If the first season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air taught us anything, it’s that people from Philadelphia who move west are bound to get homesick. Phoenix is great, but it can’t replicate the violent sports fanaticism that makes a Philly person feel at home. We’re sure we’ll see a…
Metal is good. Scandinavian death metal, even better. How about a Finnish death ensemble that sings songs about trolls clashing with Christian missionaries? The best thing ever? Not quite, but Finntroll, which growls out tales about characters from Norse mythology that battle religious wingnuts, is pretty freaking good. Hailing from…
It’s brutal to watch an entertainer who’s lost his fastball. It’s like when your aunt had that nervous breakdown and tried to wear her old high-school cheerleading uniform; you knew that she could never again be who she wanted to be, and the whole thing ended up reminding you of…
In spite of Jennifer Aniston’s pitiful performance in The Bounty Hunter and James Cameron’s inexplicable Best Director Oscar loss for Avatar, we still have hope for the movie industry. Arizona State University’s rising film stars will compete for cash and prizes at the 5th Annual Student Film Festival. The event…
Last January, writers Tom Flanigan and Ed Furman were dispatched to Phoenix by Second City, the venerable Chicago comedy theatre. While here, Flanigan and Furman hit up local haunts like Durant’s and mingled with Valley figures in search of the city’s legends, follies, and quirks. The result: The Second City…
The great “could have been” story is a tired tale in the music business. Anyone with more than a casual relationship with popular music can remember a band that should have been huge, likely an act similar to another act that did hit it big. Mine: Christian pop geniuses, the…
The Phoenix Suns return from Portland to host the Trail Blazers in game 5. Mon., April 26, 2010…
With the series knotted at two games apiece, the Phoenix Coyotes will host the Detroit Red Wings in a pivotal game 5. Fri., April 23, 7 p.m., 2010…
A couple years back, singer-songwriter Jake La Botz was spending his Sundays down at the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in south central L.A., and playing in the church’s band with his friend Willie Chambers, of the ’60s R&B group the Chambers Brothers. La Botz is a Buddhist, but the…
As the debate about bringing indie rock to Phoenix’s NPR station, KJZZ, continues to bubble, you’ll see some mentions of internet-only Radio Phoenix as a possible solution to the problem. Personally, I think web radio is a pretty poor substitute for the over-the-air kind, but you have to respect what…
Harkins Valley Art hosts the documentary 9500 Liberty by directors Annabel Park and Eric Byler. The award-winning film follows the story of a short-lived police mandate in a Virginia county that required officers to question people suspected to be undocumented immigrants. Fri., April 30, 7 p.m., 2010…
Well, this is it, a game for all the marbles, as they say. The Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings face-off in game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Tue., April 27, 6 p.m., 2010…
The longtime downtowner exhibits new mixed-media works. April 1-30, 2010…
Remember that iconic opening to The Andy Griffith Show — just a boy and his pa heading down to the fishin’ hole? Even though we’re a long way from Mayberry, we’ll be whistling that tune at the Spring Fishing Frenzy. Park rangers will help provide instruction on basic angling techniques…
A child’s sixth birthday connotes images of brightly-colored party favors with a bunch of tiny, snot-nosed brats screaming and running around like a pack of wild animals, all while the poor chaperones (the kids’ parents) try to prevent anyone from getting seriously injured. With any luck, Trunk Space’s 6th Birthday…
You may know Mike Little as the guy cruising downtown on his homemade skateboard kite. If you’ve ever hung out behind the Conspire building, maybe he’s asked you to bum a cigarette so that his typewriter-aided, stream-of-consciousness compositions go uninterrupted. Maybe he’s even crashed on your couch or floor. People…
We’re not telling you to see an ABBA tribute band because we think it’s hip. We’re telling you to go because there’s nothing that has a higher irony factor than ABBA Fab. The foursome’s ridiculous garb and catchy tunes will be recreated by the blonde/brunette lady duo of Anne Davies…
Folks who fear ill-behaved teenagers (and those who don’t fancy struggle-hope-and-laughter dramas that rehash the plot line from To Sir, with Love and Up the Down Staircase) might consider staying away from the Herberger Theater’s Stage West for the next few weeks. Everyone else — especially those who like critically…
While everyone else is hanging on to The-Dream’s latest release and copying Erykah Badu’s new ‘do, you can’t let go of your Kool and The Gang vinyl or your dated afro. Seize the golden opportunity to relive the glory days of ’70s soul and R&B at Golden Again. Special guests…
You’re a classical composer living in Norway. That means you must exclusively like Edvard Grieg or something that sonically references a journey at sea. Well, in the case of Ola Gjeilo, that’s not exactly accurate. The Norwegian-born creative type, who now lives in Manhattan, loves him some jazz, especially cats…
We heart James Turrell. OMG, we heart him so much that if we were friends with him on Facebook, we would “like” the ever living you-know-what out of everything he did. This isn’t much of a stretch from how we feel about his “real world” activities, BTW. We’re not alone…
The list of celebrities for whom Tempe-based artist and entertainer Ukulele Ray has created his custom “Lunchbox-A-Leles” read like a People magazine who’s who. He’s made a left-handed “Yellow Submarine” original as a birthday present for Paul McCartney, a KISS creation for Gene Simmons, and a Spongebob Squarepants product for…
