Do you really buy it, for even a minute, that he’s up there in the North Pole resting on his laurels while the elves have all the fun? Santa’s always keeping tabs, checking his lists, and thinking of that perfect gift. In an effort to help him out, we thought…
“I never thought that anything associated with hardcore would have a ‘lasting impression.’ The music and the people were pariahs, [who] were at best tolerated in my experience. My own sisters laughed at me. My east-side musician friends didn’t think I was in a ‘real’ band.'” – Bill Cuevas, Conflict…
It’s that time of year again, kids. I’m sure you know the one. It’s time to ask your Aunt Jean for a new record to throw on the family stereo at inopportune times so you can show how tortured your teenage soul has become. You need this, badly, and Aunt…
“Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies” is a lyric I could go my whole life without hearing again. It’s not that it isn’t a catchy little piece of an innocuous pop/rock song. Christine McVie’s lyric is exactly that, but I just don’t like it. I also hate myself…
This one is very personal. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit, I am a huge fan of Dan Clark. I loved watching Victory Acres play as a young’un and I still love listening to them now. As for Joke Flower, they were more of a guilty pleasure,…
Arizona has no shortage of offensive band names. One might even say we’re right up there with Texas in having the most offensive band names per capita. Mighty Sphincter is no exception. The band itself is something of an enigma. Known, perhaps, by fans of the dark and spooky worldwide,…
In late October, we introduced The 10 Most Influential Punk Records of Arizona. Over the next few weeks, we will reveal how we’ve ranked each record, and we will take an in-depth look at the people and circumstance behind each album’s creation. When I was a young’un, we would often…
How many women out there can say they have married both a Kink (Ray Davies) and a Simple Mind (Jim Kerr)? Chrissie Hynde can. She’s arguably the most badass alto of all time, and I’d certainly hate to ask her, “How does it feel to know almost all of your…
In late October, we introduced The 10 Most Influential Punk Records of Arizona. Over the next few weeks, we will reveal how we’ve ranked each record, and we will take an in-depth look at the people and circumstance behind each album’s creation. The name of the EP alone — Party…
Dear J Mascis: First of all, I am a big fan. From the first time I heard Dinosaur Jr back in the late 1980s to this very day, I have been a little awestruck. Your career is one any diehard music aficionado can respect. The first time I drove down…
Matt Korvette of Pissed Jeans is used to hearing noises like static and feedback, but our phone conversation started off with too much of what is normally a good thing to the band’s lead singer. The Allentown, Pennsylvania, noisy punk(ish) band makes its first trip to Phoenix on Friday, November…
Over the next several weeks, we will uncover the order of the 10 most influential Arizona punk rock records, complete with an in-depth look at each. But for now, we present a record that functions as a sort of honorable mention, a record that would probably have made a few…
This obsession with lists is overwhelming at times. Full disclosure, not a fan, unless it rankles someone somewhere or serves some sort of purpose I can get behind. I enjoy irritating people almost as much as I enjoy making people feel good and I can live with the dichotomy. Perhaps…
The Melvins Maybe the most misunderstood band still out slogging it out on tour today. Maybe (definitely) brilliant, maybe mad, always noisily rocking out some of the best heavy sludge you’ll ever hear, Buzz Osborne (guitar and vocals) and Dale Crover (drums) have been the core of the band which…
What could be better than a beautiful lake, some great music, and the opportunity to spend a few days jamming out, fishing, and camping? For many, there isn’t anything much better, and the Apache Lake Music Festival offers the opportunity to combine several different pleasure about 60 miles from Phoenix…
UPDATE: The opening date for The Marvel Experience has been pushed back to Friday, December 19. If you have ever sat there in a movie theater or on your couch at home and wondered what it would be like to actually be in one of the Marvel movies you love…
Punk rock comes in all shapes, all sizes, all colors, and all genders. Originally, it was a badge of courage with the ability to supersede all of the aforementioned labels, but somewhere along the way, it has segmented itself like other aspects of society — probably because of the stupid…
“It’s just me and my guitar,” said Kris Kristofferson when I asked him about his upcoming show at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre on Tuesday, October 14. Songwriter, actor, Army captain, Golden Gloves boxer, helicopter pilot, football player, Rhodes Scholar, and husband, Kristofferson has done multiple things many of us would be…
It’s on. It’s off. It’s the end of the world. The sky is falling and I might die without ever seeing The Replacements. What a crazy, rain-filled day Saturday, September 27, was as torrential downpours, micro bursts, and low levels of chaos hit Tempe and almost ruined the fun for…
It is not often a review of a book is longer than the book itself, at least in number of words, but this is not just any book review and the book in question is not just any book. What Every Child Needs to Know About Punk Rock, by Valley…
Let’s face it. The fall TV season, especially for network television, has lost a lot of its luster over the last decade. With all of the other options for awesome things to watch on cable channels, Netflix, Hulu, and every other Tom, Dick, and Harry Internet site getting ready to…
Cable television is confounding, for sure, and the inevitable question often arises: “All these channels and nothing to watch? What the ______?” Recently, I was having one of these moments until I stumbled across an interview/live performance show on the Audience Network called Guitar Center Sessions. This one caught my…
