Any attempt on my part to play “rock critic” on this assignment would be complete bullshit. Few assignments have ever made me want to high five my inner fifteen-year-old more than a chance to interview Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids, a band that dominated my Walkman in early…
In a move that shocked no one, Kanye West once again bum-rushed the stage to interrupt an acceptance speech. At last night’s MTV Music Video Awards, the Late Graduator himself took to the stage to butt in on Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for winning the Best Female Video award. Upon…
Glendale boys done good Job For A Cowboy are mobilizing for a massively metal tour this fall promoting JFAC’s sophomore album Ruination. The face-melters make two stops in their desert motherland: one in Tucson and the other in Tempe. Metal Blade label mates Gwar and The Red Chord open both…
If you missed Tony Culture spinning reggae and dancehall music during last weekend’s ultra-packed First Friday celebration, don’t worry. You can always catch the dreadlocked DJ working the turntables next month. Or the month after that. And then the month after that. In fact, the Jamaican-born musician and platter jock…
NME: Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O to soundtrack anti-fat advertsRolling Stone: Grohl, Novoselic Didn’t Approve Cobain’s “Guitar Hero” AvatarRolling Stone: Paula Abdul and “American Idol” Insiders React to Ellen NewsPitchfork: Weezer’s Raditude Cover RevealedIdolator: Someone Decided To Put Together A Gallery Of John Mayer’s Guitar FacesSpin: Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Eminem…
We’re willing to bet that tickets for this show, which will run $30 to $34, are gonna get snatched up pretty quickly as well, so be sure to hit up the Mesa Arts Center’s site starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow to get ’em while the getting’s good. And just in…
Alan Palomo, the Brooklyn-based producer and one-man force behind Vega, has created yet another venture for his brilliant electronic music — Neon Indian. This time around, Palomo is keeping things super lo-fi, drenched with a eerily reminiscent sound that belongs from the cassette tape era. Neon Indian’s debut album, Psychic…
After The Sets in Tempe closed unexpectedly two weekends ago, local concert promoters like 13th Floor Entertainment and Psyko Steve have been mucho busy scrambling to find new venues for their shows. While a majority of the erstwhile Sets gigs have been relocated to such clubs as Chasers in Scottsdale…
As Craig Outhier wrote in this week’s paper Bob Corritore is a “self-contained synergistic event.” So, considering the guy owns a venue, it’s notable when he decides to elsewhere to stage something big, as he will with the Housrockin’ Blues Bash at Tempe Center For The Arts on Friday September…
The big Ellen DeGeneres announcement has American Idol fans abuzz well in advance of the show’s premiere. If you’re starting to get excited you may want to check out an upcoming benefit to help children who are victims of sexual abuse which American Idol Jordin Sparks hosts. Sounds like a…
Electric Mustache: Photos: The Thermals, Kinch & Sisterbrother at The Rhythm RoomIdolator: Because You Were Probably Wondering What Sanjaya Thought Of Ellen DeGeneres’ “Idol” GigNME: Jay-Z already working on follow up to The Blueprint 3Pitchfork: Billy Corgan Launches Spiritual WebsiteRolling Stone: “Guitar Hero 5 ” Giving Away Van Halen Game…
There’s an adage in the business world that goes something like this: You’ve got to spend money to make money. It’s a mantra Tempe metal band The Asylum has taken to heart, and so far, it appears to be working. “It’s dedication to quality product,” says guitarist and founding member…
When a white man writes and publishes a song with the N-word in the title, the racist label tends to, you know, stick. Tell it to David Allan Coe. For three decades, the 70-year-old country music bad boy has stubbornly disavowed any feelings of ill will toward blacks, despite authoring…
In the pantheon of Horrible Things That Can Happen to a Band — drug overdoses, plane crashes, getting shot by a crazed fan, marrying Courtney Love — a broken windshield wiper on the tour van probably ranks pretty low. Then again, what if a torrential downpour suddenly strikes during an…
One of our favorite local music bloggers, Waved Rumor’s Dfactor, has two new songs from his soon-to-be-available record Slashing the Sunlight. It’s exactly the sort of upbeat pop-punk you’d expect from D and it’s very good. I’m particularly fond of “Shake It,” which has a nice bittersweet quality to it…
Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo has fractured his left wrist in that most punk rock of ways — playing tennis — requiring the band to reschedule their upcoming west coast tour. The new dates include a stop at the Marquee Theatre on January 5. Other dates on the jump. Teen…
Electric Mustache: Video: The Thermals “Now We Can See” at The Rhythm Room 9/8/2009Sky Bison: This Local Arizona Band’s Near Death Experience!Idolator: Can The Former Lead Guitarist Of Korn Bring 50 Cent To Jesus?NME: Lady Gaga: ‘I used to lick the booklet of Green Day’s ‘Dookie”Rolling Stone: Perez Hilton Talks…
We’re not sure when or where, but we got this teaser for the second annual Phoenix Independents Bowl by e-mail yesterday. Last year’s event was a great one, with bands like What Laura Says, Kinch and The Stiletto Formal rolling against teams representing pretty much every music-related business in town…
Phoenix(ish) band Miniature Tigers have added more dates to their fall tour. The Charlie Brand-fronted outfit rumored to be moving to New York will be touring with fun., fronted by Phoenix expat Nate Ruess, as well as Say Anything, New Zealand’s Ruby Suns and the Dodos.Full list of tour dates,…
Idolator: Jay-Z Takes Control Of The Board (Room)Idolator: Golf-Playing Rocker Laments Preppy Indie Dudes’ Lack Of BallsNME: Ex-Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman slams ‘Guitar Hero’ And ‘Rock Star’ gamesPitchfork: Want to Sound Just Like T-Pain? There’s an App for ThatRolling Stone: What Made “Braid” a Punk-Rock Video Game? A Look Back…
