Not every rock, pop, or rap tune sounds good jazzified. If you tune your radio dial to that yucky thing called smooth jazz, you’d better have a barf bag handy. But Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, the LOL cover band from the nation’s capital of jazz corniness, Los…
If only. That’s the phrase on a lot of D-Backs’ fans minds as the painful first month of the 2009 season nears its close. If only Brandon Webb wasn’t going to be out for at least six more weeks. If only Arizona could manufacture a consistent stream of runs per…
Good news: Because Cactus League Baseball is long done, all of those annoying fans of the Chicago Cubs went back to Wrigleyville, Rockford, Carbondale, or whatever Illinois place they came from. Bad news: The Cubbies are (groan) already returning to clash with the Arizona Diamondbacks for their annual regular-season tilt…
When we told a co-worker that we really wanted to cover the Dirty 6 event at Rawhide, he was all like, “Why do you like this shit?” We didn’t answer then, locking our eyes to the floor and shuffling in our chair awkwardly. So we’ll tell you, the reader, why…
Because we’re born-and-bred Phoenicians, we reacted to the Desert Ice Bonspiel similarly to how we did when the Phoenix Coyotes first set up shop here in the desert. It went something like this: Uhhhhhhh . . . WTF? Y’all want to sweep boulders down a giant sheet of ice in…
Six runs in a single baseball game isn’t exactly an offensive blitzkrieg, but when you’re the Arizona Diamondbacks, a half-dozen revolutions around the base path is huge. Especially considering that the team had only managed to cough up two stinking runs in the past 31 frames. It’s also huge when…
Were you an ASU football fan in 2008? We’re sorry. Not only did you endure a 5-7 overall record, but also a six-game tailspin and a bowl-killing embarrassment in Tucson. Before the iffy 2009 campaign opens September 5 against Idaho State, Sun Devil fans can participate in a win-win on…
Thanks to First Friday, Phoenix is nationally known for its pretty sweet-ass art scene. Also thanks to First Friday, a bunch of other Maricopa County ’burbs and boroughs, like Chandler and Mesa, have tried to replicate downtown’s success and kind of haven’t done the greatest job. When the Sunnyslope Art…
Rarely do metal fans have to complain that their favorite bands deviate from their preferred style too often, for an album or even a single song. That’s before Mastodon enters the conversation. From fantasy metal (perfect for mastering that new level on Dungeons & Dragons) to twangy, cock-stroking guitar lines…
In case you’ve somehow missed the propaganda popping up around town and the Internets, Record Store Day is Saturday, April 18. In honor of the third-annual national event, New Times talked to owners and employees of local indie music businesses and compiled five reasons why you should give two poops…
Way before the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brian Barden belted the game-winning blast in the eighth inning to gave the Arizona Diamondbacks their third consecutive loss, the home team arguably choked away the game way back in the third. In that inning, Cardinals’ starter Todd Wellemeyer retired the first hitter, then…
A disturbing trend is emerging in Arizona Diamondbacks land, one that fans have seen before in these parts. What we’re talking about is the team’s inability to produce enough runs per game to win. Dropping nine on the Los Angeles Dodgers during Friday’s 9-4 victory — a win that featured…
Folks take sooo much for granted when it comes to modern-day still photography. All digital shutterbugs gotta do is frame their shot, release the shutter, and look at a screen to decide whether or not to retake. So easy and low-stress. But where’s the fun in that instant-gratification crap? Imagine…
The first time we visited Manzanita Speedway, we hated the joint. Mind you, we were around 8 years old, but the dirt oval on the west side just seemed so, well, barbaric. Over the years, we’ve learned to love the place, because like the Westward Ho, the since-bulldozed Madison Square…
Frankly, it sucks hardcore that all of these technologies that work just fine – analog TVs, VCRs, and landline phones – are getting tossed out of mainstream society like yesterday’s newspaper. (Newspapers. Another piece of art that may go extinct soon. Sigh.) A light in this deep, dark cloud of…
In our experience, local bands that promote the crap out of themselves with flier bombardments, MySpace bulletin blitzkriegs, and/or free CD-Rs aplenty turn out to be not so good. But Pigeon Religion, a Tempe-based rock-punk group that personally hands out oodles of fliers and business cards, is worth all of…
Along with spotty defense, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ biggest issue to rectify in the 2009 season is scoring production. Yeah, looks like they should have saved some of Monday’s offensive firepower for last night’s game against the Colorado Rockies. Facing right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0) — armed with a fastball that consistently…
A funny thing happened this afternoon during the Arizona Diamondbacks’ first home regular season opener since 2005. A college baseball-like game in terms of offensive firepower and unpredictability broke out. (All that was missing were those annoying aluminum pings.) The storyline at Chase Field included the Colorado Rockies, the D-Backs…
Following the Phoenix Suns’ 114-109 defeat of the Houston Rockets on Wednesday — coupled with the Dallas Mavericks’ 98-96 victory over the Miami Heat — Planet Orange remains 4 games back from the eighth-and-final postseason spot, with 7 to go. Can we say season over for the Suns? Not officially,…
It’s 1902 and we’re Dutch. We’re riding our only form of transportation – a bicycle – after a 10-hour workday on the farm. Traveling along the Holland countryside, nobody marvels that we’re pedaling a fixed-gear machine that sports badass grip tape. Now, it’s 2009 and we’re in downtown Phoenix. We…
Aside from a plane ticket, some music gear, or a night out with some no-good hookers (kidding about that last one), we can’t think of one good darn reason to fork over $125 for anything. Until now. You see, the one and only Stephen J. Hawking will speak at Gammage…
When you’re facing a solid opponent that’s the second youngest squad in the league and hasn’t played in four days, it’s going to be tough to win, especially when you’ve had to grind out two tough victories in three days while fighting for your playoff lives. That’s the best way…
