Since their 2007 debut album, Dog Magic, Atlanta’s Zoroaster have been building momentum in the world of underground metal. The band’s 2009 sophomore release, Voice of Saturn, saw Zoroaster push the boundaries of traditional doom metal, while their forthcoming third album, Matador, pretty much ignores genre classifications altogether. In all…
Formed in 1994, Authority Zero have become the de facto torchbearers of the Valley punk rock scene over the past 16 years. The band’s new album, Stories of Survival, is set for a June 22 release, but Valley fans can get a sneak preview this coming Thursday night, when the…
I have to admit, I wasn’t really expecting much from 50 Cent’s show last night. Maybe it’s unfair to Fiddy, but the last few mainstream rap shows I’ve attended have led me to believe that commercial rap stars have at least one annoying trait in common with Los Angeles Dodgers…
Loren Dircks has been a fixture in Tucson’s music scene for more than two decades, first as a founding member of “country metal” stalwarts Gila Bend and currently as a solo performer and frequent collaborator with fellow Tucsonan Al Perry. Dircks recently attained a degree of notoriety thanks to the…
Phoenix MC Mav has been a fixture in the local hip-hop scene for the better part of the past decade, both as a solo performer and as a member of the on-again-off-again collective Sol Camp.Mav’s latest album, Independent Hustlin, was released on March 30 and features numerous collaborations with both…
Due to a guest list snafu, we were unable to attend last night’s Coheed & Cambria concert. Here’s how we imagine the show might have gone, had we actually seen it: Coheed & Cambria put on the show of a lifetime last night at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. The…
Dave Miranda, aka Mr. Miranda, has been one of the more productive MCs in the Valley recently. The Phoenix native released The Wonderful World of Mr. Miranda in December 2008, then followed that up with another full-length, Let’s Get On With The Music, late last year. Not one to rest…
Over the past decade, TheShizz has gradually grown into one of the most popular local music websites in the Valley. This month, The Shizz is launching its own record label, starting with a 17-track compilation of songs from Arizona bands called The Shizz Presents: AM or PM? I Don’t Know…The…
Lots of local bands have managed to put out an album. When it comes to local bands who have put out more than one album, the list gets exponentially smaller. The Earps are about to join that semi-prestigious multi-album club with their forthcoming sophomore effort, Get a Room. Get a…
Michael Cozzo has been a fixture in the local country and rockabilly scenes for several years now, first as a singer/guitarist in Liquor Store Junkies, then as a solo bluesman and now as frontman of local rockabilly act Rooster Coup DeVille. Rooster Coup DeVille are set to release their new…
Wanna hear some free local metal? MetalSucks is hosting an exclusive stream of Landmine Marathon’s new album, Sovereign Descent, which hit stores on Tuesday, March 16.In other Phoenix-area metal news, Glendale’s Job for a Cowboy have announced a spring headlining tour that kicks off April 21 in Newport, Kentucky, and…
To say Marshall “Fucking” Beck and New Times have had a contentious relationship over the years would be an understatement.Love him or hate him, though, Beck’s dedication to the local metal scene is unassailable. In addition to hosting and promoting numerous metal shows throughout the Valley, Beck is also the lead…
Phoenix rapper Trap has released a new song from his forthcoming mixtape, I Never Sleep. The song is called “My Gucci” and features Trap flowing over a trippy beat and a Slick Rick “La Di Da Di” sample.Here what Trap had to say about the new song and the status…
Earlier today, we brought you a Q&A from sisters Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez of Eyes Set to Kill, who are nominated for a Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Award for “Hottest Chick(s) in Metal.”Okay, so we were hoping they’d say something to start a cat fight. Alas, the girls chose to…
You really don’t need to spend more than, say, an hour in the Valley to notice that there are an inordinate amount of hot chicks ’round these parts. Who knows if it’s the sunshine, the constant influx of new residents, or if cacti and oleander emit some sort of magical,…
If New Times decided to create a new “Best of Phoenix” award for Most Subdued Crowd, the 100-plus folks in attendance at Saturday night’s A Storm of Light/Via Vengeance show at The Underground in Mesa would have to be in the running. Granted, it’s not as if ASOL’s sweeping post-rock…
10. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked VulturesThere was pretty much no way that the debut album by Them Crooked Vultures could possibly live up to the hype (and expectations) that preceded it. After all, the principles involved – Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Nirvana,…
Two stages, 13 bands, more than nine hours of music, and yet the Rockstar Mayhem Festival could easily be summed up in one word: SLAYER! Unfortunately, New Times doesn’t pay me for one-word reviews, and to be honest, a handful of other bands on the bill definitely made an impression…
Before the Unwigged & Unplugged show even started last night, the official Spinal Tap moment had already happened. When the announcer came onstage at Dodge Theatre to do the customary plugging of upcoming shows, he looked over the half-full house and noted that the guys backstage had asked him if…
Considering Frank Zappa’s vast catalog of music, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only person at Dodge Theatre Thursday night who was surprised when Zappa Plays Zappa’s set kicked off with a Van Halen cover. After a half-hour delay reportedly due to an exhaustive sound check, Dweezil Zappa took the…
Shake! Fourth Year Anniversary at The Rogue William “Fucking” Reed with special guests The Rapture DJs brought the Rogue to the dance floor on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009. Weekend Out: Dear and the Headlights, Matsuri and Rhythm Room We got artistic with Dear and the Headlights at the Heard Museum,…
Even to those of us who aren’t huge proponents of mainstream rap, The Game’s second album, Doctor’s Advocate, was hugely influential a few years back. Advocate was a note-perfect throwback to gangsta rap’s halcyon days of the early ’90s and quite possibly the best mainstream rap album since, well, pretty…
