Sasquatch Announces 2010 Lineup

​It’s been a long time coming, but the Sasquatch! Music Festival — held annually at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheater over Memorial Day weekend — has come of age. Too long the festival had been bogged down by underwhelming lineups, but 2009 started an impressive upturn in the artists being asked to…

Was John Mayer’s Racist Comment Taken Out of Context?

No, not exactly. The recent controversy over John Mayer’s interview with Playboy has been discussed from nearly every angle. The journalist who interviewed him, Rob Tannenbaum, said that there was much more to the interview than the tiny blip that was repeated, re-posted, and re-Tweeted so many times. …

Adam Green: Minor Love, in “Nothing Not New”

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and…

Alice in Chains Band Bio Rewritten by Adoring Arizona Republic Reporter

Alice in Chains has always been a tough interview. In fact, the band’s late lead singer, Layne Staley, infamously refused to talk to the media nearly a decade after a Rolling Stone reporter, Jon Wiederhorn, wrote about his hideously track-marked hands.It wasn’t all Staley, either. The band’s guitarist/songwriter/motivator/brain Jerry Cantrell…

What’s Selling: Stinkweeds

Stinkweeds has always been a haven for indie rockers and hipsters. They specialize in independent music in a way that few others do. While it seems like most of the kids jonesing for their fix of the lastest indie release head to Tempe, they also travel a little further west…

Madonna and Other New Releases

Of course, everyone knows Madonna as the middle-ager who keeps managing to re-invent herself. Part of how she’s done that is by working with contemporary artists, such as Justin Timberlake, to create a relevant, ever-evolving sound.Today, the Queen of Pop releases Revolver (Mixes), an EP with eight songs, including six…

Juliana Hatfield: Peace & Love, in “Nothing Not New”

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and…

2010 Strong Beer Festival: 10 Clues You Were There

Were you at the 2010 Strong Beer Festival in downtown Phoenix Saturday?Seriously, this is not a rhetorical question. If you were at the annual fest — relocated from Mesa to CenPho’s Margaret T. Hance park this year — you might not remember it. At all.This is a festival where the…

MTV Takes Away The Music

No, this isn’t some snide commentary. It’s the truth. They’re taking the words “music television” from their logo. I think everyone does suspect, though, that it’s got something to do with the fact that MTV rarely plays music anymore. Some poor intern for Paste even forced himself to watch 24…

Losers’ Ball at Sail Inn

It was ironically named The Losers’ Ball, but if you know anything about how people market stuff nowadays, you’d correctly guess that Sail Inn’s show had incredibly cool musicians playing for a bunch of incredibly cool people. That started right at the top of the bill, with North Carolina’s Dex…

Jack’s Mannequin in 140 Characters or Less

The Jack’s Mannequin show on Saturday at Marquee Theatre was full of youngn’s, and they were quick to take to their Twitter accounts to let the world know what they thought of the concert. Here’s a sampling of what was being said online. (And read our review here.) @whatitladue- Tonight was…

Jack’s Mannequin at Marquee Theatre

It was clear who the star of the show was Saturday night at the Jack’s Mannequin concert at Marquee Theatre — Nate Ruess, formerly of local band The Format, currently with New York City-based fun. (possibly the worst band name ever.) Fun. lived up to its name, entertaining the sold-out young…

6 Last Minute Valentine’s Day Don’ts

News flash: Valentine’s Day is in less than 48 hours. If you don’t have plans now, you will be tempted to take dangerous paths towards Valentine’s Day merriment. Luckily for you, we have experienced all of the possible pitfalls and can help you avoid them. Whatever you do this Valentine’s…

You Asked For It: No Longer Together

No Longer Together(Self-released)Grade: DWell, it was a bumpy start to my first go around with You Asked For It. The transition into my second week was somewhat better, but not by much. Case in point: Scottsdale’s No Longer Together, a spunky little three-piece that won Alice Cooper’s “Proof is in…

Does Alkaline Trio Represent New Trend Away From the Major Label?

Alkaline Trio’s newest album, This Addiction, which is set to be released on the 23rd of this month, will be the first record put out on their own, newly formed label, Heart & Skull, in conjunction with Epitaph Records.Singer/guitarist Matt Skiba said, “We made the decision to form Heart &…

Guns N’ Roses Disgraces the Hallowed Ground of CBGB

Well, let’s face it. That ground was desecrated in April 2008. A year and a half after the legendary punk club closed down, John Varvatos opened a boutique store on the spot. Since then, it has become something of an underground tradition for those passing by the intersection at Bowery…

St. Vincent at Rhythm Room

Reviewers are supposed to be objective. By that standard, perhaps I’m not the best person to write about Thursday night’s St. Vincent show at the Rhythm Room. So, before you read on, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ll be honest with you: I’ve been a huge fan of Austin-based…

Massive Attack: Heligoland, in “Nothing Not New”

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and…