He’s being awful polite about it, but Lawrence Zubia has places to go. It’s Halloween evening, and he’s sitting at a table at Casey Moore’s in Tempe. He looks every inch the rock star. He’s sporting a black vest and drain-pipe black Levis, a red bandanna around his neck, and…
If the eggheads at NASA ever decided to send another compilation of tunes into the far reaches of the universe (à la the “Music From Earth” collection that’s aboard the Voyager spacecraft), we’d suggest including a track or two from local DJs Joseph Mercado, Byron Fenix, and RMC. Though the…
It starts simply enough, with a pulsing electric guitar blip and waves of synths. “Brace for the glory, as you stare into the sky,” Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno moans through the fuzzy washes of noise. “Beneath, I know you can’t be tired,” he sings softly, as the twin guitars roar…
In hip-hop, the past is a constant, and idealization of one’s forefathers — or mothers — is an uncrossable tradition. The Game might be hip-hop’s most eloquent eulogizer. His 2005 hit “Dreams” spoke poignantly to that point: Game all but admitted that he’ll never mean as much to the culture…
Thursday 15 Afterlife: Touch Thursdays (Top 40, dance) AZ/88: Black Out Thursdays with Josh 1 (soulful house, lounge) Bar Smith: International Thursdays with DJ EC, DJ StarMarz, & DJ Clavo El Parientito (hip-hop, Latin) Bobby Q’s: All-Star Thursdays with DJ Phlava, DJ Dark Vader, & DJ Skoolboi (hip-hop, reggae, R&B,…
Rush does its own thing. Resolutely, absolutely, completely. The “Holy Triumvirate’s” fierce individualism can be viewed as a tribute to one of its heroes, Ayn Rand, but it’s okay if you’re not into the Objectivist thing; you can appreciate Rush for exactly what it is: a power trio that’s enjoyed…
The quickly expanding lineup of McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013 has added two more big names to the roster: The Shins and Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes. The 2013 installment of the festival is looking to have the most impressive lineup in MMMF history, as The Shins and Sharpe…
Last weekend’s cold spell made finding an appropriate outfit for Saturday night shenanigans a bit of a challenge. It was way too cold to rely on go to cute dresses or button down tops, so it was time to dig cozy hoodies and sweaters out of storage. In spite of…
Local DJ and activist Austin Head was assaulted early Friday morning in what has now been designated an anti-gay hate crime. The local community has expressed outrage over this incident, as well as sending its best regards to Austin Head. Check out what some local DJs have to say about…
Tempe-based dream pop band Bogan Via has been picking up steam. Just last month the duo released its anticipated EP, Wait Up, and now they’ve added a sleek black-and-white video for one of the album’s standout cuts, the Lee and Nancy-styled “Afternoon Wonderland.” See also: Indie Pop Duo Bogan Via…
R&B artist and Arizona transplant Keize Montoya is sticking to his musical moniker for his latest track, “On My Way.” The single, which dropped last week along with a new music video, takes a step away from the club bangers Montoya has been dishing out as of late for a…
Folk punk heroes Andrew Jackson Jihad are one of the most recognizable fixtures in the Valley’s independent music scene, and Sean Bonnette, the band’s frontman, is one of the most down-to-earth, friendly musicians I’ve ever met. I’ve often bumped into Bonnette at local dive bars or kickass shows and he’s…
With the holidays rapidly approaching, some of us have our sights set on another holiday. One awash in Olympic-sized swimming pools of Guinness and all the corned beef we can eat. It’s one of the few holidays where public urination, vomiting, and rabble rousing are perfectly acceptable forms of celebration…
Witch Mountain @ Yucca Tap Room|11/12/12I’ve always felt troubled by the psychological exercise of word association, that each response would reveal some flawed abnormality about my character. If you were to say doom metal in such an exercise, my response would most likely be “relaxation” or “easy listening.” Doom, as…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you stop…
In hip-hop the past is a constant and idealization of one’s forefathers-or mothers-is an uncrossable tradition. The Game might be hip-hop’s most eloquent eulogizer. His 2005 hit “Dreams” spoke poignantly to that point; Game all but admitted that he’ll never mean as much to the culture as his lordliest deceased idols…
Update: Phoenix Police have officially designated the attack on Austin Head an anti-gay hate crime. Read more at New Times’ news blog, Valley Fever. Local DJ, activist, and former New Times Clubs Editor Austin Head was assaulted early on Friday, November 9, while walking down Central Avenue. Two men harassed…
You know, we’re not sure we can trust this Grouplove band. Just say it out loud. “Grouplove.” Sounds pretty hippie-ish, right? Might as well be named “Communelove,” or “Socialistlove,” right? Anyway, beyond that, the Los Angeles-based outfit named its debut LP Never Trust a Happy Song, and it’s got songs…
Rusko @ Marquee Theatre| 11/11/12Last night marked the highly anticipated rescheduled date for English producer/dubstep DJ Christopher Mercer, who performs under the moniker of Rusko. Mercer was unable to perform in May due to illness, according to Steve Levine Entertainment’s Facebook event. The headlining DJ didn’t just show off his…
I imagine there are some casual Morrissey fans out there, but most of the Moz fans I know are the diehard sort, the kind of folks who’ll stick by the singer no matter what grumpy things he says and does. So while I’m sure someone was just kinda bummed about…
Once a week Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See the New Times print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…
Here’s what I expected from The Butcher Babies on the opening night of their “Hush Little Baby” tour: Sexy, sexy bitches; electrical tape-adorned boobs; vocals ranging from erotically melodic to ear-shatteringly demonic, intermixed with headbang-worthy breakdowns. For those of you who don’t know what you’re missing out on, we’re not…
