Whip Lounge debuts tonight

By Benjamin Leatherman If you’re in the mood for a little sexy and sinful nightlife action this evening, head on over to Mill Avenue in Tempe where Whip Lounge is celebrating its grand opening with a primo blowout. Party monster extraordinaire Brian Durkee will be presenting the affair, which starts…

Dino-myte!

You might’ve seen DJ Dino (a.k.a. Denard Webb) rocking the decks with dirty electro tracks last weekend at the Lovestruck party in downtown Phoenix. Or perhaps when he was doing the same back in July at the Dark Knight, or at any of the dozens of other local raves this…

DJ Dino

You might’ve seen DJ Dino (a.k.a. Denard Webb) rocking the decks with dirty electro tracks last weekend at the Lovestruck party in downtown Phoenix. Or perhaps you saw him when he was doing the same back in July at the Dark Knight, or at any of the dozens of other…

What’s Selling: Circles Records & Tapes

By Benjamin Leatherman Hip-hop and R&B are king at Circles Records & Tapes, 800 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, as evidenced by the store’s top 10 best sellers for the week of August 25-31. Here’s what’s poppin: 1. The Game, L.A.X. (Geffen) 2. Immortal Technique, The 3rd World (Viper) 3…

Veggie Boy: Blue Burrito Grille

By Benjamin Leatherman Who needs Taco Bell when you’ve got the Blue Burrito Grille? Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed abnormally cool and breezy this past weekend. It was toasty, yes, but I wasn’t getting baked by the usually badass late-August temps that melt your teeth. (Maybe Mother Nature…

Veggie Boy vs. the Corn Refiners Association

By Benjamin Leatherman Courtesy of nataliedee.com I received a pretty good response to my debut edition of Veggie Boy earlier this week, including a bunch of e-mails and comments giving kudos to my review of Soma Café in north Phoenix. One of the more interesting missives was an e-mail from…

Concert Schedule for This Weekend

By Benjamin Leatherman Labor Day weekend is upon us, which means three straight days and nights of potential partying before you’re required to return to the rat race on Tuesday. As such, this week’s edition of the weekend concert calendar includes what’s scheduled for Monday, September 1. As always, click…

Funk Shui

We’ve always thought Geisha A Go Go, 7150 East Sixth Avenue in Scottsdale, was a pretty fly place, as the Tokyo-style bar and lounge boasts such ultra-colorful touches as clamorous pachinko machines, cartoonish cocktails, and huge pictures of rock stars like Jim Morrison and Sid Vicious behind its bar. Now…

Tonight’s Melvins show moved to Martini Ranch in Scottsdale

By Benjamin Leatherman Buzz Osbourne and the other members of the Melvins will be rocking Scottsdale tonight, and not downtown Phoenix. This is just an FYI for anyone planning on heading out to see the Melvins perform later tonight. The legendary sludge rockers’s concert, originally scheduled to take place at…

What’s Selling: Stinkweeds Record Exchange

By Benjamin Leatherman A crafty collection of alt-rockers and indie scene darlings make up this week’s edition of What’s Selling, which comes by way of Kimber Lanning’s long-running Valley music shop Stinkweeds Record Exchange, 12 West Camelback Road. Here’s a list of their top 10 best-selling albums for the week…

Veggie Boy: Soma Cafe

My new favorite meal deal: Soma Cafe’s veggie burger and strawberry-kiwi iced green tea. Sometimes life is filled with happy coincidences. Like when my bosses here at Phoenix New Times recently announced they were looking for someone to take over the vegetarian dining beat for Chow Bella after the illustrious…

Concert Schedule for This Weekend

By Benjamin Leatherman Country punker Scott H. Biram is scheduled to rock Last Exit in Tempe on Saturday, August 23. — FRIDAY, AUGUST 22: Eek-a-Mouse With Another Day [reggae] 7 p.m. $20-$25 (visit www.clubhousegigs.com) The Clubhouse Music Venue, 1320 E. Broadway Rd., Tempe, 480-968-3238. Extreme With Kings X, and Rock…

It Came From YouTube: Isaac Hayes’ Phoenix connection

By Benjamin Leatherman Black Moses, 1942-2008. RIP. The Grim Reaper’s had something of a hard-on for African-American is the entertainment industry as of late. In the past few weeks, death incarnate has taken a pretty staggering list of talented mofos into the great beyond: comedian Bernie Mac, blues guitarist Phil…

DJ Seduce

It’s going to be something of a busy weekend for DJ Seduce. The Valley’s mixmaster maestro of bossa nova basslines and jazzy globe-trotting jams starts things off by heading up Afro:Baile’s “Summer Sessions” gig at Club Mardi Gras, 8040 East McDowell Road in Scottsdale, on Friday, August 22. The night…

Blood, Sweat, and Beers

It’s the summer of 1988 and the Valley’s music scene is ruled by such venues as Edsel’s Attic, the Sun Club, Long Wong’s, and the Mason Jar. Meanwhile, over in Mesa, an entrepreneur named Ross Wincek quietly opens the doors of his bar and grill, Hollywood Alley, 2610 West Baseline…

What’s Selling: Zia Records in Phoenix

By Benjamin Leatherman This week’s version of “What’s Selling” focuses on the central Phoenix location of Zia Record Exchange, 1940 West Indian School Road. The store’s list of top 10 best-sellers for the week of August 11 to 17 is a pretty eclectic mix, ranging from from hard rock and…

The Willow House gets shut down

By Benjamin Leatherman We just received a tip tonight that longtime downtown Phoenix coffeehouse and culture venue the Willow House was closed down on Thursday until further notice. According to our source, a Willow House employee who asked to remain anonymous, the shuttering was due to a dispute the property…

Concert Schedule for this Weekend

By Benjamin Leatherman Dear and the Headlights are scheduled to perform on Saturday at the New Times Summer of Sound Rock showcase at the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe. Here’s a rundown of all the concerts and major music and comedy events scheduled over the next 72 hours, from tonight…