Music videos are more important now than they ever were. As the music market has saturated with bands, anything that makes an artist stand out from the crowd becomes vital, and music videos are a great way for artists to distinguish themselves from the masses. Luckily, video technology is so…
In 1968, the Byrds released Sweetheart of the Rodeo, an LP built on the band’s new commitment to traditional American country music. The record was spearheaded by a new Byrd, Gram Parsons, a trust fund dropout who’d fallen for Merle Haggard while studying theology at Harvard, and its devotion to…
Electronic dance music, or EDM as it’s somewhat controversially called these days, has existed in one form or another since the advent of the first drum machine. Of the millions of electronic tracks produced since, these 20 represent the best of the best, as determined by L.A. Weekly’s meticulous but…
While any time of year is good for giving gifts to those you love, the holiday season provides an excuse to overindulge. With that in mind, the best types of gifts are those that are personalized, and us metalheads are big on that. We don’t really care about the commercialization…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Bear Ghost – “Necromancin’ Dancin'” I have little doubt in my mind that one of my favorite albums of next year…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…
In 1956, a twangy rockabilly song called “The Fool” announced to the country that Phoenix, Arizona, was good for more than temperate winters and citrus groves. Sung by Sanford Clark, a baby-faced kid stationed at Luke Air Force Base, the song was written and produced by local DJ Lee Hazlewood…
What is the Phoenix sound? In this week’s issue of Phoenix New Times, we explore the subject with longtime radio deejay Jim West, author of a new book, The Phoenix Sound: A History of Twang & Rockabilly Music in Arizona. A familiar voice to listeners of powerhouse country station KNIX…
Happy Holidays, metalheads! The season for generosity and head-banging is upon us, and our local metal scene certainly reflects that. We’re closing out 2015 with some great metal shows and holiday festivals — fitting, considering this year has been one for the books with Arizona metal. Out local scene grown…
The Phoenix music scene really does feel like it has grown a lot over the past few years, with new venues opening, new fans getting enticed into the scene, and new groups of musicians stepping up to reign over the rest as the biggest bands in town. But none of…
One of the Valley’s most iconic country bars is now a pile of smoldering rubble and debris after being destroyed by devastating fire. The Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek burned to the ground earlier today after a massive fire swept through the rustic cowboy joint and dance hall this…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…
Cait Brennan and I met in 1983 while taking Journalism 1 at Deer Valley High School. We shared a love of both the news and sarcasm, which remains true to this day. To give you an example of her charm, she wrote in my yearbook in 1985, after our first…
The latest edition of the Global Dance Festival Arizona this past weekend at Rawhide in Chandler certainly didn’t disappoint. The performances were definitely memorable — including fantastic sets by headliners like Deorro, RL Grime, Marsh, and Valley native Mija — as were the collection of ravers, ragers, and revelers who…
Few people in the Valley listen to as much local music as Sweetbleeders – “Someway” Sweetbleeders have been making some of the most engaging music in Phoenix for the past 16 years, and they’ve just released one of the finest albums of the year with We Were Never Here. It…
When the duo that made up beloved Phoenix band The Format broke up in 2008, its two members went in very opposite directions. Nate Ruess famously dove headfirst into fun. and won Grammys, and instrumentalist Sam Means started a merch company and had a child. He did a little songwriting…
We’re officially in the season of overindulgence: We can eat as much holiday food as we want, drink the hell out of the spiked eggnog and mulled wine, and aren’t judged when we concoct dishes like “bourbon-glazed turkey with bourbon gravy” and “bourbon pumpkin pie.” We spend more money than…
If you follow electronic dance music, no doubt you’re aware of the fact it’s invaded numerous other genres since exploding in popularity back in 2011, including the realms of rap, reggae, rock and pop. Perhaps its most curious crossover, however, has been its dalliances with the country scene the last…
Tragedy struck metalcore band The Ghost Inside yesterday as the band traveled through Texas on the way to the Nile Theater. For reasons still unknown, the band’s tour bus struck a semi in a head-on collision, killing the drivers of both the tour bus (31-year-old Gregory Hoke) and the semi…
Steff Koeppen – “Celebrate (Atom Child Remix)” Steff Koeppen has been fronting Tucson’s amazing Steff & The Articles for over six years and tomorrow, November 20, she will release her first solo EP, the dazzling Game We Play. If you are expecting it to be her doing solo piano pop,…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved Phoenix band…
For those who get a kick out of obscure or interesting minutia of the music they love, Matt Pinfield’s “Rock Stories” — a series of animated stories Pinfield tells about the rock stars he’s hung out with or interviewed — are hillbilly heroin. Each story, featuring musicians such as Matt…
