While the calendar nailed to our wall states that summer doesn’t officially begin for another couple weeks, every Valley resident knows that Mother Nature doesn’t play by such rules. Nope, that raging, sadistic bitch tends to jack up the thermostat in early May and doesn’t let up until late-September at…
To see Matthew Reveles kicking back in his Tempe home, dressed in blue jeans, a T-shirt, and flip-flops, you might get the wrong idea. Reveles’ long, black hair, flowing beard, and wire-rim specs seem to suggest he’s in a neo-jam band on the order of Phish or maybe even drawing…
You might not think that Tempe “humorcore” band Psychostick and Jill Sobule (a.k.a. that chick who sings the other “I Kissed a Girl” song) have much in common, but it turns out they both have some seriously loyal fans. Last year, with the country mired in a recession, Psychostick and…
In July 2007, Yeah Yeah Yeahs appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, capping the night with “Down Boy,” from their then-current EP, Is Is. “Down Boy” is a dark, sultry song, and the band’s singer, Karen O, swayed in place with odd, theatrical movements, unable to keep a…
In these fallow economic times, many a local bar owner has turned to DJ dance nights to draw crowds and their drinking dollars. Case in point: Hail Mary’s, 1402 South Priest Drive in Tempe (a place known more for serving Philly’s than phat beats) has hosting Groove Corps’ Spun Thursdays…
THURSDAY 4 Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cherry Lounge: Scandalous Thursday with DJ Juan Rocha (house, electronica) Club Red: The Blunt Club with DJs Bonu$, Element, Pickster Uno, Iron Giant, Kris Tha Fist, & more (hip-hop) Coach & Willie’s: The Recession Sessions with DJ Borisimo, DJ Mecca, DJ Rockledg, DJ Soluna,…
America hasn’t been particularly good to ska. Indeed, reggae’s dancier, spazzier cousin may have met its Waterloo here back in the late ’90s, when No Doubt started channeling Miami Sound Machine and fellow domestic acts like Reel Big Fish proved incapable of sustaining modern ska as a relevant alt-music lifeform…
In the self-descriptive sense, Youth Brigade is no longer a credible name for an iconic punk band that formed in 1980 and toured with Social Distortion during the early Reagan era. Then again, Middle Age Brigade seems a little neurotic, no? So what to do? Claim philosophical privilege, that’s what…
The jury is still out on this Fairfax, Virginia-based foursome: Legitimate heirs to Jimmy Eat World and other power-pop chart-toppers, or just another reason to hate the Internet? Because, yes, it was on iTunes that The Friday Night Boys first found appreciative teeny-bopper ears, leading to a one-off gig on…
Ladies and gentleman, presenting tonight’s performers: In one corner, we have the pride of Houston’s Jersey Village High School, “The People’s Champ,” the king of grills — Paul Wall. In the other corner, we have Houston’s own “Boss of All Bosses,” one half of the Boyz N Blue, the Boss…
Fresh on the release of their fourth studio album, New Again, Long Island rockers Taking Back Sunday will roll through the Valley to showcase their eclectic brand of rock, emo, and happy hardcore. There’s no denying the emo-ness of lead singer Adam Lazarra’s vocals — yet that same emo-ness helped…
It’s a mild Friday evening in May, and the patio at Pure Sushi in downtown Scottsdale is packed with patrons in business casual, sipping sake and discussing everything from the economy to fashion. Sonny Long is standing inside the restaurant, looking out at the plush, white leather couches through the…
Inside a brick home in an old neighborhood just north of downtown Mesa a stout olive-skinned man with slicked-back black hair sits patiently, sipping a Corona while Michael Johnny Walker, guitarist for local garage act The Love Me Nots, re-records one last riff for his band’s new record.You’ve likely never…
We’d been hearing rumblings about a big fall concert (“to rival Coachella!,” some rumormongers claimed) at Tempe Beach Park for a few months now, but it wasn’t until today that we actually heard who’s playing.It doesn’t remotely resemble Coachella, but it is a lot like a three-day version of Edgefest. So if…
These troubling financial times call for belt-tightening across American society. We all know what’s going on with the auto industry, and the record industry is not safe from this recession. As announced Monday, online music retailer eMusic — one of the largest on the web — made a deal with…
One-time red hot Valley rock band Fivespeed may very well be poised to make a comeback. The band, who haven’t released an album since their 2006 Virgin Records debut Morning Over Midnight, have lined up some gigs. They opened for Stereotyperider at Yucca Tap Room back in February for the…
Electric Mustache: Photos: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band @ The Yucca Tap Room 5/30Rolling Stone: R. Kelly Preps For New Album With Debut Mixtape, “Demo”Idolator: The Most Horrifying Song You Will Hear All Day: It’s Like “Butterfly Kisses” Meets The Birds And The BeesWaved Rumor: Smells Like….Rock Volume One?Spin:…
The British house duo of Simon Marlin and Max Reich (a.k.a. The Shapeshifters UK) have a busy itinerary planned for the summer. Besides jet-setting to the raucous Dance Island Festival in England and the trendsetting Pacha in Ibiza (natch), they’re gracing the Valley with their presence tomorrow night with a…
Chad Krystal$ Superconscious (Self-released) GRADE: B-I generally try to make our weekly You Asked For It review more about music than career counseling, but there’s no way to avoid it with this week’s pick, Phoenix rapper Chad Krystals.Krystal$ has some things going for him. His white boy flow isn’t bad,…
We’ve got some stellar news for anyone who’s a fan of local-DJ-made-good Zach Sciacca (a.k.a. Z-Trip): Thanks to the joystick Jedi at Activision and its developer FreeStyleGames, the 38-year-old superstar turntablist (and former Valley resident) will be a playable character in the upcoming DJ Hero video game, which is set…
Ok, folks, it’s time to get personal. While we here at the New Times strive not to navel-gaze too much when it comes to our blogs, there’s simply no way to get around it this time. Full disclosure: I am a former Rocky freak. I did a stint in a college theatrical troupe…
Just when we thought our weekend was going to be boring, we got a last minute text from DJ Anthony Hart about an art show downtown. God bless technology. And what a relief it was to see an open gallery on a night other that a First or Third Friday…
