I’ve always been a fan of public transit map shirts, bags and umbrellas. It’s the classy way to show off from your vacay. I mean, it says “I went to this city” but also “See, I’m cool, not only did I hook up with some Dutch guy at my hostel,…
Dubbed as one of the BBC’s 10 Breakout Acts of 2009, West London’s White Lies released their debut album To Lose My Life… yesterday to much fanfare. The buzz surrounding these three chaps from across the pond is staggering. On one hand, it’s always a good thing for a band…
I’m not sure I’ve seen anything that sums up the raucous atmosphere surrounding the Obama inauguration better than this live video for “My President is Black” with Young Jeezy and Jay-Z (a.k.a. Old Jeezy), which I came across over on The Village Voice’s music blog, Sound of the City. If anything, it sure beats…
We’ve got a couple big pieces of news involving Kinch, who recorded what we said was the best album in Arizona last year. First comes news that they’ve been selected for SxSW, joining several other Phoenix bands at indie rock’s biggest showcase. They’ve also got new tracks from their The…
So we still haven’t got any sort of press release on this, but eagle-eyed Clubs Editor Benjamin Leatherman spotted this listing for Fleetwood Mac on LiveNation.com. According to the info there (which may get taken down, for all we know) the Mac in back in Glendale on May 24. Tickets…
I was recently introduced to French electronic dance music quartet (I know, four dudes seems a bit much) Birdy Nam Nam last week, and after soaking in (absolutely loving) their new album Manual for Successful Rioting, I must say I am impressed. Their name is super stupid, but do not…
Why is “douchebag” the default insult of our time? Our sister paper in SF explores the rise of this most 00s of insults.BTW, the guy above is the first thing you get when you type “douchebag” in to a Google image search… quite a dubious honor. Personally I think this…
Tuscon’s Calexico is finally coming north. The band will play Heritage Square on Saturday, April 4, 2009.Not since December 2006 at the Clubhouse Music Venue in Tempe has Tucson’s biggest indie act headlined a show in the Valley. Calexico will be supporting their 2008 album, Carried to Dust, arguably their…
Corey Busboom and one of his photo theremin creations. Click here for more photos of Busboom’s and Ryan Avery’s works. Last week, local artist and musician Corey Busboom got a rather interesting phone call. It was from Mark Mothersbaugh, the eccentric frontman for 80s hitmakers Devo. The legendary keyboard player…
The big show announcements just keep coming. Earlier today we had Fall Out Boy and a host of buzzing bands (Gaslight Anthem, Black Lips) now we’ve got The Killers on April 16 at Dodge Theatre. Tickets for the Las Vegas faux-indie act’s show go on sale next Friday. Tickets at…
So last week we solicited your advice on what websites we should link to, and now we’ve updated the blogroll to reflect the suggestions we got through comments and e-mail. Check it out below (to the right, below the categories).A few highlights:The Dish by Jess Harter… Yes, we’re still feuding…
A great week for show announcements, as we’ve got indie faves The Black Lips, Cursive, Gaslight Anthem, and The Little Ones coming.Oh, and Fall Out Boy. You know, for kids.The Black Lips (above) have a druggy, melodic sound they call “psych-punk,” which strikes me as something like The Stooges playing…
So you’ve read this week’s music feature on Back Ted N-Ted’s Ryan Breen and you’re asking yourself, “where can I see more of these guys?” We’ve got two words for you: slide show. That’s right, if you haven’t seen it already, peep these shots from Back Ted N-Ted’s show at The…
Car collectors with discerning eyes and deep wallets cruised the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale. Their prey: hundreds of glistening vehicles waiting to go home with the highest bidder. And we mean high. Consider this slide show of car porn NSFW (not safe for wallets)…
Does a show featuring Bad Religion, The Used, and Slightly Stoopid scream St. Patrick’s Day to you? Yeah, us neither. Tempe Beach Park will have the three bands perform as part of its annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, which fittingly featured the Irish punk-rock band Flogging Molly in years past…
Remember when the big fat Mother Superior in The Sound of Music told Sister Maria that every time the Lord closes a door somewhere, He opens a window? Well, Ryan Breen’s career trajectory has been something like that, except, perhaps, without the divine intervention part. No matter how benevolent a…
As one of contemporary R&B’s brightest stars, John Legend possesses Grammys and hits galore. But could he be any blander? His twinkling tunes about love and relationships are serviceable and inoffensive, nothing more. And lyrically he treads the same ground as a hundred others. Sure, he’s not annoying — we’re…
I Set My Friends on Fire are coming to Phoenix next month, and we can’t help wondering how these sociopaths aren’t incarcerated yet. They’re murderous arsonists, for crying out loud. Of course, the name isn’t serious (or at least we hope it isn’t), but it is demonstrative of an inexplicable…
It’s been a while since a local band graced the cover of a popular music magazine, but East Valley pop-punksters The Maine will do just that in March. The guys, who are making tween and teen girls’ hearts throb all over the U.S., will have their mugs plastered on the…
What do you get when you combine the talents of Samuel L. Jackson, Lucy Liu, manga artist Takashi Okazaki, and hip-hop guru The RZA?
We’re betting on one of the most amazing television experiences of 2009.
It seems like everyone is becoming enamored of local indie rock outfit Miniature Tigers and their catchy songs these days, including Ben Folds. The Sony power pop pianist is reportedly a fan of the band and decided to tap them as an opening act for an upcoming tour of of…
Local pretty boy rockers Anarbor will be hitting the road with Cute is What We Aim For for the Take Action! Tour starting Feb 11.The tour is put together by Anarbor’s emo-pop-rock label, Hopeless Records, through their non profit organization, Sub City, and also features Meg & Dia, Breathe Carolina,…
