Back to Afrika

The Wednesday night electro/hip-hop affair Pinky Ring has offered some choice guests over its six months of existence (including local legend Z-Trip and NYC/ATL funkmeister Treasure Fingers). And now its organizers are about to add top themselves with their latest coup: Afrika Bambaataa. The Bronx-born hip-hop pioneer (who’s considered by…

Hip-hop Hootenanny

After more than four years of rocking the Stray Cat Bar & Grill, the members of Wildlife Refuge have moved their weekly hip-hop hootenanny down University Drive to the Big Fish Pub. But while the location has changed, the game remains the same: fresh rhymes, urban jams, and some of…

Afrika Bambaataa

The Wednesday-night electro/hip-hop affair Pinky Ring has offered some choice guests during its six months of existence (including local legend Z-Trip and NYC/ATL funkmeister Treasure Fingers). Now, its organizers are about to top themselves with their latest coup: Afrika Bambaataa. The Bronx-born hip-hop pioneer (who’s considered by many to be…

Easter Moon Festival

Zach Sciacca (a.k.a. Z-Trip) may not look like the Easter Bunny, but just like ol’ Peter Cottontail, the renowned Phoenix-born turntablist is planning on delivering some treats this weekend. We ain’t talking about sugary peeps or gooey chocolate, however, as Sciacca will instead be serving up some sweet beats as…

AZPunk.com Returns

Looks like AZPunk’s not dead after all. The infamous local website was reborn last week with a completely new look after taking a year-long hiatus from the Internet. For those of you unfamiliar with AZPunk, it functioned as an information resource and meeting ground for P-Town’s punk and hardcore community…

Bonnie Prince Billy Awes at Modified Arts

I’ve never seen Modified Arts as packed as it was last night during Will Oldham’s performance as Bonnie Prince Billy. And it’s no surprise why. More than 60 people jammed into the downtown Phoenix music venue to watch the iconic and enigmatic indie folk hero’s long, powerful concert that lasted…

An Update on the Situation at Chez Nous

It looks like Chez Nous’ closing is going to be pretty permanent. In my blog post from Wednesday, I mentioned how the renowned retro lounge and soul music venue has been closed for several weeks, with no sign of re-opening anytime soon. (And as you can see above, some vandals…

The Hip Joint

If you were a club kid or music fan back in 1995, chances are you might have heard about a swanky little soiree called The Hip Joint. Seeping with style, the fly fete went down weekly during the middle of the Clinton era at bygone venues like Jamaican Blue in…

Afterlife Launches This Weekend

After writing about a few bar and club closures over the past week (including Maloney’s in Tempe and Lyte Lounge in Scottsdale), it feels refreshing to dole out some news about some openings instead. It’s even better when it’s a previously-deceased nightspot that’s getting reincarnated with a new identity. Case…

The Doors Remain Closed at Chez Nous

So what’s the deal down at Chez Nous? For the past few weeks, the doors at the renowned Grand Avenue soul joint have been locked up tighter than the vicodins at Artie Lange’s house. A paper taped to the door states that the place is “temporarily closed” and would re-open…

Groove Candy Lands at Doc’s Place

Less than a week after getting booted from the now-extinct Lyte Lounge & Bistro, Wednesday night hip-hop throwdown Groove Candy will take up residence at CenPho restaurant/jazz spot Doc’s Place starting on April 8. Power 98.3 mid-day jock Karlie Hustle, who hosts the weekly event, made the announcement over her…

Is Lyte Lounge & Bistro Closed?

Local hip-hop personality Karlie Hustle has provided us with some juicy gossip and news tidbits over the past couple years, either during her mid-day shift on Power 98.3 FM or through her various blogs (check ’em out here and here). Here are the latest morsels of gossip she’s dispensed: Scottsdale…

Peelander-Z Brings Out the Freaks and Geeks to the Trunk Space

In my five years of covering the local music scene for New Times, I’ve seen some pretty crazy things happen at the Trunk Space. I’ve witnessed lobster-handed ladies, full grown men dressed as diaper-clad babies, and even half-naked body modification artists piercing their supple flesh with gleaming steel hooks. But…

Tonight’s Sexy Saturdays Cancelled

I just got word that tonight’s Sexy Saturdays affair, which is put on by local station Power 98.3 FM, has been cancelled. The weekly hip-hop dance party was set to move into its new digs at the Golden Buddha, the Sino eatery located at the Chinese Cultural Center in east…

Afrika Bambaataa Visits Bar Smith’s Pinky Ring on April 22

Bar Smith’s Wednesday night electro/hip-hop affair Pinky Ring has offered some choice guests over its six months of existence (including local legend Z-Trip and NYC/ATL funkmeister Treasure Fingers). And now its organizers are about to add top themselves with their latest coup: Afrika Bambaataa. The Bronx-born hip-hop pioneer (who’s considered…

Danse Macabre

It’s downright scary how much music Jarom Wilcken is planning to unleash at his spooky-sounding nighttime affair Danse Macabre. As his alter ego DJ Vivo Muerto, the 30-year-old owner of anti-fashion label Helter Skelter Clothing will serve up a fiendish orgy of music that includes a slew of goth, industrial,…