Jersey Shore

Top 10 Hard Rock Venues in Phoenix

We're lucky in the Valley of the Sun. There are plenty of hole-in-the-wall venues, which, in most enthusiasts' opinion, are the best places to see a great show. Especially when it comes to hard rock and metal. We're not talking Slayer gigs with $45,000 worth of pyrotechnics, or the kind of places th ... More >>

Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week: When Things Go Wrong

Every week we bring you a roundup of visitors to the desert's own Fourth Avenue Jail. To be considered for our Maricopa County mugshots of the week, get arrested, strike a pose, and we'll take care of the rest.This week, our Fourth Avenue visitors look like something definitely went wrong prior to t ... More >>

Now That's What I Call Good News!: Now! Music Series To Give Up The Ghost

Not all signs of the record biz's struggle for life are depressing. Thanks to EMI's $1.9 billion merger with Universal Music Group, a few things will get shaken up, including a chance the wretched informercial sludge Now That's What I Call Music! series will be put six feet under.

Paul Penzone Can Beat Arpaio, If He Turns Up the Heat

U.S. Dubstep More Fun Than Its U.K. Cousin, Says Porter Robinson

Here's The Heavy Metal Soundtrack to Your Sexcapades You've Been Looking For

We might not all agree on musical taste, I mean, metal, indie rock, jazz, hip-hop, none of it is made for everyone, but I think we can all agree that there's really nothing so appealing as all-out sex appeal. Sex might not be the first thing you think of when you think of heavy rock, but it's in the ... More >>

Your Valley guide to Cinco de Mayo

Sombreros and Seersucker: Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo Parties in Metro Phoenix

May 5: Big day this year. While Cinco de Mayo -- the yearly celebration of the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces in 1862 -- lands on the same date annually, only occasionally does it also match up with the Kentucky Derby, held the first Saturday in May. The combination of these two ... More >>

Cinco de Mayo Guide: Your Guide to Partying on May 5

Phoenix Rockers Tracey Rappa and The Heat Explain "Back To Summer"

​Before eight well-oiled, orange-skinned cultural phenoms took over the sandy beaches of Seaside Heights, the Jersey shore was just another beach where kids could frolic and escape the pressures of everyday life. Although Tracey Rappa has called Phoenix home for the better part of her life, ... More >>

Dead Wildlife's Braden McCall on Playing SXSW and Scottsdale Sluts

29-year-old local musician Braden McCall "feels too much," and while he might humbly admit this is, well, a rather annoying personality trait, it certainly hasn't hurt his ability to write and record music. As a Valley native, McCall has used his time and talents wisely, spending the majority of h ... More >>

The Maine: With Pioneer, the Mesa Rockers Step Away From Warner Bros.

Top 10 Albums of 2011: Mike Escoto

Bon Iver​Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun's 2011 Review. Over the next week, we'll be counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment comes from Mike Escoto, who contributes to Up on the Sun and is one of the main perpetrators over ... More >>

Real Estate @ The Sail Inn

Mad Men, Playboy Club, and Pan Am Feature '60s Pop Tracks From Phoenix Courtesy Fervor Records

​March just can't come fast enough for me. I miss Mad Men something fierce, and season four left me with so many questions (I won't spoil anything if you haven't caught up, but man, could Betty have been more awful?). I'm not the only one wishing that the show was back, as shows like Pan Am and ... More >>

Halloween Guide 2011

Duos With More Chemistry Than Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher

​ Last week's season premiere of Two and a Half Men had nearly 28 million viewers due to sheer curiosity. It played out like a revenge fantasy of Chuck Lorre killing off Charlie Sheen without the gore or entertainment of Kill Bill. Alan (Jon Cryer) wasn't the least bit upset about his brother ... More >>

The New F-O's Explain "Town"

Robb CastroPancho and Lifted of The New F-O's​If you pick up a copy of this week's Phoenix New Times, be sure to check out this week's music feature on local hip-hop-infused pop band, The New F-O's. The guys have been making quite a name for themselves both in the Southwest club scene, as well as ... More >>

Get Smart

The Ataris at Martini Ranch, 8/12/11

Although he has been the driving force behind one of the more successful pop punk bands of the last 15 years, The Ataris' Kris Roe seemed just like any other struggling musician last night at the Martini Ranch.

