You can hate Kanye West’s ego, but you can’t quibble with his influences. Recently, the much-maligned rapper and producer announced his return to the studio after his Taylor Swiftus interruptus-influenced hiatus. Noting the responsibility of artists to document the struggles of the times, he name checked Maya Angelou, Nina Simone,…
We remember the prime of First Friday, a time when the monthly downtown art walk wasn’t a carnival and actually allowed one to peruse the latest exhibits. Luckily, artists and galleries have started pumping some focus into alternate days, such as Third Fridays. Artist Mad One takes it one step…
We remember the prime of First Friday, a time when the monthly downtown art walk wasn’t a carnival and actually allowed one to peruse the latest exhibits. Luckily, artists and galleries have started pumping some focus into alternate days, such as Third Fridays. Artist Mad One takes it one step…
Though it’s amazing, neon-swank sign had been neutered long before, Phoenix Greyhound Park finally ran its last dog race and closed down last month. While the place hosted both live and off-track betting and dinner theater, the greatest show we’ve ever seen there was Neil Hamburger’s train wreck of a…
While Jay-Z’s “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” heralded the backlash, the Antares Audio Tech software-born sensation, which renders the voices of modern R&B robotic, keeps rolling. (For example, T-Pain is promising a monster album in ’10.) Sigh. That’s why we’re thrilled for Soulflite, where true voices reign. Dedicated to R&B, soul,…
If idle hands are the devil’s tools, Allison Karow has nothing to worry about. As if getting her phalanges dirty while keeping Tempe bike co-operative Bike Saviours (which she help to found) going wasn’t enough, Karow manages to create in as many ways possible, evident by her solo exhibit. Karow’s…
When we travel, we make sure to schedule an extra day or two off for recovery. The Phoenix Suns weren’t that lucky. With a league schedule that was heavy on road games in the thick of winter, the frequent-flyer miles added up; thus, diluting Steve Nash and company’s perch atop…
While James Brown gave up the mantle of “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” long ago (rest his soul), it seems that Valley performer Paisley Yankolovich is eager to be in the running for the title. One visit to his Web site and you’ll see it riddled with show…
If idle hands are the devil’s tools, Allison Karow has nothing to worry about. As if getting her phalanges dirty while keeping Tempe bike co-operative Bike Saviours (which she help to found) going wasn’t enough, Karow manages to create in as many ways possible, evident by her solo exhibit. Karow’s…
She might be the most popular woman in the Valley. If you pay attention around town, you’ll see renderings of La Virgen de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), a Mexican image of the Virgin Mary, whether it’s in the form of murals, statues, or street wear. Apparently, her likeness was…
As 2010 swiftly approaches, now’s the time to put your foot down on what can’t be dragged into the new year. If you’re like us, you want the use of the word “swagger” dead and smoldering like a Viking funeral. Because the last time there was true swag in action…
In the greater Phoenix area, there is no shortage of poets ready to get their words off their chest. However, Jessica Standifird of the Rorschach Poets Collective noticed that downtown and the East Valley had the lion’s share of spoken-word events. So she did something about it. To remedy the…
Tempe DJ and rapper duo Foundation and Brad B have been on their grind in the Valley hip-hop scene for about a decade as part of the bigger black-sheep squadron known as the Drunken Immortals. Which makes their show on Saturday, November 28, all the more impressive, as the two…
Outside of the San Antonio Spurs, few teams stir our ire like the Detroit Pistons. We’re not sure why, but it can probably be traced back to the Bad Boys days and their use of inelegant, physically brutal play, which yielded championships in 1989 and 1990. While the team’s familiar…
As New York City firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers searched through the September 11 wreckage in 2001, Joel Meyerowitz’s instincts told him to grab his camera. Initially forced to halt his picture taking, he felt a pang. Says the 71-year-old shutterbug, “To me, no photographs meant no history.” The…
Yayoi Kusama’s installation at Phoenix Art Museum, Stepping Into You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies, feels like a glimpse into the infinite. Countless LEDs stand out against the engulfing darkness while mirrored walls reflect their endless glow as they shift colors in time with the…
In the summer, we occasionally cast an envious eye toward burgs with cooler temps or nearby bodies of water. But then an amazing fall returns every year to remind us why we suffer through those dog days. As the leaves drop, block parties pile up just as fast in the…
Christmas time is here, as the Peanuts gang might sing. More accurately, the holiday shopping season is just around the corner, which is the very thing that round-headed blockhead Charlie Brown furrowed his eyebrows over. In other words, the hounds of capitalism are sounding the call, but that’s no reason…
Outlaw aerosol artist DOSE ONE was profiled last August while in the process of entering the gallery world and simultaneously maintaining his roots in the streets. One tasty tidbit was his in-the-works collaboration with established Valley sculptor and painter Hector Ruiz. Those works have come to fruition as the “colLABORation:…
Outlaw aerosol artist DOSE ONE was profiled last August while in the process of entering the gallery world and simultaneously maintaining his roots in the streets. One tasty tidbit was his in-the-works collaboration with established Valley sculptor and painter Hector Ruiz. Those works have come to fruition as the “colLABORation:…
Outlaw aerosol artist DOSE ONE was profiled last August while in the process of entering the gallery world and simultaneously maintaining his roots in the streets. One tasty tidbit was his in-the-works collaboration with established Valley sculptor and painter Hector Ruiz. Those works have come to fruition as the “colLABORation:…
Elizabeth Streb has been called the Evel Knievel of dance, and she clearly wants the white-knuckle excitement of daredevil stunts in her modern dance works, especially STREB: Brave. The celebrated choreographer called on renowned trapeze artists Noe and Ivan España to prime her dancers and composer David Van Tiegham to…
