In 1956, a twangy rockabilly song called “The Fool” announced to the country that Phoenix, Arizona, was good for more than temperate winters and citrus groves. Sung by Sanford Clark, a baby-faced kid stationed at Luke Air Force Base, the song was written and produced by local DJ Lee Hazlewood…
What is the Phoenix sound? In this week’s issue of Phoenix New Times, we explore the subject with longtime radio deejay Jim West, author of a new book, The Phoenix Sound: A History of Twang & Rockabilly Music in Arizona. A familiar voice to listeners of powerhouse country station KNIX…
Happy Holidays, metalheads! The season for generosity and head-banging is upon us, and our local metal scene certainly reflects that. We’re closing out 2015 with some great metal shows and holiday festivals — fitting, considering this year has been one for the books with Arizona metal. Out local scene grown…
The Phoenix music scene really does feel like it has grown a lot over the past few years, with new venues opening, new fans getting enticed into the scene, and new groups of musicians stepping up to reign over the rest as the biggest bands in town. But none of…
One of the Valley’s most iconic country bars is now a pile of smoldering rubble and debris after being destroyed by devastating fire. The Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek burned to the ground earlier today after a massive fire swept through the rustic cowboy joint and dance hall this…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…
Cait Brennan and I met in 1983 while taking Journalism 1 at Deer Valley High School. We shared a love of both the news and sarcasm, which remains true to this day. To give you an example of her charm, she wrote in my yearbook in 1985, after our first…
The latest edition of the Global Dance Festival Arizona this past weekend at Rawhide in Chandler certainly didn’t disappoint. The performances were definitely memorable — including fantastic sets by headliners like Deorro, RL Grime, Marsh, and Valley native Mija — as were the collection of ravers, ragers, and revelers who…
Few people in the Valley listen to as much local music as Sweetbleeders – “Someway” Sweetbleeders have been making some of the most engaging music in Phoenix for the past 16 years, and they’ve just released one of the finest albums of the year with We Were Never Here. It…
When the duo that made up beloved Phoenix band The Format broke up in 2008, its two members went in very opposite directions. Nate Ruess famously dove headfirst into fun. and won Grammys, and instrumentalist Sam Means started a merch company and had a child. He did a little songwriting…
We’re officially in the season of overindulgence: We can eat as much holiday food as we want, drink the hell out of the spiked eggnog and mulled wine, and aren’t judged when we concoct dishes like “bourbon-glazed turkey with bourbon gravy” and “bourbon pumpkin pie.” We spend more money than…
If you follow electronic dance music, no doubt you’re aware of the fact it’s invaded numerous other genres since exploding in popularity back in 2011, including the realms of rap, reggae, rock and pop. Perhaps its most curious crossover, however, has been its dalliances with the country scene the last…
Tragedy struck metalcore band The Ghost Inside yesterday as the band traveled through Texas on the way to the Nile Theater. For reasons still unknown, the band’s tour bus struck a semi in a head-on collision, killing the drivers of both the tour bus (31-year-old Gregory Hoke) and the semi…
Steff Koeppen – “Celebrate (Atom Child Remix)” Steff Koeppen has been fronting Tucson’s amazing Steff & The Articles for over six years and tomorrow, November 20, she will release her first solo EP, the dazzling Game We Play. If you are expecting it to be her doing solo piano pop,…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved Phoenix band…
For those who get a kick out of obscure or interesting minutia of the music they love, Matt Pinfield’s “Rock Stories” — a series of animated stories Pinfield tells about the rock stars he’s hung out with or interviewed — are hillbilly heroin. Each story, featuring musicians such as Matt…
The Arizona Hip-Hop Festival really did absolutely everything right in regards to growing the second annual gathering of mostly Copper State-based rhymers. This year’s promotion seems more streamlined than last year’s including a sleek round of individual fliers for each act; the lineup was even bigger; and oh, it partnered…
Tobie Milford – “Fear of Music” For many years I have considered Tobie Milford to be one of the most talented musicians in Phoenix. This is not only when he has played with Whisperlights and There Is Danger, but especially when he pursues his solo work. It’s been five years…
For days now, Captain Squeegee has been promising concrete evidence of extraterrestrial life. Here it is, a direct communication from inter-planetary beings, in the form of a music video. It turns out it may be Captain Squeegee who are indeed the aliens. You might be thinking, “Another new video from…
Every Wednesday is Heritage Hump Day! That’s because every Wednesday from now to the end of the year or before someone really big stops us, Heritage Hump Records (a temporary subsidiary of Onus Records) and New Times will be bringing you a limited edition collector’s item of a much beloved…
I’ll never for the life of me understand how Blink-182 are considered a guilty pleasure band while people who are supposedly grownups listen to Green Day. Every time I see a picture of Green Day I’m so embarrassed for them. They look like the kind of teenagers I’m glad get…
Whether it is a testament to legacy or a ploy to make fans feel old, Tempe’s own heritage rockers of the ’90s, The Refreshments, will be reissuing its debut breakout album, 1996’s Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy, on vinyl record for its 20th anniversary celebration. It is scheduled for release this…
