By Jonathan McNamara This weekend got underway with a gift for us all from 103.9 The Edge’s Craven Moorehead. The Skapunk show host parodied “Handlebars” by The Flobots brining us “Scottsdale Bars” by the Blobots. The song which is currently in rotation on 103.9 The Edge crams an unprecedented amount…
By Jonathan McNamara Take a look at the paintings plastered all over building G at 1700 Curry and you might write them off as vandalism. Though the works are a combined effort between taggers and traditional artists, there’s no getting around the fact that they are graffiti. They have been…
By Jonathan McNamara And the wiener is… Wiener dog owners presented their pampered pooches at Phoenix Greyhound Park this weekend for the Wienerschnitzel Wiener National Race and Festival. Interspersed between greyhound races, the little guys got into the race action running 100 feet from the starting box to their owners’…
By Joseph Golfen The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art opened its slick glass doors to the public for a special engagement on Friday, May 16. SMoCA’s Summer Reception introduced two of the museum’s upcoming summer shows while displaying pieces from the permanent collection. “This is sort of our offerings for…
By Jonathan McNamara It was the politically charged Flobots that took their song “Handlebars” and turned in into a smash hit on alternative radio stations, but it was local 103.9 The Edge DJ Craven Moorehead who turned it into a hyper-local parody that will live on in infamy. “Handlebars” is…
By Jonathan McNamara Mona Lisa sits me down in the back at Rhythm Room amid a plethora of reserve booze and string lights and tells me about her hair. She’s a little bit self-conscious because it’s shorter than it’s ever been for her. She proceeds to tell me how she…
By Jonathan McNamara That’s right. Wiener dogs. Racing. The Wienerschnitzel Wiener National race will raise money for Arizona Adopt a Greyhound, an organization that finds homes for retired race dogs. So if you’d relish the chance to see a team of dogs run 100 feet into the arms of their…
By Jonathan McNamara Cellos descended upon the Marquee Theater like a team of horses from the underworld. They came to bring brutal rock to the ears of all who would listen. You thought guitars made the heaviest rock? Think again. Apocalyptica, the Finnish cello rock band known for playing Metallica…
By Jonathan McNamara You can read about MC Justus in this week’s music feature Local MC Justus wants you to “get your A’z up”. You can see Justus perform at his EP release at Chaser’s this week. You can listen to his brand new album Born Justus when it hits…
Don’t get me wrong, I understand how technically proficient the members of Apocalyptica are. As musicians go they’re extremely talented, but their true genius, I believe, lies not in their skill but in their decision. Think about it: Metallica covers on trombone? That’s a bit depressing, isn’t it? How about…
By Jonathan McNamara Better Than: Listening to music in only one language and/or style. Pink Martini is what every band wants to be even if they don’t know it yet. From the first note of their show at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall Amphitheater, it was unquestionably clear that the…
By Jonathan McNamara I understand that Myst’s swim wear fashion show tonight will feature more beautiful ladies than I can shake an over-priced gin and tonic at. I also understand that hosting the whole shebang is Misty Dawn, a former Playboy Cyber Girl of the week. The truth is Myst…
By Jonathan McNamara Take a listen to the three tracks on Pink Martini’s myspace page and you may find yourself confused. Is this in fact the same band? Believe it. Since their debut in 1997 with Sympathique, Pink Martini has existed as a musical chameleon, choosing not only different styles,…
By Jonathan McNamara A Wikipedia breakdown of Nebraska’s religious affiliations list Christians at 90 percent, other religions at 1 percent and atheism at 9 percent. Spend a few moments with Caryl Peters and you’ll know that those numbers are inaccurate. There may be other belief systems in place in Nebraska,…
By Jonathan McNamara Photo by Sherri Diteman Pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale wants you to know that the lyrics in Pink Martini’s songs are not to be picked apart. In fact, to do so you’d have to know several languages. The band’s latest album Hey Eugene! features songs in Arabic, Japanese,…
By Jonathan McNamara Gustavo Arellano of Ask a Mexican signed autographs and fielded questions from Marcos Najera at Changing Hands Bookstore on Friday. One of the questions that came up was whether or not The Mexican has ever been stumped. Arellano says it’s impossible, read more to find out if…
Jonathan McNamara Between Gustavo Arellano spouting Latin wisdom at Changing Hands Book Store, Angela Johnson’s pool side fashion show at the Clarendon, and all the other crazy happenings that went down this weekend, it wouldn’t be hard to miss a few of the other gems around town. Lucky for you,…
By Marcos Najera Last night was a trip. Nuts-and-bolts details in a moment, but first here’s the back-story. Cindy Dach popped into her office to check in with Gustavo Arellano and me. She goes “Okay, so I know I am a Jew so you are going to have to help…
By Jonathan McNamara Not only will you be able to see cars crush each other like wheeled beer cans against so many foreheads at Hellzapoppin’ Demolition Derby this weekend, you’ll also bear witness to lawn mower races and tire pushes. If you’re looking for a dose of manly excitement, you…
By Jonathan McNamara Giulio Sciorio has invited complete strangers to his photography studio 13 times now to have their portraits immortalized on film mid-orgasm. After bringing them in, Giulio positions them and sets up his lighting gear. He chooses a backdrop and takes a few shots to determine that everything…
By Jonathan McNamara Digital Summer’s numerous sticker advertisements have nothing on the sheer number of multimedia pieces we’ve put together to supplement Benjamin Leatherman’s cover story on the Valley-based band. If you haven’t seen the two (count ’em) slide shows we’ve already posted, you can see them in our Valley…
By Jonathan McNamara In his teen years, celebrated director George Lucas wanted to be a drag racer when he grew up. Fate had other plans however, as the young Lucas found himself in a terrible car crash shortly after his high school graduation that made him think twice about his…
