Soulja Boy Claims He Wrote “Whip My Hair”

Now that the song has been out for a while, Soulja Boy is claiming he wrote Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair,” according to Idolator.Yeah right, I’m calling bullshit. On Sunday, Soulja Boy (@SouljaBoy) tweeted in self-important all caps, “YES ITS TRUE I WROTE ‘WHIP MY HAIR’ FOR WILLOW SMITH. THATS…

British Sea Power: Valhalla Dancehall

How does the band follow up their previous album, a revamped score to the 1934 documentary The Man From Aran? By getting back to grandiose guitars and dense lyrics, a formula that made the band’s 2003 debut The Decline of British Sea Power such an intriguingly different album. The band…

Ringing in the New Year Over the Weekend

New Year’s Eve in Scottsdale Scottsdale’s Old Town was celebration central as New Year’s revelers flocked to the White House, Axis-Radius, The Firehouse, and various other nightspots to fete Auld Lang Syne…see photos Epic Red Cup Massive Psycho Circus The freaks and geeks of Warsaw Pact Entertainment and Mourning Fyre…

Album Stream: The Decemberists — The King Is Dead

Colin Meloy and company are back to their usual folk-inspired roots, keeping their whimsical air about them even though The King Is Dead is the band’s third major-label release. Harmonicas and twangier-than-normal guitars join the fold this time around, while Meloy’s trademark vocals are at perhaps their best. But don’t let…

10 New Songs for 2011

New album releases don’t really get going until next week, but there are still plenty of January/February releases generating a lot of buzz. Here now are ten songs from those releases — one being from an already-released album — complete with embedded Soundcloud versions for your listening pleasure…

Dispatch Announce Summer Tour

It’s official: Dispatch will be touring this summer. Indeed, a reunion is in order.The band made the announcement after an ongoing countdown on their website that ended at midnight on New Years Eve.Sorry, Phoenix, but they’re not coming here. They will be at Red Rocks though…

Paramore Writing New Album, Find New Members For Tour

Paramore have recruited two new band members, according to NME.Recovering quickly from guitarist and drummer Josh and Zac Farro’s recent split from the band, Paramore have announced that Justin York and Josh Freese will temporarily fill the Farros’ spots for the duration of the band’s South American tour.In addition, the…

Jimmy Eat World at Fiesta Bowl Block Party Last Night

Jimmy Eat WorldFiesta Bowl Block Party in TempeDecember 31, 2010 – January 1, 2011Playing a New Year’s Eve concert is sort of a big responsibility. Sure, it’s easy to impress a merry and well-lubricated crowd, but there’s a larger obligation, too. If you’re playing before the largest crowd assembled in…

Rx Bandits at Scottsdale’s Ultimate Block Party Last Night

Rx Bandits Scottsdale’s Ultimate Block Party December 31, 2011 When Matt Embree, Steve Choi, and the other members of SoCal ska-punk reggae-rock band Rx Bandits signed up to headline Scottsdale’s Ultimate Block Party New Year’s Eve some months ago, they probably thought it to be a smart idea at the…

15 Good Songs You Might’ve Missed in 2010

I listened to more than 3,000 songs in 2010, so I was asked to come up with a list of the best of the year. But you’ve probably heard “Swim” by Surfer Blood and “Boyfriend” by Best Coast and “Helicopter” by Deerhunter and “Hustle and Cuss” by the Dead Weather,…

Flier of the Week: Red Light Mind

In the spirit of the new year, the New Times is feeling festive, so we’re featuring two fliers this week! Also, all of this week’s coolest fliers are coming from shows at the Rogue Bar.Personally, this flier caught my eye because it reminded me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’…

Flier of the Week: The Sweet Repose

Nothing says eye-catching, understated awesomeness like this flier does.Tommy Miller, frontman of the Sweet Repose, designed the flier, which he actually created with PowerPoint in order to keep the design simple.”I wanted to spell the band’s name in an upside down human pyramid,” Tommy said. “It ended up looking like…

Steve Aoki at Pussycat Lounge Last Night

Steve Aoki Pussycat Lounge, Scottsdale December 29, 2010 It’s safe to say that this is a first for Last Night — a show at Scottsdale’s Pussycat Lounge. For those who haven’t been to the upscale Scottsdale venue or others of its ilk, let me explain: it’s madness. It’s madness in…

Lady Tata in Video

This week’s cover story features a root vegetable version of Lady Gaga. Have you seen it? Did you think it was frightening? Then get a load of the above video. A director who identifies himself as Darth Tater directed us to this parody music video presumably taken during the cover…

The 8 Most Awesome Music Stories of 2010

Despite what you may have concluded from yesterday’s list of the stupidest music stories of 2010, this year in music wasn’t all that bad.In fact, a funny blog of Photoshopped album covers was created, a concert for dogs was proposed, and musicians exchanged some choice words.As promised, here are the…