Nowadays everyone is a photographer. Cell phone cameras have flooded our Facebook feeds with countless pointless images of our friends trying on outfits and snapshots of unimpressive homemade food (thanks so much, Instagram). That’s why when someone deems himself a photographer our default response is an eye roll. But the…
It’s safe to say that most people rarely think about horse racing, until the Kentucky Derby rolls around. Just like St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo, the Derby is more about what you wear and what you drink than what you’re celebrating. Old Town Whiskey embraces that fact. And,…
Traditional social constructs would lead you to believe that if a piece of art is any good, then a man probably made it. That is, unless the portrait depicts a whimsical pair of high heels to be sold at TJ Maxx. If it’s thoughtful and poignant, the default gender responsible…
How’s this for a depressing statistic? According to 2012’s Quality Counts report, as presented by K-12 education newspaper Education Week, Arizona ranks 44th out of 51 states (including Washington, D.C.) in public education. Plus, our desert state got a mere D+ when it came to school finance and an F…
I think I’m going to run away with the circus. If they can get out of Phoenix, that is. Last night marked the second time I’ve seen Marchfourth Marching Band live (And, admittedly, the first time I’ve seen them sober.) It’s an act that’s difficult to describe without raising a few…
There’s no quicker way to have your grandmother fear for your eternal soul than to tell her you’ve rejected her religion. Let alone that you support gay marriage. Alternately, there’s no easier way to win friends than to agree with them. Humans are irrational, and we assume that just because…
Tempe’s Japhy’s Descent have made their rounds in the Valley for years now, which means they have plenty of stories to go around. Stories they hope are represented on their new double disc album, Moon Noon. The double disc, deservedly will get a two-weekend blowout that starts tonight and finishes with an…
Over 40 years have gone by since the first Earth Day. During that time, the eco-conscious have planted trees, rescued oil-covered birds, and rocked out with their compost out. What Laura Says might not have been around for the first Earth Day, but Saturday, they’ll celebrating the anniversary in style at…
Although Phoenix doesn’t exactly top the list of gay-friendly ‘hoods, there’s nothing can keep fabulous down. And since 1981, the Valley’s LGBTQ community has made its rounds, letting anyone and everyone know that they’re a force to be reckoned with. Moving beyond the line, “We’re here, we’re queer, get used…
In a rather controversial concert review last December, New Times contributor Nicole Smith wrote of the indie sailor-pop band Tennis’ singer, Alaina Moore, “I generally hate chick singers who don’t have anything spectacular to offer.” Sure, it’s tough to paint 50 percent of the human population with one brush stroke,…
Two years ago, yours truly embarked on finding a real country experience that didn’t lead me into the backwoods of some quaint southern town, but rather out into a barren field in Florence. I was alone. I was scared. I was wearing flip flops, at the risk of getting my…
We’re all a little art starved here in the desert, and Wally Boudway of Wooden Indian argues. Perhaps that’s why they’re going on a show binge of sorts, performing their first residency at Long Wong’s on Fridays throughout April (they kicked it off last week). The Phoenix-based psych-blues-rock purveyors talked…
Nothing is more cliché than a flower. Musicians compare women to them, poets describe their beauty in detail, and cartoons of little girls pluck petals from their stems in a game of “He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not.” They’re all beautiful images in their own right, but when you…
Mountain music can, and should, be utterly terrifying to outsiders — at least in its traditional sense. Just imagine toothless hillbillies wearing overalls, rocking out on banjos and upright basses until they’re drunk enough on moonshine to wear their coonskin caps without considering the fashion implications. Cue “Dueling Banjos.” Take…
Tempe’s Flying Scorpion might still be a young band, but that doesn’t mean they’re new to music. As the one-year-old hard rockers release their first three-track disc, Z, at Yucca Tap Room this Saturday, they bring years of experience from former and current local bands like Mourning Maxwell, Slowpoke, Meet Corpse,…
It’s common for a song lyric to mean one thing to the audience and a very different thing to the performer. Not sure what Led Zeppelin is babbling about specifically? It’s probably something horny and fantastical. Other times, nonsensical lyrics end up illustrating some deep insight. “I Am the Walrus,”…
Vektor is leaving their Tempe home for Philadelphia, but they’re not about to bid us adieu with happy-go-lucky feelings… are they? The self-described “progressive sci-fi thrash metal” band is known for painting brutal landscapes with their lyrics and dark, doom-and-gloom emotions with their music. As they put it, they “portray the…
It’s human nature to look back and idealize what once was. And — nostalgia be damned — it’s too easy to boil down decades to cultural touchstones. The ‘50s had poodle skirts, greasers and innocence. The ‘60s brought hippies. The ’70s gave us god-awful disco. While those all seem worlds…
Despite its name, School of Rock on Mill Avenue caters less to the local music-minded than Top 40 listeners in ass-baring dresses that come from the suburbs to make a purchase at the meat market. And that’s cool. Every district has its scene, but knowing that just 20 years ago…
Despite their tongue-in-cheek moniker, there’s nothing truly controversial about Good Old War. It would be tough to argue the negative sides of singable indie folk, after all. The Philadelphia-based trio makes pretty music. It’s accessible. They’re not looking to be the next hipster fad, but to have approachable melodies that…
When it comes down to it, true beauty is about two things – form and function. Tell that to an artist and they might scoff at the idea that their art needs to be anything but sanything other than eye catching, but the artists at PLAY! A Festival of Arts…
It’s tough to be a fan of the portmanteau. Blending words is an art mastered by few keen wordsmiths, like Liz Lemon on 30 Rock with the word “snart.” But for every “snart,” there are dozens of “turduckens” and “Blaxploitations.” Apparently, it’s the nature of idiots and geniuses alike to…
