Southern California

Joe Arpaio's Fave Pay-triot John Philip Sousa IV Fires Back, Makes Bank Off Peddling Joe

Nativist Nimrod and birther nutbar John Philip Sousa IV slays me with his whole, "Guess who my great-grandpappy was?" song and dance, which he uses to sell his lame book about the original John Philip Sousa, shill for racist organizations like the Federation for American Immigration Reform, and pimp ... More >>

Slayer's Jeff Hanneman and 8 Other Metallers Dead Before Their Time

Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman died of cirrhosis on May 2, the same day as the Golden Gods Awards. It was devastating that on a day meant to celebrate the lives of the best musicians in metal, one of those artists was taken from the world of music. It also came as a shock. In fact, by all accounts ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows This Week

Normally we showcase five interesting shows in Phoenix each week in this space. This week, Prince is playing four shows. It is, therefore, with the public interest in mind that we condense all four of those shows down to one White-Dwarf-dense ball of concert-recommendation. That and more after the ... More >>

Fu Manchu @ Pub Rock

Catch Local Food Trucks at the New Times Building This Friday

There's no shortage of places to grab a bite from a food truck these days. For many, especially those who work in downtown Phoenix, that next culinary adventure could be parked just outside your office door on any given day. If you find yourself near 12th Street and Jefferson, the Food Truck Meet ... More >>

Candyland @ The Monarch Theatre

Mergence Adds "Surf-Samba" Track to Its Arsenal

It's no coincidence local rockers Mergence have been likened to California's Cold War Kids. Not only is the Phoenix band a quartet, but it also has a knack for crafting bluesy, soul-inspired opuses -- kinda like those other guys. So it seems only natural that they would get the nod to rep the Valley ... More >>

DJ Steve Aoki Runs EDM's Premier Label and Tours the World

How Do I Take My Local Band to the Next Level?

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop doing it wro ... More >>

Top Five Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one -- at least that's what we read somewhere -- so it's perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of our biggest stories f ... More >>

Social Distortion's Jonny Two Bags: "I Don't Know What Else I Would Be Doing If I Wasn't Playing Music."

Orange County punk legends Social Distortion have always been generous about performing in Arizona. The band usually plays a double-header at Marquee Theatre early in the year, and once again, Social D will return to the Marquee on January 22 and 23. The Tempe dates are part of a string of multiple ... More >>

Portillo's to Open First Arizona Location in Scottsdale in February

Hang on to your cake shakes, Portillo's fans. In just a couple of months, the Illinois restaurant chain beloved by Chicago transplants throughout the Valley will be bringing its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, hamburgers, and sandwiches to Arizona -- specifically Scottsdale. See also: Best Ho ... More >>

Limbeck's Patrick Carrie: "It's a Shame We Don't Get Together and Play More Often"

Alt-country rockers Limbeck may technically be a Southern California band, but the group has number of ties to Arizona. "Comin' From Tucson" is about a long drive home after playing a show at Club Congress almost a decade ago, the band is good friends with Reubens Accomplice, who just so happens to ... More >>

NFL Punter Is Prying Open America's Last Closet: Pro Sports

Psychobilly Mavericks Tiger Army Headed to Arizona Just In Time for Halloween

Psychobilly mavens Tiger Army have managed to amass a legion of loyal followers over the course of 17 years. A massive discography on the other hand, is something the Southern California trio is yet to possess. Ever since their 1999 self-titled debut, the group has added only three more titles to ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Week

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we get it. Mondays suck (we've read Garfield). But it means the start of a new week, which means a bunch of killer shows in and around Phoenix. And here are a few of the coolest, our top five must-see shows this week.

