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…
Phoenix rappers Mr. Miranda and Random a.k.a Mega Ran proved to be a formidable tandem when they teamed up to form the powerful hip-hop duo, Mirandom late last year. The two are currently working towards bringing new music regularly with weekly installments of Mirandom Mondays, and now fellow emcee Mighty…
Quasi-political folk band Andrew Jackson Jihad, a band that would be hard to take seriously, if not for the ballsy lyrical stylings displayed on songs like “American Tune” and “Joe Arpaio is a Punk,” is hitting The Crescent Ballroom Sunday, November 18. If you’ve never heard them (unlikely if you’re…
See also: Take Cover: Fate of the Galaxies Cover The Cure Robert Smith is a weird dude– his disheveled hair and smeared red lipstick make his appearance as recognizable as his vocal style. It was only natural for Tom Laman, vocalist of The Captives to include some theatrics in his…
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…
Gary Copeland, courtesy of TorcheTorcheSee also: Packrat, Boyfrndz, and Feuding Fathers Help Make Math Rock Look Easy See also: Henry Rollins Won’t Tell You Who to Vote For (But He Really Thinks You Should Vote) See also: Keith Morris of OFF! On That Time The Band Got Arrested For Taking…
See also: Douglas Proce, What Are You Listening To? See also: Ryan Gaumont, What Are You Listening To? Jeffrey WilesThe stand-up comedian performs at the Hidden House in Phoenix Wednesday, September 26 at 9 p.m. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station…
See also: Collective Chaos on Misconceptions About Scottsdale DJs See also: Pilots on Their Airplane Shtick, Harry Potter Obsession, and Busting Into the Local DJ SceneBy his own admission, Filthy Flip still has plenty a lot to learn about the world of EDM. The fresh-faced local DJ is a relatively…
With a combined age of 108, no one would bat an eye if you described Henry Rollins and Keith Morris as elder statesmen of punk rock. It’s not that Rollins, 51, and Morris, 57, are old in the strictest, let’s-weigh-out-average-life-expectancy sense of the word, but both have continued the frantic…
