If I was Michael Jackson’s uncle, you’d know it. No conversation would go by without me mentioning it. Seriously, I’d have business cards printed up:
Martin Cizmar
Uncle of Michael Jackson
The King of Pop
Maybe you’ve heard of him?
By Martin Cizmar So, hey there, I’m Martin, the new Music Editor here at New Times. It’s Thursday, when Niki usually does her Flier of the Week but, I gotta say, I’m not feeling a lot of the local fliers I’ve been seeing on MySpace this week. I feel like…
So I’ve been writing this inebriated nonsense for more than a year now. Not a bad showing of “commitment,” considering the amount of booze I’ve thrown down my throat. Then again, being a drunk is all about commitment, discipline, and the ability to see the truth. I look at people…
Maybe it’s just us, but the stale Mill Avenue nightlife scene has been in dire need of a shake-up recently. We’ve grown somewhat bored with the same old clubs pumping out the same old hip-hop and Top 40 tunes every weekend, and have longed for something better to come along…
Nestling somewhere between metalcore and screamo/post-hardcore, From Dark sounds a lot like a bunch of other bands you’ve probably heard: The Used, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Underoath, Thrice, and Senses Fail, to name a few. The formula? Spiraling, melodic guitars; dissonant lyrics; steady drum rhythms; and vocals that alternate between singing…
On You & Me, The Walkmen’s signature organ wheezes as though it’s on the repair bench, and the hazy, back-corner guitar tones haven’t changed much, either. One of the decade’s most riveting bands channels its energy on this, their fifth album, into electrifying climaxes and a surplus of early ’60s-era…
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, released in 1981 (and recently reissued), was an attempt by David Byrne and Brian Eno to forge new territory via found sounds, samples, and assorted Africanisms that foreshadowed a good many musical trends. In contrast, Everything That Happens represents a retrenchment, albeit an…
If sanity in hip-hop is sexy, then J-Live might fuck around and become Denzel. The New York underground fixture’s fifth indie release, Then What Happened?, is a consistent collection of songs that promote common-man sensibilities and simple humanity — traits often absent in hip-hop these days. J’s strength is his…
Young hunk Ryan Cabrera’s third effort, The Moon Under Water, is supposedly his entry into serious music. Check out Cabrera’s brunette locks and soul patch as well as his Bono-inspired attire on the album’s back jacket — this guy is a thoughtful rocker, dammit. He’s been listening to Springsteen (actually…
Even though she has barely reached legal drinking age, this Cleveland-born singer-songwriter has accomplished much more than many other troubadours of her generation. In addition to scoring a regular spot on the CW soap One Tree Hill, she has also earned enough respect to be able to share the stage…
Unlike many of his rap contemporaries, Rashid “Common” Lynn has matured artistically — but he had a head start. Back in 1992, when he released his debut CD, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, under the name Common Sense, he was already sage beyond his age — and since then, his…
As far as local “supergroups” go, Boilermaker’s got some street cred. The quartet includes Neil Jay Impossible, guitarist and vocalist of the Impossible Ones, vocalist and bassist Luke Lanham from North Side Kings, and bassist Ms. Butcher and drummer Thrashley from The Dames. Although all the members’ mainstay bands are…
By Lilia Menconi We liked these people. To look at more people we liked, check the slideshow Anytime we can kill two birds with one stone, we are all about it. Business meeting over lunch? Sure thing. Pedicure with a facial? Yes, please. Shower and a blowjob? Oh, why not?…
By Benjamin Leatherman Revolver Records, 4214 North Seventh Avenue, just recently celebrated its first anniversary, so we figured the best way to fete the music store and its owner TJ Jordan would be to let y’all know what his top 10 best-selling LPs were for the week of September 1-7…
You might’ve seen DJ Dino (a.k.a. Denard Webb) rocking the decks with dirty electro tracks last weekend at the Lovestruck party in downtown Phoenix. Or perhaps you saw him when he was doing the same back in July at the Dark Knight, or at any of the dozens of other…
Roca Dolla is the godfather of Phoenix hip-hop. Formerly known as Iroc Beats, Roca’s been laying down lyrical flows and grinding it out in the local scene for the better part of two decades. His studio and record label, 5Fith Coast Records, has produced tracks for some of the Valley’s…
What was it Roger Daltrey sang on The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” — “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”? Maybe it’s the curse of remembering what rock music was like before 1977, but some of the latest by 31 Knots sounds like the stuff the first…
Oberst has the tendency to be heavy-handed with metaphor, often reading like a hipper, more literate version of a 16-year-old’s poetry journal. His newest effort, recorded in a rural Mexican locale dubbed Valle Místico, doesn’t shy away from that kind of grating poetic license. Here, though, his words are absorbed…
Today’s youngsters may have familiarized themselves with the Toadies’ “Possum Kingdom” through Guitar Hero II, but in the game’s multicolored dots and horrendously processed guitar tone, it’s hard to comprehend how foreign and chilling the Dallas band’s bass-driven post-grunge masterpiece sounded in its mid-’90s context. As part of a weirdo…
The Rocket Summer is Texas native Bryce Avary, who has played every instrument on each of his albums and sung with such frenzied energy on almost every song that he makes power pop actually seem dangerous. Imagine Ben Lee singing Christian rock while doped up on so much speed his…
By Lilia Menconi Silverio Blackout Party on Saturday, August 30th For more, take a look at our slideshow. And, yes, it happens to be muy caliente. So maybe we spent too much time in Spencer’s Gifts when we were 14-year-old mallrats, but we’ve always been suckers for black lights. Sure,…
By Benjamin Leatherman Hip-hop and R&B are king at Circles Records & Tapes, 800 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, as evidenced by the store’s top 10 best sellers for the week of August 25-31. Here’s what’s poppin: 1. The Game, L.A.X. (Geffen) 2. Immortal Technique, The 3rd World (Viper) 3…
