Rakim The 18th Letter/The Book of Life (Universal Records) In 1967, when American boxing commissions stripped Muhammad Ali of his license to fight, he was an unpopular champion widely denounced for his religious beliefs, unwillingness to serve in the military and tendency to toy with inferior contenders. By 1970, when…
On the day before holy International Western Commerce Day (Xmas), I awoke with undigested La Tolteca burrito bits glued to my face and hair whilst my head was aswim in Canadian whiskey murk courtesy of Marty, my jolly/drunken new neighbor from Canada. The previous day (December 23) was to have…
When Wyclef Jean starts talking about his music, a funny thing happens. Every time the multitalented hip-hop icon waxes enthusiastic about his various upcoming recording projects, he keeps using the word “we.” As he weaves from one topic to another, it becomes a bit difficult to determine just who he’s…
Steve Naughton was getting a bit worried. The president and self-described “show doctor” for Medical Presents had spent four years building an Arizona following for the band Hepcat, bringing the band to the Valley when few people knew who it was. Last month, as Naughton worked on booking another local…
Maybe you heard. Most likely you didn’t. Jon Norwood, the original drummer for local glam-poppers the Beat Angels, died last month. It was cancer. He was 43. In life, Norwood, whose quick smile and easy manner gave him an enigmatic, pixielike quality, was, pound for pound, the best rock ‘n’…
Many people would object to being called a journeyman. The very word often carries the whiff of mediocrity, of solid but unspectacular achievement, of competence without inspiration. But to a blues connoisseur, journeyman means something very different. It implies a respect for tradition, a willingness to learn from the masters,…
Aaah, the new year, when music critics’ hearts turn to thoughts of Top 10 lists and year-end recaps–a vacation unto itself. The last year gave indie rock a face-lift, ringing in new heroes and ditching some of the bad guys. From California to the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest and…
Some people can maintain their composure in a burning skyscraper. But the average record-company exec, faced with a few months of flagging album sales, is liable to run naked through the nearest strip mall, brandishing an AK47 and screaming threats in some twisted form of pig Latin. So, in 1997,…
At the heady peak of his career, Frank Sinatra’s vocal mastery was so absolute that his pop peers simply called him “The Voice.” In the emo-punk wing of the local music scene, there can be no question that Yolanda Bejarano is “The Voice.” As leader of the squalling, powerhouse quartet…
Although Pie Gomez is too humble to admit it, his band was initially conceived–much in the tradition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein–as the local MC’s personal creation. Six months ago, this local lyrical mad scientist awoke from musical hibernation and pieced together seven musicians–each from unlikely and unrelated circumstances–to spawn a…
Prince Paul psychoanalysis (what is it?) (Tommy Boy Records) “As long as I can remember, people have hated me.” With that repetitive sample, Prince Paul sets the tone for his first solo album, psychoanalysis (what is it?). Beginning with that first track, “why must you hate me,” the listener is…
Why do they still bill James Brown as “The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business”? He’s barely broken into a cold sweat since dodging the police in the ’80s. Once, you could’ve given Dick Clark that title, but clearly someone behind the scenes must’ve forced him at gun point to give…
No matter how fast Phoenix grows, there are times when living here can feel like being stuck in a sequence from Footloose. We all remember that hugely successful cinematic monstrosity, in which a conservative small town led by preacher John Lithgow bans dancing, creating a redneck teen population of ticking,…
Phonoroyale Radio Flavored In pop music, context is everything. Five years ago, when guitarist Jack Randall and singer Mary Katherine Spencer decided they wanted to form a vintage jazz combo, the idea seemed like pure novelty. In 1997, musical tastes have caught up with–or slowed down for–Randall and Spencer, and…
Here’s a hellish scenario. You’re given the choice to sit through the mercifully fictitious It Ain’t Broke: A Musical Tribute to The Fixx, or else rupture your eardrums by jabbing pencils into your head. Tough call? Not really. Consider listening to “Saved by Zero.” Now consider Richard Marx and Kenny…
I was taking out the trash when I watched them swing around in that horrible pickup truck and park in front of the single-wide next to mine. I could recognize that prison tat anywhere. One can’t forget a neck-adorning swastika, especially when stuck on an abomination like him. Nor could…
Jane’s Addiction, and Goldie Mesa Amphitheatre December 4, 1997 Most of the time, Perry Farrell talks like he’s a hippie, or at least on mushrooms. “How does it feel to be outside, with the ceiling so high?” he asked aloud, eyes gazing aloft in wonder, two songs into Jane’s Addiction’s…
You Am I Hourly, Daily (Sire Records) You Am I is a Sydney, Australia, trio that’s achieved an oddly impressive distinction during its six-year history: It’s somehow managed to build a zealous American fan base without actually releasing anything in America. Hourly, Daily, its third Australian album–following hard-to-find imports on…
Victor Perrillo doesn’t like talking to the press. When local papers ushered in Perrillo’s Scottsdale club, Cajun House, with a flood of stories early this year, the owner was conspicuous in his absence whenever photos were taken or interviews were granted. Three weeks ago, when I expressed an interest in…
Everyone has a different definition of grace. To some, it’s Joe DiMaggio effortlessly roaming the spacious center-field grounds of Yankee Stadium. To others, it might be Mikhail Baryshnikov pirouetting onstage at Carnegie Hall. Basically, you know it when you see it. Few who saw this year’s MTV Video Awards could…
I’m not one of those millennial fear mongers who believes that some artificial calendar calculation is reason to start panicking. Basically, the year 2000 holds no special meaning to me, aside from that it’s an Olympic year and all the guys from Hanson should hit puberty by then. But if…
“Independent.” As with the word “corporate,” “independent” (or “indie” if you’re under 30) is just a word describing a socioeconomic fact, not an idealization or a canonization of the band or record label it’s applied to. As much as self-described “indie rockers” would like it to, the term doesn’t guarantee…
