Santa Cruz

Michael Babcock and Jenn Robinson: 2013 Big Brain Awards Finalists, Culinary

You submitted nominations for awards given to the Valley's emerging creatives and the results are in. Introducing our Big Brain 2013 Finalists. Leading up to the Big Brain Award awards announcement and celebration on April 27, Chow Bella and Jackalope Ranch will introduce the finalists. Up today: ... More >>

A Chance to Drink in Tempe with The Drunken Botanist Author Amy Stewart

Raised in Dallas, Amy Stewart never had an interest in gardening, insisting (understandably) "It was too hot!" That changed long ago. Upon settling in Santa Cruz, California, Stewart found a climate and culture that sprouted the gardener -- and writer -- within her. From the Ground Up, her first b ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows in Phoenix This Week

Phoenix! It's our top five must-see shows this week.

Red Rocks Folk Band decker. Defines Itself with Slider

Minibosses Gear Up for Their 250th Show

If you're a diehard fan of video games and you've never listened to The Minibosses, you should be ashamed of yourself. The local band by way of Massachusetts performs rock versions of classic Nintendo video game soundtracks. The Minibosses are scheduled to perform their 250th show at Yucca Tap Roo ... More >>

Sedona-Based Band decker. Rolls With the Punches

decker.'s Van Flips on Tour, Injures Band Member Kelly Cole

See also: decker: Love, God, and Sex in SedonaCall it a rough weekend: While on tour in California, Sedona-based folk band decker.'s van flipped over on Friday night, injuring one of the band members. On the road from Santa Cruz to their Los Angeles show, a tire blew out, causing the van and U-Haul ... More >>

Border Food Summit Brings Small Farmers, Ranchers, Co-ops and Food Communities Together

See also: Urban Grocery Closes on May 12 See also: Aaron Chamberlin Will Open Farm-Focused Cafe in Urban Grocery Space Got a small farm or ranch in Arizona? Or an interest in local food and methods for marketing and distributing it? Or maybe a burning desire to learn more about native and heirloom ... More >>

Andrew Jackson Jihad to Tour With Against Me!; No, They Aren't Playing Here

See also: Against Me! Plays First Tempe Show Fronted by Laura Jean Grace See also: Andrew Jackson Jihad Headline Trunk Space Benefit Show There's no band making headlines quite like Against Me! these days. Ever since frontman Tom Gabel announced that he would begin living and performing as Laura ... More >>

Minnesota @ Club Red

An Underground (and Virtual) Tour of the Southwest

One new idea for every day in 2011. We're talking big, small, local, international, in action, and on the drawing board. Here's today's -- what's yours?​This Saturday, Bill Doelle is exploring the Tucson underground -- and he'd like some company. The archaeologist, president of Desert Archa ... More >>

Tamales 101: 10 Tips from a First-Time Holiday Tamale Maker

​For some, the Holy Grail of Holiday Cooking is the croquembouche. For others, it's the perfect latke or maybe the whole turkey-and-fixin's line-up. But tamales have always topped my holiday bucket list. Maybe because "Tamale Day" has long been described by friends in hushed tones -- romant ... More >>

Is the Breast Cancer Awareness Slogan "Feel For Lumps, Save Your Bumps" Offensive?

www.religionnewsblog.comThat's offensive? Come on!​Cheerleaders at Gilbert High School planned to wear breast cancer awareness T-shirts that featured the slogan "Feel For Lumps, Save Your Bumps" to home football games in October.The cheerleaders planned to wear the shirts while collecting money fo ... More >>

French Quarter Tour Diary - Week 2

The southern California leg concluded nicely. Thanks to a great promoter and the draw of some awesome local rippers, we played to 130 kids at The Smell in Los Angeles, a well-known downtown all-ages space with a relatively big stage. We don't normally get the opportunity to play with big PAs and dru ... More >>

Cultivate Santa Cruz: The Little Food County that Could

http://azgenweb.org/santacruz/map.html​Have you seen little bits and blurbs about a project called Cultivate Santa Cruz? Ya, we have too. Here's what it's all about. The little food county that could at the dead center bottom of the state is working its way up the mountain, with a litt ... More >>

Slightly Stoopid's Rymo On the Band's New Album, Surfing, and BBQ

Silverback Management/Slightly Stoopid​ The members of Slightly Stoopid have been making music together for more than a decade. Slightly Stoopid's sound is varied. Its six members wield an array of instruments including congas, harp, trumpet, keyboard and saxophone. They've toured with such ... More >>

Outstanding in the Field 2011 Tour Stopping in AZ

Did you think it couldn't get more creative than a pop-up? Think outside the box. Literally. Outstanding in the Field is like the original pop-up restaurant but outdoors. Founder Jim Denevan grew up surfing in Santa Cruz and while he started in the kitchen as a dishwasher, he didn't get back into f ... More >>

Canna Cola Delivers THC with Fizz

​From marijuana-infused vodka to good old-fashioned pot brownies, people are coming up with all kinds of smokeless THC delivery methods now that medical marijuana's picking up momentum. Almost makes you wonder if rolling papers will become extinct . . . The latest to bubble up is Canna ... More >>

Free Pot Offered at California Clinic in Exchange for Food Brings Huge, Charitable Response

Image: www.grannypurps.com​ One potential benefit of Proposition 203 could be a boost in local food banks, if Arizona pot dispensaries follow the lead of one California clinic. The Granny Purps marijuana dispensary in Soquel, California, has collected 11,000 pounds of food for a ... More >>

