Always near the forefront of socially conscious hip-hop, Brother J and X-Clan sat poised to take over the world 18 years ago. Their Afrocentric LP To the East, Blackwards, thrived in that time of heightened social awareness, addressing issues of race, stereotypes, and socioeconomics as few had before. Eventually, it…
Arriving at Chandler Cinemas on a recent Saturday night feels like walking into a subpar episode of The Twilight Zone. The strip mall that houses the cinema (along with a Target store) is huge, but at midnight on a weekend, the entire place is gloomy and dead quiet. When I…
Let’s start off on a positive note: Fetti Profoun is an immensely talented rapper, capable of spitting 16 witty bars that could dust most competitors at MC battles. And the instrumentation and production here are stellar, from the smooth sitar sample that drives the song “Blue Skies” to the sexy…
As the Southern-rap money train runs out of steam, it’s fitting that the style is currently — and, perhaps, terminally — resting in the land of its neon-drenched, reality-detached origin: Miami. Flo Rida, proprietor of the most-hyped release of this commercial down cycle, started his career as a hypeman for…
Katy Perry’s capable of remaking herself for any promising target demographic. In her teens, she delivered achingly sincere contemporary Christian fare that didn’t turn out to be achingly sincere after all, and her One of the Boys persona — flirty, snarky tart — feels equally phony. The production, by a…
The Electric Bunnies’ music makes me feel as though I’m beating off to pornography while my wife sleeps in the same room. Good thing I ain’t married and can enjoy the Electric Bunnies in public. Wow! This four-track, vinyl-only EP is an excellent example of the Miami garage punk rock…
A crew of Digital Age composers, the Republic Tigers pass around song files like intraband demos, loading them onto ProTools rigs and sculpting massive creations from the initial song chunks. Starting with the hard elements of rock — guitar, drums, bass line, melody — the Kansas City band stacks vocal…
Who would ever have thought Stone Temple Pilots would top off 16 drug- and drama-addled years by hitting the road for a reunion tour? Then again, rehab’s expensive, and with at least three albums’ worth of solid music (out of five), the band can make a killing with 65 greatest-hits…
The Atlanta crunk duo of Kaine and D-Roc (Ying Yang Twins) may be better known for their collaborations (the singles “Get Low” and “Salt Shaker” with Lil’ Jon, Britney Spears’ In the Zone album, their Chemically Imbalanced album with Wyclef Jean as producer), but the pair’s latest album, A.T.L. Holes…
Life apparently goes on for the DJs of the recently closed nightspot Glam. Not only is Faux Show founder Jared Alan hunting for a new home for his decadent dance extravaganza, but Kevin the Makeout Bandit and the other beat-spinning boys of the former Word Up! Saturdays have debuted a…
The movie may not be highbrow, but the Rocky Horror soundtrack contains some great songs. Of course, “The Time Warp” is timeless and essential listening for anyone who wants to learn how to do the Time Warp dance in the film, but so many of the 14 tracks here could…
As we reported on Monday, rap star and Valley resident DMX was arrested at MetroCenter Mall on July 19. Today we learned that he was released from jail on Sunday night and was indicted on felony charges today.
Former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg is offering fans his new album for only 49 cents. The Minnesota-based rocker has increasingly gravitated toward independent, experimental, basement-based recordings, and his new record, 49:00…Of Your Time/Life, is one long track with no song listings. Westerberg played all the instruments himself, and the sale price stems from a joke Westerberg made to his manager that fans would “pay a penny a minute.”
By Jonathan McNamara Six rows away from me, wearing a ring master’s coat and miming his way across the stage, Eddie Izzard looked up “Phoenix” on Wikipedia using his Iphone. “It’s got a picture of you looking hot,” he said. A similar heat related joke told to any Phoenix resident…
By Lilia Menconi The power of their attractiveness makes you want to check the slideshow. Tempe just got a lot bigger . . . if you happen to be in the bar scene, that is. Since we can remember, a night out in Tempe meant Mill Avenue or Casey Moore’s…
By Benjamin Leatherman This week’s list of the top 10 best-selling albums at local music stores comes from Kimber Lanning’s indie emporium, Stinkweeds Record Exchange, 12 West Camelback Road. Here’s what being bought at the shop: 1. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive (Vagrant) 2. Fleet Foxes, Self-titled (Sub Pop) 3…
This week’s review is High Speed Chase, an album from local hip-hop group Bomb Legacy.
By Jonathan McNamara Did you miss Cute is What We Aim For’s performance at Clubhouse music this weekend? Don’t fret. Here’s your chance to listen to their song “Practice Makes Perfect.” For more information, see Cute Is What We Aim For’s official Web site…
The legal woes continue for DMX, Phoenix’s most illustrious rap star/resident. As reported by The Associated Press, the 37 year-old rapper was arrested at Phoenix’s Metrocenter Mall on Saturday on suspicion of providing a false name (“Troy Jones”) and a fake Social Security number to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale back in April, allegedly to avoid paying $7500 in medical bills.
The New Times Summer of Sound experimental show took place Friday, July 18, at Papillons Too (formerly Cell Block) in Mesa. It was a night of community, costumes, feedback, homemade instruments, and epic jams, courtesy of headliners Estradasphere Trio and four of our best local bands. Without any further ado, let’s wax premature nostalgic:
Here are a handful of concerts that were just announced this week.
By Jonathan McNamara Friday July 18: Minibosses at The Ruby Room If you’ve been perusing Up on the Sun’s podcast entries you already know that the bossest of video game music-based bands will be hitting the Ruby Room tonight. See you there? Saturday July 19: The Dark Knight Has Heath…
