Yo Gabba Gabba!

Top Five Must-See Shows in Phoenix This Weekend

We're just a little bit biased about the best way to spend your weekend here in Phoenix. New Times' Carnaval Electrico with Cold War Kids, Mergence, Hanni El Khatib, and more, is clearly awesome, but get this: There's other cool things going on around town. No joke. Rampage Fest at the Sail Inn is k ... More >>

Christian Jacobs of Yo Gabba Gabba! Doesn't Talk Down to Kids

Yo Gabba Gabba! Is Proof That Kids Like Awesome Music

Can you imagine how you would have turned out if The Flaming Lips -- the same Christmas on Mars/crazy/insane Flaming Lips you're thinking of -- had appeared on Sesame Street? It's a question we'll soon be able to answer. The Lips have appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba!, arguably the hippest children's sh ... More >>

Pinback's Rob Crow Has A Lot of Thoughts Concerning Star Wars

San Diego's post rock-meets-subdued pop duo Pinback has kind of been under the radar for the past five years. Rob Crow and Zach Smith took a break from recording new Pinback songs to focus on side projects and family, all while taking Pinback out for occasional tours. But the duo returned in late ... More >>

John "Speedo" Reis Brings Hot Snakes and Night Marchers to Town

Corey Busboom's Circuit-Bent Instrument Shows Up in Devo's Latest Music Video

The tough-looking circuit-bent instruments crafted by Phoenix's Corey Busboom are able to survive getting accidentally dropped by clumsy musicians. However, these curious creations (which are made from broken electronics and household appliances) won't survive an attack by ginormous kaiju monsters. ... More >>

Record Heat by Brad Dwyer

​My favorite moment of Herman Cain's "That's it, I'm out of here" speech was when quoted Donna Summers' "Power of One," a favorite "poem" of us, and coincidentally, the theme from Pokémon 2000. Brad Dwyer features another kids show in this week's installment of Record Heat, the much-loved Y ... More >>

Scientology's Newly Purchased "Ideal Org" Building in Phoenix Will Become a Recruiting Tool -- Once the Last of Its Tenants Gets Kicked Out

Peelander Z and The Aggrolites at Sail Inn, 9-18-2011

Jonathan McNamaraPeelander Yellow performs at Sail Inn. ​On the drive over to Sail Inn tonight, my roommate asked if he was going to understand Peelander Z. It was a fair question. Though the band formed in New York, it's made up of four Japanese transplants. "Yes," I said, they mostly sing i ... More >>

The MC Bat Commander of The Aquabats Talks Alien Conspiracies, Homestar Runner, and Biz Markie

The Aquabats​ It's been almost six years since the costume wearing pop-punk veterans The Aquabats put out a new album. That's a pretty big gap, but you can probably attribute a big portion of that to the fact that Aquabat's lead singer The MC Bat Commander is also Christian Jacobs, co-creator of ... More >>

Rihanna Gets Her Material Banned in 11 Countries

​Barbadian pop star Rihanna's music video for her song "S&M" has taken things too fa according to censorship guidelines and MTV News.Eleven countries, and possibly more to come, have already restricted any airplay on television. Even BBC 1 radio refuses to play Rihanna's song during most hours ... More >>

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our 2/3 Issue

​This week, New Times ran a list in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up On The Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. Why did Coachella sell out so fast? Why does Keller Williams love Yo Gabba Gabba! so much? Is that song in the n ... More >>

Keller Williams on Yo Gabba Gabba!, Overly Demanding Musicians, and Charity Work

C. Taylor Crothers​Virginian musician Keller Williams is known for being so much more than just another singer-songwriter. He dabbles between genres from reggae, funk, folk, alternative, bluegrass, and children's music. He's got a handful of side projects with other musicians as well, plus he keep ... More >>

Jan. 28 In Blogs: Russell Pearce, Peep-Toe Boots, Keller Williams, Narcisse Champagne Lounge, and the American Kennel Club

​​​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:

Ska Parade Tour @ The Clubhouse Music Venue

The Toasters, Monkey, and Go-Go 13 Headline Two-Day Ska Fest at The Clubhouse in January

The Toasters​Ska kids and rude boys from throughout the Valley will definitely be skanking up a storm at this news: alt-rock station X103.9 and local promoter Jeremiah Gratza (a.k.a. President Gator) are bringing a massive two-night ska festival to the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe next month. T ... More >>

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live at Comerica Theatre Yesterday

​ Yo Gabba GabbaComerica Theatre in PhoenixSunday December 5, 2010As I mentioned in my interview with Yo Gabba Gabba! co-creator Christian Jacobs, I have seen every episode of the popular kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! a minimum of six times. You may think that number is an exaggeration but I assu ... More >>

Yo Gabba Gabba!, Tempe Festival of the Arts, First Friday, and Toubab Krewe Over the Weekend

