Phoenix Music Blog

Kathleen Vanesian

Modified Arts after its recent nip/tuck. See more shots in our Modified Arts slide show.

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So maybe Roosevelt Row isn't L.A.'s La Cienega in the 60s and our Grand Avenue ain't exactly Soho in the 70s and 80s. And we can definitively say that Marcel Duchamp never played chess at Phoenix Art Museum with a nude Eve Babitz (or anyone else, clothed or naked, for that matter). But that doesn't mean Phoenix doesn't have its own -- and very unique -- art history to flaunt.

Our surprisingly significant contemporary art scene is on display via artwork and advertising pieces at Modified Arts in "Modified Arts: Looking Back on the Future," curated by the gallery's new director, Kim Larkin, a non-native who parachuted into our fair burg recently to take over management of Kimber Lanning's iconic space.

This is the second in a two-part series by two Phoenix-based music critics that happen to feel that D'Angelo's Voodoo, which turned ten years old this week, is (to put it bluntly) one of the best things ever.

Part one can be found here.

D'Angelo performs during the 2000 Voodoo tour.

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He stands there, clad in a dark robe, towards the front of the stage at Chicago's Arie Crown Theater. Behind him are The Soultronics, an eleven-piece band bathed in light more appropriate for a druid wake than a live show.

The figure at the mic poses there for a moment, not saying or singing anything. The near-capacity crowd, assuming it's the man they paid money to see, a guy that hasn't played a show in weeks, is the same cat that produced one of the greatest albums of the decade.

A minute or so later, the man in the robe, D'Angelo, begins to recite lyrics in a recognizable raspy timbre to "Devil's Pie," the soul-bathed diatribe featured on his recently released Voodoo (2000). The lights remain dim as driving horn quotations and hypnotic backing vocalists give the song's lyrics ("Fuck the slice we want the pie/Why ask why 'til we fry?/Watch us all stand in line for a slice of the devil's pie") a sharp edge of anxiety.

This is the first in a two-part series by two Phoenix-based music critics that happen to feel that D'Angelo's Voodoo, which turned ten years old this week, is (to put it bluntly) one of the best things ever.

Part two can be found here.

Cover art for D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000)

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It was appropriate that weeks before the release date for Voodoo (January 25, 2000) that the world had partied like it was 1999. Reason being is that the sophomore effort and subsequent world tour from son-of-a-preacher-man R&B artist D'Angelo had more than a hint of His Purple Majesty's influence.

Michael "D'Angelo" Archer's musical co-pilot for the nearly four year-long process of recording a follow-up to his 1995 debut Brown Sugar was Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, the master drummer and band leader of acclaimed hip-hop band The Roots. As recording began in 1996 - sparked by a collaboration for the Men in Black soundtrack - a community began to grow around the project. D'Angelo and Thompson were soon joined by Miseducation of Lauryn Hill co-producer James Poyser and beatsmith James "Jay Dee" Yancey (who tragically died in 2006 due to complications from a rare blood disease).

http://www.kathygriffin.net

Kathy Griffin at her best.

"I'm a 12-year-old gay boy at heart" comedian Kathy Griffin confessed during her performance at the Dodge Theatre Saturday. The statement summed up the sassy petite redhead in a nutshell. And that's what makes her so appealing. Like most kids, Griffin says what's on her mind without any editing.

During her nearly 90-minute stand-up act, Griffin ping-ponged her way through a variety of pop culture topics, from Andre Agassi's meth confession to balloon boy to MTV's wildly popular Jersey Shore to Oprah to her "close friend" Levi Johnston. Dressed head to toe in black, the firecracker didn't hold back about anything.

Parks and Recreation is a pure ensemble comedy, just as the Wu-Tang Clan is the pinnacle of ensemble hip hop groups

​What happens when a brilliant, critically acclaimed ensemble comedy comes along and enters our lives? The Wu-Tang Clan has to spoof the hell out of said comedy, that's what. NBC's Parks and Recreation is enjoying its second season and I, for one, am a huge fan. Parks and Recreation follows Amy Poehler as aloof, oft-clueless Leslie Knope -- the ringleader of the parks department of a fictional Indiana town. Joining her is a solid ensemble cast comprising Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones Nic Offerman, and Chris Pratt. It is that ensemble cast that caught the eye of the RZA, himself the leader of an ensemble, the Wu-Tang Clan. It was only natural, then, that the RZA have his own audition for the role of Leslie Knope. The Roots' ?uestlove jumped onboard with the whole idea, and what followed was pure comedic gold.

