By Niki D’Andrea
Photos by Benjamin Leatherman
Better than: The first two presidential debates.
Henry Rollins is a man of many words. The former singer of Black Flag and Rollins Band is currently out on his umpteenth spoken word tour (labeled “The Recountdown Tour”) and this time around, he’s got plenty to say about politics, his travels, and the more ridiculous aspects of American popular culture.
By Martin Cizmar
Depending on who you ask, Cat Power is either really good or really bad live. In her younger days, as a notoriously stage-frightened boozehound, Chan Marshall didn’t impress anyone. Now sober and enjoying life, the indie diva mostly gets great write-ups praising her energetic sets and mesmerizing stage presence.
By Jay Bennett
“As I walk through / This wicked world / Searching for light in the darkness of insanity.”
Knowing I’d soon hear those lyrics being sung by Nick Lowe buoyed me Tuesday night as I sat watching a 90-minute performance staged by two politicians who dodged questions, offered empty promises, took cheap shots and, in the case of Arizona’s dubiously favorite son, espoused “record over rhetoric.”
For far too long, there were far too few bands interested in layering acoustic and electronic elements to make the sort of “chill” music that fills any respectable nightclub with pleather couches. Not anymore. Chill music is everywhere now, Phoenix and elsewhere, though not everyone is doing it as well as Kruder & Dorfmeister.
By Benjamin Leatherman Much like the mythical bird from which our ‘burg draws its name, popular record store Hoodlums has risen – quite literally – from the ashes. As Steve Jansen wrote in this week’s issue, the music emporium’s former location on the ASU campus was gutted by a tragic…
By Jonathan McNamara Friday Night Out Phoenix Fashion Week continued after the catwalk at Radius Lakeside while kids got funky in Downtown Phoenix on Friday, October 3, 2008. Project Runway Designer’s Line at Phoenix Fashion Week Project Runway participant Emily Brandle and Michelle Chaplin were on hand to show off…
By Jonathan McNamara Last Wednesday, Music Editor Martin Cizmar gave mention of Futurekind’s CD release party held at Last Exit this past Friday. Always on the look out for a new source of sonic sensation, I took his advice and checked them out for myself. Now you can too even…
A couple weeks back I wrote a long diatribe about the lost art of the concert poster and challenged you to come up with something that would blow us all away — with the winner getting me to show up at the advertised concert, regardless of its musical merit. Then, to remind you of the contest, I pointed out one local flier I wasn’t fond of, stirring the ire of some readers.
By Benjamin Leatherman The Donnas are scheduled to perform on Saturday at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Phoenix. — FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3: ABBA – The Music [tribute band] 8 p.m. $28-$45 (visit www.celebritytheatre.com) Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, 602-267-1600. The Blood Countess With Giants Among Us, Beneath…
By Benjamin Leatherman DJ William Fucking Reed will be doing an after-hours spin session at Modified Arts tonigh…err, Saturday morning starting at 1:30 a.m. There’s gonna be plenty to see and do at the monthly First Friday art walk. As Lilia Menconi wrote earlier today, Chaos Theory 9 will be…
By Benjamin Leatherman The members of the newly re-christened What Laura Says. As Clubs Editor for Phoenix New Times, one of my main duties is compiling listings of upcoming gigs by local bands and musicians for the paper’s music section and concert calendar. And as of late, I’ve noticed something…
By Martin Cizmar
Did you miss Edgefest only to read our comprehensive coverage (last time I’m pimping it, I swear!) and realize your life will not be complete until you see Mickey Avalon and Kottonmouth Kings? Turns out you get another bite at the apple, as both acts announced local shows this week.
This week’s Flier of the Week is a no-brainer. Check this bad boy out – despite the need to have each band’s logo in it’s own font (a decidedly metal phenomenon) it’s got a clean look. And is pretty badass to boot.
By Jonathan McNamara Fans of the Twilight Series likely have this track on heavy rotation on their iPods, but we mere mortals might be interested to know that the song “Decode” by Paramore from the upcoming film adaptation of Twilight is currently available for a listen on Stephenie Meyer’s Web…
THURSDAY 2 Axis/Radius: Red Bull Ladies Night with DJ MCB (hip-hop, rock, Top 40) Bar Smith: Peppermint Lounge with DJ Brazilia, DJ Mara, & guests (electro, funk, ’80s) Bikini Lounge: DJ HFE (rockabilly, surf, jazz, classic country, indie, obscuro) Blooze Bar: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cash Inn: DJ…
You have only weeks to make Antique Scream your favorite local band. That’s right, a band you sometimes could’ve seen three nights a week on Valley stages, a band used to peering out from those stages to see a “bartender’s only” show then playing their asses off anyway, a band…
Henry Rollins says he is down on bended knee, begging you — to vote. It may be hard to imagine Rollins — muscle-bound, sweaty, tattooed — begging, with his furrowed-brow intensity, for anything. But he’s known for being a man of a thousand media, showing he’ll get his point across…
This week, Panic at the Disco hits town with the Rock Band Live Tour. Some music journalists might jump at the opportunity to interview the dance-punk band, but I’ve already had my chance, and the experience proved to so unpleasant that I just couldn’t bother again. Even for good money…
From the Democratic Republic of Congo — where, in the words of Spin writer Eric Pape, a “culture of corruption, moral decay, and negligible resources has created a music scene that can best be described as Darwinian . . . an absurd world where even the biggest pop stars feel compelled…
Recognized for producing of some of the greatest records of the punk era (Elvis Costello, The Damned, the Pretenders), Nick Lowe left the most indelible mark on his own records. Witness Yep-Roc’s recent 30-year anniversary edition of Pure Pop for Now People. In 1978, dressing up like the Riddler was…
The band’s name is crass, and song titles like “Myke Ptyson” and “Iaadeedaa” hardly help bolster any early confidence in liking them, but Starfucker’s self-titled debut is a smart, multi-layered gem of indie-pop splendor. The album’s opener, “Florida,” establishes the band’s simple yet delightfully complex sound with its dreamy guitar…
Like their Elephant 6 brethren, of Montreal has always walked the line between the accessible and the avant-garde. Usually, Kevin Barnes and Co. have fallen neatly on the pop side, making music that would work in, say, an Outback Steakhouse commercial — after being stripped of its references to Greek…
