Jean Grae comes across as the kind of lyricist you don’t want to mess with. “You Don’t Like It (So What),” from her forthcoming album, Cake or Death, states it plainly: “I’m like Judy Bloom with uzis.” You wouldn’t expect DJ LES735 (a.k.a. Luis Sias), who will be spinning at…
Just a few weeks ago, Beef Vegan of KWSS 106.7’s The Morning Infidelity asked New Times music editor Jason Woodbury when the Black Bottom Lighters should expect a write-up in our humble alt-weekly. While the band was sitting in the studio. Not that we’re feeling the pressure — the Glendale…
The concert gods giveth and the concert gods taketh away. Phoenix has been getting a whole lot on the giveth side lately. (Is this punishment for the whole Bon Iver-Fleet Foxes thing?!) The taketh part came with an announcement yesterday afternoon that Lil Wayne postponed his Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion…
Most people who post an ad on the free online classifieds site are just looking to start a band, but then there are the others. Foraging the thick forest of weird that is Craigslist for tasty nuggets reveals strange bits of musical nonsense. Here are a few creepy, annoying, or…
They might have a solid lineup slated for tonight’s grand opening, but Venue 104 won’t be getting boozy for the next few weeks. The combination art space, music venue, theater, coffee house, bar and restaurant will actually only be the first three things in that list tonight, as they host locals…
Oh, dear god. What have I done?Last week I wrote about my discovery of 37-year-old Chandler “scene” creep Bryan Lightningrod. I mean, “97-year-old vampire from Cairo” Bryan Lightningrod. Whatever. Same difference. The point is, he solicits fan photos, regardless of their nature, and posts them to his Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,…
It looks like College Dropouts is ready to hit the books — er, bottle — again, just in time for the new ASU semester. The bar, tucked away on College Avenue near Sun Devil Stadium, closed in April when the owner was unable to reach a lease agreement with the building’s…
Just last month, Lil Wayne considered retiring from music after he releases his new disc, Tha Carter IV, in August. But if this tour is any indication, Lil Wayne shows no signs of stopping yet. After sobering up and buckling down, Weezy is amidst a full blown nationwide tour, landing…
Music experts have long debated who exactly spawned that loud, angry beast that is heavy metal, but most everyone agrees that Led Zeppelin are the genre’s absentee forefathers. Yeah, go ahead and scrunch your nose, but it’s true in a way: Led Zeppelin, along with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple,…
Since fist-pumping his way from his hometown of Miami to making Scottsdale his new scene of choice, Michael James has certainly been a busy dude. He regularly spreads his time between hitting the clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and right here in the Valley, moving between Old Town’s Axis/Radius…
DJ Michael James is record-hugging transient of sorts. The Cream Stereo Lounge resident DJ divides his time between his home in Scottsdale, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, occasionally venturing off the west coast to perform gigs in his hometown of Miami. All of the traveling hasn’t sucked his energy, though. His…
Over the last year, director Daniel Emerson Williams has thrice turned Peoria’s Boys and Frogs into a pack of creepsters. First with “In Dreams” (Seriously, is that dude wearing a bone tie!?), then with the high budget, stalker-filled “Old Tribes.” Just over two months after their last video release, Williams…
Death Cab for Cutie Comerica Theatre Monday, August 15 There’s always been something I’ve resented about Death Cab for Cutie, but I could never really put a finger on it. Last night’s show at Comerica Theatre defined it perfectly. The band hasn’t been truly “underground” since its earliest days, but…
There’s really no gentle way to say it. People were expecting Amy Winehouse to die young. Even her own parents were prepared for her death. Celebrity deaths impact the public in varying ways, but there will always be a combination of trolls and mourners. Hiding behind the anonymity of the…
For months, tomorrow’s show at FilmBar was supposed to be a local feast for the senses. Colorstore intended to host a night of local rock and rhythms, adding Gospel Claws to the lineup and a list of guest DJs. But then Gospel Claws dropped out. Something about prior engagements in California,…
The DecemberistsMesa Arts CenterThursday, August 11I guess I had The Decemberists pegged wrong. Here’s this insanely popular indie-folk-Americana blended outfit with heavily starched clothing that comes from (where else?) Portland, Oregon. Yes, lead singer and songwriter Colin Meloy has a beard. Yes, they’re touring with a female musician with an…
You should know that this post is totally NSFW. Prepare for a serious case of the willies. Before I get started, here’s a little backstory behind all the weird you are about to stumble into. Yesterday, I was inputting concerts into New Times calendar database. I came across a show taking…
THURSDAY 11 27th Avenue Bar: DJ Manage, & DJ Android (Top 40, dance) Afterlife: Thumpin Thurzdays (various) AZ/88: Josh One (rare groove, urban funk) Bar Smith: Splash Thursday (reggae, dancehall, Top 40, house) Bikini Lounge: DJ Shane Kennedy (jazz, blues, country, R&B, rarities, vintage) Blue Martini: Rewind Thursday with DJ…
Following a 16-year career and four-year album-making process, Los Angeles-based DJ Jaybird’s first full-length record was finally released in March, and it’s all him — sort of. At least that’s the title. It’s All Me features a collection of DJ Jaybird originals and dubstep-ified remixes of high-profile tunes like Cee-Lo…
We’re going to play nice. Days of the New singer Travis Meeks has had it rough over the years. A kidney stone in 1999 led to an addiction to painkillers, which led to cocaine and, finally, meth. He even appeared in 2005 on A&E’s Intervention to document the whole thing…
Getting boozy for cheap usually amounts to staying at home and looking at the bottom of a 40 of Steel Reserve, but a new Phoenix-based online business, TipsyDevil, is out to change that.The Groupon-like discounted gift certificate website is focusing its efforts mainly on Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe nightlife and…
Ah, to pass the harmless sound of Top 40 pop rock onto America’s youth. That’s really what this country is all about. Avril Lavigne, Adam Lambert, Colbie Caillat and a long list of other VH1 crowd favorites are out to make the dreams of 12 young musicians come true on The…