Matthew Moore

Computer mock-up of detail from Matthew Moore's "Lifecycle" installation.

​Phoenix artist Matthew Moore, who's also a fourth-generation Arizona farmer, has just combined my two all-time favorite activities: food shopping and art viewing. His latest video installation, "Lifecycles," which magically melds the two, is premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier exhibition. The event, curated by film festival senior programmer Shari Frilot, has, for several years, run concurrently with the star-studded, Robert Redford-originated film festival in Park City, Utah.

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Sunday afternoon, Modified filled to capacity for River Jones Music Label's Final Folk Fest. Seventeen bands and solo artists played to eager audiences, mainly sitting pretzel-legged on the rickety floorboards, hot beverage in hand, while wintery winds sauntered through the old house. This ain't your grandma's Woody Guthrie. This is Southwest-style folk 2.0: youngins digging deep for heart-wrenching lyrics, rootsy blues grooves, and voices that belt with delicacy, spewing southern accents as if born with such drawls. Folk, in this context, roughly translates to a singer with a hollow-body stringed instrument, usually sans percussionist and often in a button-down. Modified's stage trembled with the heavy foot traffic from this collective of mainly acoustic guitar-based musicians.

River Jones has made a name for himself and his pubescent musical prodigies, mainly tagging themselves as "folk" via his eponymous label. The label is now home to nine acts, if my counting is on point, that are based in the Phoenix area, including two of the night's showstoppers: Michelle Blades and Courtney Marie Andrews. To be sure, when I heard I was in for a predicted eighteen-act event, I could only imagine the horrors awaiting. My main premonition involved a bevy of feigned Conor Obersts with the quavering vocals and unstable temperament to match; achieving Dim Eyes at best. But, overall, I found myself pleasantly surprised by what was brought to the table, in both variety and substance.

Michelle Blades stood out as a jazzy Regina Spektor with a interchangeable flourishes of Blossom Dearie and Devendra Banhart. Blades began her set on guitar with The Pioneers backing her, promptly switch to ukulele and brought out Tobie Milford on violin and Erica Shafer on upright bass. Enrapturing the crowd, Blades finished her set by making a song with the audience providing improvised vocals and percussion, while she scatted and freestyled. Milford then took to the stage solo, with his violin looping and robust vocals. Milford talked about how perfect the day was for a fest, adding, "I'm glad to be classified as folk music, so I can be on bills as great as this one."

You Me And Apollo, actually just one guy with one guitar, was one of those pleasant surprises: lyrically sophisticated, with presence that seemed genuine. Courtney Marie Andrews took the stage next, with virtually zero lag. Andrews was fresh and solid in delivering material mostly to be found on her upcoming, and third, full-length record. She closed with "Darling Boy," stunning and gentle, and quickly made way for the night's ultimate closer, What Laura Says. The Lauras finished out the night as mellowed rabble-rousers on acoustic guitars.  

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1. Leonard Cohen - Live at The Isle of White 1970
2. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
3. Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
4. Flaming Lips - Embryonic
5. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
6. Grand Archives - Keep in Mind Frankenstein
7. Vagina Panther - Vagina Panther
8. Lhasa - Lhasa
9. fun. - Aim and Ignite
10. Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next

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Bishop Allen bolstered Modified's mid-week lineup leading up to the annual, and, very sadly, final Modifest. The Brooklyn-via-Cambridge crew took to the drooping stage, and set up to the barking of exuberant fans, like eager puppies begging for a treat. And the band delivered, but not in the sweet, twee package fans of their albums might expect.

The candy-apple red drum kit, glittery bass body and xylophone added to the band's whimsy pop airs. "Cue The Elephants" kicked in sans buildup, a straight shot of energy cloaked in Blondie's more rocksteady tendencies. Bishop Allen played out the tension, release and mania of each following song astute precision, each note well-rehearsed and strategically placed. The ruckus, wild rumpus with which the audience responded was entirely opposite, but perfectly expected. 

