Braiiiiiiinstorming for something to do on Halloween? Forget about handing out candy to the kids; on October 31, get your zombie on while riding the light rail from Mill Avenue to downtown Phoenix and back during the Zombie Light Rail Ride. Zombie walks might be popping up everywhere from Helsinki…
For the past five years at the Rogue Bar, Saturday nights have seen an influx of skinny-jean-wearing hipsters looking for their next Brit-pop fix. That’s been provided by Shake!, the indie-dance night helmed by the oh-so-dapper DJ William “Fucking” Reed. But as the Rogue transitions to an all-ages music venue,…
SpongeBob SquarePants has a bad rap. Overzealous merchandisers mis-market him as a canary-colored bath toy. Educators and many parents – who in most cases have never watched the show — vilify him. But kids (and grown-ups who dig pop culture and social satire) get the idealistic naif from Bikini Bottom…
Halloween’s a richly complicated holiday that began when Samhain, a harvesty Gaelic fest, got mashed up with All Saints’ Day, the heavy-duty Catholic day of obligation, and its hangover, All Souls’ Day. As centuries passed, some Christian denominations started feeling ooky about how much the American Halloween seems to trivialize…
The author and contributing editor for Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone discusses his book Israel Is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and its History. Wed., Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m., 2009…
You’ll have to get your Irish up on All Hallows this year, as the cabbage-eaters collide with trick-or-treaters. The fest features Irish grub, drink, dance, and live entertainment. All proceeds benefit Irish Cultural Center. Sat., Oct. 31, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., 2009…
The last time we saw one of Chris Danowski’s Theater in My Basement productions, we left scratching our heads but feeling strangely satisfied. That’s because his works tend to be experimental mishmashes of spoken word and visual art, designed to inspire thought about multicultural themes. They also often make you…
You think you know some scary people, but you haven’t met Screwtape. He and his nasty nephew — both demons in the literal sense — are out to get our hero, a fellow known only as The Patient, in Jeffrey Finske and Max McLean’s funny, supersnarky translation of C.S. Lewis’s…
At first glance, Mei-Ling Hopgood’s Lucky Girl smacks of Oprah. And Hopgood’s 2009 memoir, about traveling back to China as an adult to reunite with the birth parents who gave her up for adoption, might well have descended into the touchy-feely had it not been for the hard-core chops the…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and noted chef Christopher Gross are scheduled to be on hand for the debut of the new store, which supports Arizona-based small farmers and microbusinesses. All proceeds from the opening support Community Food Connections, the non-profit organization which runs the Phoenix Public Market. Thu., Oct. 29,…
The pleasingly lo-fi event features a screening of the pleasingly horrible Plan 9 from Outer Space and a costume contest. Sat., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., 2009…
Halloween night is full of choices. Almost too many. So if you want lovely drinks in a classy setting with a background of hot music, we’ll make it easy for you: Head for the Haunted Hotel Halloween Costume Ball at Hotel Valley Ho. The Valley Ho is that retro-modern elite…
It’s true that G.G. Elvis and the T.C.P. Band – a group of NOFX and Lagwagon refugees that somehow mashes together G.G. Allin’s music with The King’s – could be one of the strangest ensembles out there, but it also brings to life the obvious similarities between the two musical…
It’s been a long time, Rakim. Too long. The self-proclaimed microphone fiend will break his nearly decade-long sabbatical to release his latest album, The Seventh Seal, next month. Born William Michael Griffin Jr., the Long Island native joined the Nation of Gods and Earths at the age of 16. Shortly…
The museum presents the 10th annual exhibit of altars, cajitas (small, traveling altars), calaveras (skulls), and calacas (skeletons) in conjunction with Calaca Cultural Center and Xico, Inc. Thu., Oct. 29, 6-9 p.m., 2009…
What better way to spend Halloweekend than with a Zombie? Especially when it’s Rob Zombie, yo. Zombie is setting out on his first tour since 2007, and, lucky for us, the master of gore and rock and roll will be here just two days before All Hallows’ Eve. The name…
The new edition of the Fun ‘n’ Gun Suns host Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, Kevin Love (pictured), and company. Sun., Nov. 1, 6 p.m., 2009…
Last season, the_Real_Shaq’s presence on Twitter helped start a cultural revolution. Unfortunately, Shaquille O’Neal’s presence on the Phoenix Suns nearly led to a teammate revolt. To put it mildly, Shaq’s lumbering style of play did not mesh with that of star point guard Steve Nash. Forced to choose between the…
By the time artist Nick Cave steps to the podium at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts tonight for an in-person discussion and showcase of his “soundsuits,” the season’s run-of-the-mill ghosts and goblins will have packed it in ’til 2010. But Cave’s creations are as monstrously cool as any of…
Journalist/author Sharon Waxman (Loot) discusses “who should own great works of art.” She signs her book after. Wed., Nov. 4, 7 p.m., 2009…
We can’t describe nerdcore genius MC Chris any better than he did himself in “Ten Year Old,” the first song off his second record, Knowing His Half the Hassle: “I sound like a 10-year-old / Or so I’ve been told / But you don’t need a voice that’s low to…
The L.A. artist, whose work is featured in SMoCA’s exhibit “southwestNET: Film & Video: Looking Through the Other End of a Telescope,” discusses his recent work. Thu., Oct. 29, 7 p.m., 2009…