​Yo Gabba Gabba at the Comerica Theatre Last Afternoon I haven't been to one of these afternoon kids shows before, so I'm not sure if there are generally so many indie-looking dudes with beards ecstatically singing along with with a song called "Get the Sillies Out" at the Comerica Theatre whe ... More >>

Dec. 6 In Blogs: Crafting, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Four Loko, and Andrew Thomas

​​​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:

Yo Gabba Gabba at the Comerica Theatre Last Afternoon

Maria VassettYo Gabba Gabba's DJ Lance Rock live at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix.​Yo Gabba Gabba LiveComerica Theatre in PhoenixSaturday, December 4, 2010I haven't been to one of these afternoon kids shows before, so I'm not sure if there are generally so many indie-looking dudes with beards ecstat ... More >>

Praise Yo Gabba Gabba! for Teaching Kids to Not Be Cynical Old Bastards Before Their Time

Yo Gabba Gabba!, Dark Star Orchestra, Brother Ali, and More in This Week's Issue

Yo Gabba Gabba! shows kids the right way to have a good time.​Say no more, elitist parents: Yo Gabba Gabba! isn't just for kids anymore. What other children's show features awesome musical performances by some pretty big names on every episode? Kids love the music and parents like the substantial ... More >>

Praise Yo Gabba Gabba! for Teaching Kids to Not Be Cynical Old Bastards Before Their Time

Yo Gabba Gabba! Co-creator Christian Jacobs Talks Yo Gabba Gabba!, Weezer, and Devo

Yo Gabba Gabba! co-creator Christian Jacobs with Brobee​ As the parent of two toddlers, I've seen every episode of the popular kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! a minimum of five or six times. While being forced to sit through the same episodes of certain children's television programs is torture th ... More >>

Dec. 1 In Blogs: Trent Franks, Vintage License Plates, Copper State Tavern, Chanukah, and the TSA

​​​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:

Biz Markie Talks Yo Gabba Gabba!, Beastie Boys, and Jeff Goldblum

Biz Markie and the gang from Yo Gabba Gabba!​ Not a lot of old-school rappers would be a good fit on a children's television show, but Biz Markie is definitely the exception to that rule. The popular rapper and beatboxer is probably best know for his hit "Just a Friend" as well as the song ... More >>

Yo Gabba Gabba VS. Daft Punk - Party In My Tummy (Kendo Says Oh Yeah Edit)

​Song: Yo Gabba Gabba VS. Daft Punk - Party In My Tummy (Kendo Says Oh Yeah Edit)Context: I'm trying to understand the widespread appeal of Yo Gabba Gabba before this weekend's big show.... so far, no luck. Yo Gabba Gabba VS. Daft Punk - Party In My Tummy (Kendo Says Oh Yeah Edit) by Kendotr ... More >>

Nov. 30 In Blogs: Snuggies, Yo Gabba Gabba, The Main Ingredient, and Derek Anderson

​​​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:

The Aggrolites: If Only White Reggae Fans Would Discover Them

Toubab Krewe - Sirens

​Song: Toubab Krewe, "Sirens"Context: Just got word that Toubab Krewe will be opening for the Yo Gabba Gabba! live show at Comerica Theatre in December. I wasn't expecting to see them play Phoenix in support of TK2 since the Valley isn't a hotbed for jazz-and-Afro influenced instrumental acts, so ... More >>

Why Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh Befriended Local Circuit Bender Corey Busboom

John Legend and The Roots Perform at the Miss Universe Pageant?

As Idolator points out, John Legend and The Roots are typically known for their socially conscious music. So it was a bit surprising to hear that Legend performed the music for the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant. The performance featured the skinny girls in heels performing choreography that was more li ... More >>

Jimmy Eat World Show Off How to Fly on Dogs, and Other Local Music News

If you're craving a little vintage Jimmy Eat World, you're in luck. The Arizona rock band has a vintage video on YouTube from a performance way back in the day, at the 1997 Mind Over Matter Fest in Detroit. And if you happened to miss the band when it performed on the hip kids' show Yo Gabba Gabba!, ... More >>

Coachella: My Experience in 1,600 Words, Broken Up Into 140 Character Chunks

These babies were hard to get if you waited too long.​Coachella is my favorite time of the year, like my birthday and Christmas combined. While I've been there before, this was my first experience documenting it on my phone, tweeting about camping, crowds and, umm, music.What follows is an annotat ... More >>

Slash's Solo Album Stream: Hear It Before Its May Release

Slash has a new record out...with the help of loads of famous friends.​When you used to be in a band with a guy that made arguably the most anticipated album of the last two decades, which turned out to be Axl Rose's epic failure Chinese Democracy, it's kinda hard to top the hype yourself. But ala ... More >>

Blondie's Debbie Harry Creates Converse Line: Why This is Not Punk Rock

Just one of the new Blondie shoes that will be sold by Converse.​It seems anything involving Blondie and Converse, the quintessential and iconic shoe of late-'70s punk rockers, would be a great idea.Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry wasn't just known for her golden tresses and her take-charge attitu ... More >>