Front man Justin Rice razzled and dazzled, punctuating lyrics by alternating dance moves from a solid roster of jazz hands, the running man and The Charleston (sometimes melding two together). "Empire City" got rowdy, with Bishop Allen striking down any ideas that their live presence would ooze a twee cuteness. This was not going to be nonchalant.

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Have you ever wondered about the girl who plays the foil to Taylor Swift in her brilliant single "You Belong With Me?" I mean, it's hard to imagine any teenage girl capable of captivating the object of Swift's affections to the point of rendering Swift invisible to him. Listen to the track below and try to picture her.

OK, now imagine for a second that the other woman is not a teenage girl at all. Imagine that it's Beyonce Knowles he's hung up on. Make more sense now?

Like, say it's a typical Tuesday night and you're forced to choose. Yes, Taylor is listening to the type of music Beyonce doesn't like, and no, Beyonce will never know your story like Taylor does. But Beyonce wears short skirts, while Swift wears either t-shirts or the exact same silver dress. (Can someone point out how the dress she wore on Saturday Night Live differs from the dress she wears in the Band Hero commercial? How gauche! Beyonce would never do something like that.) Because of this, Beyonce is the proverbial cheer captain, while Swift is best suited for watching from the bleachers.

I mean, really, America, given this scenario are you going to wake up and find that Taylor was what you were looking for the whole time? I should hope not.

​A lot of things about last night's CMAs confused me. For example, why was there not a break in the middle so ABC could broadcast Modern Family at its regularly scheduled time? And why did no one (rightfully) interrupt Taylor Swift to point out how much better Beyonce is than her?

Oh, and why was Hootie named "Best New Artist?" Look, I know Darius Rucker's "daring" move in to the country genre is kinda-sorta novel, but, c'mon, this guy sold 16 million copies of his band's debut. It's the fifteenth best-selling record of all time. How is he a "new" artist?

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If you pick up a copy of the brand new New Times (or, I guess, just click this link) you'll come across my latest Sonic Truth column, a followup to the "Downtown is Ovah" column I penned predicting that the demise of Modified Arts will lead to a shift of live music and local bands to Tempe. Hopefully this will advance the conversation a little more than, say, this dude, who can't seem to make the first seven words of his "story" accurate and never bothered to link to my piece, which is ridiculously poor form in the Internet age.

Annnnnnyway, a big thanks to the contributors, who I'd encourage you to tweet at expressing either "gr8 thx" or vehement opposition: @JacquiD @psykosteve @ShaneWmKennedy and @Lou_Kummerer.

Also, buy the shirt, which I can confirm is both super comfortable and very stylish here. Proceeds benefit Local First AZ and The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, which is funny little dig at me that would be funnier if I had attended The Harvard of Date Rape's school of journalism, which I sadly did not.

Also also, if you're "still sore  about it, I'll be waiting" ......at a "Downtown is Ovah" night Ben Collins and I discussed a while back. The plan is to meet up at The Roosevelt some Sunday night when Shane is DJing. People can discuss, plot and/or get their pound of flesh. Details soon, provided there is interest.

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​The Blaze is, according to our Best of Phoenix issue, the station of choice for those jonesing to hear what's happening in local music. Here's the chart documenting what ASU's Original Alternative played over the past week.

1. Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
2. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
3. Grand Archives - Keep in Mind Frankenstein
4. Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
5. Vagina Panther - Vagina Panther
6. Jet - Shaka Rock
7. Lhasa - Lhasa
8. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
9. Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
10. fun. - Aim and Ignite

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ASU's student radio station The Blaze 1330 AM is currently in the midst of their annual Campus Crawl, the station's fall concert series. The first featured local act, Kirkwood Dellinger, took to the stage north of ASU's Memorial Union around lunch time Monday.

Despite midday temperatures creeping to 90, a fiesty sound system and famished college kids scarfing cheap grub, Kirkwood Dellinger plowed through a six-song set. Ringleader Elmo Kirkwood mused that the fuzzed-out speakers made him sound like Kanye West. Set highlights included a classic, not classy, rendition of Jeremih's "Birthday Sex," as well as the KD original "The Attic."

​ Don't judge me, but I'm sort of digging Chris Brown's latest single, "I Can Transform Ya."

