anthem started buzzing with the release of their second album, The '59 Sound, but they're showing no signs of cooling off. In fact, last month was arguably the band's best ever month, as a guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen, the God ... More >>

The Love Me Nots Set Album Release Date, Plan Tour

​The top act in Phoenix's garage rock scene, The Love Me Nots, has set a September 18 release date for their new record, Upsidedown Insideout, which they recorded at Mesa's Flying Blanket Recordings with the legendary Detroit-based producer Jim Diamond. (You can read my interview with Diamond, don ... More >>

Bonnaroo, Summer of Sound, Transformers 2 Rave, and the Dub Show Tour Over the Weekend

Onstage at Bonnaroo Music Festival Bonnaroo kicked off Thursday with sets from, among others, Passion Pit and Those Darlins. Friday's acts included Al Green, the Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoenix and Grizzly Bear. Saturday's sets included Bon Iver (with Justin Long and Drew Barrymore in the cro ... More >>

Sony Ruins eMusic's Indie Credibility, Raises Rates

eMusic adds Sony and pisses off its indie rock-savvy clienteleThese troubling financial times call for belt-tightening across American society. We all know what's going on with the auto industry, and the record industry is not safe from this recession. As announced Monday, online music retailer eMus ... More >>

April 6 In Blogs: Don Stapley, Al Sharpton, Tempe Music Festival and More

We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Valley Fever: Don Stapley Case Bombshell: Andrew Thomas Refers Prosecution to Yavapai ... More >>

All-American Rejects Were the Highlight of Saturday's Tempe Music Fest

Jonathan McNamaraSee more shots of All-American Rejects in our Tempe Music Fest 2009 slide show.Celebrity sightings, beautiful weather, an on-site Circle K and a stellar music roster were part of the fun Saturday for the Tempe Music Festival. Our annual fest brought out names such as Frankie Muniz ... More >>

M. Ward, Vetiver, Owen, and Sigur Ros are Just Some of What's Selling at Revolver Records

Mathew Ward and Zooey Deschanel (a.k.a. She & Him). We fully admit to our jealousy of Mathew Ward. Not only does the Portland guitarist have an obscene amount of talent (which he's demonstrated much over the past decade on seven separate full-length albums), Ward's collaborated musically with ... More >>

Andrew Bird, Franz Ferdinand, Bon Iver, and Courtney Marie Andrews are Just Some of What's Selling at Stinkweeds Record Exchange

The phenomenally talented Andrew Bird. It sucks pretty hard that Tucson gets all the cool shows these days. Like Andrew Bird, who's making a stop in the Old Pueblo this Saturday to gig at the Rialto, but won't make a stop in Phoenix. This truly blows, since we've been digging on the talented singe ... More >>

Does Anyone Know How to Play Live Anymore?

An interesting thing is happening. It seems these days everyone is lip-synching. It used to be the case that is was the random pop hack or teen puppet who was exposed in the act. But now it seems that some of the best and talented artists in entertainment are guilty. Take Yo-Yo Ma, rega ... More >>

30 Highly Anticipated Albums of 2009

With 2008 in the can, it's time to start thinking about what 2009 will bring, musically. The upcoming year is stocked full of highly anticipated albums, not to mention some very impressive debuts. As usual, the early part of the year looks to be leading the way with a throng of solid albums. The fol ... More >>

New Times' top DVD picks for the week of June 6

Again With the Serious Face?

Adam Sandler plays a 9/11 widower and finally nails a somber role

Wanda Jackson

Popular with more than one Elvis

New Times' top DVD picks for the week of September 6

John Hiatt

Forced to keep it real

Marah

City of Brotherly Love's favorite sons

Hank Williams III

This generation is half country and half hell

The Seeds of Time

People remember 1982 for Men at Work more than they do for Elvis Costello or Gang of Four. Why should 2002 be any different?

The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash

Distance Between (Ultimatum Music)

Paperback Writers

Latest music books struggle to demystify pop culture's greatest enigmas

Hunger Strike

Can a non-9/11 benefit album make any noise?

Garden Party

A new live CD set and TV special document Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's New York City serenade

Obsessions, Passions, Perversions 2000

Music critics reveal their deepest, darkest record-buying secrets in New Times' annual poll

Bitter Pill

Glendale's Juarez debuts with a brilliant platter of pharmaceutical country-pop

Behind the Music

Damien Jurado's life is nothing like the bleak, miserable landscape he depicts

Good Wood

Various Artists 'Til We Outnumber 'Em: The Songs of Woody Guthrie (Righteous Babe) and Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl Ballads (Buddha/Original Masters Series)

Rock, Roll and Remember

Young scruffs Marah try to breathe life into a two-day Valley oldies show

Obsessions, Passions, Perversions

New Times music critics reveal their deepest, darkest record-buying secrets

Local Folk

Copy Cats

In the tired realm of tribute albums, imitation is the sincerest form of flatulence

Indian Uprising

Native rocker Keith Secola is big in Europe and on the rez, but scarcely known on the hometown scene

Hard-Core Troubadour

COME TO HER WINDOWFROM THE CLOSET TO THE CHARTS, MELISSA ETHERIDGE IS OUT AND RISING