It’s been 40 years since the Doors stood the Summer of Love on its head with a self-titled statement of purpose that sent the brooding fuck-me pop of “Light My Fire” all the way to No. 1 but also included the Oedipal midnight rambling of “The End,” a terrifying, album-closing…
As the singer for namesake L.A. fusion metal band Otep, as well as a self-published poet, Otep Shamaya views herself as a serious artist and Otep’s music as a serious art. Most of the band’s fervent fans, with whom Otep interacts extensively online, agree with that idea. And right now,…
Tucson native Roger Clyne had some amount of success in the mid-’90s with his rock band The Refreshments, whose sound fit well with the post-college rock explosion of the decade. But with the Peacemakers, Clyne’s songwriting is culled from three similar styles — Americana, Tejano, and the ol’ “white man…
Since turning irony-minded heads in 2002 with its debut single “Losing My Edge,” LCD Soundsystem has made a name for itself as the leading purveyor of winking dance tracks. With big dumb beats, lyrics skewering all that is hip, and plenty of a-go-go bells, the Soundsystem and its production alter…
Aside from his role as music educator, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra director, and “yes man” of Ken Burns’ criminally incomplete Jazz documentary, the apparent soothsayer of the genre’s modern movement — trumpeter/bandleader Wynton Marsalis — is also the master of wallpaper jazz — compositions with easygoing tempos, robotic time signatures,…
With its childlike cover art, intimate bedroom-recording style, and front woman Shana Levy’s wispy, girlish vocals, Let’s Go Sailing’s full-length debut risks alienating anyone who detests preciousness. But while The Chaos in Order is a soft, small-scale affair, Levy’s songs consistently find the universal in ordinary singer-songwriter topics: first loves,…
Fans of such neo-swingers as Squirrel Nut Zippers and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies should take note: Austin’s Asylum Street Spankers are the real deal. A mixture of old school jazz, folk, swing, honky-tonk, and blues, the Spankers’ music is delightfully tongue-in-cheek. In the 12 years since the band’s inception, it has…
When you think about it, skanking is one of the most ridiculous things you can do with a human body. You pump your elbows back and forth like a pregnant gorilla running the mile and you hurl your legs out from under you like a drunken cabaret girl on her…
“Cold, remotely desolate, permanent.” That’s how Denali (the Richmond, Virginia-based band, not the Alaskan mountain) described its brand of spooky, down-tempo pop during its four-year lifespan. Formed with her older brother Keeley in 2000, Maura Davis’ former band (R.I.P.) released a pair of highly regarded albums before calling it quits…
“Little Dutch sailor boy” takes on an entirely new context when Harry Merry takes the stage. The Holland-based, one-man band, dressed in full nautical regalia, puts on a bizarre freakout circus that’s both riveting and uncomfortable to watch. Goofball lyrics modulate from a high Pee Wee Herman-inspired timbre to Draculian…
Mixing Beth Orton’s electronic grooves, Lisa Germano’s eclecticism, and the smooth confessional tenor of Suzanne Vega, Birmingham, Alabama’s Maria Taylor has gained notoriety with her debut, 11:11, and her latest effort, Lynn Teeter Flower. Discovered by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and signed to his Saddle Creek label, Taylor fronted the…
Hate techno? Pablo Gomez sure doesn’t, and neither do his buds Joe Bear or Shane Silkey. In fact, the DJ trio (also known as AreFriendsElectrik?) partnered up with .anti_space’s Justin McBee to present ^UP, their weekly Saturday dance night in the upstairs lounge of Homme, 138 West Camelback, to showcase…
Thursday 29 Bikini Lounge: Scratchy Rekkid Night with DJ Shane Kennedy (various) Coconut Club: DJ Coolstylz (Top 40, dance, hip-hop) The Door: Pink Thursdays with DJ Astonish (hip-hop, Motown, Top 40) Dos Gringos – Tempe: DJ Steel (rock, ’80s, old school, hip-hop) Glam: Under the Underground with DJVIRGO (EBM, industrial,…
This week, Club Candids decided to skip the weekend debauchery because we had the opportunity to hang with some Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, March 21, at Axis/Radius in Scottsdale, where everyone was celebrating Raja Bell’s new reality TV show, Beyond the Court. Before we even had our camera ready, we…
Seems that straight edge kids get a little sensitive when they’re being made fun of, judging from this video of west side death metal purveyors E.T.T.S. razzing the sober ones. Check it…..
Tonight promises to be a wild one at the Stray Cat’s weekly BANNED! in Tempe night, with both DJ Johnny Volume and wanna-be-startender Tyler King celebrating their birthdays at the punk rock DJ night (which I wrote about here, if you’re curious). Here’s the word from Mr. King’s computer on…
Hellas’ Pedals – Justin’s box Things have been a bit quiet here at Ear Infection HQ over the last few days thanks to a fractured and sprained wrist that’s been immobilized by an evil splint device which I’ve recently removed… There was some tomfoolery between brothers and instead of landing…
Pickster One In last week’s installment of my column Revolver in New Times, I issue a call to arms for DJ’s to kick out mix cds and hit me up with them, because I don’t see enough of that shit. Well, a few days ago when I was interviewing Brad…
I was all gung-ho about hitting up the free Army of Robots/Back Ted N-Ted/Loveblisters show in Flagstaff at the Monte Vista tonight until I saw a physician yesterday who told me that my wrist and tibia were fractured and splinted my entire right arm until I can see an ortho…
The Liar’s Handhsake, in a sober moment I told you last week about the marathon I was going to attempt with the Liar’s Handshake on St. Patrick’s Day – playing four different venues to four disparate crowds in the 24 hours that constitute the holiday. Since then I’ve been getting…
A few weeks ago, I helped judge the Ultra DJ Spinoff at Myst in Scottsdale. Six finalists had 25 minutes each to impress the judges (who also included DJs Pete “Supermix” Salaz, and Inertia, and the crowd), with the winner receiving an expenses-paid trip to Miami Beach for the Winter…
J.J. Grey, front man for country-fried funk ‘n’ soul band Mofro, comes from the Florida swamplands and a rich storytelling tradition. Hints of both seep into the songs on Mofro’s latest, Country Ghetto, which contains a few tracks originally penned for neo-blues diva Cassandra Wilson. We recently caught up with…
