This week’s “Flier of the Week” comes from local rockers Antique Scream. The band is currently on tour, and this flier is actually for a show in Las Vegas, but I chose it for two reasons: 1) the retro go-go chick art is really cool, and 2) notice how it says “from Phoenix, Arizona” beneath the band’s name. Hats off to Antique Scream for giving props to their hometown — I rarely see that from local bands who’re touring nationally.

This week, I’m reviewing the new album by Phoenix hip-hop artist Fetti Profoun. I reviewed his debut CD back in 2006, which I called “one of the most impressive local hip-hop debuts in years.”

So…sophomore slump for Fetti, or did he outdo himself? Read on.

Since it’s Monday, I was going to do a blog analyzing various songs about Mondays, from the usual suspects like the Boomtown Rats’ “I Don’t Like Mondays” to lesser-known odes like Fleetwood Mac’s “Monday Morning.” But then I got an e-mail from local experimental band Janis Joplin Crap N Vomit, who, in addition to having one of the most intriguing band names in the Valley, also possess some palatable-but-quirky pop skills.

In the spirit of the Fourth of July, and to show appreciation for all those who served and sacrificed for the freedom we celebrate today, here’s an assemblage of USO music performances for our troops.

This week’s flier is for a show featuring Phoenix avant indie rockers Emperors of Japan and loony local rockers The Necronauts. We’re not quite sure what it means — maybe that’s Satan or Ming the Merciless in the middle, and the signs along the bottom are letters from the American Sign Language alphabet. I think they spell “SAWA.” Not quite sure what that means, either.

Almost any band can sound decent on a studio record. Enough overdubs, multi-tracking, knob twisting, and processing can make even the crappiest of garage bands sound like disciplined, precise musicians. The true test of a band’s talent is the live show – not just the sound and cohesiveness, but the energy and the connection between band and audience.

For the past six weeks, I’ve been asking local bands to send their CDs to me for review in this weekly “You Asked for It” blog. The original idea was that bands who complained about not getting coverage from us while we covered “inferior” local bands could finally get what they wanted – and the original premise was that a lot of these local CDs would suck (some of the complainers had actually sent me their CDs, and I didn’t like the music, so I declined to write a negative review, which meant no review at all). I vowed to review every single local CD sent my way (in the order they were received), and write my honest opinions, for good OR bad.

Normally, my Monday blog is devoted to “Niki’s Weekend Word,” but this past weekend was a bust for me – not because there was nothing going on, but because 1) I felt ill, and 2) It takes $65 to fill my gas tank and less than three days for me to go through it when I’m driving to clubs all over the Valley.

The latter challenge has led me to become one of those “hypermilers,” people who try to save on gas by doing simple things like not accelerating like a drag racer when red lights turn green (like those idiots who put spoilers on their 80s-model Hondas and suddenly think they’re Tony Stewart) and not doing 75 mph in a 55 mph zone on the freeway.

Proponents and supporters are apparently taking the park very seriously, as yesterday, the park proposition (Senate Bill 1450) passed with a 17-9 vote.