Phoenix Metblogs » Bands

$4 Water = FAIL

Krista — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:32:25 +0000

My Partner and I did take our 14 year old to Edgefest this weekend, as we planned. It was about what I expected: hot, tiring, no shade, great bands, lots of activities. The food was expensive, but we planned for that. What we did not plan for was that water was $4 a 20-ounce bottle.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not expect free water, but when the temperature is over 100 degrees out, I expect it to be reasonably priced. We ended up not drinking nearly enough, and all told, we calculated that we spent $100 of the $150 we had with us on water and ice. I would love to know how many people they had to treat for dehydration. The Dos Gringos booth had $2 waters for a while, and we bought those until they ran out and started selling the $4 waters. I think my best investment was a $3 iced spray bottle from a vendor. Unfortunately I lost it during the Gogol Bordello show when a crowd surfer fell on me. The joys of an excellent punk show.

We did have a lot of fun, but we learned some things. One of the main things is to not take a slightly geeky 14-year-old near the front of a Flogging Molly concert. Between the mosh pit that started up next to us and the crowd surfers, we could not keep him safe and ended up having to push out of the crowd and escape. The crowd was restless after the shows were delayed by a thunderstorm rolling through. In true Phoenician style, I welcomed the wind and was sad it brought no rain to cool things off.

Resting in the shade tent around noon

Also resting in the shade tent- the white is suncreen dripping off in the heat

One way to cool off- Konal at the waterpark

Almost, Almost Irish…

Krista — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:54:34 +0000

The title is from a song by Ceann called Almost Irish. The lyrics are pretty accurate to my situation as 3rd generation 1/2 Irish:

‘Cause I’m almost, I’m almost Irish
And I hope almost, is good enough for you
And I’m mostly, I’m mostly Irish
OK mostly I’m American it’s true
Maybe the little bit of Irish in me
Could be the little bit of Irish in you

What does this have to do with Phoenix? Because Phoenix has a large Irish population and a Celtic music scene.

Thanks to groups like the Irish Cultural Center and the Arizona Irish Music Society, there are a lot of venues to find good Irish music.
One I highly recommend is Saturday, October 4th. The Arizona Irish Festival at Margaret Hance Park and the Irish Cultural Center in Phoenix is a can’t miss event.

Irish Cultural Center
1106 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ, 85004
(602) 308-4601.

If you want to participate directly in the music, you can learn an instrument or how to dance at the Cultural Center. If you just want to listen, the Arizona Irish Festival is a good place to start, but there are many other opportunities in the valley as well.

Jane Hilton - St. Patrick's 2007 - Photo (c) Chris Seggerman

My friend Jane Hilton is a top-rated fiddler and teacher. She keeps an up-to-date calendar on her web site, but you can also find her Thursdays at Tim Finnegan’s with Singer-Songwriter Shay Veno from 9:30 pm to 1 am.

Tim Finnegan’s Irish Restaurant & Pub
9201 N. 29th Ave.
Phoenix, Arizona 85051
Phone: 602.997.2323

Shay also plays frequently at O’Connors Pub located at I-17 & Dunlap (East of Fuddrucker’s), which has been a second home to me for years.

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Shay playing, Saint Patrick’s Day, 2007

If you are not into the pub scene (and there are several around the valley, which I will write about later), there are alternatives. This Friday, September 26, at Mama Java’s Coffeehouse (Indian School between 32nd St and 40th St) will feature:

8pm Singer-Songwriter David McKay w/ Jane Hilton, violin, viola and mando bird
9pm Glaswegian Singer and Guitarist Ian Walinck, Jane Hilton, fiddle, and Sarah Henrich, bodhran

Another great venue is Fiddler’s Dream.
From their web site:

Fiddler’s Dream Coffeehouse is located at 1702 East Glendale, in North Phoenix, just 1 block North of Glendale Avenue on the east side of 17th Street. We are on the grounds of the Phoenix Friends Meeting, on the Southeast corner of 17th Street and Cactus Wren.
We’re open from 7:15 pm until 11:00 pm Friday and Saturday nights (Performances start at 8:00 pm) and on Thursday 6:15 pm to 10:00 pm (music starts 7:30pm), we’re open for our Open Stage Night, so stop and visit. We also have some special events-check our calendar! In January 2009 we celebrate our 22nd Anniversary – and we plan to keep getting better and better. As an all-volunteer organization, we are always looking for nice folks to staff the kitchen, emcee, and lots of other fun stuff. Let us know if you’d like to be involved!
We offer a smoke-free, alcohol-free, COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC musical environment in a small venue. It’s a lot of fun, and we hold an open-stage at the end of most Friday and Saturday shows … 10 minutes or three songs.
For information on each weekend’s events, call (602) 997-9795. Fiddler’s Dream is COMPLETELY ACOUSTIC, which means we have no sound system, no microphones, and no amplifiers – and none are allowed per our incorporating charter. If you are interested in performing at Fiddler’s Dream, and can do a completely acoustic set, e-mail or give us a call.

