Search Google with the phrase “ska sucks” and you’ll encounter various vitriolic ventings about how the musical style blows. It’s not a surprise, really, as ska has long been considered the whipping boy among musical misanthropes, who unilaterally deride its seemingly repetitive nature and upbeat spirit, or how bands like…
Life in England during the early ’80s wasn’t an easy slog. It was quite bollocks, in fact, what with the Tories putting the screws to the working class and all. One of the bright spots during the first part of the Ray-Ban decade, however, was the isle’s lush music scene,…
Tribute bands can be a rather divisive subject in the rock world. Copycat acts like Beatallica and Atomic Punks pack in crowds across the country by aping bands like the Beatles and Van Halen, but they also get grumblings about siphoning off the glory of has-beens. Frankly, we dig ’em,…
If there’s one celebration that P-Town knows how to do with style, it’s Cinco de Mayo. Nearly everyone in the Valley’s gonna be living la vida loca and feting Latino culture nonstop from Thursday, May 1, until Monday, May 5. Myriad Mexican-themed parties are on tap around the PHX, offering…
At most DJ and dance nights going down around the Valley, chances are you’ll be shaking your moneymaker to the same genres of music week after endless week. That ain’t the case on Friday nights at Medizona, 4240 North Winfield Scott Plaza in Scottsdale, thanks to the efforts of the…
Didja know that eardrum obliteration and neighborhood aggravation aren’t the only uses for pulsating bass-heavy music? Try ratcheting the Best of Bass Syndicate up to 11 while aiming your stereo’s speakers at the floor to simulate a minor earthquake, or blast “Get Low” by Lil Jon & The East Side…
In their chart-topping single “You! Me! Dancing!” the indie Britpoppers of Los Campesinos! describe how a raucous club night in their native Wales is filled with much dancing and debauchery, singing, “The beats, yeah, they were coming out the speakers/And were winding up straight in your sneakers.” And from what…
In their chart-topping single “You! Me! Dancing!,” the indie Britpoppers of Los Campesinos describe how a raucous club night in their native Wales is filled with much dancing and debauchery, singing “The beats, yeah, they were coming out the speakers/And were winding up straight in your sneakers.” And from what…
Rob Kwik has a whole lotta reasons to be celebrating on Friday, April 4. The ultra-ill turntablist is commemorating not only his 29th birthday but also the release of his latest remix CD, and the ninth anniversary of the Dirt Assasinz Crew — the eight-member DJ collective that’s been rocking…
God bless video games. Besides sucking away countless hours we might’ve foolishly wasted on more productive exploits, the PlayStations and XBoxes of the world have permitted us and our friends to live out various Walter Mitty-like daydreams of being gun-running mobsters, skilled surgeons of Clooneyesque proportions, or (in the case…
Be it great or small, every single creature roaming God’s green Earth has a natural enemy. For the deadly cobra, it’s the wily mongoose. Mice? Easy prey for felines. As for piñatas, they’re afraid of one thing and one thing only: baseball bats. We’ve lost count of the number of…
We found an awesome quote on the Interweb recently that stated, “The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of people with tattoos.” If you’re the latter, it’d be wise to avoid Mesa Centennial Hall as the Arizona Tattoo Expo…
On a Friday or Saturday night, sliding into a nightspot as hot as Taste Ultra Lounge, 6910 East Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale, ain’t too easy, playa. Usually, the super-swanky, Asian-style drinkery is so swarmed with top-shelf trim and bar stars during prime time that the doormen ain’t gonna let your $30K-millionaire…
Your social schedule for this weekend is looking quite barren, and the probability of you scoring with that hottie from that costume party is running about 2:1 against. But don’t panic! There’s still a possibility of having a really hoopy time on Saturday, March 22, at The DJ’s Guide to…
Last time we checked, the Scandinavian cognoscenti don’t dole out Nobel Prizes for genius DJs. But if they did (and Lord knows they should), we’re sure DJ Nos would get such an honor. Why, pray tell? Simply because the cat brained up the brilliant idea of pairing bangin’ beats with…
In the beginning (i.e., 1978), the music gods created The Beat. And verily, the firmament known as Birmingham, England, brought forth a mighty 2-tone ska revivalist group, infused with sped-up reggae beats and poppy dancehall sounds and fronted by co-vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger. And it was good. Their…
It may just be us, but the ignorance about traditional Irish culture in ’burg is quite staggering. Don’t believe us? Mention anything Celtic to the average Phoenician and you’ll likely get some drivel about the hottest team in the NBA. If we had the time, we’d march every single Ireland…
The word on the street is that Phoenix is gonna be going green, but it’s got nothing to do with Al Gore. It’s because the groovy Gaelic get-down known as St. Patrick’s Day is about to strike the PHX, with everyone in Apache Junction to Avondale getting their Irish on…
Despite his salacious pseudonym, we’ve got absolutely zero idea of how gifted Kevin the Makeout Bandit is at the art of heavy petting. What we do know, however (other than the fact it takes some serious cojones to advertise your abilities at getting down) is that the dude is pretty…
As you read this, C.R. Vavrek could be rifling through your garbage. Don’t fret. The 27-year-old shaggy-chic painter ain’t trying to score some dirt on you. More likely, he’s hunting for funky junk to put the finishing touches on his Gypsy Village, which he’s erecting for this weekend’s Art Detour…
In the real world, dropkicking your buds off a sky-high platform in the middle of a fistfight would probably get you 25-to-life in the hoosegow. But inside the world of Super Smash Bros., it’s the only way to win, champ. In fact, your skills at rocking the blockbuster Nintendo game…
This past week, you may have noticed a surge of bleary-eyed, artsy individuals grabbing their caffeine fix from downtown coffee shops before noon. That can mean only one thing: Art Detour. The gigantic, weekend-long extravaganza comes once a year and is equal parts art showcase and insane asylum — kinda…
