RJD2

Nobody's Tool: Maynard James Keenan Would Rather Talk About His Other Bands

10 Greatest TV Themes of All Time

Oh you don't own a TV? How brave. Seriously -- people love bragging about not watching TV, but they're missing out. Whether watching live, on Netflix, or on DVD, there's almost nothing as fun as zoning out in front of the TV. We're partial to music too (you might have guessed), so when we started ... More >>

Up on the Sun: The Podcast Episode 9 with A Place to Bury Strangers

"Loud" is the most common description of A Place to Bury Strangers, the New York-based trio of Robi Gonzalez (drums), Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals), and Dion Lunadon (bass guitar). But loud is only part of it, as Worship, the band's expansive new album (due out June 26 on Dead Oceans) demonstrate ... More >>

Aceyalone @ Club Red

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 >>

PVT: Church With No Magic

​What happens when a previously instrumental band decides to add some vocals to the mix? The jury is still out on that -- just ask RJD2 -- although the reception is never quite as positive as it could be. Australia's PVT (formerly Pivot) are going through these exact same vocal growing pains with ... 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 >>

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 >>

Radar Brothers

Radar Brothers

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Odds 'n' Sods: CocoRosie, Natalie Merchant, Disco Biscuits, The Sadies, Small Black, and more

​It's been a pretty big past two weeks for indie rock: Hold Steady, New Pornographers, Flying Lotus, The National, The Dead Weather. That's a lot of heavy-hitters. Meanwhile, some lower-profile stuff has been piling up on my desk, so it's time to give you a rundown of the other stuff I've been lis ... More >>

Male Bonding: Nothing Hurts

​Artist: Male BondingTitle: Nothing HurtsRelease date: May 11Label: Sub PopRemember all the buzz about Wavves last year? I thought they were just okay. Hopefully, their next record (slated for release this year) will be better. In the meantime, I'll be listening to the new record by Male Bonding, ... More >>

Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

​Artist: Flying LotusTitle: CosmogrammaRelease date: May 3Label: Warp RecordsA while back, a reader posted a comment on one of my Nothing Not New posts asking why I continued to listen to electronic/laptop music even though I don't care for it all that much.Well, first of all, in the spirit of the ... More >>

Dry River Yacht Club, Ronin Meyer, and Groove-Metal in This Week's Issue

​This week's music feature is on the large, local, lo-fi band Dry River Yat Club. They reflect on their latest live album release, touring, and their very big, never changing lineup.We also have pieces on Phoenix rockers Ronin Meyer and their raffles for hugs in concert, and the "groove metal" ban ... More >>

Seven Nights of DJs & Dancing

RJD2

What's Selling: Eastside Records

Converge - Axe to Fall​Eastside Records is one of the last vestiges of the traditional American record store you'll find in the Valley of the Sun. It has a loyal clientèle and remains one of the best spots to find obscure used vinyl. Even those hard to obtain, single-issue punk albums. Even thoug ... More >>

2010's Most Anticipated Albums

2010 brings with it the hope of a new, much better decade chock full of impressive albums​Some of you may or may not have noticed that the 2000s, or aughts for the cool kids, was a pretty crappy decade. That sentiment is becoming more and more prevalent as we inch toward a brand new decade, and B ... More >>

RJD2 Announces April Show at Rhythm Room Free MP3 Download: "Games You Can Win"

Ramble John Krohn, better known to the world as RJD2, adds another marquee date to Phoenix's already promising spring lineup​It may be too early to call it, but this spring already looks to be an impressive one for live music in the Valley. I know, I know -- it's not even 2010, but can't we just l ... More >>

December 10 In Blogs: Dennis Gilman, Kid Rock, French Toast, and Chicanos Por La Causa

​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: Feathered Bastard: Activist Dennis Gilman's Letter of Disgust to Eric Holder's DOJ Investigators Up on the ... More >>

Aceyalone, and Dilated Peoples

RJD2 at Clubhouse Music

RJD2

Generic slide

Jelts and Idolize

Tomorrow's Last Try
(Earsweat Records)

Looking Better

Beats working

Top 10 selling CDs at Eastside Records, 217 West University Drive in Tempe

Chart-busters for the week

Soul Position

Things Go Better With RJ & Al
(Rhymesayers)

Aceyalone

Magnificent City
(Project Blowed/Decon)

Cage

Hell's Winter
(Def Jux)

On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon you've been jamming and dig this year's buried black-music treasures

Fresh Produce

With underground hip-hop or mass-appeal club records, RJD2's a stickler for details.

Aceyalone and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien

Socially conscious, lyrically lush

RJD2

Since We Last Spoke (Definitive Jux)

Vast Aire

Crunk and Disorderly

Hunting for rapture in the live music capital of the world

C-Rayz Walz

Ravipops (The Substance) (Definitive Jux)

Aceyalone

Love & Hate (Project BLOWED)

Dälek

From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (Ipecac)

RJD2

Dead Ringer (Definitive Jux)