25. Red Tank! – I Want You To Crowdsurf My Body at My Funeral Red Tank! probably could have made this list for the album title alone, but also they put out what was arguably the best punk album of the year with I Want You To Crowdsurf My Body…
We present yet again, the Throwback Thursday edition of Heritage Hump Day. This week we ruminate shoulda coulda with local contenders Big Blue Couch. No less of an authority on rocking hooliganism than onetime New Times music editor and future Replacements biographer Bob Mehr called it back in June 2000…
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. Futuristic Ft. Small Leaks Sink Ships – “Love: A Poem” I never thought I would hear Small Leak Sink Ships provide…
Doll Skin offers up striking parallels to The Runaways. Both bands feature a young, all-female lineup. Both bands play a gritty, hard-charging, punk-ish brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Both bands were “discovered” by a rock ‘n’ roll impresario instrumental in guiding their development. The biggest difference is that when The…
This is part two of our best songs written by local artists this year. Find part one here. Huckleberry – “Trouble Is Real” “The Trouble Is Real” has a much more indie pop/rock feel than the heavily American vibe found on their debut. As with the standout song from Fine…
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. This list is arranged chronologically based on release of the song or if it belonged to an album, when it was…
They’ve never let a journalist into an Internet Folk Heroes meeting before, and I can tell they’re nervous. It’s noon; a couple of hours ago some reporters figured out that Martin Shkreli, the price-gouging pharmaceutical CEO, bought the Wu-Tang Clan’s $2 million album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. But…
Japhy’s Descent – “Bite Your Lip” Japhy’s Descent just released a five track monster rock ‘n’ roll EP called Senseless last weekend, and “Bite Your Lip” is the first searing single. After two back-to-back albums that were fairly concept-heavy, Japhy’s Descent has gotten back to basics. Everyone I know that…
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…
