The Brides of March Bar Crawl Through Tempe AZ Cacophony, those lovable scamps responsible for the Idiotarod and Santarchy, were back to their old tricks this weekend with "The Brides of March." This annual event puts cacophony members in wedding dresses (and the occasional ex-prom dress hastily scored from Good Will) and gets 'em drunk with a good, old-fashioned pub crawl. Check out the photos, but be warned: some are prettier than others...see photos.
Caramelpalooza In Photos The competition got sticky Friday night at the second annual Caramelpalooza, co-sponsored by Chow Bella and Smeeks. We're not sure of the exact head count -- beyond the fact that the line wrapped around the block -- but we do know that approximately 2,750 caramels were gone in about an hour's time. That's quite a sugar rush...full story
See: all the caramel goodness for yourself.
Super Spartan Race In Photos On a hot Saturday, athletes from across the state travelled to Rawhide Western Town in Chandler in the hopes of becoming the next Super Spartan warrior. They faced a grueling, eight-mile race through desert terrain with more than 15 different obstacles, including a wall of fire, rock wall climbing, and crawling through a mud pit with barbed wire overhead. When the painful journey was complete, participants relaxed with live music and free food, and took a shower to wash of the mud and grime from the course. The top three men and top three women qualified for the Spartan Death Race, a 48-hour race at the highest level of competition...see photos
Asobi Seksu at the Rhythm Room Last Night I'm greatly fascinated by Dreampop/Shoegaze bands.You know, the typical reverb-drowned vocals, and ear-shattering distortion running through the guitars. I'm fairly certain the best indication of a good shoegaze concert has to be when you're complete deaf by the end of the night. This was my expectation for Asobi Seksu. That wish wasn't exactly met, but it got pretty close. I'll take that...full story
DeVotchKa at Marquee Theatre Last Night Considering how many indie-centric shows took place around The Valley last night it wasn't a big surprise to find a smallish crowd at the Marquee Theater for DeVotchKa. It was a decent showing, but far from capacity. Those in attendance -- especially those who came early enough to catch last night's opening acts -- they were treated to a wonderful and extremely eclectic mix of music...full story
See: Devotchka in photos.
Starfucker at Trunk Space Last Night What's a band to do en route to next week's SXSW? Perhaps spend a night on Grand Ave. in Phoenix at Trunk Space whilst they make their way to Austin? Such was the more than decent decision by Portland indie/electronic outfit Starfucker. March is a busy time for the band -- their second full-length Reptilians hit stores this past Tuesday and they are on the verge of five separate SXSW shows...full story
Arizona Aloha Festival In Photos Hawaiian and South Pacific Islander culture said "Aloha" to Tempe this weekend. The Arizona 2011 Aloha Festival brought out not only a hot sun, but many different performances, foods, and Hawaiian print shirts. The festival's main objective was to bring awareness about Hawaiian and South Pacific Islander culture, which it most definitely did. With three different stages and stations for children to participate in arts and crafts, the festival was very well-rounded and patrons seemed to be pleased as they munched on their Kalua pig and Kilauea Ice...see photos