Arts & Culture

What’s the most significant thing you’ve ever accomplished on your laptop? Paid off a credit card? Logged a seven-letter word on Scrabulous? Constructed your first-rate Evite? Hey, no judgments – that shit’s great. It just doesn’t have the staying power of Ratatat, the 2004 self-titled debut disc that guitarist Mike…

In the midst of a world tour, a British soul man who’s been compared to Prince (think early ‘90s Prince) and Beck rolls into town. Now, what’s not to like about that? The bloke in question is Jamie Lidell, who smashes together techno with a mix of soul, funk, and…

Screw afternoon-pick-me-ups like Earl Grey and Rockstar. You just need some more Poncho Sanchez in your life. Arguably, the Laredo, Texas-born conguero may be the best Latin Jazz musician out there today. Un-arguably, Sanchez and his ensemble inject head-nodding and feet-shuffling energies into the spheres (especially in a live context)…

Phoenicians. We roll our eyes at the Desert Botanical Garden. Shame on us. Just as you would with a long-time boyfriend, get sauced and find a new way to appreciate DBG at Beer Garden, which will offer craft brews by Four Peaks, Grand Canyon, Prescott, Sonoran, San Tan, and Mogollon…

The University of Oregon has owned the Arizona State University Football team as of late, winning five straight over the Sun Devils (the last time ASU prevailed over the Ducks: a 28-13 win at Eugene’s Autzen Stadium on October 2, 2004). Plus, the last few match-ups in Tempe haven’t been…

When most people think of downtown Phoenix, they envision the hustle and bustle of First Fridays on Roosevelt or the shiny newness of CityScape. On Saturday, September 25, allow the west end of downtown to reintroduce itself with the second annual Grand Avenue Festival. The establishment of the funky diagonal…

At the risk of offending CMT viewers or people who still watch the Grammys, I wasn’t all that familiar with the Zac Brown Band when I was assigned this piece. I had seen his album in record stores (he looks like he needs a shower), and I think I had…

While the epic footwear and “Ale-Ale-Jandro” swoons of Lady Gaga may be pop music’s item of the week, silver-studded charro outfits and wide-brimmed hats – along with vihuelas, guitarrónes, and well-placed gritos mexicanos (yells done at musical interludes) – make mariachi a time-tested triumph of music that’s lasted for centuries…

The Heard screens Dancing from the Heart: Journey of a Pueblo Dance Family, which chronicles three generations of Native American dancers. Mon., Sept. 27, 1:30 p.m., 2010…

The Oakland Raiders have been arguably the worst team in the NFL for the last seven years. Plagued by a series of terrible draft picks, ill-advised free agency signings, and mediocre head coaches, the Silver and Black have averaged just 4 wins per season since their loss in Super Bowl…

If there’s one thing uniting the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s that neither team has accomplished much on the diamond this year. The Dodgers’ 2010 season will be best remembered for the uncomfortably public legal battle between owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife Jamie McCourt. This…

The ASU faculty musician bassoonist will be joined by pianist Andrew Campbell and clarinet player Robert Spring for an evening of music featuring the works of Mozart, Bruch, Gershwin, and others. Fri., Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m., 2010…

Maurice Ravel’s sumptuous opus will be brought to life by the PSO, which will also perform John Corigliano poignant Piano Concerto and the newest work from Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s. Thu., Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 25, 8 p.m., 2010…

Frank Black thinks you shouldn’t trust a single word I write about either him or The Pixies. The venerable frontman of the equally venerable alt-rock band has had a contentious and distrustful relationship with music scribes, as demonstrated by his declaration that most band interviews “are mangled and even have…

Shayne Bohner most definitely knows how to put on a potent party. Just look at his track record: He organized some rather wicked wingdings (including the Rave of the Dead) down at the old Rasputin’s in Chandler and is helping to light up the Firehouse with the monthly SINge shindig…

Masters in Fine Arts candidates in Photography, D. Bryon Darby and David Emitt Adams employ two very different photography styles in this collaborative exhibition. Tue., Sept. 28, 6-8 p.m., 2010…

Strap on your listening ears, art enthusiasts. Arizona’s reigning king and queen of fine-art photography, Terry Etherton of Tucson’s Etherton Gallery and Lisa Sette of Scottsdale’s Lisa Sette Gallery, are giving us plebs a rare opportunity to get the insider skinny on today’s photography market. Phoenix Art Museum’s newly formed…

The Wednesday Morning Interludes series continues with a performance of nineteenth century compositions from Beethoven, Gounod, and Dukas by John Ericson on a variety of vintage and period horns. Pianist Yi-Wan Liao will provide accompaniment. Wed., Sept. 29, 10:30 a.m., 2010…