SUN 7/3The local hip-hop underground goes above ground, as the true record playas of the Valley will turn on their turntablism talents during Reign of the Tech on Sunday, July 3, at the Old Brickhouse Grill, 1 East Jackson. Myriad mixmasters from around the PHX will mass for the 21-and-over…

MON 7/4 This year, you can choose to fire up the grill and celebrate America’s independence by inviting over your near-and-dears, replete with the usual band of screaming kids and unruly pets, or you can go to the City of Phoenix’s 20th annual “Fabulous Fourth” celebration at Steele Indian School…

SUN 6/26Admit it, you’ve been bad . . . really bad. But it’s all good, especially since you’ll be getting a well-deserved whuppin’ at the Sky Lounge, 132 East Washington, on Sunday, June 26, at “Spanked.” This classic “tea dance” — a popular afternoon or early evening dance party aimed…

Many a posturing punker has attempted over the years to emulate the puerile pranks of GG Allin, arguably one of the more infamous and reviled figures in rock history. Whether slicing open their melons, wearing women’s underwear, or flinging fecal matter, amped-up alt-rockers everywhere have copied the late shock-rocker’s aggressive…

SAT 6/18Valley metal band Eroticide believes the fastest way to a woman’s heart is through her ribcage. The band swears that “God made love to kill all of us” in the lyrics to their song “Cyanide Orgasm.” Now Eroticide comes to spew its views while mutilating female mannequins and bludgeoning…

MON 6/20Vince McMahon has no shame. Throughout the existence of World Wrestling Entertainment (and its previous incarnations), the pompous promoter has created controversial characters to draw attention to his brand of sports entertainment. Among the many “heels” (or bad guys) Vinnie Mac has conjured over the years, none has been…

6/10-6/12Michaleen Kringle describes the “Big Boys & Their Toys” Arizona Men’s Expo, which she’s co-organizing with founder Gary Glava, as “family-friendly.” Right. We know better. As if any self-respecting man’s man could peel his eyes and attention away from more than 200 exhibitions of SUVs, luxury cars, speedboats, motorcycles, sports…

FRI 6/3Andrew Lockwood discovered he wasn’t the performer he fancied himself as part of the local bands Velveteen Dream and the Heartgraves. “When the Heartgraves disintegrated, I decided I needed to go in another direction,” Lockwood says, “and to very specifically stop trying to rock. Rocking is for people who…

FRI 6/3Dear Cubicle Drone,We are pleased with your interest in The Raethier Corp and our latest event, Corposition, at 6 p.m. Friday, June 3, at Lumbre Metal Gallery, 925 Grand Avenue. Robert Kilman, a cog in our collective art machine, has reviewed your vitals and determined your “current condition of…

6/3-6/4Most of us can’t chalk up our blunders to “all the drugs we did in the ’60s.” Deadheads under the age of 50 have had to acknowledge that “acid” today is more strychnine than LSD, and since their parents did all the good drugs, they have no excuse for the…

Talk about the heat of the night. The prevailing wisdom here in the Valley has long been that come 2 a.m., when bartenders turn off the taps and drop-kick drunks out the door, our banging burg transforms into a ghost town. It’s doubly so in summertime, as even the most…

WED 5/25Face facts, game junkies, everyone’s gotten tired of your bragging. Whether it’s disgruntled friends — weary from getting “pwned” at Unreal Tournament — or your ex, who left after your declaration that a high kill ratio in Battlefield: 1942 translated into bedroom prowess, it’s “game over” for your personal…

It’s a warm Tuesday evening in May, and Aaron Rosen is chilling on the outdoor patio at Three Roots Coffee House in Tempe, demonstrating his digital deftness to anyone who’s interested. While the air is clogged with the sound of Mill Avenue traffic zipping by, the lanky 24-year-old uses his…

It’s a dark time for the Phoenix Fan Force. Although the local cadre of sci-fi superfreaks is hyperspaced for the impending release of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, the final chapter in George Lucas’ six-part space opera, the PFF geeks are also morose that the über-director…

It’s do-or-die time for Seth Riveras, as the 14-year-old plummets down one of Phoenix Skate Park’s six-foot bankramps on his skateboard, blasting blindly toward a thigh-high obstacle known as a pyramid. Seconds before colliding with the trapezoid, Riveras pops his ride skyward, flying over any danger while the board spins…

It’s a good thing Aaron Coleman is thick-skinned. After all, the 32-year-old tattoo artist’s pugnacious pelt has not only been punished by plenty of pigment, covering his arms, legs and back. But his durable dermis has even withstood all the disdainful dissing both the general public and the art world…

4/22-4/23 Some things are worth the wait — like, for instance, the Mesa Arts Center. After nearly five decades of false starts, failed bond elections, tax hikes and tumult, the suburb’s sleepy downtown finally gets a one-megaton wake-up call as Arizona’s largest cultural complex, located at 1 East Main Street,…

4/8-4/29 It’s not easy being a queen; just ask Doug Loynd. “There’s pain involved in being in drag,” says the 41-year-old actor. “Makeup takes two hours, breasts are heavy, earrings pinch, and heels hurt.” The transvestite toil is worth it, however, as Loynd has a shot at fame as one…

4/9-5/11 When 17-year-old Mountain Pointe High School student Erika Vogt-Nilsen entered a graphically designed image of an evil-looking puppeteer dangling a crucified Christ in her school’s winter art show in January, she learned an important lesson on the provocative nature of art. A small group of viewers, including a particular…