By Martin Cizmar Local photographer and musician Elliot Lincis is doing what he can for the people of Darfur, the region of Sudan that’s been the scene of bloody conflict since 2003. He’s recorded a song called “Never Again,” an old school “We Are The World” style anthem that features…
By Martin Cizmar It’s 10:45 a.m. and you’re thirsty. Do you go for a cup of coffee or a bottle soda? Either you’re drinking coffee in the middle of the say like a cop with 30 years on the force or you’re drinking soda before noon like some punk kid…
By Martin Cizmar I very well may be the last man in American to hear Chinese Democracy. Almost certainly, I was the last music critic, and among last Guns n’ Roses fans. Honestly, though, as bad as I wanted to hear it, I couldn’t bring myself to log on to…
By Martin Cizmar So there’s a little big of a letdown this week after last week’s bonanza of concert announcements, but still a few good shows coming up. At the top of the list is a huge party coming to Marquee: Parliament Funkadelic with George Clinton on Jan. 7. Sadly,…
By Martin Cizmar I sure would hate to be a bartender at the Chandler TGI Friday’s tonight: The Backstreet Boys show at Dodge Theatre this evening has been canceled – CANCELED – at the last minute. Due to illness. “The Backstreet Boys and Live Nation sincerely apologize for any inconvenience…
By Martin Cizmar It’s Friday of a loooong week and I’m still thinking about Monday’s show at the Marquee, The 2K Sports Bounce Tour with Q-Tip, The Knux and The Cool Kids. Sure, I panned it in my review, mostly because it was a six-hour slog that should’ve been an…
By Michael Lopez Calling the crowd that made it out to the Celebrity Theatre Wednesday night receptive would be selling them short by a mile. Every song played by Mexican alt-rockers Café Tacuba whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy that didn’t die until the house lights came on. I…
Woop-woop. Walking around Metrocenter in an Insane Clown Posse shirt, I hear the sound every few minutes. Kids I don’t know, teenagers with tilted ballcaps, most of them not wearing ICP shirts but all greeting my 28-year-old ass with the universal call of the Juggalo, just for wearing something I…
By Martin Cizmar I bring you this week’s Flier of the Week not because it’s a bunch of bands we’ve recently featured at the Ruby Room, but because it’s possibly (and hopefully) the last time we can use Sarah Palin as a pop-culture touchstone for a long, long, long time…
By Martin Cizmar
Not too many bands morph from cover band to successful original act – especially when they start out playing covers of Ryan freakin’ Adams, but that’s just what the subject of this week’s You Asked For It, The New Westerns, have done.
By Martin Cizmar
Q-Tip is a perfectionist. Or so he said Monday night as he derailed his show one song in, taking a five-minute interlude to adjust the sound. “Any of ya’ll bloggers out there? Any bloggers?” he asked. “So when you blog about this, just be a little gracious.”
By Martin Cizmar So, not only is cartoonish comedian and impressionist Robin Williams still popular enough to sell out Dodge Theatre once, apparently the old goat is too popular for a single show in Phoenix. “Due to the overwhelming demand to see the hysterical standup of Robin Williams, a second…
By Martin Cizmar With the end of the year fast approaching, you’re about to be inundated with lists about the best and worst music of 2008. Phoenix New Times will be adding to that, of course, with our picks running the first week of the new year. And since I’ve…
There were a massive amount of upcoming shows announced this week, including Willie Nelson on the road again and possibly three of the four worst nu metal bands of all time (Staind, Papa Roach, Hoobastank) on a single stage… with the insufferable Adam Carolla. Crooner Chris Isaak and Strokes’ drummer Fabrizio Moretti will also be in town with his side project, Little Joy. Katy Perry will be in town to do a solo show hot on the heels of her Phooson set and Woodstock veteran Richie Havens is coming.
If you’re not attuned to such things, you might be surprised to know how big a niche there is for bands interested in playing covers of classic Nintendo game soundtracks in today’s geek-friendly world. At comic, gaming, and computing conventions bands like The Advantage and Phoenix’s own Minibosses can draw pretty well covering classic Castlevania songs. As any bar band will tell you though, doing originals is always harder, which is why sBACH played to a crowd of about 30 Saturday night at Modified Arts.
By Martin Cizmar I bring you this week’s Flier of the Week not because I love the Towelie-esque flier – though it is pretty cool – but because I don’t want to be the only person who shows up to see videogame rockers sBACH at Modified this Saturday. I advanced…
Words are so over. Well, at least plenty of post-rockers think so, increasingly ditching the language in their spaced-out experimental music. But while bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai at least named their songs, Spencer Seim, the man behind sBACH, has no use for such extravagance; the track…
It’s always amazing to me how long a massively huge album can reverberate, even if it’s not terribly influential or the subject of any significant critical acclaim. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill – the tenth biggest selling album of all time and either the biggest or second biggest selling album of the 90s, depending on which numbers you use – still has some sway with people of a certain age, as was on display at Dodge Theatre last night.
Let it never be said that Evan Brightly lacks ambition. The Narrator, this week’s You Asked For It, not only comes with a novel, it’s also augmented by a web site featuring paintings. I only skimmed the first chapter of novel, but it wasn’t great, though the paintings showed a great touch and an ability to create a real mood. I’m especially fond of this one, even if it is a little emo.
By Martin Cizmar Electric Six singer Dick Valentine is your pathetic uncle, and last night he showed up at The Clubhouse in fine form: buzzed, doling out insults and begging for cash. For those of you interested in making a full accounting, Valentine does not like John McCain, Gin Blossoms,…
By Martin Cizmar
It’s arguably the most influential record ever released by an Arizona band, and next year Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity turns 10. To celebrate, the band has announced that they’ll be playing the album in its entirety on a slate of 10 shows, culminating at The Marquee on March 7. Tickets go on sale Thursday.
By John Dickerson Suburbanites unite. Grab your iPods, and sport your American Apparel/Urban Outfitter goodies, because Ben Folds is coming to town. Yes it’s true. And anyone who was ever anyone will be there on at Gammage in Tempe on Tuesday. Would you believe Ben Folds turned 42 this year?…
