Music

We’ve all been to that show at least once. You know, the show where the opening act far outperforms the headliner, making you wish the opener got the longer timeslot. It’s a common occurrence, and it’s hardly tragic, except for the headliner that just got its ass handed to it…

Life can be tricky for metalheads who turn to heavy music to galvanize their conscience. If that sounds like a stereotype, plenty of metal bands play into the meathead/douchebag/sociopath thing and do it with pride. Gojira isn’t one of those bands. But Gojira doesn’t simply spew pointed political sloganeering either…

So, the other evening I was watching the History Channel when a two-hour program about the Dark Ages came on. I thought to myself, “Wow, I should really turn the sound down and put on some In Flames” — kinda like we did in college when we’d crank The Jesus…

Hey, kids, how’d you like to know how brand-new Orange, California quartet Eye Alaska came up with its name? Well, according to singer-guitarist Brandon Wronski: “‘Alaska’ is the Aleutian word for ‘that which the sea breaks against.’ ‘Eye’ means that you’re looking to those upon whom the sea breaks. It…

Here’s a recipe for a seriously stellar night of entertainment: Take a half-dozen of Arizona’s most imaginative visual artists, VJs, and filmmakers, and mix them liberally with eight or nine of the Valley’s DJs, turntablists, and “audio navigators.” The result? An all-night extravaganza titled Illumination v2.0, which goes down on…

By Martin Cizmar I bring you this week’s Flier of the Week not because it’s a bunch of bands we’ve recently featured at the Ruby Room, but because it’s possibly (and hopefully) the last time we can use Sarah Palin as a pop-culture touchstone for a long, long, long time…

By Martin Cizmar

Not too many bands morph from cover band to successful original act – especially when they start out playing covers of Ryan freakin’ Adams, but that’s just what the subject of this week’s You Asked For It, The New Westerns, have done.

By Benjamin Leatherman Music editor Martin Cizmar totally digs the Flaming Lips funky new CD/DVD Christmas on Mars, and apparently so do the customers at Zia Record Exchange (105 West University Drive in Tempe). Here’s the rest of the top 10 best sellers for the week of Nov. 10-Nov. 16…

By Lilia Menconi You should know the drill by now. Click this link to the slideshow. We’ve gone to a number of these lovely parties and this time, we were particularly impressed with the way it all came together. The theme, inspired by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s current exhibition,…