Morning Poll -- Stupider Idea For Reality TV Show: Bree Olson's Porn-Star Rock Band or Nik Richie?

"Nik Richie's kinda famous -- so, of course, he needs a reality TV show. ​"Bubble-Butt" Bree Olson, porn star/former Charlie Sheen "goddess," just wrapped up filming a reality TV show that recently made a stop in Scottsdale. It's about a rock band comprised of porn stars who apparently just get sh ... More >>

Monkey Business

DJ Funkface Talks Steve Aoki, Beatport, Sex in the VIP Room, Club Freedom, and More

DJ Funkface​Name: James Edwards Hammerschmidt III AKA: DJ Funkface Genres spun: Whatever is on Beatport's Top 10. Current gigs: My cousin asked me to work her wedding next weekend. I'm also dating one of the go-go girls at Axis/Radius, so I'm hoping to get a guest slot there sometime soon. Ho ... More >>

South By Stateside: Day 2 Last Night at The Sail Inn

​It's a real shame that Mother Nature didn't see if fit to cooperate with Stateside Presents' plans for South By Stateside: Day 2, the annual Phoenix run off of indie-bands on their way to the West Coast from Austin's South by Southwest Festival. The nine band bill was divided pretty evenly betwee ... More >>

In Season: Winter Squash

Whether you're a CSA devotee, a farmers' market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we'll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce. This week's harvest: Winter Squash. Jennifer WoodsClockwise from top left: buttercup, sweet dumpling, butternut, and spaghetti squash​ W ... More >>

DJ ill-legal? Talks Dubstep, Subversion, Rusko, Lazer Sword, Hyphy, Hovatron, and More

DJ ill-legal?​Name: Blake Ludera AKA: DJ ill-legal? Genres spun: Glitch, dubstep, breakbeats, and hip-hop mostly. I also like to scratch and get into some turntablism stuff, and on rare occassion I'll play house music or drum 'n' bass. I'm really all over the place when it comes to different ge ... More >>

Arizona Republic Officially Jumps the Shark in Coverage of Chandler Mall Shooting

www.informationsecurityresources.com​Leave it to the Arizona Republic to take a fairly interesting story, take its coverage way too far, and, in turn, bore us to death.A story about a violent fugitive shooting it out with police at a crowded mall before taking hostages at a nearby restaurant is al ... More >>

Mike Posner @ The Marquee

I'm Still Here: Joaquin Phoenix Implodes to Prove a Point to Hollywood

Mike Posner

Burger King's New York Pizza Burger: Set Fast-Food Freak Show Weapon to "Stun"

thisiswhyyourfat.com​Holy burger bomb! How's a Fry Girl supposed to catch up with the latest Jersey Shore dirt (news flash: Ronnie called Sammi a bitch -- for serious!) when the worldwide interwebs is all bogged down with bloggage about Burger King's New York Pizza Burger? Set fast-food feak sho ... More >>

MasterChef, the American Idol of Cooking, Premieres This Tuesday -- Prepare for Stomach for "Funeral Potatoes"

This Tuesday on Fox, Mr. needs-a-nap chef Gordon Ramsay brings the world's biggest cooking competition to America with MasterChef. Featuring home cooks competing for $250,000 and the chance to publish their own cookbook, this American Idol of cooking shows doses out more drama than the wildly pop ... More >>

Why Bands Play Tucson Instead of Phoenix

​It's possibly the oldest, loudest gripe in Phoenix's music scene: Why Tucson?By that they mean, "Why is this cool band that I really love playing that bumblefuck shithole down South when they could play our sprawling metropolis of interconnected stripmalls?"Electric Mustache's photographer/hatche ... More >>

