Life can be tricky for metalheads who turn to heavy music to galvanize their conscience. If that sounds like a stereotype, plenty of metal bands play into the meathead/douchebag/sociopath thing and do it with pride. Gojira isn’t one of those bands. But Gojira doesn’t simply spew pointed political sloganeering either…
So, the other evening I was watching the History Channel when a two-hour program about the Dark Ages came on. I thought to myself, “Wow, I should really turn the sound down and put on some In Flames” — kinda like we did in college when we’d crank The Jesus…
Hey, kids, how’d you like to know how brand-new Orange, California quartet Eye Alaska came up with its name? Well, according to singer-guitarist Brandon Wronski: “‘Alaska’ is the Aleutian word for ‘that which the sea breaks against.’ ‘Eye’ means that you’re looking to those upon whom the sea breaks. It…
Here’s a recipe for a seriously stellar night of entertainment: Take a half-dozen of Arizona’s most imaginative visual artists, VJs, and filmmakers, and mix them liberally with eight or nine of the Valley’s DJs, turntablists, and “audio navigators.” The result? An all-night extravaganza titled Illumination v2.0, which goes down on…
By Martin Cizmar I bring you this week’s Flier of the Week not because it’s a bunch of bands we’ve recently featured at the Ruby Room, but because it’s possibly (and hopefully) the last time we can use Sarah Palin as a pop-culture touchstone for a long, long, long time…
By Jonathan McNamara For this week’s Sonic Truth, Music Editor Martin Cizmar got to know some of Phoenix’s Juggalos: dedicated fans of Insane Clown Posse. But the story doesn’t end there. Check out the following slide show and video for another look at this wicked subculture. Slide Show: What Is…
By Martin Cizmar
Not too many bands morph from cover band to successful original act – especially when they start out playing covers of Ryan freakin’ Adams, but that’s just what the subject of this week’s You Asked For It, The New Westerns, have done.
By Benjamin Leatherman Music editor Martin Cizmar totally digs the Flaming Lips funky new CD/DVD Christmas on Mars, and apparently so do the customers at Zia Record Exchange (105 West University Drive in Tempe). Here’s the rest of the top 10 best sellers for the week of Nov. 10-Nov. 16…
By Lilia Menconi You should know the drill by now. Click this link to the slideshow. We’ve gone to a number of these lovely parties and this time, we were particularly impressed with the way it all came together. The theme, inspired by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s current exhibition,…
By Martin Cizmar
Q-Tip is a perfectionist. Or so he said Monday night as he derailed his show one song in, taking a five-minute interlude to adjust the sound. “Any of ya’ll bloggers out there? Any bloggers?” he asked. “So when you blog about this, just be a little gracious.”
By Martin Cizmar So, not only is cartoonish comedian and impressionist Robin Williams still popular enough to sell out Dodge Theatre once, apparently the old goat is too popular for a single show in Phoenix. “Due to the overwhelming demand to see the hysterical standup of Robin Williams, a second…
Cancer could have killed Jane Fendelman. Instead, it brought her back to life. And her video documentation of her painful treatment and miraculous recovery (which she edited and released as a documentary titled Jane Doe) has brought her accolades — most recently, a nomination at the International Women’s Film and Television Showcase, taking place next month in Hollywood. Jane Doe is one of only ten films worldwide to be nominated for an award at the showcase.
By Martin Cizmar With the end of the year fast approaching, you’re about to be inundated with lists about the best and worst music of 2008. Phoenix New Times will be adding to that, of course, with our picks running the first week of the new year. And since I’ve…
By Yvonne Zusel See more shots in our Guinness World Record slide show. It’s 2:40 on Saturday morning and while most people’s nights are winding down, Hollis Cantrell’s has just begun. He’s bent over a man’s calf with his tattoo needle moving carefully but efficiently, first drawing an “A,” then…
By Jonathan McNamara The Nintendo Experience Mobile Tour I want to be the kind of Nintendo fan that happily shrieks at the chance to play mini games. I wish that I didn’t mind waiting three months between releases for another game worth playing. I’d like to embrace casual gaming as…
By Jonathan McNamara The games of the Nintendo Experience Mobile Tour. See more shots in our Nintendo Experience Mobile Tour slide show. I want to be one of the converted. I want to be the kind of Nintendo fan that happily shrieks at the chance to play mini games. I…
There were a massive amount of upcoming shows announced this week, including Willie Nelson on the road again and possibly three of the four worst nu metal bands of all time (Staind, Papa Roach, Hoobastank) on a single stage… with the insufferable Adam Carolla. Crooner Chris Isaak and Strokes’ drummer Fabrizio Moretti will also be in town with his side project, Little Joy. Katy Perry will be in town to do a solo show hot on the heels of her Phooson set and Woodstock veteran Richie Havens is coming.
If you’re not attuned to such things, you might be surprised to know how big a niche there is for bands interested in playing covers of classic Nintendo game soundtracks in today’s geek-friendly world. At comic, gaming, and computing conventions bands like The Advantage and Phoenix’s own Minibosses can draw pretty well covering classic Castlevania songs. As any bar band will tell you though, doing originals is always harder, which is why sBACH played to a crowd of about 30 Saturday night at Modified Arts.
By Jonathan McNamara See more shots from the Minus The Bear concert in our slide show. As an experiment before the show last night, I typed “Minus The Bear” into Pandora to see what I would get. I heard several tracks from Highly Refined Pirates paired with bands like Bloc…
By Steve Jansen It’s been like this all season for Washington State In 1981, the so-shitty Northwestern Wildcats’ football team set a new NCAA record for consecutive losses with a 61-14 home shellacking at the hands of Michigan State. But instead of booing and dotting players in the back of…
By Benjamin Leatherman sBACH is scheduled to perform on Saturday at Modified Arts. The Valley’s concert venues will be stacked with superstar musicians this weekend. For instance, a Cursive Memory do their indie rock thing tonight at the PHiX in downtown Phoenix, while the Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man and Redman…
By Martin Cizmar I bring you this week’s Flier of the Week not because I love the Towelie-esque flier – though it is pretty cool – but because I don’t want to be the only person who shows up to see videogame rockers sBACH at Modified this Saturday. I advanced…
