Barred For Life @ Jugheads 11/7

Editorial team scouring North America in effort to document legacy of Black Flag, American punk rock

This Saturday, November 7th, author Stewart Ebersole and a four-person editorial team will be stopping by Jugheads in an effort to document the legacy of Black Flag via their iconography in tattoo art. The band's logo, four staggered, parallel rectangles known simply as "The Bars", is one of the most enduring and vivid symbols of youth subculture, and lends its name to the title of his forthcoming book, Barred For Life. Ebersole and his team will be taking photos for his book while you and your friends beat each other to the sounds of Black Fag, and locals The Tightholes, and JJCNV. The following is the Barred For Life press release.
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ShizzFest 2 Recap

TheShizz.org rounds out it's 2nd semi-annual local music event

On October 10, 2009 at the Trunk Space and Sweets & Beats in Phoenix, 20 bands performed on 3 stages throughout the evening in a festival of local sounds celebrating different bands in the Phoenix area at the semi-annual concert event, Shizzfest 2, presented by TheShizz.org, a local music messageboard.

So there I was waiting in the Jugheads parking lot. I had been there since 4:45 even though Tyler told me he would be there at 5. I had ants in my Dickies and basically wanted to drop off the new Cagematch shrit for Tyler and pick up flyers for the following Wednesday's Accused show we were playing. I was planning on handing them out at ShizzFest 2.
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Local Stuff You Should Know #8

Benefit show for Tumbleweed.org and the homeless youth of Phoenix

So economically, times are pretty damn tough for all of us. But our local charities and non-profits are really feeling the pinch. What's really frustrating is that this economic downturn is having the worst effect on our most vulnerable community members. The Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, a local non-profit for homeless and at-risk youth, is on the verge of losing some really great programs. The drop-in gallery, which features the artwork of local teens, is facing closure. So is Tumbleweed's outreach program, which provides food, clothing and other personal necessities to homeless teens all over the Valley.
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Local Stuff You Should Know #7

Venue changes, radio shows & some cool videos, oh my!

With the recent demise of The Sets, and the creation of a much needed all ages venue 23 West to take its place, I think it's safe to assume that big changes are happening for local music out here. Case in point, Kimber Lanning of Stinkweeds and Modified Arts fame took some time from her incredibly busy schedule working with Local First Arizona and SilverPlatter.info, to talk about some big upcoming changes with Modified Arts.
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Because I Wasn't There

Anti-Snob.com documents Phoenix punk 1976-1980

T.S.O.L. @ Mad Gardens '83
I have been obsessed all year long. Obsessed with a history I was never a part of... and one that I am barely qualified to write. It all started after the Super Bowl party in early February. My best gal-pal Denise from The Cosmeticators invited a few of us over to her pad to watch the video she shot during The Lustkillers show at Jamie Monistat's WokStar Bar the night before. The video was part performance/part shenanigans, starring yours truly as a liquored-up volunteered fool being decorated with toilet paper by some of my friends.

After we watched the Lustkillers vid, Denise told us of a DVD that she received a few copies of from an old friend. She gave me one of the copies. It was an early 1983 show at the famous Mad Gardens in Phoenix featuring TSOL, Grant & The Geezers, and JFA. By now, I reckon more people around town have this bootleg.
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23 West: New All Ages Venue

Shows blow through here like the monsoon rain we wish we could get

Two independent companies are joining forces to open an all ages, alcohol free venue in Tempe. 23 West is set to open in late December or early January.

After months of planning and red tape 23 West was approved for its special use permit this past Tuesday. Over 25 members or the music and media communities showed up in support of the new venue and only a handful of detractors spoke against the venue. Now that the city has signed off on the venue, the remodel of the building located at 23 West Southern Ave in Tempe is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks. "I'm really excited about having an opportunity to have an all ages venue in the east valley. It really gives us a chance to bring art/music culture to the area. Especially, when there isn't anything like this currently around her," commented Rodney Hu of the Yucca Taproom.
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When In AZ Music Compilation

Local bands + local bands = BFFs

When we first started the AZPunk comps in '02, we had an idea to have local punk bands cover their favorite local punk bands. Unfortunately for AZPunk, that idea never really got off the ground (although we never say never...), so when I heard about the new When In AZ Music Compilation, which features 55 local artists paying musical homage to their fellow local artists, I was ready and willing to drop $8.66 for three-and-a-half hours of local music. The album wouldn't necessarily be classified in the "punk" genre, but it does include The Liar's Handshake, an artist who was featured on our Volume 5 Comp, as well as longtime local Indy rockers, The Necronauts covering local punk favorites, Bolt!. Way I see it, regardless of the albums lack of "punk music", organizer Nick Kizer and all the local bands involved get a big thumbs up from this AZPunker.
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Local Stuff You Should Know #6

Shows blow through here like the monsoon rain we wish we could get

Monsoon season usually sucks balls out here in the desert. We're lied to for several weeks about getting rain that either only finds its way to remote locations of the state, or doesn't even come at all, the temperature jumps 2 degrees every day, and usually the only comfort we have is knowing that we only have to suffer about 2 more months of constant daily "excessive heat warning" reminders. But don't sweat it, bitches!, the beginning of the last 2009 quarter has given us a much better kind of hotness to look forward to. September and October alone will have you braving your oven of a car, and possibly several freeway trips, to check out some of these awesome national/local combo punk shows that will be coming up like Agent Orange, The Accused, J.F.A., D.I., and a hell of a lot more. Check it out!
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Local Band Charity Softball Tournament To Benefit Toys For Tots

Mantooth Gorup is for the children!

