Jane Doe: A Phoenix Woman’s Battle with Breast Cancer Becomes an International Documentary Success

Cancer could have killed Jane Fendelman. Instead, it brought her back to life. And her video documentation of her painful treatment and miraculous recovery (which she edited and released as a documentary titled Jane Doe) has brought her accolades — most recently, a nomination at the International Women’s Film and Television Showcase, taking place next month in Hollywood. Jane Doe is one of only ten films worldwide to be nominated for an award at the showcase.

What Was The Valley’s Best Record of 2008?

By Martin Cizmar With the end of the year fast approaching, you’re about to be inundated with lists about the best and worst music of 2008. Phoenix New Times will be adding to that, of course, with our picks running the first week of the new year. And since I’ve…

Guinness World Record For Most Tattoos Given In 24 Hours Shattered

By Yvonne Zusel See more shots in our Guinness World Record slide show. It’s 2:40 on Saturday morning and while most people’s nights are winding down, Hollis Cantrell’s has just begun. He’s bent over a man’s calf with his tattoo needle moving carefully but efficiently, first drawing an “A,” then…

The Nintendo Experience Mobile Tour

By Jonathan McNamara The games of the Nintendo Experience Mobile Tour. See more shots in our Nintendo Experience Mobile Tour slide show. I want to be one of the converted. I want to be the kind of Nintendo fan that happily shrieks at the chance to play mini games. I…

Show Announcements: Willie Nelson, Staind, Chris Isaak, Katy Perry

There were a massive amount of upcoming shows announced this week, including Willie Nelson on the road again and possibly three of the four worst nu metal bands of all time (Staind, Papa Roach, Hoobastank) on a single stage… with the insufferable Adam Carolla. Crooner Chris Isaak and Strokes’ drummer Fabrizio Moretti will also be in town with his side project, Little Joy. Katy Perry will be in town to do a solo show hot on the heels of her Phooson set and Woodstock veteran Richie Havens is coming.

sBACH Geeks Out at Modified Arts on Nov. 15

If you’re not attuned to such things, you might be surprised to know how big a niche there is for bands interested in playing covers of classic Nintendo game soundtracks in today’s geek-friendly world. At comic, gaming, and computing conventions bands like The Advantage and Phoenix’s own Minibosses can draw pretty well covering classic Castlevania songs. As any bar band will tell you though, doing originals is always harder, which is why sBACH played to a crowd of about 30 Saturday night at Modified Arts.

Flier of the Week: sBACH

By Martin Cizmar I bring you this week’s Flier of the Week not because I love the Towelie-esque flier – though it is pretty cool – but because I don’t want to be the only person who shows up to see videogame rockers sBACH at Modified this Saturday. I advanced…

Kinch Makes Advances by Giving Their First Album Away

Perhaps the sagest songwriting advice ever bestowed to a newbie came not from a how-to book or a multi-platinum recording artist but from some anonymous grizzly guy I saw at an open mic night in Greenwich Village eons ago. After playing two great songs, he sat down to his coffee…

The Knux Defy Genres with Remind Me in 3 Days . . .

Their New Orleans apartment building having burned down in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, brothers Kintrell “Krispy Kream” and Alvin “Rah Almillio” Lindsey have gone from Cajun survivalists to the toast of the underground rap scene in only a few years. Together known as the experimental rap duo The Knux,…

Buckethead: Under the Bucket

What secret shame binds the heart of Buckethead? What private disgrace compelled guitar virtuoso Brian Carroll to forsake his Christian name and perform under a Michael Myers-esque kabuki mask and unused KFC bucket for these past 20 years? There is scant evidence that he has ever performed with his face…

Seven Nights of DJs and Dancing

THURSDAY 13 Bikini Lounge: DJ HFE (rockabilly, surf, jazz, classic country, indie, obscuro) Blooze Bar: DJ El Dedo (rockabilly) Bunkhouse: DJ Doom (dance) Cherry Lounge: DJ M2 (hip-hop, Top 40) Club Red: The Blunt Club with MC Jawa, Drunken Immortals, Pickster Uno, DJ Element, Emerg McVay, & more (hip-hop) Crabby…

GALLERY BLU RE:Def

The hip-hop scene in the PHX is bigger than ever. Homegrown homeboy Willy Northpole made an appearance at the BET Hip Hop Awards last month, rhyme-spitting MCs are doing their thing on the mic at nights like The Blunt Club and Raising Arizona, and a new old-school station started broadcasting…

Ladyhawke

It is difficult to maintain momentum over the course of 13 songs, yet New Zealand’s Pip Brown — better known as Ladyhawke — is blissfully ignorant of this. Right from the dual claps on the opener “Magic,” Ladyhawke grabs listeners by the hand with a purple, sequined glove of splendid…

Sarah Brightman

English-born Sarah Brightman has nothing left to prove — throughout her career, her iconic soprano has been heard in the definitive versions of various Broadway tunes, successfully crossing over to pop while still making classical recordings. On her first holiday-themed album, with the London Symphony Orchestra, she takes on standards…

Shiny Toy Guns

Shiny Toy Guns guitarist/singer Gregori Chad Petree and bassist/keyboardist Jeremy Dawson (the two creative forces behind the Los Angeles synth-pop band) evidently like to keep trying until they get things just the way they want them. They released their debut album, We Are Pilots, three different times and are now…

Minus the Bear

Will Minus the Bear make it? With a second successful tour and a new EP just released, it may be safe to say the critically lauded quintet is going to stick around. Then again, maybe not, considering that its EP Acoustics, released in October, features only one new offering, which,…

Danielson

It took Daniel Smith, the man behind Danielson, a sudden realization while attending Rutgers University to help him embrace his childhood and live as a child once more. The revelation eventually led him to form Danielson, an indie rock/gospel supergroup whose stage shows feature matching outfits (nurses, gospel choirs) with…

Matisyahu

Looks like everyone’s favorite Hasidic reggae singer/rapper might just outlast his novelty status after all. But that doesn’t necessarily make it safe to go back in the reggae waters for anyone aspiring to stand out based on his, uh, demographic makeup alone. On one hand, it’s unfortunate that Matisyahu’s work…