Booze Pig transforms into the mythical White Stag

I thought I’d never write about kegger house parties. I mean, I went to school in Wisconsin. But the other night, after pounding my fifth Stag press (a concoction served up at my favorite local hang, Shady’s, that’s like a vodka Red Bull, but they use a knockoff called “White…

Seven nights of DJs and dancing

THURSDAY 5 Armitage Bistro: RE:WINE’D with DJ Seduce (downbeat, jazz, soul, house) Axis-Radius: Divine Ladies Night (Top 40) Bar Smith: Peppermint Lounge with DJs Brazilia, & Mara (various) Blooze Bar: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Bobby C’s: Willy B. (old-school R&B) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Club Forbidden: Lips Thursdays with DJs Domenica, Hill, & MJ (various) Club…

Riz MC

Sometimes, the assholes in charge of dishing out work visas make mistakes. When British rapper Riz MC (who’s Muslim and of Pakistani descent) tried coming to the United States a couple of months ago for a showcase at South by Southwest — followed by a couple of spot dates in…

The Architects

Hardworking, broken-backed, sweaty-headed, scruffy-looking Kansas Citians the Architects have never tried to win over folks with much more than relentless punk-drenched rock ‘n’ roll honesty. Now, with Vice, the group amps up its sound to arena-rocking levels, throwing in plenty of gang vocals and melodic hooks to make sure it…

Robyn

Way back in 1996, Robyn reached the Top 10 with “Do You Know (What It Takes).” She followed it up a year later with another big hit, “Show Me Love.” Then she disappeared. This comeback album by the thin-voiced but spunky singer, who’s now 28, was originally released three years…

Frog Eyes

All the idiosyncratic jangling, clattering carnival-esque swooning, and arch melodrama suggests Tom Waits Malkoviched into David Bowie’s body. Frontman Carey Mercer’s vocals manifest the shrill, anxious delivery of glam Bowie much like Dan Bejar, whom Frog Eyes has backed and with whom Mercer and Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug created the…

Aceyalone, and Dilated Peoples

Both acts trace their origins to early-’90s Los Angeles, but Aceyalone was the first to jump off. He helped found Freestyle Fellowship, which was just starting to get lift when member Self Jupiter was incarcerated in ’93. Aceyalone took it solo, scoring a deal from Capitol for the seminal ’95…

Peter Murphy

Deemed “the Godfather of Goth,” Peter Murphy built the paradigm for surly, baritone-voiced broodfests. When the English singer broke through the London gloom-tune scene in the late ’70s with his seminal band, Bauhaus, he already had the high-cut cheekbones and deep voice of David Bowie, along with the androgynous costumes…

Soilent Green

Louisiana’s Soilent Green has been one of the best things about the wild world of modern extreme metal over the past decade. The band has also remained one of the genre’s better-kept secrets. While that’s partly due to its dense, nonlinear songwriting — which can take some getting used to…

1… 2… 3… 4!!!

Mark LaRue is a double-duty DJ. When the 32-year-old isn’t spinning rump-shaking Nickelback or Wyclef jams for the exotic dancers of Bourbon Street Circus, he’s dropping punk rock, hardcore, and ska songs on Monday nights at the Rose & Crown Pub, 628 East Adams Street, during 1… 2… 3… 4!!!…

It Came from YouTube: MC Bener One represents the PHX

By Benjamin Leatherman Who needs MTV when you’ve got YouTube? Personally, I’ve managed to survive without basic cable for a couple years now, mostly due to the fact that anything worth watching on MTV — or television in general — can pretty much be found on the online video site…

A Q&A with Greeley Estates guitarist Brandon Hackeson

Valley post-hardcore/screamo band Greeley Estates is having a CD release party for their third full-length album, Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East (Science) on Saturday, June 7. In anticipation of the show, we recently caught up with Greeley Estates guitarist Brandon Hackeson.

Club Candids: Cadillac Ranch on Thursday, May 29th

By Lilia Menconi Once again, we decided to check out Tempe Marketplace to assess some club worthiness. As soon as we walked up the stairs toward Cadillac Ranch, three drunk dudes ogled and slobbered all over us — we took it as a good sign and headed in for 944…

Hey Bo, You Meant More Than Diddley

Back when I was a young ‘un, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with a gentleman by the name of Ellas Otha Bates. Mr. Bates was a guitar player and singer of great repute, and when he pulled into town with his band for a gig, I decided to take a shot at interviewing him for the local weekly. I felt that I knew the guy’s groundbreaking music really well, and his history, too, so I was fairly comfortable when I called him up at his hotel room.

You Asked for It: Reign of Vengeance

Local bands who’ve complained that we’re not reviewing their CDs, take this challenge. I have vowed to review every local CD addressed to me (and marked “YAFI”) in the order it’s received. I’m still getting more gripes than CDs, however, so if you’re upset, please put your music where your mouth is and send it to me. I will be honest about my impressions of your music, for better (last week’s Underwater Getdown CD) or worse (this week’s Reign of Vengeance CD).

What’s Selling: Circles Records & Tapes

By Benjamin Leatherman We used to have a feature in the print version of the Phoenix New Times where we pimped the top 10 best-selling CDs at various local record stores. Now the feature is back, albeit in online form. Here’s a list of what’s been selling at Circles Records…

In-Stores for You Today: June 2

As much as it blows having to report to work after a weekend of fun, sometimes Mondays aren’t all that bad. Like this coming Monday (June 2, for all you calendar checkers out there) offers a couple cool-ass events to check out after you’ve clocked out for the day.