For those not in the know, file-sharing is a pretty big way of life for some music fans. Shawn Fanning pushed the practice into prominence in the late 1990s with his super-slick software Napster (maybe you’ve heard of it). After Satan’s Lovechild Lars Ulrich bitched and moaned about the service,…
Well, according to Ronnie Wood’s ex-girlfriend, Celebrity Big Brother star Ekaterina Ivanova, it’s him! The couple with a 41-year age gap is finito, and Ivanova claims she is totally over it. She also hints that her co-star “Basshunter” may be her soul mate. In other news, Kanye West and Elton…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
Indie fusion/experimental band Leaf has announced an acoustic show at The Compound Grill, a Phoenix bar that hosts live music nightly (and gives free appetizers to new followers on Twitter.) The Tempe group, which claims influences including everything from Latin to death metal to electronica, has an eclectic sound and includes Spanish lyrics,…
For the second year in a row, The Sugar Thieves have won the Arizona Blues Showdown, and will be traveling to Memphis to represent the state in the 26th International Blues Challenge. While they’ll be up against seasoned musicians, the young Thieves bring a whole new energy to the table…
Axl Rose’s latest incarnation of Guns N’ Roses, Chinese Democracy, took over 17 years to complete which quite possibly made it the most anticipated album of the past two decades. You may remember that the folks at Dr. Pepper were so excited and skeptical about its release that they agreed to give…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
[jump] A host of local acts will also perform, including folksters Jake Dean and the Granting, acoustic pop artist Adam Shero, alt-rockers Sketching in Stereo, and the white boy reggae musicians of Another Day. Pre-sale tickets are available for $10 through this site, with admission at the door going for…
[jump] Parks and Recreation is the Wu-Tang of Comedy – watch more funny videosI saw this video yesterday and foolishly didn’t post it up on here until today. It’s music related — enough so that Pitchfork decided to dedicate a post to it. It’s really saying something when anyone, especially RZA,…
This opening of Long Wong’s on Apache and McClintock has certainly stirred up conversation. Its authenticity in regard to the original Long Wong’s is in question, and there’s even debate as to whether it should be referred to as a “re-opening” or a “grand opening.” No matter how one may…
While New Times is often the recipient of much criticism, it would be pretty difficult to claim that we, or the subjects of our stories, contain any sort of lack of creativity. This week, in particular, we get a look at unique artists scheduled to perform in the Valley. First,…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
If you ever wondered what Devo would be like if they were born Japanese, Polysics is your answer. The Japan-born band cites the New Wave group as a major influence and, as such, dons jumpsuits and sunglasses reminiscent of the American group and even covers some of Devo’s tracks. And, of…
It may not be terribly surprising to hear that the local musician performing regularly at the Trunk Space has a spacey, hip-hop/folk song about woodlice called “Grumpy Pill Bugs” on his new album. If anything, it sounds like just another night of lo-fi, indie-pop weirdness that downtown regulars have come…
The following is an excerpt from a screenplay I’m working on, tentatively titled Cocoon 2: The Return . . . of Agnostic Front. Scene One: A retirement home for aging crust-punks in Yonkers, New York. Members of old-school hardcore bands Urban Waste, Sheer Terror, S.O.D., The Icemen, and others sit…
Memphis rocker Jay Reatard died in his sleep early this morning, reports the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. He was 29. Goner Records, the Memphis label that released records by Reatard and many of the projects in which he played, including The Reatards and Lost Sounds, released this announcement this afternoon: “It is with great…
[jump] Fleshmap analyzed samples of thousands of songs and calculated the percentage of instances in which a certain body part is mentioned in a particular genre. Genres such as alternative, folk, electronica, country, and hip-hop were included in the study. The results are fascinating, with hip-hop showing some of the…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
Such is the plight of our desert city. We are not a destination for enough musicians. We are merely a stop between Dallas and L.A., Vegas and god-knows-where. Smaller acts are more likely to come to Tucson, and larger ones may skip us altogether. Sadly, it seems that Dr. Dog…
It’s with a heavy heart we tell you that These Arms Are Snakes is no more. It’s been a great run and we’d like to send out a very hearty “Thank You” to everyone that we’ve worked with or anyone that we’ve toured with.R.I.P., TAAS. “Big News” will always remain…
How could a man of such brilliance, who creates such visually stunning pieces of art, who can seemingly do no wrong, allow the likes of Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz to write for the soundtrack of his latest creation, Alice in Wonderland? We may never know,…
[jump] Now, Teen Dream has yet to be released — it’s due for release on January 26 — but in the golden age of the Internet, that didn’t stop anyone from hearing the album and also enjoying it immensely. 2010 needed its early indie juggernaut — Animal Collective was 2009’s version –…
