Critic's Notebook

Last month Phoenix New Times celebrated the cream of the crop with our 36th annual Best of Phoenix edition. Here are our top picks for best DJs and bands in metro Phoenix…

Over the next several weeks, we will uncover the order of the 10 most influential Arizona punk rock records, complete with an in-depth look at each. But for now, we present a record that functions as a sort of honorable mention, a record that would probably have made a few…

Back in 2004, when Jimmy Eat World released its fifth album, Futures, singer/guitarist Jim Adkins sang in the title track that he hoped “for better in November” and that listeners would “believe your voice can mean something.” It was around this time President George W. Bush was up for re-election…

As Jimmy Eat World gets ready to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album Futures on Thursday, October 30, at Marquee Theatre, singer/guitarist Jim Adkins reflects on the inspiration behind some of the album tracks, including a number one hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, “Pain.”…

Whether or not you agree with their political views there is no denying that downtown Phoenix’s original protest band The Haymarket Squares is one of the most distinctly talented groups in town. The all strings quintet make some pretty amazing sounds when they get on stage, or in the studio…

Courtney Barnett tends to find her songs in places no one else is looking. The Melbourne, Australia, singer-songwriter collects subject matter like a curio shop, her words turning the inexplicable or the mundane into fully formed commentaries and poignant observations on some of life’s biggest questions. The plain, the everyday,…

Husband-and-wife duo Tennis (Aliana Moore and Patrick Riley) is as excited as ever to return to familiar soil to share their new album live with some recognizable faces. Their new and third album, Ritual in Repeat, is reminiscent of 1980s girl-pop: hints of Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Pat Benatar can…

For Ziggy Marley, it would seem like there would be a simple path to take in the genre pioneered by your legendary father. Crank out a new album every other year, accumulate the riches, play gigs across the planet for your adoring fan base. And yet, with each new studio…

It seems one music festival at Tempe Beach Park in six months wasn’t enough for Lucky Man Concerts — on Saturday the promoter announced another event, the Pot of Gold Music Festival, on March 13-15 and March 17. That’s right, four days of music. And the lineup is pretty massive,…

Our society has turned the Halloween season into a time that’s all about embracing your dark and wild side. There’s countless Zombie Walks, masquerade parties, Dia de los Muertos festivals, haunted houses designed to make you fear for your life — after all, the holiday is rooted in dedication to…

I had been waiting more than 20 years to see Pearl Jam live, and the time had finally come: I was going to see Seattle’s finest at the final weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It was worth the wait. Eddie Vedder drank a bottle of wine onstage…

Tyson Stevens, the lead singer of now-defunct Gilbert band Scary Kids Scaring Kids, has died in Tuscon. He was 29. The news was first reported by Alternative Press Tuesday, October 21. Later that day, the Facebook page of Coma Prevail, Stevens’ most recent band, confirmed the news. (function(d, s, id)…

After his band broke up in Virginia, Bryan Preston, better known as Dadadoh, wasn’t sure what to do with himself. After visiting the Valley in July 2009, he decided to move to Tempe, despite not knowing anyone. He’s been here ever since. Yet for the next two years, Dadadoh avoided…

From treadmills to paint guns, OK Go has always been pushing the creative envelope with DIY music videos. For their latest single “The Writing’s On the Wall” from their new Hungry Ghosts album, they were faced with the challenge to pushing the envelope a little further. Using more than 20…

By Chaz Kangas As the man behind the Tupac hologram and last year’s aborted George Zimmerman/DMX boxing match, Alki David is no stranger to controversy. Now the 46-year-old Greek billionaire has another wild idea: He wants to bring battle rap, the hip-hop competition where MCs have to outperform their opponent…

Some of the most legendary artists found inspiration from their favorite alcoholic spirits — and unfortunately for several, an untimely death. However, it wasn’t until the past decade or two when artists and the creators and distributors of said brands decided to put their (metal) heads together to create something…

The Musical Instrument Museum gathers a vast collection of the world’s music under one roof. And when it throws a music festival, it brings musicians from all over the world and spreads the noise over multiple stages for a weekend that will expose Phoenix residents to an incredibly diverse range…

“Do you remember that Simpsons episode where Bart changes schools, and they put him in the ‘slow’ class? And they have the kid from Canada, saying ‘I’m from Canada, and they think I’m slow, ayyy.’ It’s like that, to sort of adopt that mentality, talk about our igloos and stuff.”…

It’s noon on a Friday and I’m sitting in my living room. Laptop is on my lap, my phone is plugged in, and Garage Band is open as I begin to type the project’s title: Kevin Barnes. I’m not ready. It feels like my blood has been put through a…

When Joseph Mount of London-based Metronomy listened to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, he realized he’d have to change the direction of “Boy Racers,” the most upbeat song on his band’s 2013 album, Love Letters. He had intended to have the song include a German narrator speaking about how fast…

As a drummer, Brann Dailor makes even the most complex songs seem simple. As the rhythm machine behind progressive metal titans Mastodon, however, it’s obvious the apparent ease is a product of enormous skill and loads of practice. But when singing is added to Dailor’s to-do list, things get much…

Punk rock comes in all shapes, all sizes, all colors, and all genders. Originally, it was a badge of courage with the ability to supersede all of the aforementioned labels, but somewhere along the way, it has segmented itself like other aspects of society — probably because of the stupid…