Features

For the past six weeks, I’ve been asking local bands to send their CDs to me for review in this weekly “You Asked for It” blog. The original idea was that bands who complained about not getting coverage from us while we covered “inferior” local bands could finally get what they wanted – and the original premise was that a lot of these local CDs would suck (some of the complainers had actually sent me their CDs, and I didn’t like the music, so I declined to write a negative review, which meant no review at all). I vowed to review every single local CD sent my way (in the order they were received), and write my honest opinions, for good OR bad.

Normally, my Monday blog is devoted to “Niki’s Weekend Word,” but this past weekend was a bust for me – not because there was nothing going on, but because 1) I felt ill, and 2) It takes $65 to fill my gas tank and less than three days for me to go through it when I’m driving to clubs all over the Valley.

The latter challenge has led me to become one of those “hypermilers,” people who try to save on gas by doing simple things like not accelerating like a drag racer when red lights turn green (like those idiots who put spoilers on their 80s-model Hondas and suddenly think they’re Tony Stewart) and not doing 75 mph in a 55 mph zone on the freeway.

By Jonathan McNamara A day of punk-rocking, T-shirt purchasing and baking in the summer sun drew to a close as Gym Class Heroes rapped one last song into the Phoenix night. The sweat-drenched fury that is the Vans Warped Tour was over for another year. But fret not, Warped Tour…

From the television screen to the magazine rack, music coverage generally skews young. It makes sense, given that the most rabid consumers are kids with time on their hands and cash to burn as they scour their sources for breaking artists. Eventually, though, an older generation of music fans gets…

After listening to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ unlikely collaboration, Raising Sand, we couldn’t help philosophizing about what other artists we’d like to see record together. We had rules, though, as all good lists should have. Whatever pairings we came up with would have to be, like Plant and Krauss,…

One day last year, Michael Sweet — frontman of the Christian metal band Stryper — was sitting down with a bowl of Cheetos to watch a Law & Order marathon when his cell phone rang. Michael Sweet: Hello? God: Hey, Michael, it’s me, God. Sweet: No fuc — I mean,…

Detractors tell you American Idol is ruining pop music. Alarmists go even further, reminding us that American Idol is pop music evil incarnate, having secretly replaced the rich taste of The Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and U2 that we used to enjoy with the sound of Davids Cook and…

Proponents and supporters are apparently taking the park very seriously, as yesterday, the park proposition (Senate Bill 1450) passed with a 17-9 vote.

It hasn’t been a very good year for Sky Lounge. The popular downtown dance club made news headlines in May, when a group of men leaving the club got into a fight outside the building that escalated into a shooting, leaving one man injured and another dead.

And last week, Sky Lounge was shut down by inspectors from the City of Phoenix’s Neighborhood Services Department for building code violations.

About a month ago, I posted a blog asking Phoenix artists to send me their CDs for review. This week, I review the latest disc from Valley singer/songwriter Matthew Reveles, whom I first saw perform back in 2002 at a “Battle of the Bands” at ASU West. He’s come a long way.

My weekend began with the news that my favorite Zia Record Exchange location, near 40th street and Thunderbird, was closing down. Bummer. Now I have to drive even farther when I want to browse bins of 99-cent records or maybe pick up a novelty “boxing nun” puppet. I had to console myself with two bottles of red wine and a YouTube marathon of ‘80s commercials

Here are a handful of shows that were just announced this week.

So I walked into the Zia Record Exchange location near 40th street and Thunderbird this morning, hoping to sell a Jimi Hendrix box set and some DVDs for extra weekend cash. But when I walked in, the whole building was empty (save for a couple CD bins), and a work crew was stripping the walls. I asked the clerk what was going on, and she informed me that they were closed; they found out they were closing about a week ago. She suggested I take my potential trades to the Zia locations on 19th Avenue and Thunderbird, or 19th Avenue and Indian School.

By Steve Jansen OnePlace — the downtown music venue that infamously doubles as a church — announced last night on MySpace that they are closing their doors. The 2006 Best of Phoenix winner will be holding their final show on July 31…

By Jonathan McNamara If you’ve delved into Benjamin Leatherman’s piece on JerkRag in this week’s Phoenix New Times you’re already aware of what it is that the Valley’s premiere Rock Band band does on stage. Here’s your chance to see their plastic controllers in action during a mid-April Sand Bar…

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, I stood in the garage of a Paradise Valley home, surrounded by carillons, chromatic bell instruments that had their heyday in the 1700s. The antiquated, Dutch contraptions — which sound like clinking church bells fused with sharp piano tones — are the namesake of local…

Down the list of least needy causes, it’s just below a man standing next to his Hummer bumming for gas. But any true lover of melodic pop music oughta sign a petition to get Graham Nash inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What’s that, you say? Nash…

The members of JerkRag are having something of a shitty night. It’s an unseasonably rain-drenched evening in May, and the setup for their third-ever gig has been marred by endless difficulties, including missing equipment and soundboard snafus. They’ve spent weeks practicing in anticipation of rocking the rafters of Tempe nightclub…

So our regular, weekly “Flier of the Week” doesn’t go up until tomorrow, but after stumbling upon this fly flier for weekly Vice Saturdays at e4, I had to share. Nothing like a glossy card with a foxy lady to get us out to a Top 40/hip-hop dance night.

A few weeks, ago, I posted a blog inviting local music artists to send their CDs to me for review. I vowed to review each local CD in the order it was received. Since then, I’ve gotten a handful of CDs and done reviews, giving critical treatment to Underwater Getdown, Reign of Vengeance, and Dude Offline. This week, I’m reviewing Mr. Blackbird.

This past weekend was split between work and play. 80 percent of the time, when I go out, I’m out to cover shows and events for this here fine publication. So it was on Friday night, when I drove out to Last Exit Bar & Grill in Tempe for the Tramps & Thieves CD release party. Saturday, I headed to an old haunt, the monthly industrial dance night *Sadisco, at Homme in Central Phoenix. Sunday was spent drinking potent imported liquor at a friend’s house, so we’ll skip that bit (not that I remember a whole lot anyway).

By Jonathan McNamara No dear reader, we haven’t gone loco on you. We know Bonnaroo went down in Tennessee, but members of the Village Voice family were there recording it all for you. BB King shows he’s still got it at Bonnaroo. Check out not one, but two galleries from…