Valley post-hardcore/screamo band Greeley Estates is having a CD release party for their third full-length album, Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East (Science) on Saturday, June 7. In anticipation of the show, we recently caught up with Greeley Estates guitarist Brandon Hackeson.

Local bands who’ve complained that we’re not reviewing their CDs, take this challenge. I have vowed to review every local CD addressed to me (and marked “YAFI”) in the order it’s received. I’m still getting more gripes than CDs, however, so if you’re upset, please put your music where your mouth is and send it to me. I will be honest about my impressions of your music, for better (last week’s Underwater Getdown CD) or worse (this week’s Reign of Vengeance CD).

With gas hitting $4 a gallon, I’m loathe to drive too far from my usual haunts (north Phoenix and downtown Phoenix) lately, but I did manage to hit a metaphorical bat cave and see a Catwoman this weekend, all in the ‘hood.

As much as it blows having to report to work after a weekend of fun, sometimes Mondays aren’t all that bad. Like this coming Monday (June 2, for all you calendar checkers out there) offers a couple cool-ass events to check out after you’ve clocked out for the day.

If you’ve always had a yen to be in a music video (and don’t have any plans tonight), L.A. pop songstress Lauren Briant will be holding an open casting call for her upcoming video tonight from 9 to 11 p.m. at Jackrabbit Supper Club, 4280 North Drinkwater Boulevard in Scottsdale.

Here’s a handful of shows that were just announced this week.

Valley trio Fred Green loves to get you grooving to good-time vibes and bouncing to reggae beats. The band’s fusion of ska, rock, and funk is a glorious mix, particularly on their latest album, Still Burnin’, which features some guest percussion by Primus drummer Tim Alexander.

This week’s “Flier of the Week” comes from Valley punk band Labor Party, who’re having a CD release show at J-Head’s on June 7. We dig the crazy “pulp” theme going on here.

Festival spirits will be resurrected and entertainment demons will be exorcised this weekend, as three huge music festivals take place across the state. From Top 40 hip-hop to local jam bands, there’s something for everyone in the ‘Zona — especially for those willing to take a road trip.

Phoenix New Times Clubs Editor Benjamin Leatherman finds more cool and quirky YouTube videos than anyone else I know. He’s responsible for embedding stuff like this intense-looking hamster in the comments on my MySpace page, and also subjects me to things like this twisted Chris Benoit parody on occasion.

The Raconteurs, the much-lauded side project of White Stripes front man Jack White, will be performing at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. tonight — and you can watch the show, live on the Web, at www.NPR.org/music.

Last week, I posted a challenge of sorts to local music artists, specifically, the disgruntled bands who complain that we don’t give press to them. I vowed to review local CDs in the order in which they were received, and to be completely honest about my impressions of the music. I’m still waiting for more Valley bands to send me their CDs for review – particularly the Video Nasties (no, not the British group of the same name, nor the band of the same name from Pennsylvania, but a Mesa band), whose “Dally Dirtnap” sent an e-mail to our editor-in-chief, Rick Barrs, complaining about our recent cover story on Digital Summer He said DS wasn’t cover material, and his band was “much better,” “without even trying.”

As Music Editor at Phoenix New Times, I usually run around town every weekend, going to various events and meeting up with any number of people, sometimes falling into misadventure and often falling into disrepair. My weekend often starts on Thursday and doesn’t end until Monday morning, when I have to drag my ass back to the office and affect some image of wakefulness/awareness. I figured I might as well be as self-indulgent as music critics are now alleged to be – at least those who are still walking the plank. Might as well document these times of my life and simultaneously share my experience of the scene and happenings around P-city, before I am too old to stand in front of another amplifier and dying from some debauchery-rooted disease.

The first New Times Summer of Sound show took place Saturday, May 24, at Exit 7 in Glendale. This was the punk show, and it lived up to its name, as locals Harlequin Babies, Asses of Evil, Dephinger, and Glass Heroes warmed up the stage for the legendary Dickies with spasms, spit, and attitude.

Arch Enemy singer Angela Gossow has fired back at a fan that she feels disrespected her and her webmistress.

Here’s a handful of shows that were just announced this week.

George Michael, touring behind his new double CD collection, Twenty-Five, is scheduled to perform at US Airways Center on Sunday, June 22, and Ticketmaster’s offering $25 “select seat” tickets to his concert. The offer starts at noon on Sunday, May 25, and ends at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 26. (Regular ticket prices for Michael’s show range from $46.75 to $121.25)

Phoenix band Crushed will get some radio play this weekend, as local radio station host Jonathan L at 98 KUPD spins the band’s song “Distance Between Us,” from their album My Machine on his “Lopsided World of L” program. Listen for the song this Saturday, May 24, between 9:50 and 10:05 a.m. Crushed will also be performing live on the “Lopsided World of L” on Sunday, May 25, between 6 and 8 p.m. Out-of-staters can listen online at www.98kupd.com.