Brown's no fool--he recruited Lil' Wayne to drop a rizzap on the track, and the rapper dropped it like it's hot, helping make the song even catchier.

It's an electronic-infused R&B single, and Brown sounds confident as ever. It might even be considered a love song--he croons, "Need a ride, I can Range you up, money I can change you up."

See, ladies, Chris will buy your love all day long, since he's probably not getting a whole lot of action right now.

The song, off his new album, Graffiti, has already reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

What do you think--does Rihanna Beater deserve another hit, or are you boycotting the track? Or do you think Brown just always sucked to begin with?

Sara Kiesling

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I've been a fan of Owl City since waaaay back in spring, long before everyone and their moms became fans, before the project started getting play on Top 40 radio stations and before he sold out Martini Ranch last weekend.

And I bought Owl City's current album, Ocean Eyes, even though vocalist/programmer Adam Young is a total rip-off of The Postal Service's Ben Gibbard. It was mostly for his beats, which are sweet little melodies that sound like lullabies - -ironic, considering Young wrote most of his material during bouts of insomnia.

While I love the music, though, the lyrics pain me because they're so freaking wimpy. In "The Bird and the Worm," he sings the joys of picking apples. In "Dental Care," he croons, "I'd rather pick flowers instead of fights." And he outright admits in "Cave In" that his backbone is paper thin.

In the past 20 years or so, Americans of all ethnicities throughout the country -- especially here in the Southwest -- have been making a big deal of Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration that spans several days and just happens to coincide with All Souls and All Saints Days (November 1 and 2) in the Catholic liturgical calendar. Leave it to those eminently creative Mexicans to concoct fabulous, regionally unique traditions that meld pre-Columbian rituals honoring the dearly departed with gory 16th century Spanish Roman Catholic beliefs -- traditions and ceremonies that simultaneously honor the memory of deceased family and friends while thumbing a nose at death, The Great Leveler of Us All.

Phoenix's venerable Icehouse, located at 429 W Jackson Street, (602) 257-8929, is mounting its own unique version of Dia de los Muertos on Sunday, November 1, beginning at 7 p.m. at its downtown Phoenix digs. Admission is a mere dollar plus a flower, cactus plant or small offering that will be buried in the Icehouse's Garden of Thorns that evening. All admission funds will go to planting and maintaining the garden. According to Helen Hestenes, artist/owner of the Icehouse, The Garden of Thorns is a memorial desert garden on the Icehouse grounds -- years in the making -- marking the gallery's upcoming 20th anniversary. It's dedicated not only to specific Phoenix creatives who have passed on, but to particular personal causes such as cancer, suicide, HIV/Aids, domestic violence and other ponderous issues. Hestenes says it will evolve cause by cause, plant by plant, artist by artist and transform from barren earth to lush oasis in time.

Tom Marrs

Freshly dug courtyard is ready for the Icehouse's new Garden of Thorns

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A central part of the upcoming Icehouse celebration is Dia de los Muertos Motel II by local artist Janet de Berge Lange; it's the fifth in a series of participatory memorial installations for de Berge Lange's "Recuerdo Project." Historically, recuerdos (literally, "memory," "momento" or "souvenir" in Spanish) were small votive images painted by unskilled family members, not by artists, and hung in remembrance of a loved one who died. The paintings were offered as a healing to those left behind, as well as a validation of life well lived, notes the artist.

De Berge Lange will set up recuerdos she has painted in the past as an ofrenda or offering to the memory of Phoenix artist and long-time best friend, Sean O'Donnell, who committed suicide by self-inflicted gunshot in 2006, an event originally reported by New Times' Robrt Pela.

Tom Marrs

"Lady Hoover," a 3-D assemblage by the late Sean O'Donnell

​ The commemorative paintings will be displayed in a room at the Icehouse that was used, according to Hestenes, by Phoenix police to store evidence in the Don Bolles murder case in the late 1970s. Bolles was an Arizona Republic journalist who was the victim of a car bombing in 1976 after he began reporting on organized crime and a high-profile Valley businessman.

In addition, a desert willow will be planted in the Garden of Thorns in O'Donnell's name. De Berge Lange says that everyone is invited to paint a recuerdo in honor of a loved one who has passed away and needs to be remembered. "...[T]hen check them into the motel," says the artist.

