Music, like everything else, came to an uneasy standstill this week in light of the East Coast terrorist attacks. Among the major changes to the local concert calendar were the postponement of Blink 182’s September 13 Mesa Amphitheater show (the concert has been rescheduled for the 20th), while tickets sales…
In July, Bash & Pop reported that a release was imminent for Sonoran Hope and Madness, the second studio effort from Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Now comes word that the disc — originally slated for an early October street date — will be shelved until after the new year.”It’ll…
How do you write a eulogy for a building? It’s a question that’s been asked fairly often in recent months, as we’ve been forced to mourn the loss of myriad local landmarks and nightspots here in the Valley. One of my long-held suspicions is that most journalists relish the opportunity…
After a two-week trip out of state — that’s right, Bash & Pop has ho’s in different area codes — we returned to New Times’ offices greeted by an avalanche of packages and e-mails. While sorting through the mess of corrugated envelopes and eye-glazing correspondence, we happened upon a couple…
Local AC/DC cover band TNT is getting some (big-ball-size) love from the object of its worship. Last fall, members of AC/DC’s road crew — in town for the band’s show at America West Arena — managed to catch TNT’s pre-concert set at Jackson’s downtown. They were sufficiently impressed to invite…
When bluegrass combo Busted Heart takes the stage for the first time, the numbers will be staggering: Nine decades of musical experience, dozens of storied bands, tons of tattoos and more old junkie stories than you can shake a needle at.Fronting the new group is local legend, ex-hellraiser and current…
New California singer-songwriter Andrew Block loves Moon Valley. The sentiment won’t be found in any of his lyrics, or even in anything he says. Rather, it’s emblazoned on the garish — and frankly silly-looking — baseball cap perched on his head. “I’m not trying to make a statement,” he jokes,…
With a mane of long hair held back by a red bandanna and a full growth of beard covering his face, Roger Clyne looks very much like a hippie. And, as he’s quick to point out, on the forthcoming Peacemakers album, he’s finally not afraid to sound like one, either…
It seems good fortune has been smiling on several members of the Valley’s indie rock class of ’94. With the much-hyped release of Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American just a few weeks away, now comes word that longtime mates Reuben’s Accomplice are also set to drop a highly anticipated collection…
While last week’s Bash & Pop took great pains to mention the impending concert arrivals of music legends Lee Hazlewood (July 9 at the Rhythm Room) and Joe Strummer (October 18 at the Cajun House) we neglected to note perhaps the most anticipated upcoming Valley gig, that of an August…
There are ominous rumblings emerging from singer Robin Wilson’s much-maligned Gas Giants camp. The latest bit of info more or less confirms long-circulating rumors that the group has all but called it quits. According to Wilson, the band is on an “indefinite hiatus,” but it appears that may be an…
Much of the discussion surrounding the growth of DJ culture had focused on the myriad subgenres and styles that have exploded in recent years. From drum ‘n’ bass, house and jungle to techno, trance and acid jazz, it seems that each season brings with it a new prevailing trend. But…
While Valley stalwarts Les Payne Product will be saying farewell this week (see Payne-Less) with a show at Nita’s Hideaway, some familiar names will be using the concert bill — which features a handful of top local indie acts including Reuben’s Accomplice and the Slowdown, among others — to debut…
Like everyone else, we here have heard the ominous rumblings, frightening whispers, foreboding rumors and the like. But in what is surely one of the seven signs of the impending apocalypse (for the others, see the Tool review in this week’s Recordings), we have confirmed that it has finally happened:…
About an hour into the conversation, Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins finally slumps back into his seat and lets out a long, deep sigh. “You can’t take this shit seriously, man — especially if you’re in the middle of it. You can’t take any of it seriously. I mean…..
Utter the words “public access” and you’ll probably elicit little more than a comical wince from most people; the very term conjures up images of a wasteland of low- and no-budget television programming. Admittedly, the bulk of public access fare usually falls into two categories: kids-with-cameras goof fests (à la…
After an eight-year run, local pop-punks Pollen are calling it quits. The group announced its imminent demise from the stage this past weekend, confirming rumors that had been circulating for several weeks. The band — which relocated from Pittsburgh to the Valley in 1994 — has seen its star on…
It’s 10 o’clock, the television is on Channel 3 and the NewShow is on, but something is wrong, very wrong. There’s no dancing letters, no familiar theme song, and — gasp! — co-anchor Liz Habib is sitting down. Welcome to the new NewShow. KTVK-TV Channel 3’s nightly broadcast — which…
It’s a cold Thursday evening in early February, right in the heart of what’s been an unremittingly bleak — at least by Valley standards — winter season. As the bark of a dog guarding a nearby scrap yard echoes faintly in the night, I find myself sitting in a car…
Local promoter (and self-proclaimed “Independent Rock Martyr”) Rob “Fun Bobby” Birmingham has announced details for the first annual Fun Bobby Festival. The three-day event, held at Mesa’s Hollywood Alley, will showcase some top local acts as well as a bevy of rawk and punk bands on their way to the…
Even in an era marked by its frequency for highly touted busts — the Supremes reunion, Speed 2, the Steven Tyler/Justin Timberlake Super Bowl dance-off — it’s still a disappointment when a band fails to live up to its hype. Even more disheartening are those instances when a group can’t…
Gloritone drummer Scott Hessel is an avid sports fan. A regular at Phoenix Suns games and an avowed ESPN junkie, Hessel is familiar with the old notion of “taking one for the team.” And it’s fortunate, because that’s exactly what the trapsman did last Friday during an unbelievably outlandish appearance…
