Tom Jones

New Year's Resolution: Take Some Musical Chances, Phoenix

Is it possible to have a New Years Resolution for a whole city? Not sure, but I have one. One for Phoenicians one and all, myself included. So here goes: Let's take some musical risks, Phoenix. Let's look for opportunities to try new things. No sticking to known quantities. We want to help. There ... More >>

What Would Life Be Like Without Technology? A Onetime Addict Finds Out

Jimmy Woo's and Sunshine Moon Peking Pub Rebel Against the P.F. Chang Army

15 Good Songs You Might've Missed in 2010

Peter Storch​I listened to more than 3,000 songs in 2010, so I was asked to come up with a list of the best of the year. But you've probably heard "Swim" by Surfer Blood and "Boyfriend" by Best Coast and "Helicopter" by Deerhunter and "Hustle and Cuss" by the Dead Weather, so I came up with a ... More >>

Odds 'n' Sods: Helmet, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Charlatans, Small Black, and more

​It's amazing how much music is released in a year. I've listened to nearly 270 records in their entirety this year, yet I still have a huge stack of unlistened CDs on my desk, several unlistened digital downloads in my iTunes, and a lengthy list of high-profile stuff I never got a chance to h ... More >>

The Soundtrack to Your Holiday Strip Scan

Sostadiumstatus.blogspot.comYou can see (ahem) a lot in a TSA scan.... including this gun!​Damn, TSA, buy a girl a drink first. The new full-body image scanners at airports this holiday season have already stressed and nervous travelers in a tizzy. Sure, nobody wants a bomb on their plane, but it ... 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 >>

Elvis Costello: National Ransom

​Artist: Elvis Costello Title: National Ransom Release date: November 2 Label: Hear Music I really wish it weren't the case, but I'd have to file the new record by Elvis Costello under "For Completists Only" (of which I'm sure there many when it comes to Elvis Costello fans). If you heard hi ... 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 >>

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 >>

The Old School Jingle Jam Reminds Us of the Ghosts of Hip-Hop’s Past

Café Tacuba Party Down at Celebrity on Nov. 19

By Michael Lopez Calling the crowd that made it out to the Celebrity Theatre Wednesday night receptive would be selling them short by a mile. Every song played by Mexican alt-rockers Café Tacuba whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy that didn’t die until the house lights came on. I must ... More >>

Future Shock: Burt Bacharach, Melvins, Todd Rundgren, and more

Jones Fix

Longer time gone

Guvs Just Wanna Have Fun

Kinda like The Beatles

Wedded Bliss

The other Tom Jones

Theater Scene

What's running now

Fever Pitch

Changes of venue

Taste of Chaos

So good it's almost Norwegian

Claw-de-da

Get some tail in Tempe

Crunk and Disorderly

Hunting for rapture in the live music capital of the world

Aisle of the Damned

Even a talented acting duo can't save the trite take on marriage that is I Do! I Do!

Warmed Over

The Arizona Theatre Company does fantastick things with a tired standby

Best Lounge Singer

Dave Valad

Fantastick Flop

The venerable musical runs out of steam in this production

Eccentricities

While they may not top the Billboard charts, this month's batch of jazz, blues and heritage releases is definitely worth hearing

Rod Stewart

Human (Atlantic)

Llama's Boy

The Emperor's New Groove is a new groove for Disney, too

Dwight Yoakam

Tomorrow's Sounds Today (Reprise)

Letters

From the week of October 19

Wayne's World

Septuagenarian groupies, Clinton bashing, deep-fried cheese

Saint Lucre

At 2 a.m. at an Indian casino, one can get broke and cynical

Reach Out for These!

Reconstructed Funk

Tempe sextet Bionic Jive plays cosmic slop with a twist

Aloha Again, Naturally

Tom Marches On

It's not unusual to find we're still in love with him, woah woah woah woah, woah woah woah woah woah woah

Pic Hits for the week

RECORDINGS

BIG WAX BUILDUP

IS VINYL REALLY THE CHOICE OF A NEW GENERATION OR ARE PEOPLE JUST WAXING NOSTALGIC?

RECORDINGS

FLIP-SIDE STORY

CDS HAVE MADE THE B-SIDE OBSOLETE. FOR BETTER OR WORSE.

TRIFLING WITH SUCCESS

BARON THEIR FANGS

GET THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN INDOORS; THE PLEASURE BARONS ARE ON TOUR

Thrash in the Jam

Phoenix's Sticky Thang grabs on to a gripping, gritty groove