Her prior "Recuerdo Project" installations include Dia de los Muertos Motel I (October 1992); 13 Women in the Ice Chambers (May 1993); World Aids Day (December 1995); and Rose Johnson Memorial (June 2009). Recuerdos created for artist Rose Johnson will also be on display for the last time in a small room adjacent to the Day of the Dead "motel."

Another memorial piece slated for display in the Icehouse's White Column Room is Helen Hestenes' latest freezer installation work, A Purple Heart, which, she says, is dedicated to twenty deceased local artists, writers, journalists, poets and musicians who have impacted Phoenix in a profound way. Besides journalist Don Bolles, they include, among others, musician, artist and song writer Michael Swanson (suicide 2008), New Times journalist Deborah Laake (suicide 1994), artist Rose Johnson (accidental methanol poisoning 2009), artist Tony Gowen (heroin overdose 1992), poet George Dillon (accidental fall from truck 1991), artist Fritz Scholder (diabetic complications 2005), sculptor and ASU professor Lew Alquist (liver cancer 2005), and psychologist/artist Mel Roman (colon cancer 2002).

To cap the evenings festivities, Terra Dance Company will perform in the courtyard area on top of a 50-foot by 25-foot mural painted on asphalt by Lucas Bostrom, a 19-year-old Phoenix artist who single-handedly raised $3,000 to buy paint used for the mural project.

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It was early morning when I got the e-mail confirming my phone call with Dave Longstreth from Dirty Projectors. It was to be at 9a.m. my time, the following day. I went to work and went about my business as usual when it hit me.

What does one ask the Dirty Projectors anyway? I went online to do some research- just a little digging around here and there so that I was up to speed on what the band was doing; you know, normal things. After about five minutes, I had given up and spent an hour just watching various live performances on YouTube with the occasional cameo of acute penguin video every now and then. A friend of mine popped up on my Google Chat screen:

Friend: Hey! How's Phoenix? What are you up to?

Me: Oh, it's alright. It's finally cooling down. I'm just sort of watching Dirty Projectors videos on YouTube trying to think of what to ask them during my interview tomorrow.

Friend: Dirty Projectors? That's freaking cool! Good job! And good luck, too. Isn't that guy like insanely smart or something? He's probably pretentious.

Me: I don't know. I've met him before and he was super nice. I don't know though...we'll see, I guess.

The next day...

Did you expect me to actually wake up on time for this? I rolled out of bed about 10 minutes before I was actually supposed to call Dave's cell phone. Bad allergies and all, I sneezed for about five minutes before making the call. How'd it go? See for yourself:

Victor Palagano

Matt and Kim. See more shots in our slide show.

​Third Thursday in Scottsdale proved a massive mish-mash of ages, scenes and reasons for attendance. Matt and Kim played a free gig for FM 103.9's free concert series, Sean Kingston was at Venue of Scottsdale, plus, there was that whole art walk thing.

The Brooklyn-based duo Matt and Kim took the stage at Craftsman Court around 9 p.m., and spewed rays of sunshine so genuine that it wouldn't be surprising to find them as hosts of a t.v. show aimed at kiddos. Both brought with them beaming smiles and MC moves, perfectly suited to the sugary pop and big hip-hop beats the group sample and bang out.

"Let's all take a big, collective sigh of relief 'cause the balloon boy is OK," Matt joked. He then proclaimed his love for feeling as though he'd traveled back into summertime, after being in New York, and kicked into "It's a Fact (Printed Stained)."

Fans repeatedly bashed through the metal barriers separating the stage from the crowd and literally had the stage hands pushing the gate-like units back at the mass of people. Kim shot over to the microphone to thank the muscley preservers: "You guys holding the barricade, are allowing us to have a fucking great time."

Exposing some freak punk roots, Matt and Kim then flew into the alleged fastest song they've ever written and doubled the time. The instrumental assault sounded like Minor Threat layered with the soundtrack to Mario in his Nintendo World on speed.

