Writing a song that paints a picture of a fire in a Taco Bell is no easy task, yet Detroit’s Electric Six laughs at such a notion. The band’s infamous 2003 single “Danger! (High Voltage)” easily sums up what kind of effect the genre-bending band is going for. Dick Valentine,…
There’s nothing especially new about douchebag rock. The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, and countless others have shoehorned the subgenre into the larger pop canon. But in the present decade, plenty of indie boys have gotten in touch with their inner assholes: The Walkmen, Say Anything, The Strokes, and, most notably,…
If you miss following the Grateful Dead or Phish from gig to gig, munching a few funky brownies and spinning in circles as the bands play, fire up the VW bus this weekend and head up to the Spirit Room in Jerome, where Tempe’s Mojo Farmers host their semi-annual Mountain…
On last winter’s intriguing Watershed, k.d. lang’s first disc of original material in eight years, the Canadian-born singer/songwriter seemed to have picked up a few things from the legendary Tony Bennett, with whom she has repeatedly collaborated over the years since his MTV Unplugged special in 1993. The instrumentation on…
It’d be hard to pinpoint exactly when Woody Guthrie joined Iggy Pop, Wayne Kramer and Johnny Cash as a proto punk demigod. Somewhere along the line, he seems to have slipped in there though, at least for certain segments of the punk world. The Revival Tour, which stopped in Tempe last night, is probably the best evidence you’ll find to that effect.
By Martin Cizmar
If you’re someone like me who, somewhat embarrassingly, cannot get enough Ben Gibbard, I have some good news.
By Benjamin Leatherman Hip-hop, R&B, and other urban jams have always been big sellers at Circles Records & Tapes, 800 North Central Avenue. So it’s only natural a majority of the shop’s top 10 best-selling albums for this week are chartbusters from those genres. For instance, the No. 1 album…
For the past eight years, Alice Cooper has given us yuletide rockings with his annual Christmas Pudding show. Phoenix’s resident shock rocker hosts the annual fete to raise money for his charity, the Solid Rock Foundation, a non-profit Christian corporation that provides a recreation center (The Rock Teen Center) for teenagers. To that end, Cooper’s “Proof is in the Pudding” talent competition — which nets the winning contestant a gig at the Christmas Pudding show — now includes a Teen Competition.
Last Exit, Halloween, Club Candids
Steve Wynn Crossing Dragon Bridge (Rock Ridge Music) By Thomas Bond After three stellar albums known as the “desert trilogy” because they were made in Tucson, singer/songwriter Steve Wynn set off for a change of scenery for his new disc Crossing Dragon Bridge. Recorded in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia,…
By Martin Cizmar
It’s not often an album I’ve never heard before makes me nostalgic for my high school days, let alone one that came out last year and is sang partly in Japanese. But so it was with Toybox’s five-song EP, Five Seconds To…, which really took me back. Despite the fact that it’s Toybox is three ASU Japanese-exchange-students-turned-locals, and perform some of their songs in Japanese, they sound like the bands all my friends were in during my school days, old school pop-punkers of the 924 Gilman Street persuasion.
By Thomas Bond
While some musical groups fade into mere memories, that was never going to be the case with The Clash, once famously dubbed “the only band that matters.” More than two decades on from their break-up, interest in the group remains high. How high? Well, a new concert album The Clash Live at Shea Stadium was issued last month and today marks the release of “The Clash,” a 384-page book that tells the band’s story through quotes from its members.
Last night, local bands rocked the SRC Fields at ASU to show their support for solar power. Phoenix rock band Shawn Johnson & The Foundation, Tempe funksters Fred Green, and spoken word artist Jamal a.k.a. i-Dee brought their talents to a stage set up on the athletic field, while students filled out forms advocating for solar power.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 4) is election day, and as a “thank you” to voters for casting their ballots, Starbucks is offering a free small coffee to anyone who comes in and says they voted.
By Martin Cizmar
There ain’t no bowling alley at Kierland Commons. So, really, I am at a last to explain what happened at Sunset Bowl today, as a team from Desert Living Magazine bested two New Times teams and a slew of other area bands, promoters, club owners and assorted independent music types to win the inaugural Phoenix Independents Bowl.
By Martin Cizmar
To be honest, we purposely drug out feet on the show announcements this week. Usually we blog ‘em here Friday, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you all we’ve got is Kenny Loggins and NOFX.
The brainchild of local world music enthusiast DJ Seduce, Afro:Baile Records’ catalog brims with global beats, from sambas and forro to funk and jazz fusion. The overall vibe is one of laid-back goodness, and Maria Maria provided a perfectly chill setting for Seduce’s rich soundscapes.
By Martin Cizmar
If you want to judge a concert based on how far back the crowd is dancing – and I think it’s a pretty fair way to do it – it would be hard to top The Faint’s show Saturday. Feet weren’t just moving in the first few rows, or in the main clump in front of the stage at the spacious Marquee, they were sliding around all the way back by the soundboard, where some dude in a day-glow hat had his own little rave and where a girl in a gray dress indiscreetly scanned every guy around her in search of a suitable dance partner then, coming up empty, switched to a new spot.
By Benjamin Leatherman Saturday night is your last chance ever to get assaulted by E.T.T.S. I deal with a crapload of local bands as Clubs Editor for the Phoenix New Times. Each and every week I sift through hundreds of web pages, flyers, and e-mails in the process of assembling…
Hoobastank is scheduled to perform tonight at the Tempe Marketplace. There’s no shortage of cool shit to do aound the Valley this weekend. Besides all the usual concerts and music events happenings over the next 48 hours, there’s also the added mayhem of Halloween. (Click here for our annual guide…
By Martin Cizmar Halloween fun doesn’t end Friday, as the poster for this underground rave shows. This forum has some info, but for the location, call the infoline on the day of the show, (602) 501-5466…
By Benjamin Leatherman The brothers Calabrese have a rather vampish video they wanna show you. After weeks upon weeks of seemingly endless hype, the wait is paractically over. The big day is almost here, and no longer will we have to endure scary tales of doom and gloom that are…
