Singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins defies a cut-and-dried definition. Influenced by everybody from the Violent Femmes and James Taylor to contemporaries like the Indigo Girls (whose co-founder, Amy Ray, attended Clarkston High School in Georgia with Mullins), the folk rocker maintains a homey pop vibe throughout his albums but doesn’t feel compelled…
What’s that noise? If it sounds like anarchy in the PC, it’s probably the wondrous effectual whirlpool of Valley circuit bender The Coitus. Using “instruments” such as old Atari gaming systems, Casio keyboards, and Commodore computers in combination with modified kids’ toys, synthcarts, and homemade sound contraptions, The Coitus calls…
Whenever we’re out surveying some of the more ostentatious and showy nightspots that make up P-town’s club scene, the lyrics from that Finger 11 song “Paralyzer” seem to roll through our heads. You know, the verse where Scott Anderson sings: “This club has got to be/The most pretentious thing/Since I…
Mark David Chapman was denied parole yesterday, for the fifth time. The man who murdered John Lennon on December 8, 1980 was sentenced to 20 years to life for his crime. The week before his parole hearing, the parole board received 50 letters and a petition signed by 1000 people opposing Chapman’s release. He had three letters of support.
By Benjamin Leatherman Let mortal kombat begin. It was announced recently that Danzig will be heading back to the Valley this November as a part of the “Blackest of the Black Tour,” which also features fellow black metal rockers Dimmu Borgir, Moonspell, Winds of Plague, and Skeletonwitch on the lineup…
J-Heads, Club Candids
By Benjamin Leatherman It’s a damn shame that in a city the size of Phoenix (the fifth largest in the nation last we checked) there’s a real dearth of cool independent music stores. But, hey, at least it lets us appreciate those scant few record shops that are available all…
Back in May, I launched this “You Asked for It” blog. There were so many Phoenix bands complaining that Phoenix New Times didn’t give them enough coverage, even while we’ve been covering local music extensively for more than a decade. The main reason I never reviewed EVERY local CD that came my way was because, quite frankly, many of them sucked and I didn’t feel like giving bad press to a struggling Valley band. Still, local musicians griped and moaned that we were covering all the wrong local bands (read: not their bands), so the original idea behind this blog was to review every single local CD sent to me, in the order it was received, regardless of whether or not I thought the album blew chunks. Surprisingly, I’ve only received a few CDs since the blog launch that I just wanted to melt in the microwave; many of the local CDs landing on my desk have been quite good. There’s still the occasional underwhelming effort (see this week’s review), but for the most part, I’m impressed and I want to hear more local CDs.
By DJ Big Latin DJ Big Latin is a Phoenix-based music promoter who created and owns Big Latin Entertainment. He was inspired to get into the music industry when he worked as a driver for Studio 47 in the Bay Area and had the opportunity to talk to music talents…
By Joseph Golfen Surrounded by autographed guitars and gold records, twelve aspiring rock legends took up their plastic axes in Hard Rock Cafe to compete in the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Rocks the Hard Rock contest. With a chance to fly to Boston and meet Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler (not…
By Jonathan McNamara This weekend The Crystal Method brought the dance to Phoenix. Did you feel the beat on Friday night? Also, some Imperial scum and villainy got together to do some good by raising money for Phoenix Childen’s Hospital at Tempe Marketplace. Not enough action for one weekend? Here’s…
By P.J. Standlee By day Tristan Moriuchi plugs in numbers and counts beans as an ordinary accountant in Phoenix. At night he has a different job. It doesn’t pay much—in fact it doesn’t pay at all—but it’s all worth it knowing that he’s helping others while protecting the Republic as…
This weekend, I checked out a new weekly event and a groovy local music show, both in downtown Phoenix.
By Benjamin Leatherman Birthday boy William Fucking Reed’s gonna party like its 1999 at the Hotel San Carlos tonight. Local DJ impresario/über-scenester extraordinaire William Fucking Reed turns 31 years old tonight, and the dude’s celebrating in grand style at his weekly “Adult Swim” pool party that goes down every Sunday…
By Benjamin Leatherman The hometown boys of Peachcake are scheduled to perform on Saturday at Modified Arts in downtown Phoenix. Here’s a rundown of all the concerts and major music events scheduled over the next 72 hours, from tonight until Sunday. Click the link for ticketing info. FRIDAY, AUGUST 8:…
The Smob, 2mex, dEw Bi, Hidden House
Here’s a handful of upcoming shows that were recently announced.
By Jonathan McNamara Friday August 8: The Crystal Method at Myst The Crystal Method started recording in an abandoned bomb shelter. It’s terribly appropriate, I would say, as their tracks tend to explode with a furious electronic force. Check out The Crystal Method’s remix of “Jack’s Suite” from Pirates of…
By Benjamin Leatherman Here’s a list of what’s been selling at Circles Records & Tapes (800 North Central Avenue in Phoenix). 1. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III (Cash Money) 2. Suga Free, Sunday School (Siccness) 3. The-Dream, Love Hate (Def Jam) 4. Roca Dolla, Roca Is a Classic (5Fith Coast…
This week’s “Flier of the Week” comes (once again) from the local rave scene, which is known for its glossy, two-sided event fliers (perpetually hanging out at a Zia Record Exchange near you). The picture below is the front side of a themed event that pays homage to Stewie, that smart ass “baby” character from the animated TV series Family Guy.
By Steve Jansen The above flier does indeed say that Foot Ox’s new album, It’s Like Our Little Machine, isn’t out for a few more weeks. But, lucky me, I have it, heard it, and even reviewed it. In-person, Foot Ox is Teague Cullen’s solo singer-songwriter project. On this album,…
UB40: Friday, August 8, at Fort McDowell Casino By Clay McNear Ah, what a tangled web Neil Diamond unwittingly wove when he wrote the song “Red Red Wine” back in ’67. For starters, it was a pretty un-Diamondlike tune, something borne out by what happened after Neil’s own raspy-throated version…
