“Actually, I know very little about astrology,” says Harvey Sid Fisher by phone from L.A. “But I thought, no one’s written a song for all the signs. I could become a billionaire.” With this incentive, Fisher set to work on a cycle of songs based on each sign of the…
When it comes to avant-garde rock bands, there are usually two distinct routes: noisy cathartic (Sonic Youth, Dead C) and dissonant/drone-y ominous (Spiritualized, This Heat). Then there are the bands that go the other extreme, exuding a smug “Gosh, aren’t we just so zany and quirky?” attitude. Few bands seem…
Writing a song that paints a picture of a fire in a Taco Bell is no easy task, yet Detroit’s Electric Six laugh at such a notion. The band’s infamous 2003 single “Danger! (High Voltage)” easily sums up what kind of effect the genre-bending band is going for. Dick Valentine,…
If you miss following the Grateful Dead or Phish from gig to gig, munching a few funky brownies and spinning in circles as the bands play, fire up the VW bus this weekend and head up to the Spirit Room in Jerome, AZ, where Tempe’s Mojo Farmers host their bi-annual…
If you miss following the Grateful Dead or Phish from gig to gig, munching a few funky brownies and spinning in circles as the bands play, fire up the VW bus this weekend and head up to the Spirit Room in Jerome, AZ, where Tempe’s Mojo Farmers host their bi-annual…
She’s been part of The Spirit Squad, Runaway Diamonds’ life-affirming wall of vocals, for nearly a year now. But when people ask Rhianna Riggs what the Phoenix band sounds like, she has no idea what to tell them. You’re just like ‘Well, Gabriel plays the beat machine and piano and…
There’s nothing especially new about douchebag rock; the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, and countless others have shoehorned the subgenre into the larger pop canon. But in the present decade, plenty of indie boys have gotten in touch with their inner assholes: the Walkmen, Say Anything, the Strokes, and, most notably,…
No Use for a Name has been around for 20 years now, which is staggering when you consider that just about as many people know the punk band’s name today as in 1987, though that may have something to do with the fact that it has no use for one…
Fourteen years into a largely unheralded career, Elf Power are still at it, even if they never made the big time – in fact, they never got close. Led by frontman Andrew Rieger, this indie-rock band has been the odd man out in some buzz-worthy scenes. Despite their association with…
Oppressed smokers of the Valley, cheer up: Dave Attell feels your pain. Whether surviving a smoking ban or forking over a fiver to satisfy a nic fit, the 43-year-old comedian, who lights up the Tempe Improv this weekend, is familiar with the trials and tribulations of tobacco use. “In New…
On last winter’s intriguing Watershed, k.d Lang’s first disc of original material in eight years, the Canadian-born singer-songwriter seemed to have picked up a few things from the legendary Tony Bennett, with whom she has repeatedly collaborated over the years since singing together during his MTV Unplugged special in 1993…
The former ESPN.com sportswriter reads from and discusses Out of the Pocket, a story about a high school football hero who’s secretly gay. North Auditorium. Mon., Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m., 2008…
Producer/writer Cleveland has played significant roles in the success of TV sensations Six Feet Under, The West Wing, and Mad Men and movies such as Runaway Jury and Jerry and Tom. He speaks as part of the symposium sponsored by the ASU Herberger School of Theatre and Film. Registration is…
It takes five chefs (one per course) to salute the Big Kahuna at this delectable celebration of Roy’s 20th year in the biz. In addition to hula dancers and flame throwers, there’ll be a Pacific Rim smorgasbord including Tuna Sashimi Tempura Roll with Yuzu Rose Sauce, Sea Scallop Salad with…
“Oh, Charles, will you bring my steed around?” “Indeed. And after, shall we sup?” Actually, though the group meets in North Snotsdale, it’s not, well, like that. These desert strikers wield some mean mallets, and it’s a blast to watch ’em tearin’ up the sod ‘neath the westward-facing brow of…
SCC sculpture students and contemporaries from ASU, NAU, and New Mexico Highland University create molten art by pouring superheated liquid metal into pre-cast molds. It’s pretty, er, hot stuff. The fourth annual event, which kicks off with the furnace lighting, takes place behind the Art Building. Sat., Nov. 8, 3:30-8…
One-of-a-kind chairs designed by ASU interior-design students. Proceeds from the sale of the chairs at the “CHAIRity” Benefit Dinner and Display on November 19 will go to the Family Advocacy Center. Mondays-Fridays. Starts: Nov. 3. Continues through Nov. 19, 2008…
The gang, including the 27-Inch Woman, Lobster Boy, Human Tripod Girl, and Lady Diabla, is on its “I (Heart) Freaks” Tour. Wed., Nov. 12, 8 & 10 p.m., 2008…
Photos depicting the “quirks and eccentricities of the original Sin City” by Phoenix native Steve Weiss of Candid Landscapes. Fri., Nov. 7, 6-10 p.m., 2008…
The exhibit features works by artists Barri Chase, Petra Groen, Ana B. Hernandez, Mona Higuchi, Karrie Hovey, Saskia Jorda, Christy Puetz, Ingrid Restemayer, and Denise Yaghmourian, who used fibers to address “issues of mimicry, process and repetition.” Sat., Nov. 8, 12-3 p.m., 2008…
The exhibit features works by artists Barri Chase, Petra Groen, Ana B. Hernandez, Mona Higuchi, Karrie Hovey, Saskia Jorda, Christy Puetz, Ingrid Restemayer, and Denise Yaghmourian, who used fibers to address “issues of mimicry, process and repetition.” Fri., Nov. 7, 6-10 p.m., 2008…
Yummy! The fest at the ab-fab Cheuvront features various artisan and handcrafted cheeses and more than 30 wines from around the globe. Sat., Nov. 8, 12-4 p.m., 2008…
