The typical rockabilly gathering is rife with old-school cool, ranging from bitchin’ hot rods and vintage-tinged tunes to fellas dressed sharp and ladies dolled up in style. This Saturday’s Rockabilly Rules II at The Rhythm Room goes one step further and recalls the WWII-level of stateside support for our troops…
Celebrate CenPho with the event special “Get Your PH-loat” shake made by MacAlpine’s with Rob Melikian, Phoenix historian and author of Vanishing Phoenix. Thu., Aug. 19, 5:30-8 p.m., 2010…
There’s one thing the public needs to get straight: graffiti does not automatically mean vandalism. There’s a huge difference between, say, Lalo Cota’s graffiti murals along Roosevelt between 7th Street and Central Avenue and the wiener that was spray-painted on your dad’s truck by the neighborhood kids. Spy some graffiti…
Director Michael Paul Stephenson has sewn a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. As a preteen, Stephenson was cast in the starring role of Troll 2 (1990). The straight-to-video film is so heinous that IMDB proclaimed it the worst movie ever made. The combination of amateur scenery, horrible makeup,…
In a culture where delivering boatloads of babies, undergoing multiple plastic surgeries, and being rich and vapid pass for “real” female experiences, it’s refreshing to see a collection of inspiring stories of female finesse by women whose names don’t end in Gosselin, Montag, or Orange County.In The Spirit of a…
Between Diana Taurasi’s flying elbows, DeWanna Bonner’s concussed head, and the Phoenix Mercury’s post-season future up in the air, the team’s regular-season home finale should be a doozy. The Mercury, 14-14 at press time, are battling for their playoff lives. Tonight’s game against the Seattle Storm is looking pretty much…
Three years ago, Carlos Gonzalez was one of the most prized prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system. Today, the 25-year-old outfielder is one of the few true five-tool players in baseball. He leads his team in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, runs batted in, home runs, and stolen…
Local Southern rock band Hogjaw titled their sophomore album Ironwood, after what they call the strongest tree in the Arizona — it represents the band’s tight bond, and their focused mindset must have a positive impact on their fans, because the album spent three weeks at the number one spot…
Stateside presents two free screenings of the immigration documentary 9500 Liberty at Phoenix Center for the Arts. Sun., Aug. 22, 4 & 7 p.m., 2010…
Scoring one big hit is something of a catch 22 for most bands. They often wind up going down in history as a much-derided One Hit Wonder, most of society indifferent to their talent or record of innovation. Things are doubly compounded when the band’s lone hit is a cover…
Tempe-based musician and Gilgongo Records’ head honcho James Fella once wrote, “This is the sound of modern absurdity,” about Fat Worm of Error’s Pregnant Babies Pregnant with Pregnant Babies.He’s so right. With Pregnant Babies, the Massachusetts-experimental-music-scene anchor has created a document that mindfucks every notion of traditional music, ranging from…
Celebrating Mardi Gras is fun, but the annual debauchery in New Orleans (and resultant shame) can be a bit much. The key to toning things down is celebrating months in advance. Clean the puke and blood stains out of your best Mardi Gras outfit and drive out to Salt River…
Among our summer rituals is re-watching all 32 episodes of Gidget, the 1965 television series starring Sally Field. This year, we will also watch The Desert of Forbidden Art, and not just because it features narration by Miss Field. The film, which is also voiced by Ben Kingsley and Ed…
Make a dumb comment about your pile of dirty dishes on Facebook and someone living in Brazil might gostar it. (Yes, yes, we know that Brazilians prefer Google’s Orkut, but just play along, okay?) This hyper acceleration of potential for human connection is what drove curator and fine art consultant…
Just because Super Happy Funtime Burlesque is based in the Midwest doesn’t mean you’re going to find a Prairie Home Companion-esque ensemble cast. That’s because there ain’t nothing prairie about this naughty musical comedy act. Tonight, the troupe lands in the simmering hot streets of Tempe, where you can witness…
The name Smokus Pocus doesn’t exactly stand out on the list of Sound Strike artists, next to acts Taboo (a.k.a. The Other Black Eyed Pea) and Trent “My Band Is Actually on Hiatus Anyway” Reznor. It’s nestled in there among “over 300” mostly obscure and unimportant acts, innocuous enough that…
The Heard Museum screens In the White Man’s Image: The Indian Boarding School , a 1992 motion picture that chronicles the US Government’s draconian policy that forced the removal of Indian children from their families for a boarding-school education. Mon., Aug. 23, 1:30 p.m., 2010…
John Coltrane’s ensemble helped to introduce the oud to Western ears, folks like Don Cherry kept oud listeners intrigued, and cats like Rahim AlHaj are keeping the Arabic stringed instrument in America’s consciousness. The Baghdad, Iraq-born musician and composer, who now resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, creates emotionally layered and…
Back in 1995, Steve Bays, a British Columbian with a curly mop of a hairdo and a dream, started a rock and roll act with dance influences. Bays somehow ended up playing a synthesizer with the new group and a friend of the band sang the vocals. Eventually, they dumped…
“I always said I hated the Black Crowes,” says Mike, sipping a Diet Coke. “Then one day someone put on a Black Crowes album and I was like, ‘Who is this?’ There were 4 or 5 songs I liked, I mean, really liked.” I agree with Mike, staring at his…
Sunnyslope Mountain. Phoenix Financial Center. Phoenix Towers. The Bikini Lounge. If it’s in Phoenix and it’s a building and it’s even a little bit pretty, artist Jason Hill has captured it in brightly inked three-color screen prints. And, amazingly, he makes it look spectacular. Don’t believe us? Head straight for…
Make a dumb comment about your pile of dirty dishes on Facebook and someone living in Brazil might gostar it. (Yes, yes, we know that Brazilians prefer Google’s Orkut, but just play along, okay?) This hyper acceleration of potential for human connection is what drove curator and fine art consultant…
