It’s been nearly a year since Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law, unleashing a shitstorm that’s still going although the law was blocked by courts and will likely never take effect in any meaningful way.While The Sound Strike, the organization promoting a boycott of Arizona led by out-of-state…
Song: Michael & Janet Jackson Vs. Gorillaz, “Stylo Scream” (Stanwik Mashup)Context: Janet Jackson comes to Comerica Theatre tonight. Her 1995 duet with Michael, “Scream,” has always been one of my favorite tracks by either Jackson sibling — very underrated. And remember that video? Super cool. Check out this mashup remix…
You’re in for a smokin’, tokin’ good time if you hang out with Mergence at the tight joint known as the Yucca Tap Room on 4/20 this year (weed pun intended).”With the new laws coming into lay, it’s Arizona’s time to catch up a bit, and we are celebrating,” said…
Standout Phoenix alt-country act Tractor Pull Divas is doing a fundraiser for Helen’s Hope Chest, a charity affiliated with the Mesa United Way. The Hope Chest provides clothing and other basic items for foster children in the Valley. Band member Ryan Brown is himself a foster parent and says he’s…
, according to Pitchfork.Fight For Your Right Revisited is the Beastie Boys’ new star-studded 22-minute short film directed by the group’s own Adam Yauch. The film features the group’s new songs “Make Some Noise” and “Too Many Rappers,” which are both tracks from the upcoming album.The trailer is hilarious and…
Payton J. CurryThe chef recently launched a pop-up concept at the Welcome Diner. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Cat Power Radio. It’s been one of those weeks for me. I don’t do radio at all. What’s…
As a crowd numbering more than 1,100 watched on, M2 had his hands full to say the least. While large digital screens flashed his logo (based off the old school Phoenix Suns logo) and a countdown clock ticked off his allotted 15 minutes, M2’s hands flew and fluttered across turntables, mixers,…
Title: 2-song self-titled EP, containing the tracks “Schadenfreude” and “Inching The Foot”Basics: Stellacutta are an young, unsigned 5-piece band from Tempe whose members all study music at Arizona State University. The band describes their current mission as wanting to get the word out about their music, but also — in…
Full disclosure: Belfast-based singer-songwriter Rachel Austin is the daughter of one of my former co-workers and she once let me and one of my buddies crash at her “flat” (this is what sophisticated European travelers call apartment homes) while visiting Northern Ireland. However, that’s not why I’m posting this charming…
Song: Aaron Lewis, “Country Boy”Context: The insufferable fakeness of this terrible song is the focal point of a piece in this week’s issue. The Tea Party bullshit and the sample of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the end are only part of the reason why — picturing this…
Sarah Ventre went in search of the story of the oldest record ever made by an Arizona artist in this week’s issue. Those records were made by original cowgirl singer Billie Maxwell and her humble family band from Eastern Arizona in the 1920s.To do that, Sarah spoke to one of…
Came across the A-side of this fantastic reissue courtesy of stellar site TITTYSHAKERS (potentially NSFW depending on your job, the site features no nudity, though it’s obviously on the risque side). The site features the kind of sleazy cuts that would have been heard in the 50s and 60s, totally…
Jocks chugging beer bongs, snorting lines of cocaine, and hazing nerds on stage — welcome to the magic that is a Broloaf show. The Scottsdale punk band that has been entertaining the Valley with wild on-stage antics for the past three years and will do so again when they open…
Highly hyped New Jersey band Titus Andronicus’ tour with the Pogues infuriated Titus’ lead singer, Patrick Stickles, according to Paste.The Pogues, who the members of Titus Andronicus consider to be musical heroes, didn’t give their opening band the time of day. They never once watched Titus open up for them…
Title: Covela EPBasics: Covela basics. I kid. Covela is described as having a “driven, melodic rock sound has been paralleled to Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, Muse and The Killers.” The comparisons to Paramore make plenty sense as the band plays rock music with a female lead singer — Sarah Drinkwine. Before…
In covering Country Thunder for the better part of a decade, I’ve had some enlightening highs (seeing John Fogerty play CCR tunes from 10 feet away), some serious lows (waiting out a pissing rainstorm in the freezing cold wearing only shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, clutching a soggy reporter’s notebook,…
The last artist to win both the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Canadian Juno Award for Album of the Year was Alanis Morissette, who won the twin North American honors for 1995’s Jagged Little Pill. This puts Montreal band Arcade Fire and their record The Suburbs…
It’s hard to know whether Talib Kweli is giving up on the music industry because he’s aware of the minimal value of label promotion for artists outside the top sales tier or because the breakup was mutual. Though Kweli arrived big — releasing an absolutely classic album as Black Star…
The nip-slip. There you go — that’s the reference you were expecting when you saw Janet Jackson’s name. Yes, it was one of the more iconic media moments in recent history, giving conservatives in America a rallying point for their crusade against the decay of our society. For Janet Jackson,…
Yellowcard had their first taste of mainstream success with “Ocean Avenue,” the upbeat title track from their fourth album. That track was a hit in 2003, back when The O.C. was must-see TV and teenagers were obsessed with all things related to Southern California, which seems like a long time…
Garrett Dutton and his band, G. Love & Special Sauce, don’t create ordinary blues pop. G. Love offers variety on both his solo albums and those he made with Special Sauce. With a style that ranges from smooth rhymes over a funky guitar on some songs to laid-back, slow, and…
Billie Maxwell’s “Cowboy’s Wife” is one of those subtly powerful songs that leave you haunted and still. Recorded in 1929, the track depicts the day-to-day toils of its protagonist, a woman living a tough life in the mountains of eastern Arizona. Maxwell sings sorrowfully about a scene in which she…
