The Best of SXSW Music: Thursday 3/15/2012

Nick RalloOh nothing, just a guy in a wolf mask playing “Happy Birthday” on the violinIf you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with describing…

The Best of SXSW Music: Wednesday 3/14/2012

Nick RalloSharon Van Etten, at the NPR showcase, was a stunner. Plus, there was a box accordion​If you’re familiar with chaos theory, which in its basic form is the attempt to find patterns in the random acts of shit on Earth, then you may understand the difficulty that comes with…

Paper

PRINT IMPRESS Ruben Gonzales built most of his store by hand. The Arizona native grew up B-boying, or breakdancing, and creating street art in Tolleson but moved to Phoenix four years ago to give his design work a go in the big(ger) city. He’s humble about his beginnings but is…

Shopping

PAPER CHASE If you are a lover of paper goods, Frances is a pleasantly satisfying place to stop. From adorable, small-press paper goods — think notebooks, journals, stationery, packs of thank-you notes — to a handpicked selection of clever cards (including some by local artists), owner Georganne Bryant always seems…

Food

TAKE IT AWAY So you’re more paper plate than gourmet china? There’s a wide variety of places downtown to grab a quick bite to-go. That’s a Wrap has some of the best wraps you’ll ever get your hands around, including the Prince of Thai and Veggie Jackson. Order online to…

Art

WALLPAPER Thanks to a handful of creatives, street art is on the rise in Phoenix. In the past few years, we’ve seen hearts pasted, mural projects started, huge dripping landscapes painted, and stencils galore mark the sidewalks and corners of the city. There’s beauty in artwork on the streets —…

Amusement

JUST THE TICKET Downtown is packed with tiny, sometimes dicey venues for new and offbeat theater, hosting shows that’ll amaze, amuse, confuse, and transform you. From eye-popping spectacle to refreshingly offensive filth to philosophical posturing to a touring kitty-cat circus, they’ve got your ticket. (Or, frequently, they’ve not got your…

Resolution Guide 2012

Our writers resolve to love Phoenix even more, in this year’s Resolution Guide. • “Snapshots of a City, and New-Found Love for a Hometown,” by Amy Silverman • “Art That Makes This City So Irresistible,” by Claire Lawton • “The Valley’s Dining Scene Has Plenty to Love,” by Laura Hahnefeld…

Thoughts and Predictions for the 2012 Food Scene

It’s no secret that the Valley food scene is slow to hop aboard the gastronomical trend train, but that doesn’t mean it can’t surprise us every once in a while. And when it comes to food predictions for Arizona eaters in 2012, I’m certainly no fortuneteller, but given high food…

Toubab Krewe @ The Compound Grill

Toubab Krewe are neo-griot-funk from Southern freak zone Asheville, North Carolina. Their name admits they’re tourists (“Toubab” = white dude) and their sound can be described as “Jampire Weekend.” Blending Mali soul and Afrobeat with bluesy desert surf-twang, Caribbean scratch, and zydeco bounce, Toubab Krewe surround it all with occasional…

Ten Phoenix Hot Dogs Worth Their Mustard

Hot dogs are as American as apple pie. Fitting, then, that the Fourth of July is not only our nation’s most patriotic holiday, it’s also when, according to www.hot-dog.org, we’ll consume around 150 million of the comestible the Yale Record once poeticized thusly: “Tis dogs’ delight to bark and bite,…

New Times Summer Guide 2011

In New Times’ Summer Guide 2011, our writers explore some guilty pleasures associated with summer. Inside the Summer Guide: • C.M. Redding on Tempe’s Big Surf waterpark • Restaurant critic Laura Hahnefeld on the boutique local ice cream maker Crave • Zachary Fowle on the underground practice of trading craft…

Quick PHX 2011: Collector’s Edition

Quick PHX contents: • “Collections” by Robrt L. Pela • “Art” by Wynter Holden • “Food” by Michele Laudig • “Shopping” by Carrie Wheeler • “Nightlife” by Benjamin Leatherman • Sebastien Millon: The Artist Speaks…

Quick PHX: Last Page

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST When you were a kid, what did you collect? I loved collecting sports cards. All the statistics on the back of the player cards entranced me, I would memorize and memorize them and just get lost in the numbers. What do you collect now? I collect…

Resolution Guide: The Extreme Edition

We’re going to extremes with this year’s Resolution Guide. Find out about the “year of eating dangerously” that put our Fry Girl columnist in the hospital. Think you could write 50,000 words in one month? Web editor Jonathan McNamara took a stab at it last November. Your exercise regimen has…

Summer Guide 2010

“Cave Dweller” by Sativa Peterson “Heavy Metal” by Tricia Parker “Burn, Baby” by Sarah Fenske “Chill Out” by Steve Jansen “Flame Game” by Wynter Holden “Ice Rage” by Adriane Goetz “Slush Life” by Robrt L. Pela “(100) Days of Summer Films” by Chuck Wilson…

QuickPHX: Heart Felt

With her sweet twist on taxidermy, Amanda Williams has turned the idea of a hunting trophy on its head. Instead of a gun, she wields a scary-long six-inch needle soldered to another equally long needle to turn piles of felted wool into a fox, a raccoon, a deer. Williams is…