DJ Italian Sensation Visits Afterlife in Old Town Scottsdale Tonight

DJ Italian Sensation tends to attract a crowd.​Just when we thought that the only things to come out of the Garden State over the last few years were the Jersey Shore brats and corrupt politicians, DJ Italian Sensation goes and proves us wrong. The Newark native certainly knows his way around a p ... More >>

Kendra, Of Hugh-Hefner-Arm-Candy Fame, Made a Sex Tape and her Co-Star Happens to Be a Cage Fighter From Arizona

www.imagesme.com Reality TV star and Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson.​ Move over Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Pam Anderson, and the droves of other celebutards who thought the sex tapes they "privately" made with their one-time significant others would never see the light of day -- there ... More >>

Are You a Lame High School Senior Who Wants to Be a Slightly Cooler College Freshman? Amazon.com Wants to Sell You Stuff

Yes, today's college kids consider this literature.​Once upon a time -- in a time we'll call The Good Old Days -- so-called "college survival kits" included notebooks and detergent and shit like that. That was before kids were all stupid little losers, though. Now, they apparently need help figuri ... More >>

Epic Super Hero Battle, AZ Bike Week, The PBR Spring Situation, Johnny Cupcakes, and More,

AZ CacophonyHoly look-alikes Batman! Some of the action from last year's Epic Super Hero Battle.​ If comic book flicks have taught us anything, it's that sequels can be a hit or miss proposition. Sure, Superman II, Spider-Man 2, and The Dark Knight were cool as hell, but they were in the minority ... More >>

The PBR Spring Situation

The PBR Spring Situation

Day Drinker: Breakfast, Booze and Sex at My Ole Man's

Who says you have to wait until the sun goes down to have a good time? ​"Whaddya makin' for breakfast?" my day drinking pals Ronda and Tana and I ask Todd, the morning barkeep at My Ole Man's in Glendale. "Anything you want," he answers. "You're the Italian-American Jersey boy," I say ... More >>

Ed Hardy Alcohol: The Next Step in World Douche-ification?

edhardybeverages.comIs the world ready to "party Hardy?"​In the beginning, there were tattoos. Then came the clothes (shudder). Now Ed Hardy's got a whole line of beverages including wine, sparkling wine, sangria, beer, vodka, tequila, energy drinks and spring water. The results of such a l ... More >>

Valentine's Day Break-Up Gift and Everybody-Wins-Nobody-Loses-Time-Waster-Show, in "TV Dinner"

Looking for the latest in tasty television? Need to know the need-to-watch episodes of your favorite foodie shows? Chow Bella is here to help. We're reviewing the most delectable and dreadful with a handy, must-see schedule so you won't miss a thing. How exciting! A box from your sweetie has arri ... More >>

PBR Brings Lucero To Yucca For Free

​A day after playing Coachella, Lucero will be in Tempe playing an outdoor show in the parking lot outside Yucca Tap Room on April 17. The show, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, will be free and have a carnival-type atmosphere like last year's Tiki Throwdown. The event will have a Jersey Shore them ... More >>

Mug Shot of the Week: Cardinals Super Fan

​This is one of the few haircuts we've ever seen that may be dumber than the "blown out" Long Island locks Paulie D sports on the Jersey Shore. This Arizona Cardinals super-fan was originally seen on The Smoking Gun and his mug was brought to our attention by our friends a ... More >>

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 >>

Just Announced: Black Lips, Cursive, Fall Out Boy, Gaslight Anthem, The Little Ones

A great week for show announcements, as we've got indie faves The Black Lips, Cursive, Gaslight Anthem, and The Little Ones coming.Oh, and Fall Out Boy. You know, for kids.The Black Lips (above) have a druggy, melodic sound they call "psych-punk," which strikes me as something like The Stooges playi ... More >>

Bruce Springsteen

Magic
(Sony)

Bottoming Out

Trailer-park Scrooge finds 10 reasons to say humbug about the music of 2001