The Pogues Visit Marquee Theatre on October 21

“Is Shane MacGowan still alive?” That’s the immediate reaction I got from a co-worker after informing them of the news that legendary Irish rock band the Pogues will be coming to Tempe’s Marquee Theatre on October 21. It’s not an unreasonable question, given MacGowan’s notorious penchant for drinkin’ and druggin’…

Deer Tick

It’s hard to say exactly what Brooklyn-via-Providence alt-country band Deer Tick’s coolest claim to notoriety is: Hanging on NBC with Brian Williams, the undeniably fantastic cover to their debut album War Elephant (replete with enough girls and guns to make the late great Warren Zevon happy), associations with members of…

Beyoncé

Beyoncé, a.k.a. Sasha Fierce, is everywhere these days. She co-starred in Obsessed, a thriller that didn’t last long in theater. She’s always in the entertainment mags, whether it’s for her sense of style or cozying up to her boo, Jay-Z. “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring…

Copeland

Many have called Copeland a Christian rock band, but the group’s singer prefers to avoid the label. “I think that’s kind of a defective term,” Aaron Marsh has said. “It’s not our nature to have religious connotations. We are not a ministry band. We have some people in the band…

The Heartless Are Hitting Their Stride

Since their debut in 2004, The Heartless have gone through more members than Jay-Z goes through white sneakers, Girl Talk goes through samples, or Bret Michaels goes through groupies. They lost their singer and drummer and have used a steady rotation of bass players. Now with a solid lineup —…

Adam Freeland

Unless you’re a hardcore EDM aficionado or crate-sifting turntable wizard, it’s likely you don’t know Adam Freeland from, er, Adam. Which is a shame, really, considering that the English-born DJ/producer was one of icons of the UK’s breakbeat scene in the mid-’90s, helping to pioneer the darker and dirtier sub-genre…

Seven Nights of DJs & Dancing

THURSDAY 2 American Junkie: DJ Josh Royal, & DJ RoleModel (Top 40, hip-hop, mash-ups) AZ/88: Mark 5 (rare groove, trip-hop) Bikini Lounge: INTOXICA! with DJ HFE (blues, R&B, rock, rarities, vintage) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays (hip-hop) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cherry Lounge: Scandalous Thursday with DJ Juan Rocha (house, electronica)…

Abe Vigoda

If you take The Fader’s word for it, you pretty much have to see Abe Vigoda. In fact, if you take their word for it, you should probably stop listening to anything other than Abe Vigoda. The magazine’s editors have gone gaga for the band they dubbed “the lone practitioner…

Scream the Prayer Tour

It used to be so easy — so blessedly easy — to tell the difference between secular and Christian rock bands. The shrill U2 wanna-bes? Christian. The guys with the tattoos and dilated pupils? Secular. But that was yesterday. Somewhere along the line, these once-useful distinctions collapsed into each other…

Michael Jackson’s Sedona “Murderess” Revealed

Hell hath no fury like a New Age physician scorned. That’s what Sedona healer Reinalda de Souza wants the world to glean from the untimely demise of Michael Jackson. She especially wants the famous and wealthy individuals who beat a path to her door seeking a cure for their mental,…

An Open Letter to Jay-Z

Dear Jay, Can I call you Jay? Thanks. I heard you were coming to town and I just wanted to make a little public service announcement sharing my concerns about your latest high-profile celebrity feud. Up against NaS and The Game, you handled yourself well, and I think it’s fair…

Jay-Z’s Official DJ Hits Tonight’s Groove Candy

NYC’s DJ Neil Armstrong is one lucky mofo. Not only does the dood get to spin the backbeats for Jay-Z as the hip-hop superstar’s official turntablist, he also got to hang with Obama during the inauguration and has been lauded in the pages of Rolling Stone, URB, and the recently-deceased…

Courtney Marie Andrews Offers Free Mp3 From New Album

Local folk standout Courtney Marie Andrews has made a song from her new album — which will be availible July 31. “The Buffalo and the Bird” is one of a few songs I really like on her sophomore effort, Painters Hand and Seventh Son, so be sure to check it…

Barcelona’s Final Night In Pictures

Things started getting a tad emotional this past weekend at Barcelona, especially as the clock ticked towards 2 a.m. early on Sunday morning. As was reported a few weeks back, the posh north Scottsdale nightspot/restaurant was throwing its final hurrah in its current form due to an impending summertime renovation,…

You Asked For It: Serious Side Effects

Serious Side EffectsMay Include:(self-released)Grade: DDemonstrating even a small affinity for a band as roundly despised as Limp Bizkit takes some balls. Sure, Fred and the boys sold a gazillion records, but even the unhippest guy in the Valley — I picture him as baggy-jeaned dude inking Chinese letter tattoos at…

New Release Tuesday: Spoon EP Got Nuffin

It’s a pretty slow new release schedule today, unless your name is Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy or Moby (or Mephistopheles, for that matter). What I do have to offer, however, is a new EP from Austin indie rockers Spoon. Got Nuffin contains only 4 tracks, yet it is their first new…

Jens Lekman Has Swine Flu

Jens Lekman, a Swedish indie pop singer-songwriter who writes sugary ballads about pretending to be the lover of a lesbian friend to fool her conservative father, playing bingo in the countryside and accidently chopping his finger off while trying cut up an avocado (they’re all amazing songs, I swear!) has…

Club Candids at Sadisco

We’re clearly all about pushing family values with our Club Candids slideshows so it’s only natural for us to attend something wholesome like Sadisco’s Orgy of Baccus & Venus at Homme Lounge on Saturday, June 27th.They called it an orgy and while there were some pretty smokin’ make-outs happening in…

Weird is the New Cool to Play Two Shows in July

 We told you about Weird is the New Cool back in April and now the guys have a couple shows booked for July. WINC are scheduled to perform Saturday, April 18 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Saturday, July 25 at Chyro Arts, according to the group’s MySpace page. The local band can…