Bassist Chris Squire of the seminal prog-rock band YES died Saturday night at a hospital in Phoenix. He was 67. “It’s with the heaviest of hearts and unbearable sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our dear friend and YES co-founder, Chris Squire,” read a post on…
Since its founding in 2008, Electric Forest has split the difference between jam bands and EDM. On Friday night Skrillex, playing a guitar, joined String Cheese for a medley of Doors’ songs “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” and “L.A. Woman.” It wasn’t as bad as it sounds! Though…
At big music festivals like Electric Forest, totems are critical for meeting up with your friends — just stick ’em in the sky and your people will stop wandering in circles. These decorated placards-on-sticks have become tremendously popular in recent years, and Electric Forest attendees had some definite winners. For…
We all know kids die at raves. It happens all the time, including most recently at EDC last weekend in Las Vegas. Usually, the cause is drugs. But not everyone who takes drugs die; those who know what they’re actually taking, stay hydrated and take other precautions have a better…
It’s July. In Phoenix. Which means that the streets are devoid of college students and snowbirds, and steering wheels are best handled with oven mitts. Days average around 110 degrees, which means that bands — at the peak of their summer touring schedules—probably dread heading our way. However, the rest…
Harper and The Moths – “Walk Through Fire” I would be hard pressed to admit that Harper and The Moths were not my favorite local band right now. Their 18-month old debut Love Songs For The Damned is still on daily rotation. Since February they have released a cavalcade of…
It’s difficult to get a dream off the ground. Valley native Seth Smades knows it as much as anyone. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter had fits and starts trying to steer his passion for music in the right direction, but none of them seemed right until he and a high school friend,…
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…
Members of the local music scene are in mourning today after the sudden death of the owner of a prominent Valley music venue. Kim Commons, the owner and proprietor of Club Red in Mesa, passed away last night after suffering a major stroke over the weekend. He was 63. Commons,…
Ill Niño is a fitting name for a heavy metal act that has been whipping through festivals and speakers non-stop since the year 2000. It was in 2003 that the American Latin metal band garnered the attention of the mainstream with their second album Confession. Over the course of seven studio…
It’s a little past 11 o’clock on Friday and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is pulsing with sound, lights and bodies. Polyester jellyfish and gigantic LED mushrooms hover above the crowd; the smell of funnel cakes and body odor wafts through the 100-degree air on this first night of EDC…
A few hours before Electric Daisy Carnival opens on Friday, Carl Cox sits near the pool at the Flamingo Hotel, ready to explain why he has remained so interested in electronic music after decades of DJing, producing and remixing. He pauses mid-sentence and motions towards the DJ booth in the…
It’s Friday night at EDC Las Vegas, and at the Circuit Grounds stage, as is the custom at all of today’s EDM events, the crowd is facing the DJ booth. There, high above the tightly packed dance floor, a Russian DJ named Arty builds the music to a frenetic crescendo,…
High-profile murderers often attract a fringe element that is, in the face of all evidence, convinced of the accused’s innocence. Jodi Arias is no exception. Except, one of her fans is a rapper. Thirty-four-year-old Kareem Williams, a.k.a. Lefty, is a fanatical supporter of Jodi Arias, who was convicted of the…
While negativity towards transgender people was making waves in Tempe the Phoenix-centric Sidepony Express Music Festival in Bisbee has been working on an event with Bisbee Pride to shine some light on the artistic contributions made by transgender people. This will be the first year that Sidepony Express and Bisbee…
The origins and ownership of the term “house music” have been hotly debated since, well, always. House music is a lot things to a lot of people. It’s disco’s revenge. It’s a feeling. It’s controllable desire you can own. While house can still be a little elusive, it’s like the…
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. Celebration Guns – “The Me That Used To Be” Celebration Guns have been one of my favorite local acts since they…
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Fenton are two women who have always had to push to get what they want in life. The two New York-raised women are working mothers who push carts through store aisles, push their children to achieve their dreams, and push themselves to be successful…
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…
“Punk is life” was seemingly the main point Manoz Zuziaz lead singer Jamie Laguna tried to get across during an interview with his band at Laguna’s home in Mesa. Based on his wardrobe, which consists entirely of studded denim vests and band T-shirts (except for his work Dickies), Laguna and…
The desert has always been a place of spirituality and mystery, where wanderers seek truth and solace and eclectic art and music are made. On one hand, it invokes deep creativity and a refined type of swagger. On the other, it creates a divide, a feeling of every man for…
Helping each other out is just par for the course in heavy metal. There are lots of people who are weirdly surprised by this fact—but I’ve seen first hand the amazing charity efforts, organizations, and hospitality spurred by the music’s supporters. And when it comes a call to action in…