A Restaurant By Any Other Name: Tottie's Asian Fusion vs. TOTT's Asian Diner

A memorable name can make or break a restaurant, whether it's something delightfully amusing like Santa Cruz's 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall pub or snicker-inducing raunchy -- for example, Portland's Hung Far Low or the forthcoming Beaver Choice in Tempe. So I was surprised to find two Asian r ... More >>

Rabies in Maricopa County: Why You Should and Shouldn't Be Terrified; Plus, Here's a Free Pets-Vaccination Spot

www.deviantart.com​As we reported back in January, 2009 was the most rabid year in Arizona history, with 261 animals testing positive for the disease, which is an alarming 85 more than 2008.The outbreak got so bad in Santa Cruz and Coconino counties that county-wide quarantines were issued. ... More >>

Hot Links: Border Patrol, Toy Guns, and Ice Cream Trucks

​A new U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint opened near Tubac yesterday. The $1.5 million interim checkpoint along Interstate 19 is supposed to help catch illegal immigrants and drug runners, but residents in the Santa Cruz Valley say it will hurt businesses and endanger neighborhoods...A former Rhodes J ... More >>

Bobby Flay's New Foray in This Week's "TV Dinner"

Photo by Jason Kempin, Getty ImagesBobby Flay and Stephanie March​Wow, being asked to join a major network like NBC must be quite an honor. Imagine being in the same category with respected show hosts like Jay Leno and Regis and Kelly. Looks like the Food Network's own cutting-board jumping/Mo ... More >>

The Science and Technology Expo at Trunk Space

Benjamin LeathermanI Hate You When You're Pregnant performs for packed crowd at the Trunk Space.​Gimmick bands. You either like 'em or hate 'em. I happen to fall in the former category. Groups like Man or Astroman, Mr. Pacman, or Captured! By Robots happen to be among some of my favorite acts. I ... 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 >>

Hot Links: Desert View Watchtower, Infant Death, and Parks

​A teacher in Fort Mohave faces charges on five counts of aggravated assault on a child, after allegations that he touched female students' backs in class. The fifth-grade teacher, 70 year-old William Temple, is not accused of touching the students' genitals or chest...Mesa police arrested Andrew ... More >>

ADHS: 2009 Most Rabid Year in Arizona History

www.deviantart.net​In China, 2009 was the year of the cow. In Arizona, however, 2009 may have been the year of the rabid bobcat.Officials at the Arizona Department of Health Services say there were more cases of rabies in 2009 than in any other year to date, including at least two rabid bobc ... More >>

Scott Weiland Selling (Not Pawning) His Personal Belongings For Charity (Not Smack)

​I have to admit, when I saw a press release about Scott Weiland's "personal belongings" going on the auction block I assumed the auctioneer was an agent of Big Bob's pawn shop in Santa Cruz, California. Nope. The noted junkie (and sometimes singer for acts like Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revo ... More >>

Defending Death Metal: Your Prog-Rock-Loving Friends Might Like Decrepit Birth

Defending Death

Your Prog-Rock Loving Friends Might Like Decrepit Birth

Oakville Grocery Co. Coming Soon to Scottsdale Quarter

​Oakville Grocery Co., a California-based market cafe founded in 1881 that's considered by many to be the West Coast version of Dean & Deluca, is getting ready to open its doors in early December at the new Scottsdale Quarter shopping complex -- already home to hot retailers like H&M ... More >>

More Action on Central: Hula's Modern Tiki

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for neat old buildings -- especially ones that house restaurants -- so imagine my delight when I discovered that somebody leased that far-out building in the middle of the Haus/Movies On Central/soon-to-be Lola Coffee strip (4700 N. Central). You know, the one ... More >>

The Expendables

Ash Reiter and the Power of Positive Thinking @ Carly’s Bistro, Monday, November 5

Alt-Weeklies Provide Web Links to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Home Address

Action Taken in Solidarity with Phoenix New Times

Deerhunter

Now with less fuzz!

Tom Baker Quartet

Look What I Found
(Present Sounds Recordings)

Satan's Cheerleaders

Our diabolical duo sets Sugar Daddy's ablaze for the first-ever Saints 'n' Sinners Ball

Stalins War

Big Bad Developer

George Johnson is quickly becoming the most notorious developer in Arizona

The Mars Volta

De-Loused in the Comatorium (Strummer/Universal) Vendetta Red Between the Never and the Now (Epic)

Plan 9 for Inner Space

Sound Tribe Sector 9 finds new ways to improvise

The Art of Cheerfulness

Artist McLaughlin's manner carries over into his work

War in Peace

Skip Spence made one brilliant album, then spent the next 30 years dying in obscurity. Now, a new tribute album is giving him life again.

Feat of Clay

Wallace and Gromit filmmakers tackle Gumby Noir

Texas Flood

HAVE A NICE TRIPDEADHEADS MAKE ONE MORE PILGRIMAGE--TO SAY GOODBYE

SECOND HELPINGS

A SCAR IS BORN

BRANDING COMES OUT OF THE CORRAL AND INTO THE FASHION ARENA

FARMING'S BARREN LEGACY

IN OTHER PLACES, ABANDONED FIELDS GO BACK TO NATURE ON THEIR OWN. IN THE DESERT, THEY NEED LAURA JACKSON'S HELP.