When I was a small boy, I was relatively certain “The Safety Dance” was about a dance, possibly the one they were doing in the video. When I was a slightly larger boy, someone said, “No, it’s about nuclear war, possibly the one at the end of the video,” which…
If ASU’s Manzanita Hall can come back looking better than ever, your ability to rebound from recent couch potato status is looking pretty good. And lucky for your soon-to-be out and about self, there’s plenty to keep you busy this weekend in the Valley of the Sun. New Times Back…
You know what I like to do every year around this time? Go to the Back to School section at my nearest Target and buy some pens. (More selection than usual, and I can’t pass up a deal on those Pilot Precise rollerballs.) You might not be as boring as…
If the curtain hasn’t already been lifted for you, let me raise it with gusto: Most people who play in any punk band are, and always have been, pretty big nerds. But for every group of 1,000 Jello Biafras, there is at least 1 Henry Rollins in the bunch. A…
As a Midwestern transplant, I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out what is summer and what isn’t in Arizona. I left my last apartment in the spring, back in April, and arrived here two days later in the summer. From what I’m told, it will continue until sometime next…
Yes, we know. Your fake ID is spectacular. Nobody cards you because your mustache is simultaneously full and rich and completely earnest-looking. Your friends buy cases of Natty Light from extremely vigilant chain stores for sport. But if you’re just getting back in town for the fall semester and not…
Phoenix Suns Dancer Auditions 2013 Hundreds of hopefuls battled it out for a spot on the Phoenix Suns Dancers 2013-14 squad at Phoenix Convention Center on Saturday, August 17…
Phoenix, here’s how to spend this week, from literary haps and a dead sci-fi icon’s birthday party to art and design events. Chelsea Cain @ Poisoned Pen Author Chelsea Cain’s debut, Dharma Girl, was inspired by her early childhood on an Iowa commune. But her fascination with death and sleuthing…
Are you aware just how big a deal Barenaked Ladies’ first album was in Canada? Wikipedia tells me it “topped the Canadian charts for eight consecutive weeks” and that 80,000 copies of Gordon were sold in the first 24 hours. We didn’t include them in the Top Five Must-See Phoenix…
Well, this is a surprise: Lil Wayne, just three years removed from a career-making feature in Weezer’s “Can’t Stop Partying,” is playing Phoenix on September 2, just over two weeks from now. Tickets–$50 each, all proceeds benefiting the conveniently named Carter Fund–go on sale tomorrow morning at the Celebrity Theatre’s…
Welcome to the weekend. Here’s how to spend it. Comedy Slam 7 @ Celebrity Theatre There’s something about comedy that gets lost in translation if you’re not seeing it in person. “You had to be there” isn’t just cliché for crappy jokes, it’s also a genuine observation about the communal…
10. Jeff Flake’s Son Calls Himself “N1ggerKiller” In June, Republican Senator Jeff Flake’s 15-year-old son Tanner was caught playing the iPhone game “Fun Run” using the name “N1ggerKiller.” The teenager’s offensive gaming screen name was just one of the offensive slurs he used. His Twitter account also includes statements of…
Nate “Igor” SmithFor five magical days in August, Cave in Rock, Illinois hosted one of our favorite events, The Gathering of the Juggalos. Our photographer, Nate “Igor” Smith, took thousands of pictures at the Gathering, but some of the folks he captured stood out more than others. There was the…
I went to see some of my favorite local bands at Tempe’s most notoriously seedy dive bar, the Palo Verde. If you haven’t had the privilege of checking it out, you can find it located in the scenic industrial district of Tempe. Nestled between a milk-processing factory and an array…
It’s coming. College kids are circling the Valley in hand-me-down Corollas; especially eager snowbirds are lying to their friends back home about it being A Dry Heat, even in August; the days are very gradually getting shorter. And big touring acts, who’ve stayed away from Phoenix all summer, are announcing…
By Michael Cryer When Paris James took the stage Tuesday night at the Musical Instrument Museum’s “I Am AZ Music” Acoustic Blues show, a collaboration with the Phoenix Blues Society, and bid everyone “good evening,” the audience said “good evening” in turn with a tone that was more “peace be…
Jen Deveroux’s Barnyard Riot Art Show at Monarch Theatre, 8/10/13 Prolific art party impresario Jen Deveroux read George Orwell’s Animal Farm as a teenager, and memories of the exploits of Snowball, Napoleon, and their cohorts bubbled to the surface when she was planning the theme of her latest event: Barnyard…
“Demystifying the New World of Publishing” @ Changing Hands Bookstore Pamela Slim knows easy answers can be hard to find. The consultant and coach blogged about entrepreneurship for years before releasing her 2009 book, Escape from Cubicle Nation. Slim believes in teaching what people need to learn, so she her…
It’s not often that band names are as straightforward as Masked Intruder. They wear masks, they claim to be interested in breaking into your house and stealing your VCR, the end. Something like “Earth Crisis”–you’re left wondering what the crisis is, and why they’re named after it. Of course, Lyle…
The countdown to Best of Phoenix is on. Mark your calendar: This year’s issue will be on newsstands September 26. What better way to warm up than by asking some local “experts” to list their own personal bests? This week, Georganne Bryant of Frances and Smeeks shares her favorite spots…
Your weekend is planned, Phoenix. Here are five ways to spend the next few days. Push @ Peoria Center for the Performing Arts We don’t know about you, but ever since the Royal Water broke we’ve had baby fever. But because nine months is a hell of a long time…
There’s a reason Arrested Development’s fourth season came fully-bleeped despite being on Netflix, and it’s the same reason some people prefer their Die Hard replays on basic cable and their “Gold Digger” MP3s ripped from a Wal-Mart version of Late Registration. Sometimes the censored version is just better, or at…
