Scotland May Be Small, But It’s Big On Pop Music

What is it about Scotland that makes the country of just more than 5 million people produce far more than its fair share of great pop music artists? Consider the following sample list: Simple Minds, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, Big Country, Altered Images, The Bluebells, The Jesus and Mary Chain,…

Kristeen Young Coming to Ruby Room

It seems like the Ruby Room is our homebase for anything Smiths/Morrissey-related — like that DJ set by Andy Rourke. In this case, it’s someone unrelated, by decree of The Pompadour himself.Kristeen Young, who plays with Green Lady Killers and The Pübes on May 26, was kicked off Morrissey’s tour…

Other People’s Blogs: Jack White’s New Band, Z-Trip on the Radio, Animal Collective Box Set

Idolator: Jordin Sparks Has No Promises, No DemandsSpin: Terrible Two: Eminem Teams Up with StewiePitchfork: Animal Collective’s Animal Crack Live Vinyl Box Set Finally ReleasedElectric Mustache (Phoenix-based Wilco fansite): Wilco (The Album) Cover ArtSo Much Silence: DJ Z-Trip on KCRW’s Morning Becomes EclecticWaved Rumor: Green Day – ‘King-Sized Stadium Rock’Spin:…

Alice Cooper Joins Obama at ASU Graduation Wednesday

As the press release announcing Alice Cooper’s appearance at Arizona State’s graduation ceremony Wednesday says, the local shock-rocker has played on some pretty big bills: John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. Even Pele.All big, but not Barack Obama big.Cooper will perform “School’s Out” for  63,000 people at…

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Coming to Marquee Theatre on June 8

Even though music editor Martin Cizmar already laid out the latest show announcements earlier today, we’ve got one last gig to tell y’all about. NYC alt-rock faves the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are gonna be hitting the Valley at next month for a gig at the Marquee Theatre on Monday, June…

Just Announced: Jenny Lewis, The Cult, Idols Live, Rick Ross

Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis is finally, finally, making an appearance in Phoenix, Stateside Presents announced today. The cute-as-a-button indie songstress is a critical darling (hell, my colleague Albert Ching in Orange County has reviewed her shows two times in his seven months on the job!) for good reason. Read…

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon Suggests Smoking Pot Today?

Does Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon want you to toke up today? Probably not, though, if you’d had a few bong hits you could read that in to a press release declaring today “A Green Day for Green Day,” in honor of tickets going on sale for the California punk trio’s…

Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction Tour Conquers the Internet

A funny thing happened while scouring the interwebs today: a ton of noise is being made about the forthcoming Nine Inch Nails/Jane’s Addiction tour that rolls through Phoenix on May 15. Three different sites I looked at all had a different story about either act on the tour. Billboard is…

Phoenix’s The Word Alive Are Enjoying a Rapid Rise to Success

“It’s about time.” That’s probably not the answer one might expect when asking a 19-year-old guitarist in a band that’s barely a year old how he feels about signing to a national indie label, but The Word Alive’s Tony Pizzuti is no egomaniac with delusions of entitlement. He just believes…

Z-Trip Appearing on Tomorrow’s Edition of Morning Becomes Eclectic

Phoenix native Zach Sciacca (a.k.a. DJ Z-Trip) is scheduled to appear on tomorrow’s edition of the highly influential radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic, which airs weekdays on Santa Monica’s KCRW. According to the e-mail we received, Sciacca will be “taking over the turntables” during the three-hour program, which runs from…

ASU Undie Run 2009 and Cinco de Mayo In Photos

One night. Two great slide shows. Check out these images direct from ASU’s SRC Field featuring thousands baring it all for charity. Also don’t miss these shots from Cinco central in Scottsdale.  ASU Undie Run 2009 Sure, you could clean out your closet with a few Goodwill runs, but thousands…

Matthew Reveles on The Train Tracks

We’re very happy to see our friends over at the Train Tracks have followed our lead and done a video with local folk singer Matthew Reveles, who first caught our eye with his excellent record, We’ll Meet Halfway, and who impressed us both in his cover of Hot Tuna for…

Circus Mexicus: The Show Goes on Despite Swine Flu, Drug Violence

Roger Clyne has posted a blog entry on The Peacemakers’ website declaring that Circus Mexicus will go on a month from today, despite the Mexican Swine Flu pretendemic and the very real surge in violence along the Mexican border as federal troops battle drug cartels.Judiciously and with full knowledge of…

Ted Nugent Coming To Phoenix This Month (To Talk About Guns)

The Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent, is coming to Phoenix this month but, sadly, sans guitar. The conservative “Cat Scratch Fever” guitarist will appearing at the National Rifle Association’s 138th National Convention on May 16 and 17.Now, as we all know, normally the NRA likes to wait until after a…

New Music Tuesday: St. Vincent’s Actor

If you’re looking for a new album to complement your collection on this Cinco de Mayo, let St. Vincent’s new Actor be just that album. Annie Clark, the driving force behind St. Vincent, has somehow outdone herself on her second LP. She combines her yearning vocals with complex and overwhelming…