Nekromantix

The Reverend Horton Heat is the undisputed king of psychobilly, but you could make a helluva case for Nekromantix frontman Kim Nekroman as the genre’s crown prince. In many ways, Nekromantix epitomize the psychobilly look and sound even more than the good Reverend himself. With their gravity-defying pompadours and fixation…

New Times Wins Arizona Press Club Awards

Phoenix New Times writers won top honors for column writing and blogging at the Arizona Press Club’s annual awards banquet, held Saturday at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School in downtown Phoenix. In all, New Times brought home seven first-place awards. Sarah Fenske won the Don Schellie Award for feature column…

Ozomatli

Ozomatli play the type of music one would expect from a band that takes its name from the Nahuatl word for an Aztec astrological sign. Their mix of Latin, hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz, and reggae comes from a group that stretches from seven to 10 members, playing both traditional rock…

Al Di Meola

Guitar virtuoso Al Di Meola is quite dazzling when it comes to technique. His blazing riffs exploded in the ’70s as a member of the groundbreaking jazz-fusion group Return to Forever, with his fretwork often defined by dizzying, slashing turns. Over the years, the New Jersey-born Di Meola has ascended…

Night Train: The Ultimate Light Rail Pub Crawl

In just a few short days (December 27, to be exact), the Valley Metro will be running. With those electrified cables comes the chance to drink down Phoenix like never before. Yes, soon you’ll be able to get booze from Mesa to damn near Glendale without forcing a friend to…

The Aquabats

With their golden-age comic book costumes, silly supervillains, and absurd song titles, The Aquabats are punk rawk’s answer to GWAR. Only instead of promising the destruction of the known universe through copious bodily fluids, the ‘Bats are out to protect it. The superhero rock brigade got its start in 1994…

The Jason Rose Connection

Kevin Bacon, move over! Jason Rose — the big-haired, bigger-mouthed, Republican 30-something king of AZ P.R. — is really the one with the connections. He’s represented everyone from Andrew Thomas to Ballet Arizona, and his favorite parlor trick is getting his clients to pimp one another. (Who can forget Joe…

GBH

It’s ironic that consistency, longevity, and predictability have come to be the hallmarks of “true punk,” but that’s where we are more than three decades after Johnny Rotten blew his nose all over those things. As Jello Biafra recently sang, there are all these bands singing their “hits from the…

Green Fatigue: Is anyone else sick and tired of eco-chic?

Welcome to Phoenix New Times’ first Green Issue! Not. This week’s paper won’t feature a photo spread of all-organic fashions worn by sinewy models who subsist on raw-food diets, shot lounging on Crate and Barrel’s brand-new line of eco-friendly patio furniture. (Although it does include a profile of a woman…

Green Fatigue: By the Numbers

• Number of Google hits for “eco-chic”: 658,000 Source: Google • Number of Google hits for “reduce, reuse, recycle”: 390,000 Source: Google • Tons of office paper Americans throw away every year: 7.4 million Source: Waste Policy Center, Lessburg, VA • Tons of food Americans throw away every year: 26.2…

New Times Sponsored Events

NEW TIMES PRESENTS P. DIDDY AT AXIS/RADIUS SUPER THURSDAY Diddy is slated to perform at the AXIS/Radius Super Thursday presented by New Times and Movin 97.5 on Thursday, January 31st. This will be Diddy’s only Bowl performance and his only Scottsdale appearance. Indian Plaza will be completely shut down from…

Drinking with the locals, even though you’re not one

It’s tough to find a place that appeals to both out-of-town visitors and year-round residents, but we’ve got one. Not only does Crazy Ed’s lure in tourists by the busload with its kitschy, Disney-like Western Town attraction on its property, the Cave Creek brew pub also attracts a fair amount…

Milkshakes and history

Sure, the Super Bowl happens in the dead of winter, but why let that stop you from enjoying a cold treat? Especially in Phoenix, when it’s likely a balmy 70 degrees outside. We used to think of milkshakes as a summertime treat only, until we moved to the Valley. Now…

Not the same ol’ Mexican food

A downside of most Mexican restaurants in the Valley is menu fatigue. We love classic Sonoran dishes, but sometimes a break from tradition is just what we’re craving. At times like those, we head to Padre’s, where Mexican food comes with a twist. Padre’s For starters, we’re hooked on the…

Suds for all seasons

What goes better together than football and beer? And have we got a brew bonanza for you. From the outside, Tops looks like an ordinary neighborhood booze purveyor, but as soon as you take a stroll down the narrow aisles — where shelves are stocked high with a jaw-dropping variety…

Desert beauty in the heart of the city

The City of Phoenix’s ongoing renovation of Tovrea Castle, one of the Valley’s premier oddball landmarks, has given us locals hope that our state’s capital has finally learned to spell “p-r-e-s-e-r-v-a-t-i-o-n.” The East Phoenix estate — which looks like a royal wedding cake defended by a swarm of palace-guard saguaros…

Are you NFL Experienced?

One of the National Football League’s all-time-great brain children, the NFL Experience is like a humongous punt, pass, and kick competition for kids of all ages. This year marks the 17th annual presentation of “pro football’s interactive theme park” and it will feature participatory games, displays, various clinics, free autograph…

A clear view of the Valley, smog permitting

When it comes to sightseeing, it’s tough to beat a panoramic view to really give you an appreciation of a place — especially one as spread out as the Valley of the Sun. North Mountain Park has all the usual trappings of a mountain park in our town — hiking…

Roll through town in style

With all the high rollers in town for the big game, townies and tourists alike will have to step up their personal presentation to compete for attention. Especially, you $30K millionaires. Since there’s absolutely zero chance of you hooking a top-shelf honey in a regular rental car, consider borrowing a…

Cornpone Hipsters

Like looking at a middle-aged man’s comb-over, sometimes we have to stare into another’s mirrored shades to appreciate the ridiculousness of our pretensions. You can lie to others about it, but in your heart, you see the greasy, chicken-stained fingerprints of the truth. Southern Culture on the Skids recognizes the…

Big Pete Pearson

Born in 1936 in Jamaica, raised in Texas, and based in Phoenix, Big Pete Pearson is proof that the blues (as a flourishing, vibrant form) is not dying of old age and House of Blues-bred respectability. Likely among the last of the breed of Chicago-style bluesmen, Pearson has a burly,…