Ever since Disney’s acquisition of LucasFilms was announced, the prognosis by fans has been mixed. Three new Star Wars movies is good news, right? Sure, but what about Wednesday’s news that Disney has shut down LucasArts? Yeah, the future of the saga a long time ago in a galaxy far,…
In Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Belle is the perfect girl next door. She loves reading and hates douchebags. Like most princesses in the Mickeyverse, however, she has a major flaw. For the brunette beaut, it’s Stockholm Syndrome. Fortunately she also has a heart of gold, which sort of excuses…
Society has made major strides when it comes to embracing the LGBT community. Facebook users showed their solidarity about a week ago by changing their profile pictures to red and pink equals signs. While social media is a great tool for raising awareness, it’s only half the battle. The 23rd…
Are you still sleeping off the hangover you picked up at the 10th annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival? In case you somehow missed it, MMMF 2013 brought some great acts to Phoenix. We’re still tapping our feet every time we hear a song by The Roots or The Shins, and…
Nothing says spring quite like blooming flowers and coeds letting off some steam during their seasonal break. All too frequently ASU is lumped into the Girls Gone Wild category, but with spring break past us perhaps it’s time for more refined fun. The university’s Deer Valley Rock Art Center hosts…
Dr. Dog, Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang, and More @ McDowell Mountain Music Festival at Margret T. Hance Park|3/24/13The last day of a music festival is always an exercise in mixed feelings. The majority of the crowd is exhausted, sunburned, and dehydrated, but through it all, watching the headlining band…
Lately, we’ve had to report on far too many deaths in the Arizona music scene. But alas, it’s our terrible duty to report that Rick Martinez, better known as DJ Essential, passed away on Thursday, March 21, around 2 p.m. due to complications from cellulitis. Martinez was 43 years old,…
Tiger Army has replaced Against Me! on New Times/KUKQ’s recently revived That Damn Show music festival at Mesa Amphitheatre, which includes Bad Religion, Awolnation, The Faint, and more. The news of Against Me! leaving the festival isn’t too surprising, as the band canceled its spring tour with Bad Religion. See…
Every girl fantasizes about her dream wedding, but her big day is usually full of compromises, thanks to messy logistics and the lack of a prince charming. Weddings are stressful, which makes eloping in Vegas an attractive option, but that still involves buying a dress that gets worn for only…
Yep, you read that headline correctly. Punk legends Black Flag are making their way to Club Red on Thursday, July 11. It isn’t the classic lineup, though, and some fans may be disappointed by the lack of Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Robo, and/or Henry Rollins. Greg Ginn, the band’s only…
As a deejay, Austin Head knows how to work a crowd. It takes finesse, and it takes being in touch. Those skills are coming in handy for the entertainer/LGBT advocate: He recently announced that he is running for a seat on Phoenix’s District 4 city council. It’s a very different…
Watching Robin Williams and Nathan Lane portray a gay couple attempting to act straight to impress their son’s fiancée’s parents in The Birdcage is pretty hilarious. Lane’s drag queen alter ego Starina is as poignant and memorable as his girlish scream. Tempting as it is to burst into a chorus…
Every year, Flogging Molly storms into Tempe for St. Patrick’s Day, performing to a sea of drunken revelers primed to let loose to the sounds of the band’s Celtic punk. Flogging Molly never fails to bring a lineup of party-minded bands with them, and this year is no different: The…
Green Day @ Marquee Theatre| 3/11/13Phoenix is pretty damn lucky. We’re one of three cities to host Green Day’s intimate “warmup” tour on the band’s way to South by Southwest. It’s a rare treat to see a band that came up in the clubs before graduating to arenas pack a…
The Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention was a hit, as former movie studio/living history theme park Old Tucson Studios came to life this weekend, full of folks showing off costumes that reimagined the Victorian era. The parameters of the steampunk genre are loosely defined as Victorian science fiction, which in…
After nearly a decade, Celtic folk punkers Flogging Molly have become a St. Paddy’s Day staple in Tempe. The band’s anthems — “What’s Left of the Flag,” “Devil’s Dance Floor,” and “Salty Dog” — pull double duty each year at Tempe Beach Park, serving both the energetic moshers and the…
What exactly is going on with Rips’ monthly Britpop/’80s/new wave event, Obscura Dance Night? The party’s official Facebook page has vanished, followed by a flurry of subsequent “new” Obscura Facebook pages, which have all since been taken down. An event page for this month’s dance party, which features a live…
Punk bands have a tendency of burning out long before fading away. Pittsburgh’s Anti-Flag has proved to be an exception to the rule. The band has been writing politically charged punk and touring relentlessly for the better part of 20 years. “I really love the old records,” says vocalist/guitarist Justin…
Mill Avenue is always busy on the weekends. Just try to find a parking spot among the partying coeds and crazy cab drivers and you’ll know what we mean. Luckily, the ladies of Arizona’s Roller Derby know how to push through a crowd, like they did when they hosted a…
It’s not uncommon for fans to have a soft spot for the first album they hear from a beloved artist. It might not be the band’s defining work, but it was your entry point, your gateway. I’ll always carry a torch for Alkaline Trio’s fourth album, Good Mourning, and in…
Blindfolding children, spinning them around, and giving them a stick to whack a piñata is pretty nuts. Just imagine how many injuries arise from kids getting a little too aggressive in their hunt for candy. Some adults continue to play with piñatas, which can be dangerous after a few drinks…
Call it the chief paradox of modern pop culture: Most reality television shows blow, but we keep watching, because in a weird way, they’re as compelling as they are mindlessly entertaining: The exploits of Honey Boo Boo’s family may be exploitative, but, dammit, if they don’t love each other. The…
