Features

See also: Avery Covers Damien Jurado Steve Earle famously opined: “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that,” so it stands to reason that Townes is a tough songwriter to do justice…

The employees and fans of Valley radio station Power 98.3 are in mourning today as former hip-hop jock Chris Chavez died over the weekend. According to a source at the station, the 34-year-old midday host passed away in his sleep on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Although an official…

See also: Apache Lake Music Festival 2011 Features Scenery and Over 30 Arizona Bands See also: Phoenix Music Heads to Tortilla Flat Apache Lake Music Festival 2012 is on: an official website has been launched, and the festival lineup has been announced, featuring scheduled performances from Robin Wilson of the…

Every Monday morning 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…

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…

There are some things you’re guaranteed to see at any Sadisco event, such as people in wild outfits, industrial rock bands ripping out killer sets, and some crazy mischief taking place. Another hallmark of the dance party crew, which showcases industrial and noise music, is its resident selectors, who have…

Amy Donohue The stand-up comedian presents as part of Ignite Phoenix After Hours Friday, July 27 at Radius in Scottsdale. For more information, go here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? 101.1-FM. I love old school hip-hop!…

See also: We Spoke to Lamb of God’s Chris Adler Before the Band’s Future Was Up in the Air See also: Lamb of God Controversy: Tempe Metal Band TOAD Sounds Off The continued incarceration of Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe in the Czech Republic in alleged connection with the…

See also: No Seriously, Chumbawamba Has a Storied Anarchist Past See also: Our Throwback Thursday Archives Ladies and gentlemen, may I present The Wallflowers: The Only Band That Matters. Just kidding, but the Clash vibes from the band’s new tune, “Reboot the Mission,” are clearly intentional. It’s a tribute, featuring…

Hell hath no fury like metal fans “scorned.” On July, 17, Savannah, Georgia, Baroness released its anticipated double record, Yellow and Green. Embraced by the kind of people who often ignore metal and backhandedly complimented as a “thinking man’s metal band,” Baroness’ string of recordings — First, Second, A Grey…

Goth-pop pixie oOoOO is a terrific soundtrack for when a club night in Ibiza gets rained out by hellfire. Both 2010’s oOoOO EP and this year’s Our Love Is Hurting Us are dance music for social misfits. They’re dusky, palely moonlit fantasias enlivened by synths that churn like Bernard Herr­mann…

Despite the famous last name — and the fact that he plays the same instrument as his father — Ravi Coltrane, son of jazz icons John (sax) and Alice (piano), doesn’t pretend to be anything more than just a saxophonist. He could claim rights of royalty or expect open doors,…

“Spotify? I’m not a fan,” says Maynard James Keenan from his home in Cornville, where he balances his winemaking and numerous musical projects. “I haven’t made enough from them for a cup of coffee. Rhapsody? Same sad story.” That’s the complaint circulating among musicians as industry buzz builds around the…

See also: Elvis Presley Week Kicks Off at The MIM Elvis hasn’t left the building since last summer, when he took up permanent residency in the renovated Artist Gallery at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. But that doesn’t mean the MIM can’t shake things up a bit. To commemorate…

“Let’s duet!” The Valley hasn’t been short on Willie Nelson sightings this year, but The Railroad Revival Tour’s second go-round promises to deliver some signature Willie thrills with added bonuses: He’ll be joined in downtown Tempe on Thursday, October 25, by John C. Reilly (yeah, he sings too), Band of…

See also: Russell Pearce Blames Victims for Dark Knight Massacre See also: Russell Pearce Apologizes, Kinda-Sorta, for Dark Knight Massacre Remarks See also: Writer’s Guild: Don’t Call Mr. Miranda, MC Pennywise, Mega Ran and RoQ’y TyRaiD a “Supergroup” The individual artists of local hip-hop co-op The Writer’s Guild are focusing…

See also: Remembering Kirby Allan – The Man Behind the Mystique Arizona’s rich music history is often forgotten, but luckily local label Fervor Records is doing its part to preserve some of that legacy with their dynamic catalog of vintage recordings. Coupled with pop culture’s continued love affair with period…

See also: The Rolling Blackouts Cover Kongos The cello is a tremendously under used instrument, but perhaps that’s a good thing. In most cases, the scarcity of the instrument makes a band’s sound that much more interesting. This is the case for Avery, whose unique sound derives from a cello,…

Every Monday morning 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. In this week’s Record Heat, Brad and Shannon take on the approaching…

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…

See also: Kongos are Huge in South Africa. Is Phoenix Next? See also: The Serene Dominic Show: Kongos Tear it Up Are you stoked for Kongos’ album release party tonight? Well, you should be. The band’s latest album, Lunatic is doing quite well in South Africa. Banana Gun, Iamwe, and…

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads; just a synthesizer, eyeliner, and a touch of androgyny. Welcome to Flashback Friday. So this totally missed my radar last year … or maybe it didn’t and I just plum forgot. But apparently George Michael almost died late last year…