Such is the plight of our desert city. We are not a destination for enough musicians. We are merely a stop between Dallas and L.A., Vegas and god-knows-where. Smaller acts are more likely to come to Tucson, and larger ones may skip us altogether. Sadly, it seems that Dr. Dog…
It’s with a heavy heart we tell you that These Arms Are Snakes is no more. It’s been a great run and we’d like to send out a very hearty “Thank You” to everyone that we’ve worked with or anyone that we’ve toured with.R.I.P., TAAS. “Big News” will always remain…
How could a man of such brilliance, who creates such visually stunning pieces of art, who can seemingly do no wrong, allow the likes of Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz to write for the soundtrack of his latest creation, Alice in Wonderland? We may never know,…
[jump] Now, Teen Dream has yet to be released — it’s due for release on January 26 — but in the golden age of the Internet, that didn’t stop anyone from hearing the album and also enjoying it immensely. 2010 needed its early indie juggernaut — Animal Collective was 2009’s version –…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
Transference is out 1/19 via Merge…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
M.I.A.’s new record is slated for release this summer, and you can expect that it’ll be a bit different from Kala. She said that on her record she’ll be singing as well as rapping and that her inspirations were a little less conventional than usual. One song, “I’m Down Like Your…
Neil Hamburger has been referred to as “America’s Funnyman,” “the world’s ‘worst’ stand-up comedian,” and as having a sense of humor “drier than the Sahara.” Full of awkward moments, the anti-comedian alter ego of Gregg Turkington (who did, in fact, live in Tempe for some time) comes up with awful…
air metal fans of the Valley, take note: The superstar-studded American Carnage Tour (which featured the ’80s triple-threat of Slayer, Megadeth, and Testatment) has been postponed indefinitely. The concert was scheduled to take place on January 23 at Dodge Theatre, but has been put on the shelf due to major…
Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 is not just some re-mastered re-issue. It ain’t no run-of-the-mill recording. This is the first time that Cohen’s entire performance at the historic festival has been released. Why is this exciting and noteworthy, you may ask? For several reasons. Firstly, Leonard Cohen…
In the wee hours of this morning/last night, Animal Collective posted the video for their track “Brothersport”at myanimalhome.net. The sneaky bastards have outdone themselves this time around, as the video is pretty out there — complete with day-glo eggs, mischievous children and creepy ’70s-era animation. Despite the band’s Merriweather Post…
I realize this may be a highly unpopular thing to say, but I think it’s time for the Kings of Leon to go on sabbatical. The Tennessee quartet and their overplayed songs have found just one more way to make being a hipster more obnoxious and, yes, more expensive. The…
Omaha indie rockers Cursive are winding their way through Tempe this spring, almost a year to the day since they last played The Valley. They will be playing with The Dear & Departed (aw, cute name!) and popular music band Alkaline Trio. This magical night of music will take place Tuesday,…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
Evidently, this is the week for shocking celebrity engagements. Less than 48 hours ago, it was Russell Brand and Katy Perry. Now this. As Spin mentions, the news is a whole new kind of creepy. He’s said publicly that he fantasizes about smashing her skull in. In one of his…
We can officially look back at 2009 in the dust trail behind us. It’s over and done, and we are just finishing up contemplating what the year brought us. For the music crowd, that means a reflection of any and all recordings that made 2009 what it was. Music editor…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
Yeah, pal, that’s “college rock,” scare quotes very much included. Look, it’s a meaningless term. As are “indie,” “alternative,” “hipster,” etc., etc. Let’s not overthink this: Here we have 10 splendid records with an amorphous rock ‘n’ roll designation, albeit in a perhaps slightly more experimental and thoughtful vein than…
The lowest common denominator having been achieved in 2005 with the release of the Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business, popular musicians have had to work extra hard in recent years to find new and inventive ways to be inane. They found great success in 2009, with artists as varied as…
I really wanted this column to be about the best local records of 2009 — that’s what I did last year around this time, putting bands like Kinch, Miniature Tigers, and The Loveblisters on the top of a very solid list of albums from 2008. Sadly, I couldn’t manage such…
Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…