Grimes @ Crescent Ballroom

The Rundown

Ask a Mexican on Working in Mexico and Superstitions

The Beach Boys on 50 Years of West Coast Mythology

The Beach Boys' Al Jardine On The Band's Wild and Wooly Days, 50th Anniversary and New Album

See also: Al Jardine Would Much Rather Be a Beach Boy Than Go It Alone Al Jardine played standup bass on the very first Beach Boys single, "Surfin'," and since then he's been an integral part of the band's sonic makeup, playing guitar and navigating complexities not often associated with The Beach ... More >>

Seeking a Friend for the End of The World: You'll Wish You Were Left Behind

Four Must-See Shows This Weekend (And One Psychedelic Movie)

Saturday, May 19: Yellow Submarine @ AMC Desert Ridge The actual Beatles don't actually show up in the 1968 animated flick Yellow Submarine (not until the end at least, and that's not John, Paul, George, and Ringo providing voices), but don't let that dissuade you from taking in a special noontime ... More >>

$150,000 Will Buy You a Space Shuttle Food Truck

Play the video before you continue reading. Trust us, it'll enhance the reading experience and really set the mood. Rebuilt from the hull of a Douglas DC-3 the Space Shuttle Cafe started operation in 2005. But the history of the underlying vehicle stretches back to WWII. It was converted from me ... More >>

95: Eric Schaefer

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Insurance Scammers Revealed by New Times Go to Trial

Ask a Mexican on Lowrider Culture and Scratch Tickets

Best of Coachella Weekend One: Friday, April 13

Day one of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brought something more unusual than ironic outfits or that poor guy who couldn't get his flip flops on for the life of him: this year there was rain. The festival held in the Southern California desert is known for scorching, someti ... More >>

In Two Weeks and Two States, Two Families Find Naked Men in Their Homes

While writing this morning about a Skull Valley family that went home a couple weeks ago and found a naked guy in their house, it seemed like a pretty rare incident.That's apparently not the case since a very similar incident just happened again last night, this time in California.In the incident up ... More >>

UPDATED: Seven Marines Killed After Helicopters Collide Along Arizona/California Border

​UPDATE: The Marine Corps Air Station-Miramar now says one of the Marines killed was based out of Yuma.A collision of two helicopters during training exercises last night along the Arizona/California border killed seven Marines, according to a Marine Corps spokeswoman.Lieutenant Maureen Dooley tel ... More >>

Unwritten Law at Roxy Lounge, 2/9/12 (VIDEO)

Photos and video by Melissa Fossum​ Unwritten Law Roxy Lounge Thursday, February 9, 2012 Unwritten Law has had an interesting career. Lineup changes are to be expected with any band that's been around for over 20 years, but most frontmen don't have "physical arguments" with (soon-to-be-forme ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on Pronunciation and Texas Football Fandom

We Bought a Zoo: Matt Damon Needs Your Love in Cameron Crowe's Return to the Big Screen

The Quakes' Paul Roman on New Lineup, Getting Deported, and Psychobilly in the '80s

Melissa Fossum​ In spited of limited commercial success, The Quakes are one of the most influential bands in the tatted up, creepers-and-pompadour subgenre psychobilly. The band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1986 and relocated to London shortly thereafter, where they established a reputatio ... More >>

JFA Celebrates 30 Years of Skate Punk

Avenged Sevenfold @ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion

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 >>

Ask a Mexican on Reconquista, and Riding a Bike

French Quarter Tour Diary - Week 1

​I won't attempt to explain the amalgam of esoteric in-jokes that manifested into the tour poster seen above. There's a perfectly good but lengthy explanation for why the four of us chose to put John Fogerty's head on a French Quarter t-shirt, gave him dice for eyes and exhorted the viewer to ... More >>

Your New Favorite Band: The Donkeys

San Diego garage rockers The Donkeys​I will be the first to admit that I had no clue about San Diego garage/folk rockers The Donkeys until someone dutifully pointed them out for me. You see, The Donkeys have a show this Saturday at the Yucca Tap Room and I was asked if I wanted to catch their set. ... More >>

Airborne Toxic Event

Arizona and ASU Softball Teams Earn Spot in Super-Regionals This Weekend

Both Arizona major-college softball programs rolled through their respective NCAA Regionals over the weekend in Tempe and Tucson, the first of two steps necessary to earn a coveted spot in the College World Series.Freshman ace Dallas Escobedo leads Devils to Super Regionals​ Neither squad rea ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on Mexican Rap and a Tricky Proposal

Yellowcard

Carnifex @ The Underground

(100) Days of Summer Films

Pigeon John

Rufio and Others May Finally Make a Scene in the Last Corner of SoCAL Not to Have One

Asia Vu

Second Helpings