The combination of live music and live art performances have become as much a part of the city of Tempe as the college campus and man-made lake that inhabit it. What better way to celebrate the thriving scene than with a two-day festival showcasing some of the Valley’s best acts?…
There are plenty of ways to show someone that you think they’re sexy. Some methods are subtler than others, but Rod Stewart wants ladies to be direct and just reach out and touch him. Tempe rockers Rough Tough Dynamite take a culinary approach with their synthed out surf cover of…
Alex Navarrete Navarrete is the Executive Chef of Saddle Ranch Chop House at Westgate City Center. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I listen to my TuneIn radio app on my phone. I skim through The Vibe…
Black Flag: Very influential, not always critically praisedWelcome to Ask a Failed Musician, in which I will help struggling musicians make sense of their careers and even offer some advice. Whether or not it will work, who knows? It obviously didn’t work for me. But then again, I was on Kimmel…
The story behind No Doubt’s sixth album, Push and Shove is oddly familiar. The band put out a record a few years ago, toured, and then fell off the radar for a bit. It took No Doubt seven years to follow up Tragic Kingdom with Return of Saturn. The album…
Earlier this year, two of heavy rock’s biggest performers, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, took to performing on the same stage. It’s a combination that makes perfect sense. Throughout the ’90s and into the 2000s, the two have dominated pop culture with their theatrical blend of heavy metal and pop,…
The Sound Strike, the boycott of Arizona by popular musicians opposed to Arizona’s controversial anti-immigration law SB 1070, has been a divisive topic among Arizona music fans. While its intended effects, which include raising awareness of the law and targeting a national spotlight on the topic, are clear, many music…
In 2006, a study by National Geographic revealed that a shocking 50 percent of teenagers were uninformed when it came to geography, many of them even failing to identify New York on a map. Six years hence, we’re willing to bet that members of the 18 to 25 demographic are…
You’ve got a lot of reading to do, guys: snuggled tightly in this week’s massive Best of Phoenix 2012 issue is a regular issue of Phoenix New Times. In anticipation of the busiest musical weekend of the year, you’ll find pieces about KUPD’s two-day metal festival Desert Uprising, EDM waterpark…
What do you get when you mix crime fighting with Brazilian bossa nova/soul/surf? Something as strangely wonderful as Chicano Batman. This L.A. based indie band will be bringing their unique brand of chicano rock to Lost Leaf on Friday, October 19, with their latest EP Joven Navegante. It’s free, so…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop…
Once a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
I love a good comedy. Browsing through mental notes of quotable material, apropos for tedious moments brought on by the petty, the narrow minded, and the desperate, keeps me questionably sane. See also: Maynard James Keenan: These Are The “End of Days” See also: Maynard James Keenan: Up on the…
The news waits for no one — at least that’s what we read somewhere — so it’s perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of…
Ask DJ Brett Ortiz what the best part of his job is, and he doesn’t take long to answer: “Knowing [that] you alone can make a room full of people have the best night of their life,” he says. The 27-year-old does his damndest to fulfill that goal every Friday…
Suzanne Gwyn Gwyn is the owner of Bake Goods by Suzanne and sous chef of Culinary Mischief. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? Either 101.5-FM or 108.0 KMLE-FM. What’s the first album you bought? Shaun Cassidy, Born…
I have a theory: The first album you listen to by one of your favorite musicians ends up being one of your favorite releases by said band, regardless of how it was received by critics or fans. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but who hasn’t ever had to…
So, songstress Fiona Apple played a set at Mesa Arts Center the other night. It was really very good, with Apple seeming quite happy in front of the crowd (bizarre rant about “small-titted girls” and her label aside). But anyway, that’s Tuesday night’s Apple news. Here’s today’s: Apple has been…
Take it from these non-failed musicians: Don’t put out that album. By Daniel Hopkins Ask a Failed Musician is a new column from our sister music blog at Dallas Observer, in which Daniel Hopkins helps struggling musicians make sense of their careers and offers advice. Whether or not it will…
That last Bon Iver record was all right, you know? I mean, it’s not going to blow the mind of anyone familiar with their mom’s record collection, as it simply recycles the best stuff from Phil Collins and Bruce Hornsby records and kind of makes it sound Radiohead-y. But there…
I cannot stand the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And that’s why I love ’em. I should explain: These days, I think the band’s tepid blend of funk, punk, and alternative rock conveys none of the highlights of those forms. I think it’s pretty much bland porridge. I didn’t always think…
“I don’t know if it’s necessary, but I do know what feels right at the moment, and sometimes the song just calls for a bloodcurdling scream,” Amanda Palmer says by phone from Red Hook, New York, in reference to several sonic outbursts on her new album, Theatre Is Evil. “It…