I have been to all the venues except Tim Finnegan’s and I am pretty proud of AZ’s Irish Music scene. See you around

Edgefest 2008

Krista — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:30:15 +0000

This Saturday, September 27, Schnepf Farms will once again host a major valley event. The Edge 103.9 is putting on Edgefest 2008 and I will be taking my 14 year old son, which is a bit overwhelming to think about.
If you have been reading my posts so far, you can tell I am a little bit outside the mainstream. I have eclectic tastes, but on the radio I tend to listen to mainly alternative. The Edge is pretty much the only alternative station left after several flag changes from the others. I am not thrilled about Adam Carolla in the morning, but as long as they keep the Ska Punk show, I will keep listening.
As for the show, my son is going to see the Flobots, I am going to see Gogol Bordello & Flogging Molly, and Chris is a fan of NOFX from way back.

I will have trouble making up my mind, because the line up is awesome:

AZ STATE FAIR MAIN STAGE
10:45-11:15am – HOUSEMAN ATHLETES
11:30am-12:15pm – MICKEY AVALON
12:35-1:20pm – THE KOOKS
1:40-2:25pm – FLOBOTS
2:45-3:30pm – ALKALINE TRIO
3:50-4:40pm – PENNYWISE
5-6pm – NOFX
6:20-7:20pm – RISE AGAINST
7:50-9pm – FLOGGING MOLLY
9:30-10:45pm – PAUL OAKENFOLD

SRP STAGE
10:45-11:15am – THE MILLIONAIRES
11:30am-12:15pm – CIVET
12:15-12:45pm – AUTHORITY ZERO
1:05-1:50pm – THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
2:10-2:55pm – EVERLAST
3:15-4:10pm – THRICE
4:30-5:30pm – REV. HORTON HEAT
5:50-6:50pm – GOGOL BORDELLO
7:10-8:20pm – KOTTONMOUTH KINGS
8:50-10pm – ATMOSPHERE

And last but not least:

LOCAL STAGE
10:45-11:30am – BRETHEREN SOL
11:45am-12:15pm – ONE STAR NITE
12:30-1pm – EMERALD HONOR
1:15-1:45pm – CAPTAIN SQUEEGEE
2-2:30pm – FRIDAY NIGHT GUNFIGHT
2:45-3:15pm – MARISSA MISHELLE
3:30-4pm – MEDIC DROID
4:15-4:45pm – CONFORT FOR CHANGE
5-5:30pm – VISTALANCE
5:45-6:15pm – DIMONET
6:30-7pm – 4TH MAN IN THE FIRE
7:15-7:45 – FLIGHT TO LONDON

I honestly don’t know when I will have time for the rest of the attractions:

* Water park featuring dunk tanks and slides
* Art walk featuring local artisans including graffiti, caricatures
* Nitro fueled Rc remote control racecars
* Fan friendly Chill Tent to deep freeze your bones
* Nighttime laser spectacular
* Snow… that’s right snow at Schnepf Farms

Rainbows Festival

pho_rich — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 07:05:19 +0000

On the off chance you are looking for something festive to do this weekend I recommend hitting up the Rainbows Festival. It is going to be at Heritage Square Park (7th & Monroe-ish) Saturday and Sunday from 10-6. There will be food, shopping, music, art, and (my personal favorite) people watching! Admission is free and the weather looks clear, so I hope to see you there :)

How did you spend Talk Like a Pirate Day?

pho_lloyd — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:47:12 +0000

What better way to spend TLaP Day than with the Bootylicious Bards? I picked up their CD and won another. Yaargh!

New American City: Artists Look Forward exhibition at ASU Art Museum

pho_rich — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 04:33:05 +0000

As an art student at ASU I am happy that John Spiak from the ASU Art Museum has written in to tell us about an exhibit that he is curating called “New American City: Artists Look Forward.” The exhibit is open from Sept. 9 2006 through Jan. 27 2007 and will feature local artists from throughout the valley.

From the exhibit web page:

“[Phoenix] has a growing cultural infrastructure with artists living and working throughout the city. The downtown art scene draws thousands of visitors each month in addition to weekly art walks at the Scottsdale galleries, and contemporary art exhibitions open regularly at non-profit spaces across the Valley. Artists are playing an active role in envisioning the city’s future, developing clusters of studios, co-ops and galleries and revitalizing neighborhoods in the process. New American City: Artists Look Forward is an exhibition and dialogue on contemporary art and artists, and their role in the future of our city.

The website includes images, a schedule of free public lectures and programs, bios on the 23 artists selected and more. The opening reception is Friday, September 8 from 7-10pm and it is FREE to the public, which is always the case at the ASU Art Museum (no admission cost everyday). There will also be a FREE concert that evening with the local bands Sweet Bleeders and Snow Songs. The exhibition space will also have a resource lounge that will include a large selection on the Phoenix areas growth and development, as well as fiction books by local writers.”

Contact information as well as hours of operation are available on the New American City: Artists Look Forward web page.

But you have to leave right now!

pho_lloyd — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:42:40 +0000

Mike from FreeIndie.com writes in to say:

Less than Jake and Slightly Stoopid will be playing a Myspace secret show, today, Wednesday July 5th at the Rock in Tuscon. Address: 136 N Park, Tucson AZ 85719. Doors are at 7:30. Show up early so you actually get in.

We have to leave soon if we want to make it in time. Who has got a car?