Political correctness and punk rock don’t mix. Sure, there are bands that do the punk thing well and never say or do anything untoward or aiming to offend. These bands are neat, probably dress well, and are nice to their mothers, and the world is safer for it. Luckily for…
At several points during Cured: A Tale of Two Imaginary Boys by original Cure drummer (and later keyboard player) Laurence “Lol” Tolhurst, the author describes situations where other members of the Cure said to him something along the lines of, “No one will mind if you get some help, Lol.”…
True story: In late January 1991, along with about 25,000 folks peacefully protesting Desert Storm in front of the Federal building in San Francisco, I got to hear Joan Baez sing in person for the first and only time. To say the 75-year-old Baez, who lives in Northern California, has…
Not unlike The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne last Saturday night, Tom Araya, Slayer’s ass kicking bassist/vocalist, talked to the Fair crowd about the importance of remembering to share the love about halfway through the band’s set. Then he and his band melted the faces off the people in the front…
On October 15, Scottsdale’s Sidewalk Surfer, located at 2602 N. Scottsdale Road, starts its 40th year in business. The shop has been serving skateboarders, rollerbladers, snowboarders, and all manner of extreme sport enthusiasts and aficionados for, think about it, generations. “There are people who came in here as kids who…
The first thing you realize when you’re talking to Joe Sib is his energy. The man is remarkably energetic and it’s infectious. You want to get up and do something with Sib, and more than that, you want him to keep talking because he’s very funny. It’s a good thing,…
It has to be surreal at times, looking at the San Francisco Peaks on a clear day, and thinking, “How in the hell did I get here?” For veteran show promoter Tyler King, who co-owns the Flagstaff venue The Green Room, this probably happens often. King, who is old enough…
Black Sabbath is calling it a day. After Wednesday night, they will (supposedly) never play Phoenix again. Now this isn’t the original lineup, as Bill Ward has been replaced by Tommy Clufetos, but the other three original members (vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, and bassist Geezer Butler) are on…
“I remember, it was early afternoon, and the car was so hot I couldn’t get in it. I couldn’t touch the steering wheel in the car. I had to start it and run the air conditioner for about 15 minutes,” says Emmett “Murph” Murphy III, Dinosaur Jr.’s original drummer. Murphy…
Compelling television is a wonderful thing, except when the viewer is compelled to change the channel. The 2016 fall television season has a few promising shows and several, well, that only promise to battle each other for what show will be cancelled first. While some of the following shows probably…
Phoenicians love to combine music and skateboarding. From Jody Foster’s Army (aka JFA) to AZPX Records (and Skateboards) and beyond, skaters have been making music, supporting bands they love, and shredding empty backyard swimming pools, riding ramps, and local skate parks since the late ’70s. Flash forward to 2016 and valley…
The world needs more wild children. You know the type, right? Free spirits who actually do things. Powerful women and men who, when pushed, push back, and tend to keep pushing the boundaries placed in front of them because they have no choice but to keep on pushing. Juliette Lewis…
Phoenix native Josh Graham knows a thing or two about sights and sounds. The 42-year-old musician and visual artist brings his current band, A Storm of Light, to Yucca Tap Room on Friday, August 26. Graham and his bandmates, Domenic Sita on bass and Billy Graves on drums, are doing…
Diversity and adversity often go hand in hand. In the case of England’s Culture Club, the two words have always come bundled together, even if the former is more descriptive of what the group represents, and the latter is something they seemingly love to create. A product of the early-1980s…
“Come over here / let’s make some time,” pleads singer/guitar player Daniel Shircliff at the start of “Baby Wants More,” on the Christian Family’s new self-titled, seven-inch EP on Slope Records. The record contains four tracks of stripped-down, gospel- and blues-tinged garage punk perpetuated by Shircliff, who also fronts local…
One of the things that hasn’t changed in the past 30 years is how much ass Flotsam and Jetsam continues to kick. From the opening notes of “Seventh Seal” off their latest album, the self-titled Flotsam and Jetsam (AFM Records), which was released in late May, it is apparent they…
An Arizona (by way of Michigan) candidate has not only thrown their top hat into the U.S. presidential election, but also the British Prime Minister race, and is running on one of the more unique platforms ever. That’s right, Alice Cooper, shock rocker extraordinaire and guillotine proponent, has launched a…
Before the torches are lit and the pitchforks are sharpened, read the next line. Most of the often over-rated records mentioned in this opinion-based blog/list do NOT completely suck. Admittedly, some do suck quite a bit, but some are really good and even ground-breaking but are often held in too…
Ted Nugent. Ted “Fucking” Nugent. He calls himself this frequently. During a 45-minute phone conversation, he must’ve said “Ted fucking Nugent” at least a dozen times. The man is mesmerizing and drunk on confidence, even if he never takes a drink. There really is no one else quite like him,…
Punk rock is many things. It’s fun, it’s furious, it’s chock-full of rebellion, and for some, it’s a labor of love. With any luck, it’s all four of those things. Enter Brendan Kelly, singer/guitar player of the Falcon. Kelly’s a busy man. The Chicago-area native is married, a dad to…
Comerica Theatre was almost full on Sunday, June 25, when Kenny Rogers said farewell to his Phoenix fans. The almost two-hour performance/retrospective was highly entertaining and, at times, bittersweet, as the 77-year-old singer sang a great many of the hits from his near-60-year career. For those who came to hear…
Growth is good, and POWER 98.3’s Tino Cochino is looking to expand his footprint. The leader of the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. show on one of the Valley’s leading hip-hop stations now has a program on KSAW CW6 called After The Show, and he’s looking to syndicate outside the…