"I wanna see you get wild," Matt said, peppering "Silver Tiles," the first Matt and Kim song ever written, and "5K" with can-can kicks and rather impressive arabesques. Kim borrowed a few choice rock drummer moves (see: holding one stick in the air epically, crossing sticks, flexing biceps, etc.). She sang backups on "Lessons Learned," the song featured in the video for which they recently won a moon man. Matt referred to the event, the winning that is, as "Something weird that happened," adding that it was their first MTV VMA and it was awarded for the first time they were naked in Times Square.

After the crowd served up some serious "da da dada da da's" for the song, Kim, now armed with her own mic, exclaimed: "You guys are so fucking awesome." Matt remarked that although his counterpart has the body of a 15-year-old boy, she has the mouth of a 60-year-old sailor. 

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Yes, The Valley's ever-fluxing, erm "format modifying," station FM 103.9, better known as The Edge is still hosting those free Third Thursday concerts that brought acts like MGMT, The Ataris and Alien Ant Farm to the open-air mall Tempe Marketplace. Now a mainstay in Old Town Scottsdale's Craftsman Court, this month's bash presents Arizonans with headliners Matt and Kim, with support from local acts The Bollox and Telescope.

The sugary sweet, dance slop duo have had a big year: not only winning a moon man for best breakthrough video for their song "Lessons Learned," (best summarized as a drawn out stripping-in-public music video with a crazy end), their Fader debut Grand cracked the Billboard Top 200, and, possibly most importantly, their song "Daylight" was featured in this Bacardi mojito commerical.

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Pardon us as we take a moment to give Psych 101 a round of applause for being such good sports with their "Wonderland" submission.

A few months back, New Times asked Jeff Miller of the local psych-rock ensemble to write a song based on this year's Best of Phoenix theme. Not only did the vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist produce a butt-kicking tune, but the four-piece band went the extra mile and recorded a music video, which will be on display during October's "Phoenix as Wonderland: Art from New Times' Best of Phoenix 2009" exhibit.

​Any attempt on my part to play "rock critic" on this assignment would be complete bullshit. Few assignments have ever made me want to high five my inner fifteen-year-old more than a chance to interview Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids, a band that dominated my Walkman in early high school. I'd spend my days cribbing all the songwriting ideas I could glean from the band's classic records, Four Minute Mile, On a Wire and the band's breakthrough sophomore record, Something to Write Home About.

The Get Up Kids have recently reunited to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the latter album, which catapulted the band to national attention, including tours with Weezer and Green Day and a headlining tour sponsored by Napster, suggesting a world in which an independent band could achieve significant sales without the assistance of commercial radio (though I remember Valley DJ Craven Moorehead spinning the single "Ten Minutes" often on The Edge 103.9's Ska Punk show).

Moreover, Something to Write Home About detailed the band's willingness to mature, one thing I've always respected about the group. While it still featured plenty of lyrics centered on romantic woes, the band took on a more nuanced sound than their rough and tumble debut. Electric pianos and synths shared equal footing with charging guitars, and the group seemed as adept at ballads like "Out of Reach" and "I'll Catch You" as they did playing smart-guitar pop like "Holiday" and "Action & Action."

And yeah, everyone called it "emo." But ten years ago the term described far more than Hot Topic approved mall-punk. The term was as amorphous as the label "indie-rock," covering everything from the power-pop of The Promise Ring to the shimmery rock of Arizona's own Jimmy Eat World. It may well be considered emo, but to my ears today, Something to Write Home About just sounds like literate, exciting rock music, the best elements of all-ages hardcore fused with pure pop melodies and markedly relatable sentiment.

Pryor took a few minutes out of his busy life in Lawrence, Kansas to chat with me. "It's crazy over here," he laughs, "The dog is barking, friends just stopped by and the kids are running around."

One of the things I like most about New Times Music Editor Martin Cizmar is disagreeing with him. We've had some fun arguments and discussions on music, culture, the role of the press and even Eazy E.

Which is why I felt compelled to write this post completely and unequivocally disagreeing with his latest column "An Ode To 1994: Green Day's Dookie and the Peak of Western Civilization."

Dookie, while a milestone, was not in any way the peak of Western Civilization. It was the peak of one specific physical product: the CD. It was the right record in the right place and right time. To understand why it was a huge success one has to look at the context. It came out as the CD format was finally becoming the universal standard music format, after slowly building for over a decade. It was not until the early 90s that this was cemented as the standard. Before that, there had been a long and confusing transition from record to cassette tape to CD.

