Like it or not, DJ William Fucking Reed’s debaucherous weekly dancefest Shake! has been a Saturday-night institution for booty-shaking hepcats around P-town since launching in 2005. And after four years of rocking the Rogue Bar in Scottsdale, it’s still managing to survive and thrive amidst an ever-turbulent nightlife scene. One…
We fully admit to our jealousy of Mathew Ward. Not only does the Portland guitarist have an obscene amount of talent (which he’s demonstrated much over the past decade on seven separate full-length albums), Ward’s collaborated musically with such indie all-stars as Cat Power, Bright Eyes, and Yo La Tengo…
Long-running nightspot The Buzz is transforming into Club Deep. But then again, maybe it isn’t. Confused? So am I. Some recent postings on Craigslist state that an east coast club promoter named Brian Speed has “taken over” the north Scottsdale danceteria (which was famous for its 18-and-over night). Help wanted…
If we learned anything from the hullabaloo over last year’s Super Bowl in Glendale, it’s that the actual sporting event is almost secondary to the slew of celebrations that take place. It seems like every major hip-hop and R&B artist was in town for both the big game and the…
The Valley’s about to get a little “derrty.” Universal Records rapper Nelly is doing the Nix’s hip-hop fans a solid by filling in at the two gigs that Chris Brown abandoned eartlier this week due to the recent legal problem’s the R&B singer has become embroiled in. As a result,…
As our blogger Yvonne Zusel noted a couple days ago, there’s plenty of things to see and do in the Valley this weekend that have absolutely nothing to do with the hoopla surrounding the 2009 NBA All-Star Game. And here’s the proof to back up said statement: our regular weekly…
It’s been only a year since Z-Trip pulled a spin gig in his hometown, and over the past 12 months, the PHX native has been racking up frequent-flier miles like a motherfucker. The ultra-talented 34-year-old just returned from Australia, where he crisscrossed the continent with the Big Day Out festival…
If there’s one thing that P-town won’t be in short supply of this weekend, it’s pro basketball players, as seemingly the entire NBA roster will be hanging in the PHX for the league’s annual All-Star Game. Besides all the big ballers and shot callers, the Valley’s also gonna be filled…
A cool grand. One thousand smackers. At press time, that’s the kinda serious scrilla you’d be dropping on eBay to get inside US Airways Center, 201 East Jefferson Street, for Sunday’s sold-out NBA All-Star Game. Since you’re choosy with the chedda these days, the options for finding big-time b-ball action…
Big ballahs can head to the clubs, where the real parties will be happening. As with last year’s Super Bowl, a slew of hip-hop artists, such as Rick Ro$$, will descend on the Valley. The Def Jam slickster will host tonight’s bling-bling VIP Diamond All-Star Party alongside Suns guard Jason…
At first glance, the SkirtChaser Race Series sounds like it might boil the blood of a feminist or two. A gaggle of well-toned female racers, many clad in specialty micro-mini skirts made for runners, will take off from the starting line at Tempe Beach Park and engage in a five-kilometer…
The St. Valentine’s Day Music-Art Expo might be what your heart desires on February 14. Besides boxing matches between members of the Arizona Derby Dames, the offbeat V-Day affair will feature the works of 20 local painters and numerous tattoo artists, race cars, off-road trucks, and live music by BORG,…
Valley bar and club owners have been busting much ass recently in preparation for this weekend’s All-Star Game, and Gary and Renetta Slone are no exception. The couple’s new nightspot/restaurant Open Gallery Bar & Grill (5025 North Seventh Avenue, 602-277-0323), will make its debut tomorrow night and they’ve been spending…
It sucks pretty hard that Tucson gets all the cool shows these days. Like Andrew Bird, who’s making a stop in the Old Pueblo this Saturday to gig at the Rialto, but won’t make a stop in Phoenix. This truly blows, since we’ve been digging on the talented singer/songwriter since…
When Verbal Kent first heard about how Sheriff Joe Arpaio paraded 200 shackled Hispanic inmates through the streets of downtown Phoenix last week, the enraged Chicago-based hip-hop artist took action immediately. Kent phoned his friends in the Valley, the promoters behind the weekly GALLERY BLU re:DEF hip-hop night at the…
Can’t say we didn’t see this coming. E! Online is reporting that Chris Brown has canceled his participation in a few of this weekend’s festivities surrounding the NBA All-Star Game. The 19-year-old R&B artist was arrested early Sunday morning in connection with an alleged assault of his main squeeze, pop…
Our favorite Friday of the month is upon us: First Friday. As usual, both Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue will be packed with plenty of culture lovers and thrillseeking urbanites during the monthly art walk. And as always, we’ve assembled a list that details what the various galleries, restaurants, and…
Charlie Brand, lead singer of local indie rock darlings Miniature Tigers, will be departing the Valley tomorrow afternoon for the band’s 11-city tour with Ben Folds later this month. But before the singer blows this pop stand, he’ll be making a special in-store appearance tonight at Zia Record Exchange’s Chandler…
Things are changing up just a bit for this edition of the weekend concert calendar. We’re going to start including Thursday in our weekly roundup, if for no other reason than there seems to be a number of big and boss shows that are happening on Thump Day. (Besides, Thursdays…
Cockroaches and ska music have a few things in common. Both are reviled by a large portion of the population and, despite repeated attempts to stamp each out, neither will ever be exterminated completely. Hence the ultimate irony of the recurring Ska Is Dead tour (now in its fourth edition):…
The members of the ‘Nix’s hipster electro DJ crowd are spreading out across the Valley like some American Apparel-clad invasion force. It seems they’re effin’ everywhere, whether congregating at Homme Lounge for nights like Electrostatic, descending on Coach & Willie’s for Inside Out Wednesdays, or spinning up a storm at…
Do y’all smell that? No, it’s not the repulsive scent of the titanic dump those Pittsburgh Steelers bastards dropped on the PHX’s collective hopes and dreams for Super Bowl championship. I’m talking about something much, much better: The glorious smell of freshly released albums. The post-Christmastime drought of new discs…
