Norman (Oklahoma)

Wonky Architecture Stands Out Against the Bland

Indie supergroups Amor de Dias and Jonny deliver distinctively delicious debut discs

Merge RecordsJonny features Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake, left, and Euros Childs, formerly of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Childs: "Why don't we record some music together, Norman?" Blake: Why, that's a fine idea, my friend!"​You know indie rock has reached full maturity when longtime genre protag ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Ever Wonder What Happened to Norman Fierros?

  A. Scattergood​Still miss Norman Fierros' dessert chimichanga, the tiny Hershey bar fried to perfection, served at Norman's Arizona, his last local gig in what is now the heart of the La Grande Orange empire? Then you are a true Phoenician. And you probably r ... 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 >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, July 15, 2010

​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 >>

Norris Church Mailer, Laura Bush, and What I Read on My Summer Vacation

​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 >>

Source Victoria to Play Rhythm Room Twice This Month, August

 Although they've been on the quiet side the last few months, local favorites Source Victoria are back with two shows in the next two months. First up, the guys will play Phoenix's The Rhythm Room Wednesday, July 22 for an all-ages show with LA indie-rock act JP Inc. (formerly Pleasea ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Fall Guy Refuses to Name Bank Holding SCA Funny Money

  Maricopa County Sheriff's Captain Joel Fox, still the only person to date who's been linked to a mysterious $105,000 donation to the Arizona Republican Party, took the stand today in front of Administrative Law Judge Thomas Shedden -- but instead of resolving the issue, Fo ... More >>

Yes Man Repackages Jim Carrey's Greatest Hits, Which Maybe Weren't So Great to Start With

  Maricopa County Sheriff's Captain Joel Fox, still the only person to date who's been linked to a mysterious $105,000 donation to the Arizona Republican Party, took the stand today in front of Administrative Law Judge Thomas Shedden -- but instead of resolving the issue, Fo ... More >>

ASU Women's Basketball vs. UC Riverside

  Maricopa County Sheriff's Captain Joel Fox, still the only person to date who's been linked to a mysterious $105,000 donation to the Arizona Republican Party, took the stand today in front of Administrative Law Judge Thomas Shedden -- but instead of resolving the issue, Fo ... More >>

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, January 3, 2008

  Maricopa County Sheriff's Captain Joel Fox, still the only person to date who's been linked to a mysterious $105,000 donation to the Arizona Republican Party, took the stand today in front of Administrative Law Judge Thomas Shedden -- but instead of resolving the issue, Fo ... More >>

Devils’ Advocate

Sure, ASU got the boot, but the Fiesta parties on

Revival in Your Laptop

Even perverts need a Guide

Miss Congeniality

Beatrix Potter gets an extreme makeover

A Guide to Recognizing Your Shrinks

Coming of age and coming out in the Me Decade

Starlight Mints

A magical mystery tour

Spiked

Local chef takes off, and political hopeful is just off

O Brother, Where Are We?

New outtakes collection spotlights the visionary stoner-bluegrass of John Hartford's Aereo-Plain

Dream Weaver

Spider-Man slings pop mythology for the masses

Year in the Headlights

One restaurant's messy demise makes way for another's stellar start

DineAsty

The Kaufmans have another winner in Nonni's Kitchen

Hosty Takeover

Oklahoma's Hosty Duo is funny, funky, and fit for public consumption

Norman Abates

Legendary restaurateur Norman Fierros skips out on the check

Stormin' Norman's

Norman Fierros of Norman's Arizona is in trouble with the Department of Revenue

Starlight Mints

The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of (SeeThru Broadcasting)

Party Hardy

Pleasures of the Palettes a success

Puttin' On the Ditz

Emily Watson delights and defies definitions as malapropism-prone Trixie

Riding the Rhythm

LTJ Bukem takes a pragmatic view of the co-opting of drum 'n' bass by corporate America

I See Dull People!

The only thing more boring than the surface of this Ford/Pfeiffer "thriller" is What Lies Beneath

Waiting for Gourmet

Valley diners search for variety

School's Out

A guitar maker's yarn

Race for the Prize

After a monumental 1999, the Flaming Lips return to the road, ponder their legacy and look toward the future

Second Helpings

After a monumental 1999, the Flaming Lips return to the road, ponder their legacy and look toward the future

Unconsciously Brilliant

Restless Records' Flaming Lips anthology recounts the early chapters of one of indie rock's finest

Olden Shower

Gus Van Sant's re-Psycho'ed Hitchcock classic is a little dated, but not without fresh blood

The Norman Tabernacle

Gus Van Sant's re-Psycho'ed Hitchcock classic is a little dated, but not without fresh blood

Second Helpings

Gus Van Sant's re-Psycho'ed Hitchcock classic is a little dated, but not without fresh blood

They Put the Suc in Success

Motivational gurus and minor celebrities tell how they became rich and famous

Talking Tiki

Motivational gurus and minor celebrities tell how they became rich and famous

BROMIDE SELTZE

Motivational gurus and minor celebrities tell how they became rich and famous

BARKLEY'S UNDERBELLY

Motivational gurus and minor celebrities tell how they became rich and famous

BRUTALLY FRANK: ROCK STARS VERSUS FRANK SINATRA: WHO DID IT HIS WAY FIRST?

Motivational gurus and minor celebrities tell how they became rich and famous