Fifteen years ago today, Generation X arguably reached it's zenith, as Woodstock '94 began in Saugerties, New York.

Upstate locals 3 kicked things off on a Friday that also saw Blues Traveler, Collective Soul, Ice T, Live and The Violent Femmes. Tomorrow, August 13, was when the big guns of the day came out: Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Aerosmith, Salt 'N Pepa, Cypress Hill and Rollins Band. August 14, a Sunday in 1994, was when some of the original Flower Children (Country Joe McDonald, Bob Dylan, Allman Brothers Band) mingled with Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Anyone have favorite memories of the event? Mine is above. Still gives me chills to watch it.

As you may have already heard, John Hughes died of a heart attack today while visiting his family in New York. Hughes directed such films as Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club and many more.

This one's for you, Mr. Hughes.

The Wiggles in their big, red car.

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By Stefan Shepherd
Talking with The Wiggles' Murray Cook -- AKA the Red Wiggle, the group's lead guitarist -- is akin to talking to one of the Beatles, and finding out that they're really down-to-earth blokes. Before meeting Anthony Field and Greg Page while studying early childhood education Macquarie University, Cook played in various bands such as The Finger Guns. In 1991, Field, Page, and he formed the Wiggles. The rest is brightly-colored history.

It's possible that being the highest earning entertainers in Australia -- beating out Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Kylie Minogue -- has gone to their head, but nothing in our conversation with while he was in New York waiting to do a meet-and-greet suggested anything of the sort. In fact, it was a little bit like talking to your neighbor down the street -- if your neighbor down the street not only earned more than Kylie Minogue but also released a single ("Monkey Man") with her.

Cook and the rest of the Wiggles (sans Minogue, sadly) will appear in two shows at Phoenix's Dodge Theatre today. Read on for more info on the Red Wiggle...

It's no rumor that Marilu Knode, associate director and head of research at Future Arts Research @ ASU (F.A.R.) is leaving Phoenix for considerably less dust storms and considerably more humidity to become Executive Director of the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Missouri. One of just a handful of open-air museums around the world and accredited by the American Association of Museums, Laumeier (pronounced "lo-meye-yor") is situated on 105 verdant acres in the greater metropolitan St. Louis area and boasts outdoor and indoor galleries that host a variety of art exhibitions, concerts, educational programs, lectures and special events throughout the year. It also mounts a fabulous, nationally recognized fine art and crafts fair annually. According to Knode, despite the threat of terminal basement mildew, the job offers exciting new job-related vistas and brings her closer to her mother, who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as her Milwaukee-based boyfriend and other long-time pals.

Beginning September 14, 2009, she will be not only Laumeier's Executive Director, but also the Aronson Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which is a part of the package. Knode will be Laumeier Sculpture Park's third director, succeeding Glen Gentele (2001-2008) and Beej Nierengarten-Smith (1979-2001).

Past Phoenix/Valley bands to play the CMJ Music Marathon include Dust Jacket and Peachcake

The PHX's Z-Trip is already considered by many to be the "Godfather of the mash-up." But could the 38-year-old also be the best DJ in the whole damn U.S.?

That's entirely up to you...and the rest of the online world, for that matter.

The Tripster s in the running for the annual "America's Best DJ" contest sponsored by industry publication DJ Times. He's currently in the Top 10, competing against 99 other big names in the biz, including the likes of Steve Aoki, DJ AM, Dieselboy, and the Crystal Method. (The only other cat with a Phoenix connection is Markus Schulz, who held residencies at various Valley spots in the early 90s).

Fans can vote online until August 9, and the award will be doled out on September 12 at a boffo blowout in Sin City.

Tempe pop-rockers The Maine have jumped from Fearless Records (a pretty decent label in it's own right) to Warner, one of The Big Four, reports Absolute Punk and elbo.ws.

The band already had pretty legit distribution, but they're now making an even bigger push, re-releasing their 2008 debut, Cant' Stop, Won't Stop in a bonus package that includes some new songs (including a cover of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me") and a "documentary" (read: infomercial) about the band.

As we mentioned here, your next chance to see them in town is at Warped Tour Tuesday. You can also check out our February feature on them here.