Critic's Notebook

I actually have no idea what to expect from a bake sale run by roller derby girls, but I aim to find out tomorrow at First Friday…

In these fallow economic times, many a local bar owner has turned to DJ dance nights to draw crowds and their drinking dollars. Case in point: Hail Mary’s, 1402 South Priest Drive in Tempe (a place known more for serving Philly’s than phat beats) has hosting Groove Corps’ Spun Thursdays…

America hasn’t been particularly good to ska. Indeed, reggae’s dancier, spazzier cousin may have met its Waterloo here back in the late ’90s, when No Doubt started channeling Miami Sound Machine and fellow domestic acts like Reel Big Fish proved incapable of sustaining modern ska as a relevant alt-music lifeform…

In the self-descriptive sense, Youth Brigade is no longer a credible name for an iconic punk band that formed in 1980 and toured with Social Distortion during the early Reagan era. Then again, Middle Age Brigade seems a little neurotic, no? So what to do? Claim philosophical privilege, that’s what…

The jury is still out on this Fairfax, Virginia-based foursome: Legitimate heirs to Jimmy Eat World and other power-pop chart-toppers, or just another reason to hate the Internet? Because, yes, it was on iTunes that The Friday Night Boys first found appreciative teeny-bopper ears, leading to a one-off gig on…

Ladies and gentleman, presenting tonight’s performers: In one corner, we have the pride of Houston’s Jersey Village High School, “The People’s Champ,” the king of grills — Paul Wall. In the other corner, we have Houston’s own “Boss of All Bosses,” one half of the Boyz N Blue, the Boss…

Fresh on the release of their fourth studio album, New Again, Long Island rockers Taking Back Sunday will roll through the Valley to showcase their eclectic brand of rock, emo, and happy hardcore. There’s no denying the emo-ness of lead singer Adam Lazarra’s vocals — yet that same emo-ness helped…

Chad Krystal$ Superconscious (Self-released) GRADE: B-I generally try to make our weekly You Asked For It review more about music than career counseling, but there’s no way to avoid it with this week’s pick, Phoenix rapper Chad Krystals.Krystal$ has some things going for him. His white boy flow isn’t bad,…

Just when we thought our weekend was going to be boring, we got a last minute text from DJ Anthony Hart about an art show downtown. God bless technology. And what a relief it was to see an open gallery on a night other that a First or Third Friday…

I selected this week’s flier(s) of the week not only because they’re awesome (they are) but because they’re apparently for the same show at The Ruby Room Tuesday, one with a clear band hierarchy, the other pure anarchy. Both are very impressive though. Must be a bunch of art students…

It’s often difficult to easily describe just what makes a St. Vincent album such a special work of art. Annie Clark, the brains behind indie-rock act St. Vincent, gloriously stands out in the sea of female singer/songwriters. For one thing, her albums sound like nothing else released that year. She…

A slew of marquee-level mixmasters will be guest-starring at Valley clubs over the next seven nights. It all starts on Friday, May 29, with an appearance by Jay Tripwire. The Canadian-born house/soul DJ will be at Incognito, 2424 East Thomas Road, along with such locals as Steve Edwards, RMC, and…

Seeking a mellow, down-to-earth sound that’s completely soul-rocking? New York’s The Rosewood Thieves have it down to a science. These five folks exemplify modern folk rock while incorporating retro resonance. With their classic aura, and ability to tell a whole story in five minutes or less, the group has a…

Miles Davis is often credited with reinventing jazz five different times in such a way that his never-heard-before re-imaginings influenced music as a whole. Arguably, the same case can be said of contemporary soul songstress Erykah Badu. True, her relatively short recording career spans only 12 years, but it’s an…

Does Pennywise represent punk rock’s “second wave,” as described in the promoter’s official literature, or pop-punk’s first wave, as described by most critics? Or is it neo-gospel-rock’s fourth wave? Or who gives a shit? Whatever wave we’re talking about, all three of the band’s Jägermeister Music Tour tour-mates have surfed…

One could write a Roots-style epic about Wu-Tang Clan and its countless affiliates, familiars, confederates, and collaborators. If memory serves, didn’t Ashley Judd drop a few bars for the Wu in the early ’90s, right before Ruby in Paradise? The point is, it’s hard to keep track of them all…

Lucinda Williams can get very personal on her recordings, for better or for worse. Last year’s West was a melancholy collection about the loss of her mother. The downtrodden disc was also buzzkill if you weren’t in the mood for it. With Little Honey, Williams lightens up, dishing about her…

Star Swim and Adult Swim, two of the most popular pool parties from last summer have really amped up their game. Walk into the lobby of the Wyndham Hotel where they are both booked for the rest of the summer and prepare to be shocked as the posh interior lets…

Cardiac PartyTeen Challenge(Self-released)GRADE: A*Cardiac Party singer Ryan McDowell had it all planned out: By including a package of Skittles with the copy of his band’s new EP, Teen Challenge, he says, he was assured of getting at least one positive remark in my review. “The songs sucked, but the Skittles…

This week’s flier of the week — for Great White’s show at Club Red tommorow night — presented without comment…

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been slogging through You Asked For It submissions for a year, as of today, May 21. My predecessor, Niki D’Andrea, started YAFI as a way of catering to local bands that bitched about her coverage and it still fills that function today though, as…

Few things symbolize summertime in the Valley better than a raucous pool party. Many a scorched Phoenician has found relief from the triple-digit temps while lounging around the ol’ swimming hole with a few friends and a case or two of brews. But your average beer-soaked backyard bash pales in…