Features

I just received a book titled Time Flies When You’re In a Coma: The Wisdom of the Metal Gods (A Plume Book), a funny little tome filled with lyrical adages from the world of heavy metal music. Edited by Mike Daly (formerly of alt. country band Whiskeytown), the book is divided into four sections: Meditations, Zen Questions, Daily Affirmations, and Words of Wisdom. The glossy, full-color format of the book is slick, but after reading through it, I was still lacking enlightenment, so I turned to the gurus of another genre: hip-hop.

One-woman show Tania Katan speaks with enthusiasm on her voice mail — she speaks with enthusiasm about most things. The 37 year-old author, playwright, performer, and writing instructor manages to take a creative and humorous approach to real-life tough topics like surviving cancer and gay rights, and she’s become a brand unto herself over the past two years.

So I’ve never pretended to be an expert on the mind of the adolescent female, and I hate to sound like an out-of-touch old man, but I really don’t get this Tokio Hotel thing. Last night at Phooson, they prompted a wave of shrieks at almost every turn, being topped only by…

Director Darren Bousman described Repo! The Genetic Opera to the sold-out crowd at Chandler Cinemas on Thursday night, with all the passion of a director who’s made an instant cult classic.

So, if there’s one thing I thought Phooson, tonight’s popped up show at Cricket was missing, it was some B-list hosting talent. Luckily, Johnjay and Rich are bringing in the big guns: Paul Abdul. The American Idol hostess will join the disc jocks on stage at Cricket Pavillion to introduce…

Today is the 15th anniversary of what I’d say is the darkest day in the history of Arizona music. On December 5, 1993 Doug Hopkins, former guitarist of Gin Blossoms took his life. I’m not really the person to talk about this myself, having been 13 and living in Ohio…

Glendale resident and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks has received a Grammy nomination for her song “No Air.” The song, nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, is a duet with R&B singer Chris Brown. It’s also the first of two (thus far) top 10 Billboard hits for Sparks — the other being “Tattoo.” Both songs are from her self-titled debut album, released this year on Jive Records.

Black metal beast Abigail Williams came screeching out of the Arizona desert a few years ago to much acclaim with its 2007 EP, Legend. Metalunderground.com and Hardcoresounds.net gave the band props, and Kerrang! wrote that they “have taken fresh-faced metal down the left hand path” and “the result is obscenely…

The crowd outside Holgas gallery in downtown Phoenix has swelled to nearly 100. From the apartments above the gallery, cigarette smoke rises in the November chill, drifting into a mass as two girls and a guy fiddle with amps and speakers on a makeshift stage. The crowd grows as passersby…

Over the past year or so — since just before last December’s release of 8 Diagrams — legendary hip-hop crew the Wu-Tang Clan has become its own reality show, what with all the infighting over creative direction (RZA versus Ghostface and Raekwon) and the bona fide superstars (Method Man, Ghostface)…

Reviewing Black Ice, AC/DC’s latest album, one critic summed up its strengths thusly: “Sounds exactly like every other AC/DC release.” And its weaknesses? “Sounds exactly like every other AC/DC release.” That pithy assessment gets to the heart of this band’s remarkably durable 35-year career: Are they geniuses for being so…

We honestly can’t imagine too many people care at this point, but we’ve been wrong before, so, in case you do, that chick who had Kevin Federline’s children is coming to Jobing.com Arena on April 24. Britney Spears is back with her “The Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 Tour” -…

“The British Rock band The Pretenders with original founder Chrissie Hynde will make a stop in Phoenix to perform at Dodge Theatre on Wednesday, March 4. The tour is the band’s first extensive headlining tour since 2003. The show will begin at 7:30pm. Tickets will go on-sale Monday, December 8…

So we Phoenix media types have been summoned to the U.S. Airways Center Thursday for “a major 2009 concert announcement” at 11:30 a.m. And oh what a press conference it will be, with free lunch and entertainment by The Big Bang as well as the Phoenix Suns dance team and…

We know we’re pimping The Knux a lot lately, but it’s hard to resist. The LA-based hip-hop duo (who recorded the rap album of the year, Remind Me In 3 days…) is coming back town town next weekYes, that’s right next week, a mere three weeks after they were here…

Adult Swim fans — and we know there are a lot of you out there — are about to freak out. Tim and Eric of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! fame are coming to Tempe next month as part of a national tour. It’s a follow-up to this…

Just a day before Thanksgiving, Coldplay fans got a heaping helping of rock courtesy of these four boys from London.  See more shots in our Coldplay slide show…

By Martin CizmarNot a huge week for show announcements, what with the holiday and all, but we have a few, including Slipknot (with Coheed and Cambria!), Dark Star Orchestra and The Maine.I’m most excited about The Maine, who will be at The Venue of Scottsdale the day after Christmas. Here’s…

In honor of Thanksgiving, the most gastronomically satisfying of our holidays, some of our favorite musical artists reflect on what songs they’re most grateful for from the past year. Cary Brothers “Comes and Goes (In Waves)” by Greg Laswell It seems that it’s difficult for some musicians to be friends…

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about a wacky band called Deerhunter. With a critically feted album, Microcastle, a national tour, and attention from every corner of the Internet, you might be wondering, “How do those Atlanta rascals do it?” You might even be in a band yourself, wondering how…

Tokyo rock quintet Dir en grey have been through a number of musical incarnations over their decade-long history, but none of them resemble the kind of Japanese music that typically catches on in the States: the power J-pop of Puffy AmiYumi, the doom-rock of Boris, or the experimental noise-rock of…

By Martin Cizmar Local photographer and musician Elliot Lincis is doing what he can for the people of Darfur, the region of Sudan that’s been the scene of bloody conflict since 2003. He’s recorded a song called “Never Again,” an old school “We Are The World” style anthem that features…