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Director Nicholas Holthaus on his new documentary Mill Ave. Inc.

By Jonathan McNamara It’s five minutes into the six-minute trailer for Mill Ave. Inc., a new documentary about the gentrification of Mill Avenue, and nothing but musicians, citizens and club owners talking about “corporate takeover” and prizing (the old) Mill Avenue as “the jewel” of Tempe have been seen. Finally,...
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Phoenix Officials: Screw Those Other Cities, Buy Stuff in Ours

When your city government is preparing to shed 1,000 jobs and facing seven-digit budget shortfalls, "you gotta give the other fellow hell," as the song says. Of course, the news release put out by the city of Phoenix today about "Buy Local Week" (reprinted below) doesn't openly insult the Valley's...
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Budget Beat: Thai Basil

By Jay Bennet It's amazing how many Thai restaurants exist in the Valley. I've been to several but have touched only the proverbial tip of the iceberg, and I'm pleased to report that none of them flat-out sucks (well, there is a certain Thai place on Camelback that provided such...
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Veggie Girl: In Season Deli

By Megan Irwin It's hard to see it underneath everything, but this is one of In Season Deli's famous tamales. Somehow I managed to live in Tempe for seven years -- right down the street from In Season Deli for two of them -- and never know this place existed...
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Brew Review: Gordon Biersch’s Sommer Gold

By Jonathan McNamara Avid New Times readers may be under the impression that working here is a never-ending party. We cover concerts. We write about sexist chocolates. We get to have our say about the actions of public officials. But believe me when I say there are times when working...
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Local Bands Jam at Mill Ave. Inc. Screening

By Joseph Golfen Better than: No music on Mill Avenue. If Mill Ave. Inc, a new documentary by local film maker Nicholas “Nico” Holthaus centers around the idea that the iconic street to ASU just isn’t as cool as it use to be, tell that to the bands that performed...
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Academics Party at Brand X Custom T-shirts

By Jonathan McNamara Brand X Custom T-shirts on Mill Avenue opened its doors to local artists Disposable Hero, Kent Baltutat and Ulises Lara for its "Academics Party" on May 30. 2008. Visitors got to check out some wacky art while chomping on free cup cakes, listening to a couple of...
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Mill Ave. Inc. Offers Nostalgia Over Substance

By Joseph Golfen When filmmaker Nicholas “Nico” Holthaus started filming local bands playing on Mill Ave. in the mid-1990, it’s unlikely that he realized he was capturing a dying era. But where flannel-clad music fans once crowded outside seedy haunts like Long Wong’s listening to alternative rock, there now stands...
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A fake AC/DC and other bands we love that you’ll loathe

By Clay McNear Why are tribute bands so maligned? By definition, they lack original thought, but most make up for it with suicide-bomber zeal. Not to mention pride of craftsmanship. As someone who used to play "Smoke on the Water" and "We're an American Band" in a shitty junior-high band,...
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Niki’s Weekend Word: Mill Avenue, downtown Phoenix, Summer of Sound, and Foxboro Hot Tubs

As Music Editor at Phoenix New Times, I usually run around town every weekend, going to various events and meeting up with any number of people, sometimes falling into misadventure and often falling into disrepair. My weekend often starts on Thursday and doesn’t end until Monday morning, when I have to drag my ass back to the office and affect some image of wakefulness/awareness. I figured I might as well be as self-indulgent as music critics are now alleged to be – at least those who are still walking the plank. Might as well document these times of my life and simultaneously share my experience of the scene and happenings around P-city, before I am too old to stand in front of another amplifier and dying from some debauchery-rooted disease.
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Mill Street Blues

While there’s been much talk about the changing Phoenix area, Tempe is the part of town perhaps the most under siege. Long-timers remember the days when Mill Avenue was a cool place to be – when mom-and-pop businesses and live-music venues lined the street. Now . . . not so...
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Frenzy-free: easy like Sunday evening

Mill Avenue saw its fair share of action over the weekend with the Tempe Arts Festival and the Tempe Music Festival at the lake. But we decided to see what kind of crew rolled in after all the main events were over. So we headed down to Mill Avenue Cue...
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New Times Staffers Weigh In on Why They’re Not Leaving Phoenix Anytime Soon

It happens all the time: I'm someplace outside of Arizona, I mention that I live here most of the year, and the Phoenix-bashing commences. "Oh, no! Phoenix!" moaned Dennis, the first time I met him. Dennis owns Parkside Vintage, an amazing antiques store I always visit when I'm in Warren,...
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Seven Nights of DJs & Dancing

THURSDAY 16 Blooze Bar: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cash Inn: DJ Sting (hip-hop, dance) Cherry Lounge: DJ M2 (hip-hop, Top 40) Club Red: The Blunt Club with Pigeon John, Pickster Uno, DJ Element, Emerg McVay, & more (hip-hop) Crabby Don's: DJ Johnny Knuckles (mash-ups, Top 40,...
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Dethklok Invades Marquee Theater

By Jonathan McNamara Better Than: Spinal Tap. Sure, this animated band owes a lot to its comedic predecessor, but sheer technical skill from the band that makes Nathan Explosion, Pickles the drummer and all the rest of these rogue rockers live puts Dethklok a few notches higher. See more shots...
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Seven nights of DJs and dancing

THURSDAY 23 Bikini Lounge: DJ HFE (rockabilly, surf, jazz, classic country, indie, obscuro) Blooze Bar: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cash Inn: DJ Sting (hip-hop, dance) Cherry Lounge: DJ M2 (hip-hop, Top 40) Club Red: Furious Styles 15th Anniversary with DJ Element, DJ Radar, Deeko, Benjamin Cutswell,...