Luna Aura’s career in pop music may be blossoming, with radio play, widespread licensing, and critical acclaim all in the past year, but it’s still the small moments that have the greatest impact. At McDowell Mountain Music Festival this past March, Aura met a family that traveled three-and-a-half hours from…
Those of us who grew up watching MTV in the ’90s will no doubt remember Rock The Vote’s push to get young adults out to the polling places. Flash forward to the present: Despite the fact that young voters were a key factor in getting Barack Obama elected in 2008,…
The 2016 Best of Phoenix issue is on stands now. That means that we’re giving you our authoritative take on what’s good in the Valley of the Sun, and here are the best radio stations to tune into when cruising the freeways of the vast city of Phoenix. Best Hip-Hop…
Now cognizant of the dwindling rock star pool that is 2016, you’ve no doubt you’ve clicked on a story like this a couple of times every day on FaceBook: “BREAKING: Rock Music Legend Found Dead — Please Pray” I only just noticed that the source of this click bait turns…
The 2016 edition of New Times’ Best of Phoenix is out now,featuring a series of “as told to” profiles that explore how our city’s proximity to Mexico makes it better. One day, I was walking down the street in Guadalajara. I was 10 years old. And this man came over…
There has never been a mega-festival quite like Desert Trip. There are just six acts and only one stage. No art installations, no dance tent, no bands you never heard of serenading you in the distance while you stand in line at the beer garden. Just a half-dozen rock &…
Crescent Ballroom celebrates its fifth anniversary today. It’s hard to imagine what downtown would look like without the venue, which in terms of influence seems older than it is. But back in 2011 owner Charlie Levy just wanted to create a venue with character. “Strip it down to the bare…
Behold this massive list of local artists (we counted 245) that will be playing the Arizona Hip Hop Festival on November 19, which promises to be bigger than ever. On top of the flood of Arizona rappers that will be scattered throughout the theater, the festival boasts a few headliners…
That first time at Karamba, the thing I noticed was the conversations. When you go from hearing your language everywhere, all the time, to only hearing snippets sporadically, a single word can almost feel like home. It transports you. “Güey, ¿me das una chela?” a guy asked the bartender near…
To read this essay in English, click here. Aquella primera vez en Karamba, lo que noté fueron las conversaciones. Cuando pasas de escuchar tu idioma en todas partes, todo el tiempo, a solamente oír frases de manera esporádica, una sola palabra puede sentirse casi como estar en casa. Te transporta. …
Got any big plans this week? You probably should, considering there are few (if any) reasons to stay home. The weather’s certainly nicer, your television is choked with wall-to-wall election coverage, and there’s a grip of great concerts and nightlife events happening over the next several nights. Naturally, most of…
Tempe-based rapper Thaahum just finished binge-watching the new Netflix original series Luke Cage, so it is understandable that his eyelids are a little droopy. Dressed in a T-shirt featuring the show’s logo, he is struggling to remain tight-lipped about plot details. The artist does manage to avoid spoilers while explaining why…
When Trunk Space owner Steph Carrico was searching for a new spot for her displaced venue, she had a “wish list” going of what she wanted in a location. It had to be in downtown Phoenix, first off, and also needed sufficient parking and proximity to light rail. A unique…
Just because its been three years since Alice In Chains has put out new music doesn’t mean that the band or singer William Duvall hasn’t had a busy summer. After opening five shows on the Guns N’ Roses reunion tour they are now headlining a tour of their own that…
Jen Rogers was dragged “kicking and screaming” to what a concert almost a decade ago that would later lead to the dream job she didn’t know she always wanted. For a jazz and experimental Medeski Martin & Wood die-hard, and sort-of String Cheese Incident fan who worked at the Phoenix…
Up for seeing a great concert this weekend? If so, we’ve got a few suggestions for y’all. As a matter of fact, we’ve got a 13 of ’em, and the list includes shows from a wide variety of genres and formats, from emo and dream pop to blues and folk. If…
As far as culture goes, Phoenix has the best of everything — be that music, art, food, dance, theater, whatever. And it wouldn’t be the same without our proximity to our nation’s southern border. That’s why it’s time to honor Phoenix’s inescapable Mexican influence with this year’s Best of Phoenix…
We sincerely hope y’all have some disposable income saved up from the summer. Because if you like great music and really like seeing it live, you’re going to buying plenty of concert tickets over the next few weeks. That’s because October’s concert calendar is pretty much all treats and no…
New York hip-hop legends De La Soul (Dave, Posdnous, and Maseo) have done something a lot of couples, let alone musical groups, can manage. They’ve spent almost three decades working together, and their personal and creative bonds just keep getting stronger. No tabloid drama or separate tour buses for this…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new local music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Sydney Sprague – “Uncomfortable” Sydney Sprague has been making magic with her music for nearly a decade in the Valley…
The music world doesn’t happen on its own. What we see on the surface is the result of passionate people behind the scenes, writing, creating, organizing, promoting, and working tirelessly to bring music to the venues, bars, and houses of Metro Phoenix. We will look at 25 here, some familiar,…
Psych-folk troubadour Donovan hit the stage at the Musical Instrument Museum last night for the second of two sold-out shows. His current tour is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of his Sunshine Superman record. That album’s title track was a number one U.S. hit, and the album itself contained…
