It’s been a good year for Tempe spazz-funk weirdos Playboy Manbaby, which in that time has morphed from an art-punk joke into something more concrete. “We’re actually a band,” singer Robbie Pfeffer says incredulously. “We practice and make new songs and show up to the shows relatively on time. Nobody’s…
Every year, Flogging Molly storms into Tempe for St. Patrick’s Day, performing to a sea of drunken revelers primed to let loose to the sounds of the band’s Celtic punk. Flogging Molly never fails to bring a lineup of party-minded bands with them, and this year is no different: The…
Locating the root of singer/guitarist Matt Costa’s passion for folk music means returning to the scene of a most gruesome injury. At age 18, the Orange County-bred Costa was a skateboarder on the verge of going pro. Then, during one skating session, he botched the landing of a staircase jump,…
It’s a ways off, but electronic pioneers Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher — collectively known as Depeche Mode — are coming to Phoenix. The band will end its U.S. tour at Desert Sky Pavilion (because, hallelujah, the owners of the venue got as sick of saying “Ashley Furniture…
Once a week, Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See New Times’ print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
Steven “Slippe” Lueder and Jesse Hudson aren’t lacking for ambition. The duo, who come together to create EDM bangers under the name Drunk Dial — are quick to tout what makes their EDM different from most of what’s out there. “The way I like to describe it is like, ‘If…
What exactly is going on with Rips’ monthly Britpop/’80s/new wave event, Obscura Dance Night? The party’s official Facebook page has vanished, followed by a flurry of subsequent “new” Obscura Facebook pages, which have all since been taken down. An event page for this month’s dance party, which features a live…
Chad HorstmanHorstman is the CEO of Yandy.com, an online lingerie and costume retailer.When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? The radio is pretty bad. I usually stream Pandora.What’s the first album you bought? Bon Jovi.What’s the first concert…
We have the unfortunate task of reporting some tragic news today that’s bound to sadden many. Local DJ and musician Thom Gabaldon, who performed off and on over the years as darksouldealer, passed away early this morning after succumbing to cancer. He was 44 years old. As many of his…
Following up last year’s New Times Soundcheck, a two-day festival at Club Red in Tempe — which featured performances by The Love Me Nots, Sugar Thieves, 2 Tone Lizard Kings, Jason Devore, The Insects, Crusher Sound System, and more — was a serious task. But challenges are cool, right? Up…
Thom Yorke of Radiohead isn’t into doing interviews. He prefers to be the shadowed cock-eyed intellect behind the Radiohead machine or to spout spastic lines and moan over the twitchy glitch-pop of his Atoms for Peace project. He doesn’t have much time for promotional rigmarole. But Yorke has kids, and…
It’s not easy being beautiful. Just ask Zac Pennington, frontman of experimental pop group Parenthetical Girls, whose vocal strains fall halfway between those of Perfume Genius and Lightspeed Champion, complemented with the baroque pop stylings of Belle and Sebastian. Pennington, known for his gender-neutral lyrics and his Morrissey-borrowed wit, pens…
I know you don’t care, but I made a Harlem Shake video. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna show it to you. Because I am naive when it comes to the internetz, I actually was a little surprised when it didn’t become an instant viral hit. I’ll be 100 percent honest…
In case you’ve got the memory of Mr. Magoo, Beck’s latest musical release wasn’t an album. Instead, it was just a book of sheet music. Called Song Reader, the book includes over 100 pages of original artwork and 20 songs that Beck wants you to bring to life. Already dozens,…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! 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…
Once a week, Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See New Times’ print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
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Of course, it was too good to be true. The ’90s radio rock wet dream of the Mark McGrath and Friends Cruise (haha, water, get it?) will not set sail. The three-day seaward journey back in time that promised strains of inoffensive alt-rock between rounds of pool deck limbo was…
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Sadie Such Such is the owner/photographer/producer at Sadie Such Photography and Films. Learn more here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I think I may have left it on the country station last time I was in…
It’s not uncommon for fans to have a soft spot for the first album they hear from a beloved artist. It might not be the band’s defining work, but it was your entry point, your gateway. I’ll always carry a torch for Alkaline Trio’s fourth album, Good Mourning, and in…
The love affair began over a fuzzy guitar lick topped with a greasy organ swirl. Keyboardist Nicole Laurenne and guitarist Michael Johnny Walker were in a band rehearsal when the other musicians stepped out for a smoke. Walker noticed a fuzz pedal that hadn’t been used during the session. So,…
