It starts with a silly party game, and ends by forever changing the lives of the people who are playing it. Melissa Jane Gibson’s This considers sorrow, loss, and the ways in which we all eventually “grow out of” our childhood friends in a story about a group of college…
When we heard about Yucca Tap Room’s Valley Fever on Sunday Nights, we were intrigued — and not just because it shares its name with our news blog. Valley Fever’s resident DJ Dana Armstrong spins old country records between live bands’ sets. Meanwhile, country and western acts from around the…
Warehouse 201 might be one of the coolest all-ages venues in the Valley you’ve never heard of. Local promoter and musician Brandon Kellum, who runs Motion Management and plays with local metal band The Alchemist Divide, organized a show on Saturday, February 5 to promote awareness for the north Phoenix…
Baritone Brian Mulligan, soprano Christine Brandes, tenor Sean Panikkar and other talented vocalists will accompany the PSO as it performs the German composer’s renowned oratorio. Thu., Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 5, 8 p.m., 2011…
Great gods of gravy, where would the hep world be without the subtle machinations of the Cramps and Stray Cats? Why, there wouldn’t hardly be any rock-a-billy music ’round at all! Not to trash those combos (who’ve had their moments, especially their earliest singles), but there were (and are) truer,…
Axel Hedfors (a.k.a. Axwell) rose to fame as one-third of the influential Sweedish House Mafia, rocking clubs and venues around the world with their stylish take on the EDM genre. As with the other two members of the trio, Hedfords is doing the solo thing for now, and will visit…
The spectacle of a muscular Japanese man clad only in a loincloth and beating a 900-pound drum is hard to forget. However, that is not the chief memory you will carry from your evening with the Kodo drummers, Japan’s highly disciplined taiko superstars. Critics have called Kodo concerts “primal,” “spiritual”…
Maybe you’re a northern implant and miss the good old days. It’s possible that you’ve been seeing that gear tucked away in the garage with the intention of actually making use of it. Or there’s a chance that you just missed the one week in Arizona that you could water…
Everyone’s in a rush to get somewhere and we think it would behoove those movers and shakers to get lost. Literally. Michael P. Berman’s photographs make us want to ditch our GPS-enabled phones to head outside the reach of cities. He earned an MFA in photography from ASU in 1985…
A 6,000-year-old instrument, exhilarating landscapes from around the globe, and a quest to jam with fellow artists in remote nomadic societies? Message to world-music hipsters and armchair travelers everywhere: Prepare to wet yourselves. The documentary Nömadak Tx follows the adventures of Harkaitz Martinez and Igor Otxoa, musicians who play variations…
As glass towers and luxury lofts continue rising in downtown Phoenix, there’s been a shindig for the past half-decade that’s truly remained underground. More than five years ago, Bradford and Andy McPants started a modest music night at Bikini Lounge. Today, it’s morphed into 602’sdays, the longest-standing weekly underground party…
Patti Hannon stars as Sister in this original incarnation of the attitudinal nun. Fridays, 8 p.m., 2009…
A few years back, Ron May directed [sic], a slightly twisted domestic comedy by Canadian Melissa James Gibson, at Stray Cat Theatre (where he’s also artistic director). The ensemble acquitted themselves respectably, the writing showed a bit more promise than the usual tale of single, dysfunctional, apartment-dwelling Manhattanites, but I…
CityCamp Arizona, the latest “unconference” brought to us by the techie and social media geeks of Gangplank, will feature local government officials, programmers, and designers gabbing about how the digital world can improve the community. Scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 15, at Chandler City Hall, 175 South Arizona…
Sure, it may be a couple of weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Major League Baseball spring training facilities across the Valley, but serious training for cyclists has been under way for over a month now. Just look at the recent training camp that Lance Armstrong and his Team…
Being Human’s a funny little show that premiered January of last year on BBC and is now on its third season in the United Kingdom. While the original series is still running has 15 episodes under its belt, U.S.-based SyFy pounced on the idea and decided to run a remake…
Luis Gutierrez is taking names. For too long, he says, Arizona artists have been silent (or disorganized) in response to the actions of Jan Brewer and Russel Pierce. “They’ve created such a negative brand for Arizona,” he says. “And that brand isn’t reflective of everyone who lives here … I…
If you can find one. Evidently the cheeky, sneaky varmints can be coaxed out of their anti-social funks with a few cheese puffs. Happy Ground Hog Day!…
Contrary to the announcement made last November that five chemicals commonly used in spice would be temporarily banned by December 24, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration is now stating that the ban is not in effect.DEA spokesperson Barbara Carreno told media that the emergency ban had to be revised…
Do you kow of a leftover hardware drawer, full of parts and pieces? Dig in! Those abandoned washers and such can turn into a super stylish piece of neck wear like the piece above we created while inspired by the DIY projects created over at P.S. I Made This. Learn…
Mike Maas’ studio space looks like a pop culture shop exploded. It’s eye candy for any classic Universal Monsters fan and or kid who grew up watching a dozen cereal bowls worth of weekly Saturday morning cartoons. Between his tidy desk and drafting table on either end of his place…
Looking for something to do this week? “Night Owl” is a quick guide to special nights at bars and clubs around town. We’ll give you a few hints re: cover, dress code, music and atmosphere. Sunday night marks “Rockabilly Sundays” at The Dirty Dogg Saloon. The Dirty Dogg Saloon’s raunchy,…
