Nate “Igor” SmithCody Morin, juggalo and Make-A-Wish recipient.By Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes We first heard about 17-year old Cody Morin on our way in to Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, site of the 14th-annual Gathering of the Juggalos. After hours spent driving through southern Illinois, we stopped at a restaurant/visitor’s lodge in…
I’m quite curious to know what hardcore Korn fans think of the new single. Personally, I love Korn. It was one of the bands that set the stage for me to explore the realm of heavy metal, tracing it back decade by decade. But here’s the problem with the band’s…
One of the true hardships that we face as a nation is the omnipresent problem of being surrounded by booze and stimulating foods. In the comforts of your own home, you may be able to curb your pizza roll addiction into having just a civilized cup of tomato soup. At…
by Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes During the Gathering of the Juggalos, Cave-In Rock, Illinois becomes a sonic disaster zone. Even if you’re a rap lover, it’s hard to keep your mind sharp with all the noise. But within the cacophony of sounds, a few incredible Juggalo statements were somehow…
More details about the fatal overdose that took place Friday afternoon at the fourteenth annual Gathering of the Juggalos in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, have emerged. The deceased was a 24-year-old man, according to the coroner, and a source at the scene says his body was found in a tent alongside four…
Daniel HillThe now-closed “drug bridge” [Editor’s note: Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes are covering the Gathering of the Juggalos in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois.] The Gathering of the Juggalos’ infamous “drug bridge” is closed today, following reports of a fatal overdose. Ambulances were on the scene at Cave-in-Rock, Illinois around 2 p.m…
Nate “Igor” SmithA juggalo photographed on Wednesday, the first day of The Gathering, 2013.At some point in your life, you may find yourself sitting in a minivan in rural Illinois, stressed out as you wear a metal butcher knife pendant around your neck. Your ankles are covered in mysterious goo…
Of all the gimmicky bands out there, Masked Intruder’s premise is pretty rad. This group of masked thugs hails from the oh-so-rough neighborhood of Madison, Wisconsin, and commits unforgivable crimes like suffering from ongoing heartbreak. Like most superheroes, the band members keep their identities secret, hiding behind color-coded ski masks…
Madison, Wisconsin’s pop punk quartet Masked Intruder has been stealing hearts and VCRs across the country this year, and for good reason: The band’s debut full-length sounds a bit like Screeching Weasel and The Ergs!, with a pinch of lovelorn Weezer added for good measure. “ADT Security” seems like the…
Hollywood-based retro-rock outfit Vintage Trouble may only have one studio album, 2012’s The Bomb Shelter Sessions, but the band’s résumé is impressive nonetheless. Vintage Trouble already has opened for The Who, Dave Matthews Band, and Bon Jovi. The band played alongside Kiss’ Paul Stanley at his 60th birthday party, and…
For two months, Tempe-based rockers The Black Moods have been crossing the Midwest and the West Coast on their first extensive tour, promoting their self-titled debut. All the work has paid off — each show bringing a more receptive audience — and by the end of the tour, they’d been…
Last year, Tim McGraw left Curb Records after 20 years to join Big Machine Records. Contract disputes and lawsuits ensued upon the shift, but it seems to have been the right step for one of country’s most consistent stars. Coming just two weeks after his first collaborative album, Tim McGraw…
Although the scribes at DJ Mag won’t be releasing the results of their annual (and oft-debated) Top 100 poll for another couple of months, we’re willing to wager there’s one name that’s guaranteed to be close the top of the list: Hardwell. Bet on it. Life’s been most prosperous for…
A new Lady Gaga song leaked Monday night called “Burqa,” though some blogs suggest it may actually be called “Aura.” (Hypeable did some sleuthing, leading us to believe that it is, in fact, called “Burqa.”) Both Zedd and Calvin Harris are mentioned in Gaga’s “**rq*” tweet from October, prefacing this…
An emergency deployment to Hollywood Alley might have deprived them of sleep and beer money, but it wasn’t about to keep our Club Candids photographers off their usual July beat: Taking pictures of people who would probably have left Phoenix for the summer if it weren’t for the pool parties…
Our intrepid Club Candids team was camped out at Hollywood Alley all last week as the Mesa institution prepared to close its doors just shy of its 25th birthday. The result: Copious material for an upcoming feature, some video, and lots and lots of photos. They were on assignment, technically,…
I used to look forward to the arrival of Shark Week like it was a new Hatebreed album release — amped up and eager for new material and bloodshed. Unfortunately, after a couple years of tuning in, I realized that the masterminds behind the programming didn’t really care to bring…
“I’m just looking for a sign.” Keith Buckley, vocalist for establish metalcore act Every Time I Die, is a composed character, having fronted one of the most beloved metal acts of the past 16 years. He’s conducted symphonies of straight-edge moshers meeting in the pit with hardcore veterans and beer-swilling…
After 25 years of slinging drinks, trashy fun, and rock ‘n’ fucking roll, the party is finally over at Hollywood Alley in Mesa. All the beer and booze has been exhausted, the last song has echoed through its cavernous sticker-covered interior, and the last pizza has been served. We dropped…
The website for Hollywood Alley contains a fairly lengthy rundown of some of the vast array of renowned musicians and bands that have performed at the Mesa rock dive over its 25-year history, and it’s both enormous and impressive. Said list includes name both iconic and influential, ranging from such…
It turns out that Hollywood Alley’s last night wasn’t last night after all. According to the Facebook page of the renowned Mesa rock bar — which was originally scheduled to close on Wednesday night after 25 years in operation — and a few of its employees, the place will remain…
Forming a six-member band without a guitarist is preposterous, but Fitz and the Tantrums make it work. Six is just the right number for the band’s larger-than-life Motown-influenced jams — adding anything else would be overkill. Two vocalists, a saxophone, and a keyboard are just the right mix of tones…
