Shiny Toy Guns at Martini Ranch

By Jonathan McNamara Shiny Toy Guns keyboardist Jeremy Dawson fiddles with a bit of plastic as he graciously subjects himself to a few questions courtesy of New Times. The band just finished their initial sound check and though they won’t hit the stage for a few hours, roadies and Martini…

The Ataris at Tempe Marketplace

By Jonathan McNamara Better than: any of the other shows I’ve witnessed at Tempe Marketplace See more shots in our Ataris slideshow. When New Times covered Carolina Liar in July, the crowd at Tempe Marketplace was less than half of what it was for The Ataris last night. Sure, Carolina…

Black Crowes Canceled

The Black Crowes show at Mesa Arts Center, postponed yesterday, is now canceled. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

Miniature Tigers at Modified Arts

By Joseph Golfen It’s not often that you get to see a great band from their humble beginnings. But anyone who was at the Modified Arts on Sunday got that chance as local band Miniature Tigers took to the stage, sending wonderful indie rock echoing through the walls of the…

Common covers a lot of ground in Marquee show

By Martin Cizmar Common is about as close to imageless as you can get in the rap game. He’s got the pretty boy thing going, but he’s not LL Cool J or Nelly. He’s known for smart rhymes, but he’s not Talib Kweli. He’s got live instrumentation, but it’s not…

Future Shock: Horns up, Metallica is coming

By Martin Cizmar Some cool new shows announced this week, including Metallica with Austin’s The Sword and former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo’s band Down, who will bustle the shit out of your hedgerow. Metallica Tuesday, Oct. 21 Metallica released a new album this week (see earlier blog item) so they’ll…

This Weekend: Brad B., Monster Commute and Kate Voegele

By Jonathan McNamara Friday, September 12: Brad B. CD Release Party at Hollywood Alley Call me optimistic, but if there’s free music to be had, I want to hear it. My external hard drive clamors to be fed even more 320 kbps MP3s, especially if we’re talking about local acts…

Art Edwards Returns to Yucca Tap Room

By Sarah Ventre The Yucca Tap Room is one of those celebrated landmarks left standing in Tempe, made famous by the bands that grew up there. Last Saturday night, local music fans were treated to a bit of nostalgia when Art Edwards, bassist of the Refreshments, made his first appearance…

This Weekend: Lucha Libre, Splash Bash, CopperCon and AZ Bully Expo

By Jonathan McNamara Friday: CopperCon That’s right, Phoenix. It’s time to get your geek on. Enjoy more science fiction and fantasy than you can shake your bantha stick at. Read more: “CopperCon 28” Saturday: AZ Bully Expo 2008 Saturday’s for the dogs. No, really. This Saturday, Pitbull Terriers will descend…

The Metal Masters Tour at Cricket Wireless Pavilion on Thursday, August 28

The Metal Masters Tour rolled through the Valley last night, with a bill that boasted four titans of heavy metal: Testament, Motörhead, Heaven & Hell, and Judas Priest. Unfortunately, Testament hit the stage at 5:30 and I was stuck in traffic on the I-10 W until about 6. When I arrived at the venue, Motörhead had just started playing.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Jobing.com Arena

Better Than: Any other act that has played the Super Bowl in this millennium. See more photos from Tom Petty’s concert at Jobing.com Arena in our slideshow. The arena concert is often an impersonal experience. Paying top dollar for a seat with a brilliant view of a jumbotron hardly makes…

This Weekend: That Enthralling Gallop, D.L. Hughley and La Tomatina

Friday, August 15: “That Enthralling Gallop” at The Kitchenette Photography Collective Betsy Schneider’s “France” This week Managing Editor Amy Silverman presented New Times readers with a look at controversial artist Betsy Schneider. Starting tonight, Schneider’s work can be seen in an show called “That Enthralling Gallop” starting tonight at “Kitchenette…