VW TrainwreckDramaturgy(self-released)”Punk rock, comedy, and politics” can be a great combination — look at NOFX. But when a local band declares they’re playing with these elements in their self-penned biography, I get a little nervous. VW Trainwreck’s new album, Dramaturgy, is exactly why. With a band theme song, a track…
McDowell Mountain Music Festival has added a few local acts, who will play on the Creamy Radio Acoustic Stage. According to Creamy, a Tempe-based Internet radio service, local indie acts Black Carl and What Laura Says will play, along with Tucson’s funky The Tryst, Phoenix guitarist Michael Garfield and Tempe…
We should probably just declare this Jimmy Eat World Week at New Times. We’ve got an essay about Clarity running in Thursday’s paper, along with my column on the 10 best emo songs of all time. On Up on the Sun, we’ve got a series of posts about Clarity’s impact running…
Though she sometimes strives for demure in promo shots, Michelle Branch ain’t no Tori Amos — at least I’ve never seen Tori look like this — making her an interesting choice for an all-woman music festival. But it’s Branch who’s slated to headline the Chicks with Picks Music Festival in…
Normally I wouldn’t put up a post announcing Styx and REO Speedwagon’s “CAN’T STOP ROCKIN’ 2009 TOUR” (coming to Dodge Theatre on May 15) but I can’t help myself after this press release. These guys are really hustling to make it in a tough economy!First, the 80s acts are recording…
Why isn’t Taylor Swift bigger than she is? Being the best selling artist of last year and having her own line of clothing at Wal-Mart, you might expect Taylor swift to be a little more exposed than she is. With a Rolling Stone cover this month and a Saturday Night…
LA Weekly has announced the bill for our Village Voice South by Southwest showcase. M. Ward, Crystal Antlers, Cursive, Gomez and Bear Hands. Crystal Antlers and Cursive are the highlights for me. The new Cursive record, Mama, I’m Swollen — which I popped in today, and happened to be listening…
Like a lot of people, I really, really need to be in the mood to listen to third wave ska. And by “in the mood” I mean I need to be in high school again. Still, I kinda dig Tempe’s 2 Tone Lizard Kings. Sure, the time I saw them,…
We’ll say this about the Giants-Dodgers rivalry: It gets normally sedate California fans riled up. Even at a Spring Training game — opening day at the Giants’ Old Town Scottsdale park — they were excited for this match-up between divisional rivals who’ll play each other another 10 times this season…
This flier of the week comes to us by way of suggestion from New Times contributor Jose Gonzalez and, I have to say, it portends great things for The Necronauts’ show at Trunkspace tomorrow. The lo-fi indie/punk band has a cool sound, full of grumbling, fuzzy guitars that often remind…
We admit we don’t get out to Goodyear much. But, with a new Spring Training stadium opening in the western West Valley city Wednesday, we made the drive (“Just 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix!” Goodyear likes to claim) to check out the new home of the Cleveland Indians, former spring Floridians…
Gwen Stefani is reuniting with her backing band. Kidding! Seriously, folks, No Doubt announced a summer tour today, stopping in Phoenix’s Cricket Wireless Pavilion on Saturday, May 23. Paramore and The Sounds join them. Tickets go on sale next Saturday at noon here…
Happy opening day, Phoenix!Yes, today is the start of the baseball season. The real start, not the start they’ll be celebrating in the upper Midwest next month, the one that requires parkas. It’ll be 80 degrees and sunny across the Valley as the first pitch of the year will be…
Rarely does a death metal act succeed in spooking a seasoned critic like me, but I have to say there was truly something unsettling about Iwatchedherdie.’s The Ill Effects of Hope. Midway through the seven-song disc I just felt vaguely disturbed by the imagery, the haunting keyboards, the crushing guitars,…
The British lower class has been all over the news of late thanks to that 13-year-old kid, Alfie, who apparently knocked up his girlfriend. The music blog at our sister paper in Orange County has a link to a funny video about the hot “donk” trend hitting clubs full of…
Yes, that’s right, Jimmy Eat World’s masterpiece Clarity came out on February 23, 1999. We’re writing a lot more about the record in advance of their sold-out show at the Marquee on March 7, but I wanted to mark the date. Anyone have any memories about the first time they…
Today Dan Gibson, a Phoenix-based contributor to Idolator, e-mailed me about two shows we haven’t mentioned here yet, but which are definitely worth telling you about.Leonard Cohen is coming to Dodge Theatre on April 5 (presale tickets Tuesday) and Depeche Mode is coming. We didn’t get the Depeche Mode press…
Rarely will you find me at a Scottsdale dance club on a Saturday night — if you’re looking for an Up on the Sun contributor, keep your eyes peeled for Kelly Wilson — but, if you do, there’s a very high probability it will be at The Rogue for “Sir”…
Well, that was fast! The day after Mike Meyer’s feature on them ran in our print edition, local death metal band Landmine Marathon have announced they’ve signed with Prosthetic Records, home to critically lauded (by death-metal standards) acts such as Lamb of God, Gojira, and All That Remains. They’re also…
So if you’ve been reading our news blog, Valley Fever, you probably came across a link to a story about a Tuscon punk band called The Awful Truth who’s pissed off the entire town by using a photo of a slain city policeman on the cover of their record, Kill…
Old-timey prog-rockers Yes have canceled the rest of their “In The Present Tour,” including the show scheduled for Wednesday at Dodge Theatre. Bassist Chris Squire, the only member of the band to appear on every album, underwent surgery on his leg on February 11, and says his doctor told him…
In this line of work, feeling a little old on the job is an occupational hazard. Still, few times have I felt more disconnected from the concertgoers around me than I did walking in during the last two songs by critically despised teeny-bopping post-hardcore act I Set My Friends on…
