Cue the tweenage screaming: Justin Bieber is coming to town, and the prepubescent estrogen is going to be out of control. In anticipation of his groundbreaking tour that’s set to hit Jobing.com Arena this Saturday, September 29, here are some of his most meaningful lyrics off his current album, Believe,…
The combination of live music and live art performances have become as much a part of the city of Tempe as the college campus and man-made lake that inhabit it. What better way to celebrate the thriving scene than with a two-day festival showcasing some of the Valley’s best acts?…
There are plenty of ways to show someone that you think they’re sexy. Some methods are subtler than others, but Rod Stewart wants ladies to be direct and just reach out and touch him. Tempe rockers Rough Tough Dynamite take a culinary approach with their synthed out surf cover of…
Alex Navarrete Navarrete is the Executive Chef of Saddle Ranch Chop House at Westgate City Center. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I listen to my TuneIn radio app on my phone. I skim through The Vibe…
Curious about what’s going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun? Don’t fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend…
We’ve spent the last year in the laboratory putting Phoenix under the microscope to reveal hundreds of specimens of the best culture, outdoor adventures, shopping, dining, and nightlife the city has to offer. And we’re finally ready to publish our results. Nerd alert! Now presenting Scientific Phoenix. Don’t get us…
Black Flag: Very influential, not always critically praisedWelcome to Ask a Failed Musician, in which I will help struggling musicians make sense of their careers and even offer some advice. Whether or not it will work, who knows? It obviously didn’t work for me. But then again, I was on Kimmel…
The story behind No Doubt’s sixth album, Push and Shove is oddly familiar. The band put out a record a few years ago, toured, and then fell off the radar for a bit. It took No Doubt seven years to follow up Tragic Kingdom with Return of Saturn. The album…
Back in 2007 when Vinnie Paul and Chad Gray announced their new band Hellyeah, fans weren’t sure what to expect of group made from members of Mudvayne, Pantera, Damageplan, and Nothingface. No doubt it was going to be heavy, but would it gear towards visual theatrics and sonic experimentation like…
Space is the place. It is the (claimed) birthplace of legendary jazz composer Sun Ra, it’s where Captain James T. Kirk boldly traveled, and it was there to give Cold War strategists something else to think about as people raced for the moon. It’s also where acclaimed hip-hop artist and…
“New York had lied to me. I needed the truth.” So sing The Lumineers, who fled the city, stifled by the hard realities of high rent, limited practice space, and constant demands on their free time. Songwriting partners for years, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites moved to Denver, where The…
Justin Bieber more closely resembles John Lennon than the majority of musicians today. That’s right: It’s been said. Songs like “As Long As You Love Me” and “Baby” are more heartfelt, innocent love ballads than the jaded, bitter tunes of jilted rock stars who have been used, abused, and left…
I’ve long held the suspicion that Los Angeles-by-way-of-Tucson songwriter Jacob Cooper (better known by his production moniker, Jacob Safari) ganked the name of his long-running Bark Bark Bark project from a prominent graphic displayed in a scene from Anchorman (“A La Jolla man clings to life . . .”). I could be wrong,…
Earlier this year, two of heavy rock’s biggest performers, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, took to performing on the same stage. It’s a combination that makes perfect sense. Throughout the ’90s and into the 2000s, the two have dominated pop culture with their theatrical blend of heavy metal and pop,…
“On the blue side of evening / When the darkness takes control / You start looking for a reason / To take your lonesome down the road.” These forlorn lyrics, cribbed from honkytonk hitmaker Steve Earle’s 1986 ditty “Down the Road,” might have been rolling through the heads of DJs…
The Sound Strike, the boycott of Arizona by popular musicians opposed to Arizona’s controversial anti-immigration law SB 1070, has been a divisive topic among Arizona music fans. While its intended effects, which include raising awareness of the law and targeting a national spotlight on the topic, are clear, many music…
In 2006, a study by National Geographic revealed that a shocking 50 percent of teenagers were uninformed when it came to geography, many of them even failing to identify New York on a map. Six years hence, we’re willing to bet that members of the 18 to 25 demographic are…
Thursday 27 AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bobby Q’s: DJ Phlava, MC Focus, DJ Dark Vader, & DJ Skoolboi (hip-hop, reggae, R&B) Cadillac Ranch: Thirsty Thursdays with DJ Chris Villa (Top 40, house) Crescent Ballroom: Discothèque Thursdays with Sean Watson, Hoodwink, & more (disco) Dollhouse:…
Nick Lowe has worn more than a couple stylistic hats in his 40-plus years as a songwriter, performer, and producer. He played ambling country rock with Brinsley Schwarz, ushered in pub rock, punk, and new wave with solo records and production for Stiff Records, and eased into a remarkable career…
You’ve got a lot of reading to do, guys: snuggled tightly in this week’s massive Best of Phoenix 2012 issue is a regular issue of Phoenix New Times. In anticipation of the busiest musical weekend of the year, you’ll find pieces about KUPD’s two-day metal festival Desert Uprising, EDM waterpark…
What’s one to do on a Sunday night in downtown Phoenix? Going to bed early and vegging out seems like an appealing option, but by staying in, you’d miss all the fun Retro Hi-Fi at Sidebar has to offer. Check out the fashionable folks we spotted at Retro Hi-Fi at…
Sondre Lerche @ the Musical Instrument Museum| 9/25/12″Ever since I saw Psycho, I’ve wanted to come to Phoenix.” That’s how Sondre Lerche introduced himself to Phoenix last night at the Musical Instument Museum, and in a time of SB1070 band boycotts, it’s pretty refreshing for a musician to reference Hitchcock…
