Ebenezer Scrooge might be the quintessential poster boy for a bad holiday attitude, but he didn’t have to fist-fight a soccer mom the day after Thanksgiving for the last limited-edition Bratz doll at Wal-Mart. And Scrooge didn’t have to buy glow-in-the-dark mistletoe nipple clamps for a gag gift party. In…
Sat 12/4 When y’all are ready to wade through them thar beer cans and lawn appliances that ain’t worked fer years, park yer double-wide at the Pumphouse II, 4132 East McDowell, for the Miss Trailer 2005 Pageant and Trailer Trash Party on Saturday, December 4. They’ll have all the PBR…
Fri 11/26 Graduates of the “new school” of punk rock often have difficulty receiving validation from “old school” punks, the people who remember punk as the ultimate anti-commercial loogie hocked in the face of disco and self-indulgent ’70s guitar rock. Luckily, co-ed band Tsunami Bomb has received that validation, participating…
Thu 11/25 As the joke goes, they do celebrate Thanksgiving in Great Britain — only on September 6. Why? Because that’s when we Yankee blokes, back in 1620, fled jolly old England. (Ba-dum-cha!) But seriously, folks, desert-dwelling Britons (wanna-bes, that is) will celebrate T-Day with a party of their own…
Before puke-punk legend G.G. Allin died of a drug overdose in 1993, critics always wrote disclaimers about his gory, self-mutilation-driven live shows. One pundit wrote, “Unless you’re trying out for a very tough detergent commercial, don’t sit anywhere near the stage.” The same warning holds true for twisted theatrical metal…
11/20-11/21 We’ve swallowed the notion that a swath of desert near Gold Canyon transforms into a Tudor-style village every spring for the past 16 years. So it’s no surprise the medieval merrymakers at the Devonshire Renaissance Faire have fooled us with their intricately crafted illusion that a 24-acre park in…
When East Side Records owner Ryan Stamen dressed as comedian Neil Hamburger to emcee an October 30 Halloween party at The Rogue, he didn’t expect to get into a scuffle with a rock star. But that’s what Stamen says happened, after four guys dressed in black suits — allegedly members…
Radio airplay is like the story of the chicken and the egg. If your CDs don’t sell, your music won’t get on the radio. If your band doesn’t get airplay, the chances of your CD selling are slimmer than Paris Hilton on a tapeworm diet. So with all the stations…
Forget “back porch music.” Mofro is more like whiskey-drenched “pontoon deck music,” boogieing down murky swamp waters. Main Mofro-man JJ Grey grew up in Florida, which helps explain the backwoods beats and woozy harmonica that swagger through many of the songs like a drunken uncle at a dysfunctional family reunion…
Arizona’s cowboy history and cactus-speckled landscape are permanent fixtures, so when we’re not grumbling about the kitschy paraphernalia and silly stereotypes that come attached, we might as well celebrate their presence. This year, we’re getting a little help from the experts at the Smithsonian Institution when Smithsonian magazine brings its…
10/29-11/2 Amy Hettinger, director and founder of the Scottsdale Film Festival, built some bigger britches for this year’s local cinematic extravaganza. The festival, now in its fourth year, has previously showcased mostly foreign films. This year, several things have been added, including documentaries, a student filmmaker competition, classic films, and…
Tue 11/2 For politically active artists (redundant, we know), the presidential election is a bit like the Super Bowl, sans the beer commercials. Perfect time to gather like minds around the tube with some snacks, sodas and, in this case, a night full of satire. While election-watching parties on Tuesday,…
10/21-11/14 Bob “Daddy-O” Wade knows weird when he sees it — or makes it. The “King of Texas Kitsch,” as fans and art enthusiasts call him, has long turned the dull into dazzling and the useless into priceless. His Technicolor-terrific revisions of early 1900s Western photography will be on display…
Men who treat their women badly, beware: W.C. Clark could steal your woman. He made a whole CD called Deep In The Heart — rich with Memphis soul, Texas blues, and contemporary R&B — seemingly dedicated to that task. “Her husband had his chances /he didn’t treat her right/instead of…
Sat 10/16 Does Todd McFarlane ever sleep? In between overseeing day-to-day operations at three different companies, raising three kids, developing movie and television projects, and occasionally drawing pages for his signature title Spawn, the Valley resident and comic book mogul has been putting the finishing touches on McFarlane Toys Showroom…
Meet Chico Chism, and that “six degrees of separation” theory could connect you with every major blues or rock artist of the past 60 years. It might be simpler to ask Chism who he hasn’t played with. On a cool night at the Rhythm Room, he sits on a patio…
Under the name Badly Drawn Boy, Damon Gough’s first album, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, was one of those works of shining brilliance that tend to haunt their creator, as critics often dash an artist’s every ensuing effort against that definitive debut. The ghost of Bewilderbeast rattles some chains on BDB’s…
Sat 10/9 If all that vanilla’s drying out your taste buds, try a taste of the Icehouse’s Fetish Ball II on Saturday, October 9, which promises a salacious exhibition of fire dancers, whipping demos, fetish fashion shows, exotic dancers, and full-body suspension. Erotica wear is required, and vendors such as…
Thu 10/7 As long as U2 continues to churn out rock anthems, the guys in tribute band Elevation have a bright future ahead. So bright, in fact, that Elevation front man Dan Burrow — a.k.a. “Danno,” a.k.a. Bono onstage — has invested a few thousand dollars in Bulgari shades, à…
Arizonans love to share holidays with Mexico. Or maybe they just love to party. For years, Cinco de Mayo has been a Valley beer blowout, as residents chug cheap Coronas in celebration of . . . what? You probably think Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day, but it’s not…
Sandra Conaty Brace was an active woman. She mastered the 55-word short story, had several published, cared for her 25 cats, and worked as an administrative assistant for Risk Insurance Solutions. On September 10, 2001, Brace took the day off to do chores and watch Judge Judy. When her husband…
Sam Rosenthal brings a new meaning to the term “dark arts.” Since he founded the goth collective Black Tape for a Blue Girl 18 years ago, Rosenthal has experimented with a variety of musicians and sounds, from the ethereal (flutes and female vocalists) to the eclectic (edgy electronics and baritone…
