Every holiday season there is an abundance of shows from which to choose, and any number of the usual suspects. This year, opt for the unusual with Yuletide, a time-traveling adventure that, though music and words, unlocks a history of holiday traditions. Meet Saint Nick’s evil friend, German fairies, wounded…
The Valley of the Sun is home to a number of Native American communities, and there is no better way to discover their culture than at the 37th Annual Indian Market. The market offers a rich array of sensory delights, from native foods to colorful music and dance. Expect a…
The concept of luminarias, which are brown paper bags partially filled with sand and then illuminated from the inside by a candle to create a lantern-like appearance, was introduced to America by the Spaniards, who adopted and adapted the idea from the Chinese. Though global in creation, luminarias are typically…
Of all the stars of the ’80s punk scene, only one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. Their uncompromising…
Politics have always been a hot topic for comedians. Throw in a little song and dance, plus some wry word play, and you have the Capitol Steps. This long-running comedy troupe — originally comprising Senate staffers in search of some off-kilter holiday cheer — has been satirizing presidents, American politics,…
Of all the stars of the ’80s punk scene, only one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. The band’s…
Place a finger on the 1980s punk scene and one band is still having impact some 35 years after forming: X. Mixing driving punk energy with rockabilly riffs, staccato rhythms, unexpected dual vocal drive, and socially conscious lyrics, X was a defining voice in the punk movement. Their uncompromising ability…
Don Julio, Senor Rio, and Jose Cuervo were Patrons getting a little Cabo Wabo and feeling somewhat like El Conquistador in their hunt for Cazadores while waving Two Fingers in the air. If this sounds like your last mind-bending, Don Quixote-style visit to the Phoenix Tequila Fest, you’re probably not…
Pearl Jam concerts are different. It’s not just a bunch of guys on stage cranking out rock songs; even in Jobing.com Arena, it’s an intimate, more personal affair. Artists talk about the energy that flows between audience and stage, and that’s what’s so obvious here. The bands cares; the fans…
The Farm is something of a hidden time trip tucked away off a narrowing road in the shadow of South Mountain. A long, tree-shaded driveway gives way to a small, working farm, replete with chickens, rows of veggies, a blacksmith forge, and an outdoor restaurant serving up yummy eats featuring…
The World Series may be over (Boston won in case you were the only one not paying attention), but baseball continues in the Valley as the Arizona Fall Baseball League wraps up a monthlong season with its own championship at Scottsdale Stadium. While most eyes have been on the big…
There are few places in the world where Touaregs-Malian Bedouin nomads can feel at home, but the Arizona desert is one of them. “This caravan started in the desert of Mali, but we ended up in the United States,” bandleader Liya Ag Ablil told the small but enthusiastic Rhythm Room…
Lita Ford is a bitch. Her words, not ours: She’s touting the title track of her new album, The Bitch Is Back . . . Live. “I heard [the original version] on the radio and it just came tumbling down on me like a ton of bricks: ‘Hello! Please record…
“Dream. Create. Build.” is the theme for “Imaginate” at Arizona Science Center. The concept behind the exhibit is to help viewers unlock their minds to ponder and pose the questions that lead to new ideas and innovations. The exhibit is a place where visitors are not only spectators but also…
Watching Arabian horses high-stepping through the ring is akin to seeing history on the hoof. Imagine the famous (and infamous) folks who have ridden Arabian horses, be it for conquest or pleasure, contests or sport, during the breed’s 3,000-year history. Known for speed, loyalty, and intelligence, the breed — distinctive…
Lita Ford is a bitch. Her words, not ours: She’s touting the title track of her new album, The Bitch Is Back . . . Live. “I heard [the original song] on the radio, and it just came tumbling down on me like a ton of bricks: ‘Hello! Please record…
We all know Mrs. Klein — that manipulative, over-bearing woman whose word is the rule of law and those who don’t believe it best be damned. In the case of Nicholas Wright’s brilliant piece of theater, Mrs. Klein, the titled protagonist is a respected psychoanalyst who uses her to manipulate…
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, occurs the two days following Halloween, but it has nothing to do with the contemporary ghoulish event, except perhaps sharing a love of skeletons and morbid imagery. Instead, Dia De Los Muertos is a revered, ancient and colorful celebration of lost…
How do you pick the 10 best food trucks in America? The Huffington Post tried recently, and not one of its picks was in Phoenix. What do they know, anyway? Phoenicians can put together their own top 10 lists when the 2013 Taste of the Trucks returns to Roosevelt Row…
Ginger Baker’s Jazz ConfusionMusical Instrument MuseumOctober 18, 2013 The first thing you notice about Ginger Baker is that, for a jazz drummer, he holds his sticks wrong. Of course, despite all his flirtations with African rhythms and jazz in many forms, Baker–a founding member of psychedelic rock heavyweights Cream and…
Does Taylor Swift rock? That’s the consensus, as several items from the pop star, from clothing to handwritten lyrics, are part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power” exhibit at the Musical Instrument Museum. More to the “rock” point are the White Stripes’…
Hakuna Matata in Kiswahili means “no worries.” This is the ongoing theme — and theme song — of Disney’s The Lion King, a classic coming-of-age tale set on the plains of East Africa amongst a pride of lions and resident wildlife. A visual and musical extravaganza, Lion King tells the…
