NPR’s All Things Considered ran a story about musicians boycotting Arizona over SB 1070 called “Sound Strike’ Targets Arizona Immigration Law” yesterday.The story includes soundbites from Alycia Klein, the general manager of Celebrity Theatre, local promoter Psyko Steve Chilton, Yolanda Bejarano of Snow Songs and, ahem, me. Hear the show…
This week’s music feature about the Black Cactus Records clique has been causing a little stir, mostly because of a few quotes aimed at various local movers-and-shakers the Cacti aren’t big fans of. Chief among them is Hooves, a band notorious for their drunken antics (read Jason Woodbury’s feature on…
Song: Grizzly Bear, “Knife” (Girl Talk Remix)Context: Just thinking about how lucky Tucson is to have that super sweet Girl Talk show coming in September. Knife [Girl Talk Remix]–Grizzly Bear by purpulus…
Girl Talk is [what’s the right verb here: playing, performing, spinning?] in Tucson on September 9. Prodigal Phoenicians Silver Medallion open the show, called the N9ne Fest at Tucson Electric Park. Tickets are only $25 and on sale here.Sounds pretty awesome, right? It gets better.Here’s what organizers are saying about…
Song: The Melodians, “Rivers of Babylon”Context: Arizona isn’t the only place facing a boycott — Palestinians are now asking artists to boycott Israel. So far Elvis Costello and The Pixies have signed on. The Palestinians also asked that Boney M’s famous cover of The Melodians’ “Rivers of Babylon” song not…
Jim Bachmann, a country-styled man about town whose a fixture at Tempe’s Yucca Tap Room. Bachmann once did a Sun Session cover of Alan Jackson’s “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” which I still regard among the best we’ve done. Bachmann has a great voice and writes simple, classic country songs about…
The giant balloon dam pooling the Salt River into Tempe Town Lake burst last night, sending 750 million gallons of water downstream. Last night we brought you photos of the immediate aftermath.Today, we received three photos taken from the seventh floor of the Hayden Ferry building that help put things…
Tucson’s alt-weekly — which is in no way affiliated with New Times, despite what people seem to think — has a really nice feature about Sergio Mendoza y la Orkesta’s Salvador Duran in this week’s issue.Duran is the intense man in black who helps Sergio with singing duties and speaks…
Song: Led Zeppelin, “When The Levee Breaks”Context: In memory of that giant lake Tempe used to have. Turns out holding nearly 1 billion gallons of water back with what basically amounted to a big balloon was a bad idea. When The Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin…
Our Nothing Not New columnist Jay Bennett — who gave up his record collection and has been listening to and writing about only brand new music since January 1 — was a guest on local NPR affiliate KJZZ’s Here and Now. He was interviewed by Nick Blumberg for a great…
Guns N’ Roses is playing their first show in four years and only U.S. show of the year at the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota.Never have I wanted to go to a motorcycle rally — or to South Dakota — more.Sadly, Daughtry will also be playing. I guess motorcycle…
Song: Liz Phair, “U Hate It”Context: I’m not sure there’s ever been a more appropriately-titled song. Liz is totally right: I hate it sooooo muuuuuuch. Liz Phair – U Hate It…
Remember the hilarious joke song called “Inside Of You” from Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Phoenix pop-punkers The Maine have released their own version.It’s not quite as catchy as the Infinite Sorrow version but MTV hearts it, declaring it an “Instant Classic” via twitter.Call me a bitter old coot, but I feel…
Song: Teenage Bottlerocket: “Without You”Context: Local music blogger Dfactor is hyping this show, big time. Teenage Bottlerocket – Without You…
Internationally successful multi-platinum recording artists Local band Jimmy Eat Word released the cover art for their upcoming album Invented earlier this morning. As reported last week, the record is due on September 28.Personally, I sorta like this art, though the woman’s hand is out of focus which bothers me. Anyone…
Weird story: So last night I went to Marquee Theatre to see standard-bearing folk-punk band Against Me!, who just put out their second-consecutive awesome album, White Crosses.Unfortunately, the ticket line was about 100 yards long, stretching from the front doors of the theater to the bus stop on Mill Avenue…
Song: Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”Context: Bobby comes to Celebrity Theatre tonight…
It’s possibly the oldest, loudest gripe in Phoenix’s music scene: Why Tucson?By that they mean, “Why is this cool band that I really love playing that bumblefuck shithole down South when they could play our sprawling metropolis of interconnected stripmalls?”Electric Mustache’s photographer/hatchetman Shawn Anderson weighed in after Ariel Pink’s Haunted…
Gospel Claws upcoming record, C-L-A-W-S, isn’t due until October but the first single, “Summer Nights Lakeside” was made available for download from Magnet Magazine earlier this week.”The song is great summer sing-a-long about camping, drinking beer, and drowning,” they claim. Another track, “Walk Me Down” is available on Bob Hoag’s…
Song: Wolf Parade, “Ghost Pressure”Context: Listening to the #1 record of the week at Stinkweeds…
The interwebs is aflutter with talk of “digital drugs” today after Gizmodo found a hilarious video from a newscast where outraged Okie worry their children are getting high with the help of special tonal Mp3s that alter brainwaves to induce a state of narcotic-like ecstacy.It’s a gateway, they claim. It’s…
Phoenix indie-rockers Snakes! Snakes! Snakes! are getting a lot of buzz around their new self-titled EP, which came out on iTunes Tuesday. You can hear the first single, “The Mountain Fire,” below — it reminds me a little of The National’s older stuff.The band’s CD release show is scheduled for…
