In the top half of the eighth inning at Chase Field last night, the boo birds came a-calling once again on the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks. The pesky San Diego Padres had just padded their lead after a throwing error by catcher Miguel Montero, who was trying to prevent Everth Cabrera…
If actor/musician/artist Richard Edson turned into the Troy McClure character in The Simpsons, this is what he might say: “Hi, I’m Richard Edson. Though my name isn’t known on, say, a Michael Jackson-like plane, you may remember me from films such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (I was the joy-riding…
Following Sunday’s debacle against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the best things that could have happened to the Arizona Diamondbacks occurred on Monday night: They got the heck out of this town and they started Dan Haren against the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday night. The usual went down in Haren’s…
Even the most renowned artists are horrible about finishing projects. Take, for example, famed Mexican filmmaker Gabriel Figueroa and bomb-ass photographer Manual Alvarez Bravo, both of whom started to produce a short documentary about Diego Rivera 50 years ago. It ended up being a splendid idea that was never completed…
Though they’re based in the States, the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International are the real, world-music deal. Inspired by traditional Congolese, Nigerian, and Ghanaian ensembles, the five-strong, Chicago-located group play an infectious blend of afro-pop, American jazz, and classic-esque rock that’s held tight with Latin rhythms and boom-bastic percussion. On…
There’s a fly honey that you’ve been seeing, but you can’t figure her out. One minute, she says that she’s really into you. The next, she’s a glacier. If you’ve been experiencing this Jekyll-Hyde aura from a gal pal, she may very well be aligned with the May 21 to…
Are you all gung ho about cheaper gas prices, even if it means jacking up the land? Well, you may change your mind after watching the beautifully-captured documentary Oil on Ice. The 2004 flick documents the issues surrounding the proposed scarfing of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, including…
It’s open mic night on the outdoor patio of Conspire, and several local poets and writers are taking turns reading prose poems or excerpts from novels-in-progress. Then Michelle Blades is called up to perform a few songs. The girl with the ukulele slowly strolls to the stage — and by…
Gross, dude. The Royals, a team that’s been irrelevant since 1985 (a World Series-winning season that also marks the last time they finished first in their division), made the sinking-ship-like D-Backs look like the irrelevant one. For example, Arizona’s line score in the team’s 5-0 loss at KC’s Kauffman Stadium…
Granted, the Arizona Diamondbacks are not a well-oiled machine. We’re just not sure why. (Bad coaching? Poor team chemistry? Dodgy bullpen? Take your pick.) But there is one thing we know for certain: Thank goodness for Justin Upton. In the third, the should-be All-Star selection nailed a solo shot over…
Think about how much your life has changed in eight years and all of the knowledge you’ve picked up along the way. Then it starts to make sense why Afro Classics sound as good as they do. In 2001, MCs Very and Scarub, staples of the L.A. underground hip-hop scene,…
Ever hear of The Scorpions? Well, duh, of course you have. However, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t know diddly-squat about the German neo-classical metal band if not for guitarist Uli Jon Roth, who, from 1973 to 1977, led the group to Japanese super-fame and major-label notoriety before embarking on…
It’s apparently “hip” to recycle, reclaim, and reuse these days, but when you think about it, the act of doing so is a little, well, ordinary. If anything, it shouldn’t be used as a bragging tool to up your indie cred. On the other hand, the creative types showing works…
The game on Monday night in San Diego against the Padres basically summed up the season thus far for the National League West cellar-dwellers: Yielding the big inning to the opponent and questionable managerial decision-making. Leading 2-0 in the fifth behind a strong pitching effort by the D-Backs’ Jon Garland,…
Beer fests are cool and all, but why they’ve become synonymous with “Let’s get fucking loaded, buddy, and embarrass the entire human race by acting like an ill-mannered ass clown” is beyond our comprehension. If you’re looking for some fun times at a beer blowout minus the general douchelordery, hit…
The most pivotal moment in perhaps the Arizona Diamondbacks’ hoped-for turnaround took place during the top half of the second inning during their Monday-night game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in L.A. Facing Hiroki Kuroda in his first start since Opening Day, Stephen Drew led off with a double that…
Miles Davis is often credited with reinventing jazz five different times in such a way that his never-heard-before re-imaginings influenced music as a whole. Arguably, the same case can be said of contemporary soul songstress Erykah Badu. True, her relatively short recording career spans only 12 years, but it’s an…
Phoenix doesn’t really suck. It’s just sometimes difficult to find things to be prideful about in this relatively new desert abode some one million people call home. One of best things about the PHX, aside from The Wallace and Ladmo Show and rattlesnake on the barbie, is Arizona Highways. It’s…
The artists discuss their process in creating “Charting the Canyon: Photographs by Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe,” a surprisingly awesome, non-clichéd photographic examination of the national park. The show’s two exhibiting artists, Klett and Wolfe, did take some typical imprints of the Canyon – how could you not? – but…
Here’s a get-rich-quick idea for folks in the music business: Kanye West and Black Moth Super Rainbow – a slightly-skitzo, psychedelic indie-pop band from Pennsylvania that uses so-hot-right-now auto-tune-esque technology – should tour together. Folks who love Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak would certainly love BMSR’s uses of vocoder and Novatron…
Soulja Boy Tell ’Em may be a poster boy for those in the music-sucks-today camp – some of the song titles by the crunk-friendly rapper include “Wit My Yums On,” “Booty Got Swag,” and “Gucci Bandanna” – but have you really listened to his raps and rhymes? Like, really sat…
Miles Davis is often credited with reinventing jazz five different times in such a way that his never-heard-before reimaginings influenced music as a whole. Arguably, the same case can be said of contemporary soul songstress Erykah Badu. True, her relatively short recording career only spans twelve years, but it’s an…
