Beyonce and Of Montreal Duet, Lily Allen Steps Aside, AC/DC Sneakers

Electric Mustache: Electric Mustaches ALBUMS OF THE YEAR!!!Idolator: Sean Kingston Tweets Song About Tweeting As The Internet ExplodesNME: Lily Allen confirms break from musicNME: Flaming Lips to cover Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of the Moon’ at New Year’s Eve gigPitchfork: Radiohead’s Marching Band Collaboration ReleasedRolling Stone: Enter to Win…

Puscifer Plays The Orpheum Thursday and Friday

I’m definitely on the record with my thoughts about Tool’s lame-ass stage “show” but honestly I’m pretty excited to see Maynard James Keenan’s new side project Puscifer at The Orpheum Thursday. Why? Well, this video should help explain, as should the article we ran in this week’s paper, which explains…

John Lennon Wanna-bes Sought By Paradise Valley Community College

Here’s another rather unique opportunity for local musicians: If you’re a bloke who looks and sounds like the late John Lennon, the folks Paradise Valley Community College’s music department want to speak with you. More to the point, they’re hoping you’ll audition for their upcoming recreation of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely…

Incoming: Black Eyed Peas

In case you love the Black Eyed Peas but didn’t care to see them open for U2 the last time they were in the Valley, get Pea-licious when the hip-hop dance group invades Jobing.com Arena March 31. Seriously, they’re big enough to headline an arena?…

Concert Review: J. Tillman at Modified Arts

J. Tillman is perhaps best known as being the drummer of Seattle based folk-rock group Fleet Foxes. A fact that regional concert promoter Stateside Presents was probably banking on to bring in an audience to Modified Arts on Monday night. But to identify J. Tillman only as the drummer from…

New Release Tuesday: And What You Should Buy

Here’s a sampling of today’s new album releases:Il Divo- An Evening with Il Divo- Live in BarcelonaJuvenile- Cocky and ConfidentPrimal Fear- Eye of an EagleAllison Iraheta- Just Like YouR. Kelly- UntitledMartha Wainwright- Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, A ParisNow it’s time to see whether Allison Iraheta can hold her own against…

Nice Young Lady Norah Jones Announces Tour, Includes Phoenix

Much has been made about why certain big name musicians skip Phoenix on their large-scale North American tours. Phoenix once was the jumping off point for the Fame Kills Tour, featuring both Kanye West and Lady Gaga. West’s loud mouth put the kibosh on that tour, and when Lady Gaga…

Final Folk Festival at Modified

Sunday afternoon, Modified filled to capacity for River Jones Music Label’s Final Folk Fest. Seventeen bands and solo artists played to eager audiences, mainly sitting pretzel-legged on the rickety floorboards, hot beverage in hand, while wintery winds sauntered through the old house. This ain’t your grandma’s Woody Guthrie. This is…

Club Candids: The Final Party Foul at Homme Lounge

For the last four years, Homme Lounge has hosted dance nights for every music scene from hip hip to industrial to indie rock; but its most consistently crowded affair for the last year and a half has been its Party Foul Friday nights. Now that Homme is closing down for…

Lady Gaga Sexy, Vulnerable on ‘The Fame Monster’

Everyone knows about the crazy side of Lady Gaga. There’s the bubble outfit, the time she smeared (fake?) blood on herself at the MTV Video Music Awards and her affinity for not wearing pants. But on her new eight-song EP, The Fame Monster (the songs are also available on a deluxe re-issue…

What’s Spinning: The Blaze 1330 AM

1. Leonard Cohen – Live at The Isle of White 19702. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug3. Flight of the Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky4. Flaming Lips – Embryonic5. Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young6. Grand Archives – Keep in Mind Frankenstein7. Vagina Panther – Vagina Panther8. Lhasa…

Real Estate at Modified Arts

Real Estate’s self-titled record snagged one of those coveted Best New Music tags stuck to their debut full-length, an homage to The Shins if depressed and dropping lysergic, with Fruit Bats-style naturalist trimmings. Certainly the press helped, but, after some distinct uncertainty about the band’s impending arrive, Real Estate turned…

Seven Nights of DJs & Dancing

THURSDAY 26 AZ88: DJ Mark 5 (rare groove, trip-hop) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays (hip-hop) Bomberos: Rani G., dk.strickler, Deon Pearson, & Alkeme (house) Chasers: Red Monkey’s Work That Turkey with Pete “Supermix” Salaz, Goldzsmith, Adam Osuna, & more (house) Club Red: The Blunt Club’s Funky Beatsgiving with The Council Productions,…

Trap Is a Local Rapper Working Overtime to Put Phoenix on the Hip-Hop Map

It’s no secret that Phoenix is desperately seeking its first rap superstar. The commercial failure of Willy Northpole’s debut album this summer simply reinforced Phoenix’s status as the biggest U.S. city without a bona fide hip-hop success story. As smaller cities like Atlanta, St. Louis, Detroit, and Minneapolis continue to…

Fake Kissing: A Tribute to the Long History of Kiss Tribute Bands

With the average ticket to see Kiss costing more than $50, there’s definitely a chance your broke ass can’t afford to witness the long-in-the-tooth cartoon rockers breathe fire and spit blood all over the stage when their 35th anniversary tour stops at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. And who wants to…