Local band softball tournament is back for a 3rd year. Organizers are hoping to raise more toys than ever before Sunday, November 8, 2009 at Daley Park.

What would be a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the fall than playing softball, hanging out with the local music community and most importantly, raising donations for Toys For Tots? The Local Band Charity Softball Tournament is back after a long hideous and is ready for action. On Sunday, November 8th several softball teams consisting of local bands, promoters and fans will take the field in an effort to raise money and toys for the local Toys for Tots chapter.
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Desert Punk Slamboree @ The Sets

This Saturday, 8/22

Thanks to the non-stop hard work driven punks over at Desert Punk Promotions and AZKaos, this Saturday at the Sets is where you're going to want to be to see a collection of some of Arizona's great punk rock bands.

The Desert Punk Slamboree is a gathering of Arizona's best local talent (The Glass Heroes, Rotten Youth, My Doll, etc) the most dedicated supporters (AZ Kaos), and the most die-hard fans (you). In short, it is THE event showcasing the strength and relevance of the Arizona punk, hardcore, and rock scene. The Desert Punk Slamboree show is a celebration of what all these people have done with the scene and what they will continue to do in the future; create good music and a place and time that people will remember years from now and wish they were there to witness.
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AZKaos Zine #4 Preview

A quick peek at the latest issue

Welcome to the August edition of AZ Kaos! This month we have a few new writers and, of course, all those overly opinionated old writers that drink and bitch far too much.

The summer has been quite the busy one around here (and hot as fuck) but it's not over yet. There are still plenty of awesome bands with shows coming up and, of course, plenty to do if you just get out of the house. Now onto AZK stuff - we've been running around like mad for a while now, but are constantly amazed at how much help we've been given or offered from everyone out there! We really couldn't keep this running if not for all of you out there!
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Local Stuff You Should Know #5

No rest for the local punk-hunter.

Trying to keep up with the sheer awesomeness that splatters this state from border to border is a full time job. There is so much going on in the Arizona punk scene on a daily basis, that since we relaunched in April, there's maybe been one day that has been empty on our show calendar. And despite the daunting task of scanning the innerwebs for shows to populate the calendar with, there's a chance that something was going on that I just missed. That being said, it's hard for us to get EVERY show posted. If you know of something coming up that you don't see on the calendar, please post it! If you've got something you want to promote, let us know! We're still working on making comments possible, and tons of other stuff, but the promotional capabilities on AZPunk is alive and well! If you want to help, or if you've got shit you want to promote online (and we know you do), just shoot us an email and let's get it rollin!
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Valley of the Scum #4 Preview

A quick peek at the latest issue

I used to walk in to East Side Records every week, and anxiously ask "Do you have any local zines yet? Anything about local music?". The answer was always a disappointing "no". So T-Bird and myself said "Fuck it" and put out issue # 1 with the Love Me Nots. Since that first issue, a spark was lit. Now there's hordes of great things happening for Phoenix. More coverage, more zines, more websites, more everything! And here we are now about to put out our 4th issue for the month of July. People all over town have been asking "When is the next issue coming out? Where can I get it? Are you guys still around?". To all of those questions, here are the answers:
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The Manor: A Clubhouse for Losers

House shows still dominate the underground in AZ

Since the dawn of Man, house shows have been the lifeline of true underground punk rock music. If you've never heard of them, or if their name is certain to generate some interest, chances are the bands playing at any given local house shows are worthy of your attention. Case in point, The Manor in Tempe is the left ventricle of the Arizona punk rock house show circulatory system. The guys who run/work/live at The Manor are also members of local punk bands like Higher Love, Lower Love and Standards, who coincidentally also populate some of the shows held there.
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AZKaos Zine #3 Preview

A quick peek at the latest issue

Taking our cue and a page from the original SLASH magazine at the birth of the L.A. punk scene, AZ KAOS focuses on but not limited to Arizona bands, shows, films, photos, cd releases and music related concerns or topics. Our goal is to publish one issue a month. We are not attempting to "cover" the scene. Instead, AZ KAOS will give focus to bands and artists that we feel need attention, criticism or debate. This will not be a kiss ass "I like your band, you like mine" fanzine. Instead, like SLASH years ago, AZ KAOS will inject attitude, philosophy, criticism and belief in what we feel passionate about.
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