It’s hard to know what to expect from Wayne Wang. The Hong Kong-raised director has made one gorgeous mood movie (Chinese Box) and two intelligent literary adaptations (Smoke and Anywhere but Here); he was also responsible, in his early days, for the overwrought sob fest The Joy Luck Club. Then,…
At first (and second and maybe even third) glance, it’s all so familiar: Keanu Reeves shrouded in a black trench coat that flaps behind him like a superhero’s wings, moving between netherworlds and a real world used as a battleground, breeding ground, and playground for higher beings amused and appalled…
So you thought the Pink was hot already? You haven’t seen Hotter Pink yet, going down at Karamba (1724 East McDowell Road) this Friday, February 18. It’s the second annual birthday party for DJ Nimh (Hot Pink’s grand impresario), and he’s pulling out all the stops for this one, flying…
If Valentine’s Day didn’t give you enough room for romance, there’s really no better concert to take a sweetie to this week than Mates of State. On the flip side, there’s also no worse concert to attend if you’re lonely, single and bitter. The husband-and-wife duo — Jason Hammel on…
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and experience the genuine, bona fide, certified humbug hullabaloo of the one and only Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. No siree, not even the legendary P.T. Barnum himself could’ve conceived such a clamorous concoction of sinister industrial noise, death rock, and portending lyrics offered by this…
Radio-friendly, catchy tunes do not have to be generic, and Hot Water Music understands that. The four guys in this Florida band created a house blend of thoughtful, emotionally charged lyrics, creative drumming, and emo-styled guitar riffs intertwined with punk rock vocals to create a sound in the vein of…
On this debut, the chameleonic Vancouver fivesome is lovin’ the ’70s. “Oh, we can’t stand/Your modern music/We feel afflicted,” singer Stephen McBean moans on the saxophone-and-drums swells of “Modern Music.” Things get retro on the bounding-down-the-boulevard “Druganaut,” which sounds like Jimi Hendrix by way of Band of Gypsys. But when…
It’s no surprise that the new album from a band just signed to Sub Pop should be referred to in critical quarters as “a rock record.” But although Low isn’t a rock band (or at least has never been easily characterized as one), it turns out that the trio, which…
From breakbeats to broken beat, Brazilian Girls specialize in a sort of musical globalization and amalgamated planet rock. Imagine being trapped inside a French film: First, you’re riding in a horse-drawn carriage on a cobblestone street; then, you pass a subway entrance where b-boys are break-dancing. Nearby, a well-dressed Casanova…
On a recent weekday afternoon, I was sitting at home flipping through the new issue of Food & Wine when Adam Jacobson, bassist and lead vocalist of the Tempe rock outfit Steppchild, dropped in to school me in his philosophy of rock ‘n’ roll. Now, I think I’m pretty well-versed…
When the award-winning Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster was released on DVD late last month, it came bundled with a disc of bonus footage. Now fans could enjoy even more whimpering about how fucked up it is being Metallica. More of the band members telling each other off. More…
Last fall, I uncovered serious problems with the Maricopa County Department of Elections’ handling of a September primary recount that cast a cloud over the county’s ability to conduct fair and accurate elections. My concerns have now attracted the attention of the Maricopa County Republican Committee, which is demanding that…
J. Fife Symington III, our former governor, plopped about his yacht in the Pacific Ocean last August. He explained to former colleagues that he was about to double-cross them. Nuzzled by the harbor breezes in Santa Barbara and far from Arizona’s maddening summer sun, Symington outlined how his consulting firm…
Trudy Hill named her older daughter after Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch spinster who hid Jews from the Nazis and was sent to a concentration camp for her efforts. Ten Boom’s story, commemorated in a book beloved by Christians everywhere, is about trusting in God, taking on evil, and learning…
We are under attack. The enemy, invisible and silent, has annexed every living room, classroom and workplace — and gallery. At monOrchid Gallery in downtown Phoenix, a show titled “A WarLike People: Victims or Perpetrators?” exposes the adversary, sounding the alarm on government control through fear, subsequent elimination of civil…
“The Heart Show” at the Paper Heart: Artists are often accused of thinking with their hearts, especially when it comes to the creative process. So it’s only fitting that this juried showcase of more than 20 different works focuses on the organ itself, as well as its symbolism and significance…
Now out on DVD is the entire third season of Fox’s brilliant 24, probably one of the best dramas ever made for television. Much like the first two seasons, this one stars Kiefer Sutherland, and the story in this “season” takes place in a period of 24 hours straight. It…
THU 17 It’s game time for local painter David McPherson. If pro athletes can summon the power of the Almighty — you know, “God was on our side today . . .” — McPherson can draw upon his Zen teachings and the blessing of the Venerable Norbu Lama with the…
If you run into Josh Provost this weekend, make sure there’s no spinach in your teeth. You never know — you might just wind up an extra in the 28-year-old’s latest short film. Along with the six other members of aptly named Matter of Chance Productions, Provost will be hurriedly…
Thursday 17 Acme Roadhouse: College Night with DJ J. Alan (Top 40) Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness: DJ Suzy (hip-hop, dance) Anderson’s Fifth Estate: Area 51 with AKA (gothic, industrial) Axis/Radius: DJ MCB (hip-hop, dance) AZ 88: DJ P-Body (all genres) Big Fish Pub: Reggae Thursdays with Selector J-Cut & DJ Blackstar…
1. The Game, The Documentary (Aftermath) 2. Krayzie Bone, Gemini: Good Vs. Evil (Ball’r/Thug Line) 3. Lil’ Jon & East Side Boyz, Crunk Juice (TVT) 4. Snoop Dogg, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece (Geffen) 5. Gwen Stefani, Love, Angel, Music, Baby (Interscope) 6. Destiny’s Child, Destiny Fulfilled (Sony) 7…
Every few years, a new ancient voice arrives on the scene to rev up the same ol’ authenticity debates and stale Billie Holiday comparisons. Last year it was Jolie Holland’s turn for both scoffs and well-deserved year-end best-of citations. Holland shares a label (and some vocal inflections) with Tom Waits,…
