It doesn’t take long for “La Verite,” the opening track on Michelle Blades’ new record, Mariana, to assert itself as new territory for the singer/songwriter. With its swelling strings (courtesy of violinist Tobie Milford), galloping drums, sprightly keyboards (both played by members of Blades’ post-punk outfit North Dakota), the song…
There are parties, and then there are epic parties. And then there are Quincy parties, where excess is the norm, inhibitions are loosened, and time has absolutely no meaning. The namesake bashes of artist Quincy Ross are the stuff of local legend and require plenty of stamina for those in…
Both Valentine’s Day and Singles Awareness Day are overrated. Regardless of what you’re celebrating, with the exception of Arizona’s Centennial, you were probably setting yourself up for disappointment on the 14th. Obscura smartly hosted its Hearts of Darkness Anti-Valentine’s Bash a few days before the actual holiday. Couples could innocently…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Adele came up big at the Grammy’s Sunday, but she’s nowhere to be seen on Hoodlums list of weekly top-sellers. It’s quite…
If Adele could rap, she probably would have won that Grammy as well. Sunday night’s Grammy Awards made for interesting viewing, with Adele’s sweep, some amazing tributes, performances, and a downright weird and horrible showing from Nicki Minaj. Host LL Cool J opened up with a prayer for Whitney Houston,…
Last night’s Grammy Awards was a mixed bag, but it was hard not to well up a bit hearing Paul McCartney sing “Golden Slumbers.” It wasn’t his first performance of the night — he started off with a performance of “My Valentine,” from his strangely titled new record, Kisses on…
Who doesn’t love indulging in a metal show every now and then? If the show turns out to be anything like the flier looks, then it’s going to be a gruesome, bloody metal showdown.Silent Civilian will be bringing the heat tonight at 910 Live. Mureau, Failing to Fly, Levels of…
Hardcore bands are kind of like the Tea Party: Both have strong opinions and are keen on shoving their righteous agendas down as many throats as possible. The genre can be off-putting, but local thrash-hardcore act American Standards proves that the preachy positivism isn’t always a bad thing. The band’s…
You know, if Bob Larson, the Scottsdale-based exorcist who tried to draw the devil out of Mayhem’s bassist last August, were into expelling demons from every metal band that visited Arizona, he’d have a mighty full plate. Arizona loves its metal as much as Larson loves Jesus. But if he’s…
Seeing Parenthetical Girls for the first time, via their Bergman-esque video for “A Song for Ellie Greenwich,” induced the same chills I got when I saw Devo’s TV debut on SNL — a smart, robotic band of art students is taking familiar pop music motifs, running them through a shredder,…
It’s a pretty good time to be soft. You know, like Adult Contemporary soft, the kind of stuff that 95.5 KYOT played before it started playing “old school” funk and soul. Bon Iver’s Bon Iver, arguably the biggest indie-rock record of the year (with its Grammy nominations and its domination…
Skrillex ain’t the only one getting rich and famous off EDM’s recent resurgence and 2011 crossover into the mainstream. Witness the rise of Wolfgang Gartner, whose pulse-pounding electro-house joints have been invading both pop culture and the consciousness of clubgoers over the past year. Not only did the Grammy-nominated DJ…
It’s almost here: New Times Soundcheck at Club Red is this weekend, featuring a roster of entirely local talent. Over two days you get The Love Me Nots, Father Figures (download an exclusive MP3 here), Jason Devore (of Authority Zero), Crusher Sound System, Mouse Powell, and many, many more. Tickets…
The Roosevelt Row district sees some of its heaviest foot traffic during the First Friday artwalk. When the weather is nice, it can be next to impossible to get into some of the more packed galleries. Things slow down a little bit around 10 o’clock as galleries and exhibitors begin…
Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We’ve got you covered with another installment of What’s Selling. Stinkweed’s shoppers are kicking it folk-style, listening intently to First Aid Kit’s new release, The Lion’s Roar. The Americana-infused sophomore album by…
The performance wasn’t anything special, but it certainly wasn’t bad. Madonna pleased America as best she could, and for a 53-year-old pop mama, she did very well.It wasn’t hard to spot minor slip-ups like Madonna’s stumble on the bleachers, but what about M.I.A. flashing a middle finger to the camera? Bet…
It’s safe to say that Kelly Clarkson nailed her performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLVI last night. Largely a low-scoring, defensive affair between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, the game’s fireworks came towards the end of regulation. Clarkson’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”…
So, I may not be the flag-waving American I should be, but hot damn, there’s just something about hearing the national anthem that gives me chills. Most of the attention in the build up for this weekend’s showdown has been placed on dueling quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning, million…
Last year’s Super Bowl performance was absolutely awful. After listening to 10 minutes of shouting by the Black Eyed Peas, I wished I could have unseen their show (or used the time wiser, maybe to make another bowl of nachos or something).I’m not looking forward to this year’s halftime show…
A little editing sure goes a long way. Not long ago, the members of Phoenix-based dance-rockers Factories used to be in a band called Underwater Getdown, a group with great sounds as unfocused as they were chaotically beautiful. Inspired by the disparate sounds of improvisational jam bands and indie-rock acts,…
For the past two years, the artist-owned and -operated record label collective known as Black Cactus Records effectively has helped push Phoenix-based music to the masses. Comprising local bands the Necronauts, Tremulants, Former Friends of Young Americans, High Horse, and Midnight Vitals, the cooperative has helped facilitate a better creative…
The punk-goes-acoustic thing is fun, but let’s be honest: When you listen to a Chuck Regan solo folk LP, you’re secretly crossing your fingers that he’ll make a new Hot Water Music album. Such longing isn’t necessary with Frank Turner. After his post-hardcore band Million Dead called it quits, Turner…
