North Carolina

Second Amendment Follies at Sand Land's Capitol, Courtesy of Dennis Gilman

Gilman and I get to know some of our fellow Sand Land-ers and reconnect with old pals like Buffalo Rick... There's nothing more fun on a mild, sunny day in Arizona than getting out and about and talkin' to ordinary folks. See also: -Jim Carrey, Right on Gun Nuts, Fox News, Emma Stone... -Arizona G ... More >>

Artisan Bakery Mediterra Bakes Fantastic Bread, and We'll Tell You Where to Get It

When Simply Bread closed nearly two years ago, it was a major blow for those of us who love crusty, European-style bread. Good news is: there's a new bakery called Mediterra Bakehouse in town (well, in Coolidge, to be precise), and they're turning out ravishing artisan loaves -- large and heavy wit ... More >>

Clay Aiken on Christmas, American Idol, and Donald Trump

At one point during our early morning interview, singer and performer Clay Aiken yawned. It was a deep, expressive yawn. He did not ask to be excused, but he didn't need to: Aiken is among the most affable, pleasant, and charming interviews I've ever enjoyed. Plus, the guy has every reason to be w ... More >>

What the F*ck, Golden Corral?

There's nothing like an unexpected gift for the holidays. But for 167 people at the end of last week, that gift came in the form of food poisoning from a Wyoming Golden Corral, the budget buffet and family-style steakhouse restaurant chain. "Oh, a norovirus! Golden Corral, you shouldn't have!" Pos ... More >>

Witch Mountain, Yucca Tap Room, 11/12/12

Witch Mountain @ Yucca Tap Room|11/12/12I've always felt troubled by the psychological exercise of word association, that each response would reveal some flawed abnormality about my character. If you were to say doom metal in such an exercise, my response would most likely be "relaxation" or "easy ... More >>

Whole-Roasted Pigs Cooked in La Caja China: Saturdays at Café Bink, Sundays at The Mission

You may be completely over bacon (it's certainly fashionable to say so), but if you're any kind of pork-lover at all, it's pretty hard not to get excited about whole roasted pig. With its crispy skin and falling-apart meat -- ultra-flavorful for being cooked on the bone with all the fat -- it's fabu ... More >>

Rascal Flatts Restaurant Chain to Launch in Phoenix With 14,000-Square-Foot Space

Look out Alice, Rascal Flatts, the award-winning American country band who've sang with Justin Bieber, are developing their own fashion line, and, according to Forbes, pulled down 45 million big ones in 2010, have their sights set on a new venture: a restaurant chain. And where better to put a res ... More >>

These United States: Rambling Americana That Melts Into the Arizona Desert

Somewhere north of Apache Junction, there's a long road leading to a rock on the edge of the Salt River that Jesse Elliott still needs to see. For a songwriter who makes the most out of near-endless traveling, that rock represents just another one of those tempting little side roads in life. "Wh ... More >>

High Jinks and F-Bombs on The Campaign Trail

Puente's "Undocubus" Set to Travel to Democratic National Convention

See Also: Arizona Congressman David Schweikert Falsely Claims Illegal Immigrants Are No Longer Afraid While most pro-immigrant activists are focusing on educating people about President Obama's new immigration policy regarding DREAM Act students, which promises to stop the deportations of ... More >>

Your Guide to Highly Anticipated Summer Films

What's Selling: Stinkweeds Top 10 Selling Albums of the Week

Ten Musicians To Help Inspire You This Octobeard

October is a great time of year for a few different reasons. You've got the Arizona State Fair, Oktoberfest, the weather starts to get nice outside, and most importantly, it's now Octobeard. For those not familiar with Octobeard it's defined by urbandictionary.com as: A celebration of facial hair ... More >>

St. Francis Posts a Kids Lunch Menu and Sets Off a Little Debate About Children in Restaurants

Evie Carpenter​It started innocently enough. Last week, St. Francis, the stunningly cool bastion of contemporary American cuisine in Central Phoenix, posted a lunch menu for kids on their Facebook page and ended up with a discussion -- pro and con -- about children in restaur ... More >>

Jack White Heroes Dex Romweber Duo Play Straight-Up Rock 'n' Roll

Archers of Loaf: Icky Mettle (Remastered)

Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle​It's a rather, let's say, quaint day for new releases, so that's why I've decided to go ahead and take a look at the reissue of the influential 1993 Archers of Loaf debut album Icky Mettle. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina band played their first show in 13 years this ... More >>

