Prince’s Most Superhuman Moments

With the sadness of Prince’s sudden death yesterday comes that sinking feeling where you realize no one’s enjoying “that indisputable moment” anymore, that point in time when everyone is in universal agreement that the biggest name in music is actually deserving of their time at the top.   Elvis and…

Alan Parsons Bemoans the Death of the Concept Album

Even if he’d never released a single note of his own music, Alan Parsons would have been a part of rock history. As engineer on the last two Beatles albums, he presided at two noteworthy sessions — the last ever Beatles live show (on the roof for Let It Be)…

George Martin’s Greatest Moments as the Fifth Beatle

Although it seems more irreverent to watch just after Sir George Martin has passed away, the British comedy sketch show Big Train had a brilliant bit called “George Martin Kidnapped” which poked fun at the legendary producer’s constant recounting of Beatles recording sessions. He never tired of retelling them, and…

Eighteen Musicians Who Died in February 2016

After the carnage that was January 2016 when we lost David Bowie AND Glenn Frey and two members of the Jefferson Airplane on the same day, media outlets felt it was their duty to tell us that since they ain’t making classic rock musicians anymore, we’d better get used to losing…

The 10 Best Pawn Shops for Musical Instruments in Phoenix

The conventional wisdom when you mention pawn shop instruments is that whatever price you wind up paying, it’s more than you should. And if some poor musician puts his axe in hock, it more than likely is presold before it is defaulted on loan. True, pawn brokers like the ones…

Robin Thicke Benefits from Blurred Memories

Phoenicians would be within their rights to be pissed off at Robin Thicke, who has not performed a show in the state since “Blurred Lines” became the summer song of 2013. He cancelled an October 27, 2013, appearance at the Arizona Jazz Festival claiming illness. Three days later the news…

Diplo Buys Stake in Arizona United Soccer Club

Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known as five-time Grammy-nominated producer, DJ, and recording artist Diplo, has had many illustrious collaborators since his rise in the early 2000s — M.I.A., Shakira, Robyn, Kid Cudi, Bruno Mars, No Doubt, and Snoop Dogg, to name a few. Now to that list you can add —…

The Famous and Forgotten Musicians Who Died in January 2016

“We have all been here before, we have all been here before…” It’s only fitting that the guy who drummed on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu album would die two deaths, one year apart. If you remember, there wasn’t any major rock ’n’ roll carnage taking place in…

10 Most Criminally Overlooked Rock Deaths of 2015

Although there’s something ghoulish about measuring a year’s passage by how many celebrities we lost to the Reaper, the Academy Awards’ and Grammy Awards’ “In Memorium” montages provide a much-needed public service in the “I didn’t know (insert name/pronoun) died!” department. Because everyone knows celebrities generally die in threes, a…

Ticker Tape Parade and the End of Heritage Hump Day

A year ago we began this Heritage Hump celebration each Wednesday with the hope of bringing you the stories and songs of great Arizona bands, sung and unsung. Now that year has come to a close, and so has our series. We’d like to thank all the bands that participated…

The “Drug-Clumsy” Life of Arizona Band The Nervous

Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…

Heritage Hump Day: Otto D – “Why Should I Care”

Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…

A Before and After Look at Robin Vining’s Sweetbleeders

Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…