High-profile murderers often attract a fringe element that is, in the face of all evidence, convinced of the accused’s innocence. Jodi Arias is no exception. Except, one of her fans is a rapper. Thirty-four-year-old Kareem Williams, a.k.a. Lefty, is a fanatical supporter of Jodi Arias, who was convicted of the…
While negativity towards transgender people was making waves in Tempe the Phoenix-centric Sidepony Express Music Festival in Bisbee has been working on an event with Bisbee Pride to shine some light on the artistic contributions made by transgender people. This will be the first year that Sidepony Express and Bisbee…
The origins and ownership of the term “house music” have been hotly debated since, well, always. House music is a lot things to a lot of people. It’s disco’s revenge. It’s a feeling. It’s controllable desire you can own. While house can still be a little elusive, it’s like the…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Celebration Guns – “The Me That Used To Be” Celebration Guns have been one of my favorite local acts since they…
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Fenton are two women who have always had to push to get what they want in life. The two New York-raised women are working mothers who push carts through store aisles, push their children to achieve their dreams, and push themselves to be successful…
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…
“Punk is life” was seemingly the main point Manoz Zuziaz lead singer Jamie Laguna tried to get across during an interview with his band at Laguna’s home in Mesa. Based on his wardrobe, which consists entirely of studded denim vests and band T-shirts (except for his work Dickies), Laguna and…
The desert has always been a place of spirituality and mystery, where wanderers seek truth and solace and eclectic art and music are made. On one hand, it invokes deep creativity and a refined type of swagger. On the other, it creates a divide, a feeling of every man for…
Helping each other out is just par for the course in heavy metal. There are lots of people who are weirdly surprised by this fact—but I’ve seen first hand the amazing charity efforts, organizations, and hospitality spurred by the music’s supporters. And when it comes a call to action in…
If you think you’ve heard all the Alice Cooper stories, think again. You haven’t heard them the way the original bass player, Dennis Dunaway, remembers them in his new memoir, out today, entitled Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group. Though Alice was the iconic face…
Flagstaff four-piece Flight of Ryan have just fastened their seatbelts, stowed their tray tables and taken off on the mission to establish a following in Phoenix and beyond. Though drummer Anthony Wallace, bassist Danny Pabst and guitarist Colin Bresnahan went to high school together, the band didn’t form until they…
Mitchell Hillman listens to more local music than just about anyone in the Valley. He presents his picks for best new music in his column, Right Hear, Right Now. Luna Aura – “Dancing With Your Ghost” Luna Aura has just released her first single for the forthcoming sophomore EP Supernova,…
There’s a new development in the situation involving local transgender woman Brian Sandy and her issues with Tempe Tavern. Earlier today, the Gilbert resident filed an official complaint with the City of Tempe against the bar and music venue over being denied service and booted out last weekend. The claim,…
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…
Briana Sandy, the local transgender woman who was kicked out of Tempe Tavern over the weekend after being denied service, got an official apology from the management of the bar and music venue yesterday. Tempe Tavern manager Robert Tasso offered up a public mea culpa of sorts to the 55-year-old…
When Briana Sandy stepped into Tempe Tavern over the weekend, the local transgender woman was eager to watch Saturday’s historic Belmont Stakes horse race on the bar’s televisions over a drink. That, however, didn’t happen. Instead, the 55-year-old was refused service and asked by Tempe Tavern’s employees to immediately leave…
The year 2015 has already been a pretty solid year for heavy metal. More festivals in the U.S. have popped up, like the Loudwire Festival and the first-ever U.S. Rock in Rio, and the month of May had six consecutive weekends of record-setting attendance for festivals like Carolina Rebellion and…
Phoenix Comicon may have wrapped up, but downtown is still abuzz with nerd culture as Rob Poe, a.k.a. DJ Tristan Iseult and his cohorts, prepare for Haxan: Dark Lords of the Sith dance night at Club DwnTwn in downtown Phoenix on Friday, June 5. Organizers are billing the evening as…
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…
Symphony of Butter Knives Meet Harrison Hufman, Phoenix’s 13-year-old experimental musician. With a giant red sock pulled over his face, Harrison Hufman pounds a cheap, red electric guitar with two butter knives, occasionally smacking a crash cymbal. He softly groans threats to call the cops into a mic awash in…
While June is beautiful just about everywhere else in the United States, it’s when the streets of Phoenix start to get sluggish. Not only are all the snowbirds gone (thank God), but the triple digits really hit full force. Lucky for us desert rats, the music industry doesn’t slow down…
For being thrown together at the last minute, A$AP Rocky’s listening party for his latest album A.L.L.A. sure looked like a good time. The festivities, which were held in New York City on Monday, came a week earlier than planned. The rapper tweeted that his second album, whose title is…
