Only three months ago, Autumn Teen Sound heralded its name change with a big bash at Hollywood Alley in Mesa. The beloved local power-pop quartet took to the stage and played its Vic Masters-penned theme song one last time, while beneath it, a mock coffin slammed shut and buried its…
Ben Folds Five has a brand-new album in the stores, but Darren Jessee doesn’t sound too thrilled about it. The drummer for the quirky North Carolina pop trio is hanging out at his Chapel Hill home, taking a brief respite from the band’s arduous, yearlong series of road excursions. Buoyed…
Bruce Connole and Richard Taylor sit outside Tempest Studio taking a smoke break. They’re relaxed and upbeat, but something feels faintly awry. Maybe it’s just because I’m so used to seeing these honky-tonk devils tear up Nita’s Hideaway on Wednesday nights, but they seem a bit out of place in…
Ryan Adams has a bad case of the flu. The singer/songwriter/guitarist for North Carolina sextet Whiskeytown has spent the better part of this afternoon zonked out in the back of a tour bus in College Station, Texas. His tour manager has twice postponed today’s interview, apologetically explaining that Adams is…
The kids are not alright. That’s the message fostered by an endless stream of books and magazine articles during the course of this decade. They tell us that this generation of youth is jaded, nihilistic, apathetic, selfish and easily bored. It’s a caricature further propagated by films like Kids, All…
Bldg 5 Foundation (self-released) It’s no accident that this Phoenix trio decided to lead off its debut CD with a song called “Freedom Sleeps in the Arms of Diversity.” On one level, the song can be seen as just a likable reggae skank with a few bars of metal aggression…
Ben Folds Five Naked Baby Photos (Caroline Records) In these days of instant nostalgia, we often want our memories before we’ve even compiled the necessary experiences. Of course, this also extends to music. These days, bands will put together career-spanning retrospectives even before they’ve bothered to muster a career. At…
Jim Andreas pauses for a moment. The Trunk Federation singer/guitarist knows that his band only has a couple of minutes left before curfew considerations force it to wrap up its set. He reminds the packed crowd that tonight’s show is being taped for a live CD, and half-jokingly suggests that…
When Wyclef Jean starts talking about his music, a funny thing happens. Every time the multitalented hip-hop icon waxes enthusiastic about his various upcoming recording projects, he keeps using the word “we.” As he weaves from one topic to another, it becomes a bit difficult to determine just who he’s…
Rakim The 18th Letter/The Book of Life (Universal Records) In 1967, when American boxing commissions stripped Muhammad Ali of his license to fight, he was an unpopular champion widely denounced for his religious beliefs, unwillingness to serve in the military and tendency to toy with inferior contenders. By 1970, when…
Many people would object to being called a journeyman. The very word often carries the whiff of mediocrity, of solid but unspectacular achievement, of competence without inspiration. But to a blues connoisseur, journeyman means something very different. It implies a respect for tradition, a willingness to learn from the masters,…
Steve Naughton was getting a bit worried. The president and self-described “show doctor” for Medical Presents had spent four years building an Arizona following for the band Hepcat, bringing the band to the Valley when few people knew who it was. Last month, as Naughton worked on booking another local…
Some people can maintain their composure in a burning skyscraper. But the average record-company exec, faced with a few months of flagging album sales, is liable to run naked through the nearest strip mall, brandishing an AK47 and screaming threats in some twisted form of pig Latin. So, in 1997,…
Prince Paul psychoanalysis (what is it?) (Tommy Boy Records) “As long as I can remember, people have hated me.” With that repetitive sample, Prince Paul sets the tone for his first solo album, psychoanalysis (what is it?). Beginning with that first track, “why must you hate me,” the listener is…
At the heady peak of his career, Frank Sinatra’s vocal mastery was so absolute that his pop peers simply called him “The Voice.” In the emo-punk wing of the local music scene, there can be no question that Yolanda Bejarano is “The Voice.” As leader of the squalling, powerhouse quartet…
Phonoroyale Radio Flavored In pop music, context is everything. Five years ago, when guitarist Jack Randall and singer Mary Katherine Spencer decided they wanted to form a vintage jazz combo, the idea seemed like pure novelty. In 1997, musical tastes have caught up with–or slowed down for–Randall and Spencer, and…
No matter how fast Phoenix grows, there are times when living here can feel like being stuck in a sequence from Footloose. We all remember that hugely successful cinematic monstrosity, in which a conservative small town led by preacher John Lithgow bans dancing, creating a redneck teen population of ticking,…
Everyone has a different definition of grace. To some, it’s Joe DiMaggio effortlessly roaming the spacious center-field grounds of Yankee Stadium. To others, it might be Mikhail Baryshnikov pirouetting onstage at Carnegie Hall. Basically, you know it when you see it. Few who saw this year’s MTV Video Awards could…
Victor Perrillo doesn’t like talking to the press. When local papers ushered in Perrillo’s Scottsdale club, Cajun House, with a flood of stories early this year, the owner was conspicuous in his absence whenever photos were taken or interviews were granted. Three weeks ago, when I expressed an interest in…
You Am I Hourly, Daily (Sire Records) You Am I is a Sydney, Australia, trio that’s achieved an oddly impressive distinction during its six-year history: It’s somehow managed to build a zealous American fan base without actually releasing anything in America. Hourly, Daily, its third Australian album–following hard-to-find imports on…
I’m not one of those millennial fear mongers who believes that some artificial calendar calculation is reason to start panicking. Basically, the year 2000 holds no special meaning to me, aside from that it’s an Olympic year and all the guys from Hanson should hit puberty by then. But if…
Near the back of Pita Jungle, there’s a modest wall of fame. Here you can find a photo montage of local celebs and favorite customers of the trendy Tempe eatery. Prominently displayed right now among the festive Polaroids is a publicity shot of The Pistoleros. Trunk Federation used to be…