Toubab Krewe at Compound Grill Last Night

Martin CizmarToubab Krewe on stage at Compound Grill in Phoenix.​Toubab KreweCompound GrillSaturday December 4, 2010Here's something amazing that pretty well sums up the vibe at Saturday night's Toubab Krewe show at Compound Grill: They let the chicks bring in their hula hoops and, dammit, they us ... More >>

Barack Obama's $600 Million Border Boondoggle

Obama: $600 million-tough on landscapers and nanniesSo President Barack Obama, who still talks a good game about "comprehensive immigration reform," has now signed a supplemental border security package worth $600 million to add 1,000 Border Patrol agents, as well as hundreds of new officers for Imm ... More >>

Critics, Love, and The Avett Brothers

Megafaun

Sand Rubies, a.k.a. The Side Winders at Sail Inn: Legendary Tucson Jangle-Poppers Host Reunion Show

​You can't listen to more than 30 seconds of Sand Rubies' 1990 single "We Don't Do That Anymore" before it become obvious that the Gin Blossoms weren't the first Arizona band doing the jangle-pop thing.Tucson's Sand Rubies -- originally called The Side Winders before a North Carolina cover band su ... More >>

People's Biennial Slated for SMoCA Raises Hackles of Local Artists and Curators

Kathleen VanesianCould this be a contender for SMoCA's upcoming "People's Biennial"?​ The art community grapevine in this Valley is about three inches long, so it didn't take much time for me to get calls concerning a recent, very heated panel discussion at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary A ... More >>

Arizona DPS Busts Fake ID Manufacturer in Scottsdale

www.collegejolt.com​Department of Public Safety officers served a warrant at a home in Scottsdale today and found just about everything needed to make fake IDs, as well as two Mexican men they believe were running the operation.Considering what DPS officers found, we're gonna go ahead a ... More >>

Hot Links: Vandalism, Lawsuits, and a Chandler Mansion

​Three Fountain Hills high school students have admitted to vandalizing cars in the neighborhood and tagging them with racist imagery and slurs. The only suspect being named is Alex Castellanos, 18. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says the students didn't have a racial motive, and they will be ... More >>

Where It’s Legal to Sleep with a Jonas Brother

ASU Sun Devils Live to See Another Day at College World Series

Things looked mighty bleak midway through Arizona State's baseball game against North Carolina yesterday afternoon. Then, down 4-0 in an elimination game at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium, the Sun Devils loaded the bases for previously unsung outfielder Kole Calhoun. Calhoun deposited a pitch i ... More >>

Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor Called Racist by the Racists

Sonia Sotomayor, a racist? Riiiiiight.... You know it's taken a turn for the surreal when an obnoxious lout like William Gheen is calling you a racist. Gheen is a nasty piece of work, the founder of the extremist nativist Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, which is headquartered in Rale ... More >>

What Laura Says: No Longer Thinking And Feeling, Except In The Title Of Their Latest Album

Future Shock: Annuals, Jimmy Eat World, Times New Viking, and more

John Vanderslice, and The Bowerbirds

Tasty bites

The Tall-Tale Heart

Big Fish author spins another whopper

Yuppie Meets Refugee

Jude Law gets his urban renewal on in Minghella's dramatic dud

Five Long Years

Great Smoky songwriter

Power Failure

Say it isn't so

Calf-Fry Castle

Venerable feed lot reopens

Jimmy Wayne

From wayward child to country star

New Word Order

Glendale Library sets poetry in motion

Unholy Communion

Altar Boys' mix of youthful flashback and edgy animation never quite jells

Southern Knights

Reissue of two classic early '80s albums spotlights the seminal power-pop magic of the dB's

Sarah Dougher

The Bluff (Mr. Lady)

Locals

Last Man Standing

The Backsliders' Chip Robinson perseveres tochronicle the trials andtribulations of daily life, including his own

Recordings

When Affleck Met Bullock

Hot stars fail to ignite tepid Forces of Nature

Hoke Floats

Message in a Bottle's adrift in sentimental slosh

The Redneck Badge of Courage

Recordings

Dropout Rock

Illinois foursome Braid proves itself the happy exception to the college-town rule

Carolina Dreaming

As its commercial fortunes soar, Ben Folds Five wraps up a relentless year on the road

YOUNG GUNS